Jerome Gambit: Winning Without the "Best"

If the "best" line of play - according to computer analysis - takes too much time to figure out, or is too messy to follow easily, or if it is not as clear as a "good" line of play; then perhaps there are reasons to avoid the "best", especially if you can win without it. 

The following game is a good example.

Wall, Bill - Guest14935422
PlayChess.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qe7

8.O-O 

Bill has also played 8.Bf4, and castled Queenside, in Wall,B - Guest433702, PlayChess.com 2017 (1-0, 22). 

8...Nf6 

An improvement over 8...c5 9.Qd5+ Qe610.Qxc5 Ne7 11.f4 d6 12.fxe5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016. 

9.Nc3 d6

Or:

9...Nc6 as in Wall,B-Bojovic,D, PlayChess.com, 2017 (1-0, 23); or 

9...c6 as in Wall,B-Guest2327120, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 20) 

10.Bg5 

Thematic.

Last year, Bill tried another thematic line: 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qc4+ Be6 12.Qd3 Rhf8 13.f5 Bd7 14.Bg5 Kg8 15.Nd5 Qd8 16.Nxf6+ gxf6 17.Bh6 Rf7 18.Rf3 Ne5 19.Rg3+ Kh8 20.Qb3 Qe8 21.c4 Bc6 22.Qc2 Qe7 23.b4 b6 24.a4 a5 25.b5 Bb7 26.Rf1 Rg8 27.Rxg8+ Kxg8 28.Rf4 Kh8 29.Qe2 Qe8 30.Qh5 Qg8 31.Qh4 Rg7 32.Qxf6 Nd7 33.Bxg7+ Qxg7 34.Qd8+ Nf8 35.Qb8 c6 36.Qxd6 cxb5 37.cxb5 h5 38.Qxb6 Qe5 39.Qh6+ Nh7 40.f6 Bxe4 41.Qg7 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest2010250/, PlayChess.com, 2018. 

10...Rf8 

White continues to play "normal" Jerome Gambit moves.

Black continues with his piece-for-pawn advantage.

11.Nd5 Nc6 12.Qd2 

White offers a pawn to be able to break up Black's Kingside, and to open a door to complications.

12...Qxe4 

Stockfish 10 says Black is still better after this move, but it must be thinking about its silicon siblings. The human being handling the defense is showing his skepticism about White's attack, and fairly well drools at the prospect of simultaneously grabbing a pawn, unpinning the Knight from his Queen, and threatening the enemy Knight on d5. What could possibly go wrong?

13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Rae1 Qd4 

Black offers to swap Queens, which would take much energy out of the position, even at the cost of a pawn, e.g. 15.Qxd4 Nxd4 16.Re7+ Kg6 17.Rxc7 Ne6. However, the move is a mistake.

I suspect that Bill looked at the following line, later suggested by Stockfish 10, and then rejected it as somewhat fishy... Or, more suited for correspondence play.

"Best" was the wild 15.Re7+!?. Black's King has to dodge with 15...Kg6, when 16.Nf4+!? forces the defender to give up his Queen, eventually winding up with a Knight, Bishop and Rook for a Queen and a pawn - but with a difficult position after 16...Qxf4 17.Qxf4 Nxe7 18.Qe4+ Kf7 19.Qxh7+ Ke8. After some Queen dancing by White - 20.Re1 Rf7 21.Qg8+ Rf8 22.Qg6+ Rf7 - Black is tied up, and 23.h4!? shows White's winning path.

Analysis Diagram






But - why bother? That kind of calculation takes time, and, instead, White can simply continue to put pressure on the enemy King.

Let Black do all the figuring out.

15.Qh6 Bf5

Of course not 15...Qxd5 16.Qxh7#.

16.Nxc7 Rac8 

Indeed, what to do about White's threat to win the exchange?

There was also 16...Bxc2, but after 17.Re3 Rg8 18.Nxa8 Rxa8, Black has a Bishop and Knight for a Rook, but White remains with the initiative.

17.Ne6 

More thinking to do! White threatens to win the exchange, again, and Black should let him, with 17...Qg4 18.Nxf8 Rxf8. 

17...Bxe6 18.Qxh7+ Ke8 19.Rxe6+ Kd8 20.Qxb7 

20...Qb6

Black finally cracks. In offering to exchange Queens to reduce the pressure on his King, he unprotects the vulnerable d-pawn. 

21.Rxd6+ Ke8 22.Qd7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Bad Habits

Giving defenders of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) can always benefit from advice about bad habits. First and foremost, they could refrain from harassing the White Queen, unless they are certain what the results will be - other than wasting time or weakening their own position. Probably the hardest bit of advice is to find the right time to return the sacrificed material to reach an even game.

See the following game.

Wall, Bill - Guest15061828
PlayChess.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 

Familiar ground: The Database points out that Bill has reached this position (as White and as Black) over six dozen times, scoring over 90%.

8.Nc3 Be6 9.O-O Bh3

Going for the tactical trick 10.gxh3? Nf3+ winning the Queen. 

Had Black tried 9...Nf6, the game would have transposed: 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Nb4 12.Qe2 Re8 13.f5 Nxc2 14.fxe6+ Rxe6 15.Qxc2 Kg8 16.Qb3 Qe7 17.Qxb7 Re8 18.Qxa7 Nxe4 19.Nxe4 Rxe4 20.Bd2 h6 21.a4 Qe5 22.Bc3 Qg5 23.Qxc7 Re2 24.Qf7+ Kh8 25.Rf2 R2e7 26.Qf3 d5 27.a5 Re3 28.Qf4 Qe7 29.Qxh6+ Kg8 30.Qh5 d4 31.Bxd4 Re1+ 32.Rxe1 Qxe1+ 33.Rf1 Qe4 34.Qf7+ Kh7 35.Qxg7 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest3746555, PlayChess.com, 2015 

10.Qd5+ Be6 11.Qd4 

Bill avoids 11.Qxb7, no doubt because after 11...Qb8 he would not be able to avoid exchanging Queens (e.g. 12.Qa6 Bc4) 

11...c6 

Black wants to keep White's Knight out of d5, but from here on his game sinks, quickly. A few years ago Bill faced 11...Nf6, and the game continued 12.b3 Rf8 13.f4 Nc6 14.Qd3 Kg8 15.Bb2 Bg4 16.Rae1 Kh8 17.Nd5 Nxd5 18.exd5 Bf5 19.Qg3 Qd7 20.dxc6 bxc6 21.Qg5 Bxc2 22.Re7 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016

12.f4 c5 

The urge to punish the White Queen is often too much for the defender. Instead, Stockfish 10 shows that by giving the extra piece back, an even position can be negotiated: 12...Ng4 13.h3 N4f6 14.f5 Bc8 15.Bf4 d5 16.e5 Qb6 17.Be3 Qxd4 18.Bxd4 Ne7 19.exf6 gxf6 20.g4 h5 21.g5 Nxf5 22.Bxf6 Re8 

13.fxe5+ Ke7 

Less painful, but still losing, although more slowly, would have been 13...Nf6, as in the interesting line Stockfish 10 gives: 14.Qxd6 Qxd6 15.exd6 Ke8 16.Bh6 (echo of Black's 9th move) Ng4 17.Bxg7 Rg8 18.Bf6 Kd7 19.e5 Raf8 20.Ne4 Bd5 21.Rae1 b6 22.h3 Bxe4 23.Rxe4 Nxf6 24.exf6 Rg6 25.Re7+ Kxd6 26.Rd1+ Kc6 27.f7 Rd6 28.Rxd6+ Kxd6 29.Rxa7 

14.exd6+ Qxd6 15.Qxg7+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: As Time Goes On

In the following game, Black and White exchange surprises - in 1 0 bullet games they can be deadly, because there is not a lot of time available to assess them deeply. White's focus on Black's King pays off in the middle game, and Black cannot put similar pressure on the enemy monarch, as time goes on.

angelcamina - tatrod
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. White does not want to go along with Black's quiet game. 

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Kf8 

Black introduces his surprise. Stockfish 10 gives Black the advantage after this interesting move, although it prefers 6...Nxe5. From a practical point of view, The Database has 9 games with this line, with White scoring 78%.

7.Nxc6 dxc6 8.d4

No doubt Black thought he had just prevented this move, otherwise he would have played 7...bxc6. Still, he decides to be cautious.

8...Bb4 9.e5 Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 Nd5 11.Ba3+ Ke8 

12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qh6 Bf5 

This allows White's Queen to enter the Kingside, and Black is ultimately doomed.

14.Qg7 Rg8 

Despair.

15.Qxg8+ Kd7 16.Qxh7+ Kc8 17.O-O-O 

White figures he can work it out from here.

17...Nxc3 18.Rd2 b519.Bc5 Kb7 20.Kb2 

Time is always short. White protects his a-pawn from the Knight, but what he really wanted to find was 20.Bd6!?

20...Qd5 

Instead, 20...Na4+ 21.Ka1 Nxc5 would put Black ahead again. Now, Black's advancing pawns look scary, but they come to nothing.

21.Kxc3 a5 22.Kb2 b4 23.Qe7 Q4 24.Rhd1 a4 25.Bxb4 Qxb4+ 

A final slip. 

26.Qxb4+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Despite A Hardworking Defender

Although one of the strikes against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is the early and active deployment of White's Queen, the following game stands out in the amount of defensive activity by Black's Queen - alas, in a losing effort.

Wall, Bill - Guest10348707
PlayChess.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 d6 

It is fascinating how many ways Black can defend against the Jerome Gambit. Here, he doesn't bother choosing which attacked piece to save and which to give up, he simply opens a line for more development, and lets White decide. The Database has 32 games with this position; White scores 55%. 

7.dxe5

The Database has 16 games, with this capture, with White scoring 53%.

Of course, Bill has tried the other capture as well: 7.dxc5 Bg4 (or 7...Nf6 8.cxd6 cxd6 (8...Qxd6 9.Qe2 (9.Qxd6 cxd6 10.Nc3 Re8 11.f3 d5 12.Nb5 Re7 13.f4 Nc6 14.e5 Ne4 15.Be3 Bf5 16.O-O a6 17.Nd4 Nxd4 18.Bxd4 Kg8 19.g3 Rc8 20.c3 Rf7 21.Kg2 b5 22.a3 a5 23.Rfd1 b4 24.axb4 axb4 25.Rac1 Rfc7 26.Kg1 g5 27.fxg5 Nxg5 28.Kf2 Be4 29.Ra1 bxc3 30.bxc3 Nf3 31.g4 Re7 32.Kg3 Nxe5 33.Rf1 Nc6 34.Bf6 Re6 35.Rf4 Ne5 36.Ra3 Bg6 37.Rf2 Nd3 38.Rf3 Ne1 39.Rf1 Re3+ 40.Kf2 Rce8 41.Bd4 Rf3+ 42.Kg1 Rd3 43.Bf2 Nf3+ 44.Kg2 d4 45.Rc1 Be4 White resigned, Wall,B - Guest8299674, PlayChess.com, 2016) 9...Re8 10.Nc3 Neg4 11.Bd2 Kg8 12.O-O-O Be6 13.f4 Qa6 14.Qxa6 bxa6 15.Rde1 Rab8 16.h3 Nh6 17.f5 Bf7 18.g4 Nxe4 19.Rxe4 Rxe4 20.Nxe4 Re8 21.Re1 Bd5 22.Nf6+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Amsamms, lichess.org, 2017) 9.O-O Rf8 10.Nc3 h6 (10...Be6 11.Nb5 Bg4 12.Qxd6 Qxd6 13.Nxd6+ Kg8 14.f3 Bd7 15.Rd1 Bc6 16.Be3 Nc4 17.Nxc4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest3858723, PlayChess.com, 2013) 11.f4 Bg4 12.Qd2 Nc4 13.Qd3 Rc8 14.b3 Nb6 15.Bb2 Kg8 16.Nb5 d5 17.e5 Nh5 18.f5 Qg5 19.Nd6 Rcd8 20.h3 Bxh3 21.Qxh3 Nf4 22.Qf3 Rxd6 23.exd6 Rxf5 24.Rae1 Nd7 25.Re8+ Kh7 26.Re7 Black resigned,Wall,B - Guest2408457, PlayChess.com, 2018; or 7...a6 8.cxd6 Nf6 9.O-O Re8 10.f4 Neg4 11.h3 Nxe4 12.hxg4 Bd7 13.f5 Kg8 14.Bf4 cxd6 15.Nc3 Qb6+ 16.Kh2 Bc6 17.Nd5 Qxb2 18.Nc7 Rab8 19.Nxe8 Rxe8 20.g5 Nc3 21.Qg4 Qxc2 22.f6 Qe2 23.Qh3 Nb5 24.Rae1 Qxe1 25.Rxe1 Nc7 26.f7+ Kxf7 27.Qf5+ Kg8 28.Bxd6 h5 29.g6 Ne6 30.Rxe6 Rd8 31.Qxh5 Bxg2 32.Qh7 checkmate, Wall,B - Computer-level 8, Chess.com, 2017) 8.Qd5+ Be6 9.Qxb7 Nf6 10.Nc3 Rf8 11.f4 Nfg4 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.Nd5 Kg8 14.Bd2 Rb8 15.Qxc7 Bxd5 16.Qxd8 Rbxd8 17.exd5 Rxd5 18.h3 Rfd8 19.c6 Nf6 20.O-O-O Rc5 21.Rhe1 e4 22.Bc3 Rxd1+ 23.Kxd1 Rxc6 24.Bxf6 gxf6 25.Rxe4 Kf7 26.g4 Kg6 27.Ra4 a6 28.Ra5 Rd6+ 29.Ke2 Re6+ 30.Kf3 Rc6 31.c3 Rb6 32.b3 Rd6 33.h4 Rd3+ 34.Kf4 Rxc3 35.Rxa6 Rd3 36.h5+ Kf7 37.Ra7+ Kg8 38.Kf5 Rf3+ 39.Ke6 h6 40.b4 Rf4 41.b5 Rxg4 42.b6 Rb4 43.b7 f5 44.Ra8+ Kg7 45.b8=Q Rxb8 46.Rxb8 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest8860423, PlayChess.com, 2019. 

7...Be6 8.O-O h6 9.Qh5+ 

Bill has also played the more sedate 9.Nc3 g6 10.Qf3+ Ke7 11.Bf4 g5 12.Bg3 Bd4 13.exd6+ cxd6 14.Rad1 Bc5 15.e5 d5 16.Nxd5+ Bxd5 17.Rxd5 Qb6 18.e6 Nf6 19.Rd7+ Nxd7 20.Qf7+ Kd8 21.Qxd7 checkmate, Wall,B -Guest3664337, PlayChess.com, 2018

9...Kf8 10.Qf3+ Ke7 11.Bf4 Qf8 

An exchange of Queens would help Black.

12.exd6+ cxd6 13.Nc3 a6 

It is not immediately clear what is wrong with this move, or, rather, how the alternative, 13...Rc8, would have been better. Upon examination, the Bishop at c5 will need more support, and the Rook will be less at risk at c8.

14.e5 dxe5 15.Qxb7+ Kf6 16.Ne4+ Kf5 17.Nxc5 Qxc5 

18.Be3 

There was also 18...Qxa8. 

18...Qc8 

Black protects his Rook and hopes for an exchange of Queens. Alas, the position is more complicated than that. His best was the alternative, 18...Qf8, covering the pawn at g7 as well, but then 19.f4!? would threaten to open the f-file and allow White's Rook to attack the enemy King and Queen. If, then, 19...Kg6 20.fxe5 Rb8 21.Qxa6 Qc8 (the Black Queen is working hard on defense), White refocuses his attentions on the King with 22.Qd3+. The initiative, plus 4 pawns for the sacrificed piece, give the first player the clear advantage. In fact, Stockfish 10 points out that White now has a checkmate in 32 moves!  

19.Qxg7 Nf6 20.f4 Qg8 

21.fxe5+ Kxe5 22.Qc7+ Kd5 23.Qc5+ Ke4 24.Rf4 checkmate

Quite A Wild Gambit Variant

Wandering the internet, I came across a page on lichess.org which contained a short Russian language study of the Jerome Gambit, as well as a couple of games that were new to me.

The author, an apparent club player, is excited about his find, as are the players presented.

I have limited language skills, but I wanted to share the author's perspective

This is quite a wild gambit variant, but in a blitz or even in rapid it can become a rather dangerous weapon.                

Check it out! 

                                                          

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Junk Beats Junk

I try as often as possible to aim toward the Giuoco Piano in the opening, so that I can surprise my opponents with the Jerome Gambit. Occasionally, I meet a defender who wants to surprise me with the Blackburne Shilling Gambit. I usually surprise him with the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit - and, quite often, my junk opening beats his junk opening.

perrypawnpusher - bandiahegyrol
2 12 blitz, FICS, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. Black wants to see 4.Nxe5?!, so he can respond with 4...Qg5!?. It may be true that White would still have a slight edge after 5.Bxf7+, but Black would be playing the kind of wacky, unbalanced game that he was seeking.

Of course, White can pursue a safe advantage with 4.Nxd4, 4.0-0, 4.Nc3, 4.c3, 4.d3 - and probably even 4.a3 and 4.h3, if Stockfish 10 is to be believed.

I prefer "Jerome-izing" the game, however, even if it should only lead to an even position. 

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. The Database has 6,091 games with this move, with White scoring 56%. (Fair enough, but I have played the line in 44 games, and have scored 92%.)

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 

6.Qh5+ Ke7 

This is one of the reasons that I play the Queen check, although the strongest response is 6...g6, when Black seems to cede the exchange after 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxh8 - which is why some players avoid (or miss) the line in blitz. See "Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Black Runs Out of Energy" for some examination.

For the record, The Database has 339 games which reach the position after 6...Ke7. Pay attention, students: White has a forced checkmate!

7.Qf7+ 

Only 178 games (53% of the games that reached 6...Ke7) in The Database include this move.

7...Kd6 8.Nc4+ 

Only 94 games (53% of the games that reached 7...Kd6) in The Database include this move. (Even so, White lost from this position - a checkmate of Black in 3 moves - 4 times.)

8...Kc6 

Or 8...Kc5 9.Qd5+ Kb4 10.a3 Ka4 11.Nc3#

9.Qd5 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: I Hate RoboCalls

I hate robocalls - those annoying phone calls that provide an endless supply of scams and sales pitches. My home town has one of the largest collections of call centers in any city, and it is not unsual for me to receive 10 bogus calls a day. I let the calls go to my voice recorder, unless I recognize the name given by Caller ID (my favorite is "Illegal Scam" - for real), so that I do not waste time with fool things.

Except, sometimes the phone rings when I am playing a blitz game, online...

perrypawnpusher - pepxbcn
10 0 blitz, FICS, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.O-O Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Qxd4 Re8 

Black has a decent position. I have lost once from here - perrypawnpusher - kholthaus, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 45) - and won once - perrypawnpusher - Odeon, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 15). Over all, The Database has 5 previous games, with White scoring 40%.

10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 d6 12.b3 Bd7 13.Bb2 Ne7

Eyeing the f5 square, but 13...Be6 was just fine.

14.e5 Nh5 15.exd6 

My original plan was to play 15.Rae1, and I should have stuck with that. Sometimes I think my handle should be "perrypawngrabber".

15...cxd6 16.Qxd6 Qb6+ 

White has two pawns for the sacrificed piece, but Black remains better. And, now -

Ring! Ring! Ring! Blast, that stupid phone! Another call! So distracting! So annoying!*

17.Kh1? Qxd6 White resigned

Sigh.

Sadly, that's not the first time that I have hung my Queen in a Jerome Gambit game.

(*It is also a generational thing. When my kids' phones ring, they figure a friend is trying to reach them. When my phone rings, I ask myself, "Who died?" In this case, the White Queen.)