A GM Faces the Jerome Gambit (Part 1)

How many players of grandmaster strength have faced the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)?

I can think of Joseph Henry Blackburne, author of the notorious 1884 dismantling of the opening.

(Please, let's not revisit the "urban legend" that Alekhine lost to the Jerome. Thank you.)

Of course, if we step outside the main lines and include the Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (otherwise known as the Noa Gambit, or the Monck Gambit) - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ - then we can add , Charousek, Euwe, Lasker, Marco, Marshall, Tarrasch, Teichmann, and Zukertort, for starters.

For today, let's not go there, either.

Still, I have just learned of a Jerome Gambit, played at bullet speed, online, against a grandmaster.

Let me share some recent exchanges of email with the legendary Australian "Cliff Hardy", player of the white pieces. There will be some move references, but do not let them distract you - I will be presenting the game, with annotations, in due time.

Hi Rick! 

Sorry to inundate you with another game but, after playing the Jerome Gambit for years, I finally got my first chance to play a Jerome Gambit against a GM! It was GM Yasser Quesada Perez, from Cuba.  

Unfortunately, I didn't win 😭... 

Because GM Quesada Perez is quite new to Lichess - our game was only his 15th bullet game on the site - his bullet rating on Lichess is comparatively low for his standard of chess (his standard FIDE rating is much higher at 2572) and so I expect it will soon probably go a lot higher than it was at the time of this game.

Of course, I replied quickly

Hi, Cliff, 

Very glad to receive your game against Quesada Perez! 

Certainly provides one answer to the question "How would a GM respond to the Jerome Gambit??" 

Of course, it still leaves unanswered things like "How can you play such a coherent game with 1 second a move thinking time?" 

I have been going over the game, and will try to treat it with both a sense of respect and wonder when I post it on my blog - with you, your opponent, and my good pal, Stockfish 10, playing way over my head, it's a bit of a challenge to make sense of, and then share with readers. But, that's the whole point, I guess. 

[Black's 9th move] gave me a chuckle. It's a novelty, according to The Database, although your game later could transpose into a couple of online games from 2017. I can imagine the GM thinking: The only thing wrong with my position is that White may think he has an attack; so, let's exchange queens, and the rest will work itself out. No need for concrete analysis, especially in a bullet game.

Chances are, similar thinking produced [Black's 6th move]. It would be scary think a GM actually had a refutation to the Jerome Gambit in his repertoire. Most likely he thought (or just reacted) he'd settle for something reasonable, and figure the rest out later. I have seen that kind of thinking in numerous defenses to the Jerome - but the players were not super strong, and the "figuring" was much less effective.Stockfish 10 raises it's eyebrows only at [Black's 17th move], and its recommended followup for White is complicated and not at all clear to me, at least at this point - reaching =/+ in some lines, which has got to be the same as "=" in a bullet game (unless I'm playing, when it would be "-++" )

Nice game. Good to see you taking it to "the man". I mean - why not? I would do the same - although the comment was never truer than, for me, "After 1.e4, White's game is in its final throes". 

Thanks for sharing. 

I hope to learn more, and it'll show up in the blog. 

Rick

And Cliff came back with

Hi Rick! 

I was initially afraid you might not want to see the game, as it was a loss where I never really even got a great position, but I was quite excited to finally get a chance to play a GM with the Jerome. I was also quite glad I didn't botch it by just hanging a queen on move 8 or so 😉. 

Yes, I think he made it all up because he seemed to spend a bit more time on the first few moves. Now that Lichess shows move times, I can see that he took a "whopping" 2.0 seconds to play [his 6th move] 😉 , so it was one of his slowest moves in the game 😉. He spent even longer on [his 9th move]  (2.9 seconds on that move) so I guess he was trying to work out some sort of defence that would work best for him, like you said. Unfortunately, I tried to move too quickly and played [my 10th move] there - although who knows, technically [an alternate 10th move] is not that much better a move anyway... 

Yes, I noticed with the analysis that the computer didn't like [Black's 17th move] - but that was way over my head too! 😉 It was good fun to try against the GM and I will try to remember to throw in [the alternate 10th move] next time [his 9th move] is played. 

Also, it shows how there are so many GM's in the world - there's always some you've never heard of - or, at least, I'd never heard of this guy before this game! 

Bye

Me

[To be continued...] 

Jerome Gambit: Dispatched

It is interesting to see how quickly Black is dispatched on the following game. It takes a bit of familiarity with the Jerome Gambit, and some tactical skill (and a little help from Black) but White gets the job done, just like with a “regular” opening.

Wall, Bill - NN
Florida, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Ng4

The fun thing about being two pieces up is that you can find so many ways to give one back. This move is quite rare, but, of the four games with it, in The Database, two times Bill Wall was playing White. It is really hard to surprise him.

7.Qxg4 

Bill has also played 7.dxc5, in Wall,B - LethoStark, lichess.org 2016 (1-0, 31). In that game, Black responded with the annoying 7...Qh4.

7...Bxd4 8.e5 Bxe5

The Bishop is not safe here, as Bill cleverly shows.

9.Qh5+ Ke6 10.Qh3+ Kd6 11.Qd3+ Ke7 12.Qe3 d6 13.f4 Nf6 14.fxe5 dxe5 

15.Qxe5+ Be6

Material is now equal, and Black may have now consoled himself, Well, at least I still have an easy draw. That might explain this careless move, and the next two.

16.Nc3 Rf8 17.Be3 Ng4  

Forking the enemy Bishop and Queen, and "punishing" White for his carelessness - at least that is probably what Black thought.

In fact, this tosses the game away.

18.Bc5+ Kf7 19.O-O+ Nf6 20.Bxf8 Qxf8 21.Ne4 Kg8 22.Qxe6+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Some Seriousness

Defending against a "refuted" opening like the Jerome Gambit is easy - until it isn't. It is not good enough to just play the "right" moves. The followup moves also have to be correct. And the ones after those. Until you get to the playing level where people look at your game and mumble "and the rest is a matter of technique", you would be well advised to treat the Jerome with some seriousness.

Wall, Bill - Anonymous
lichess.org, 2019

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

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

8.O-O Nf6 9.Nc3 Re8 10.Bg5 Kg8 

We have an ordinary Jerome Gambit position: Black has a piece for a pawn, and has prudently castled-by-hand, while White has pressure on f6, and hopes to get his "Jerome pawns" rolling with f2-f4.

11.Nd5 

An alternate was 11.f4, e.g. 11..c5 (or 11...Nc6 12.Qd3, as in Wall,Bill - Foman, Chess.com, 2010 [1-0, 22]  or 12.Qa4 as in Wall,Bill - U80, PlayChess.com, 2016 [1-0, 29]) 12.Qd2 Nf7 13.Rae1 Bd7 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Rxe5 16.Rxe5 Nxe5 17.Qe1 Ng6 18.Nd5 Be8 19.c4 Bf7 20.Nxf6+ gxf6 21.Bxf6 Qd3 22.b3 Re8 23.Qf2 b6 24.Bb2 Qe3 25.Qxe3 Rxe3 26.Kf2 Re8 27.Rd1 Ne5 28.Bxe5 Rxe5 29.Rd7 a6 30.g4 b5 31.cxb5 axb5 32.a4 bxa4 33.bxa4 c4 34.Rd1 c3 35.Rc1 Rc5 36.Ke3 Bb3 37.Kd4 Rc4+ 38.Kd3 c2 39.a5 Rc5 40.a6 Ra5 41.Kc3 Ba4 42.Kc4 Rxa6 White resigned, Komodo 5 - Wall/Rybka, Florida, 2018.

11...Ned7

Overly cautious, perhaps anticipating f2-f4. Better was 11...Be6, as in Wall,Bill - Guest4809124, PlayChess.com, 2013 (0-1, 41).

Now, White gets to pull off a small tactic. 

12.Qc4 Kh8 13.Nxc7 Rb8 14.Nxe8 Qxe8 15.Qc7 Ra8 

White has a Rook and 2 pawns for 2 pieces. Stockfish 10 says that is plenty enough for a clear advantage, but there is still work to be done.

16.Rad1 Qxe4 

Black cannot afford this pawn grab.

17.Rfe1 Qc6 18.Qd8+ Ng8 19.Re8 Ndf6 

A slip, but defense was difficult.

20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Qxf6 checkmate

Nice.

Jerome Gambit: Looking Deeper

Jerome Gambit games played at bullet speed - one minute, no increment - are fun to watch or play over. They are a testament to those players who have a deep understanding of the needs of difficult positions, and who can see tactics in an eyeblink.

At the same time, I enjoy games played at a slower speed. They often produce solutions to different opening problems - or create new issues. The following game is a challenging example.

Wall, Bill - NN
Florida, 2019

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4

This is what I have called a "pie in the face" variation, one of the toughest challenges to the 6.d4 lines in the Jerome Gambit. It first appeared in Sorensen - X, Denmark, 1888 (1-0, 27).

While "objectively" strong for Black, 6...Qh4 leads to complicated play for both sides. This is illustrated by The Database - there are 2,018 games with the position after White's 6th move, with White scoring 55%. However, there are only 285 games (14%) with 6...Qh4, and in them White scores an improved 67%. These results, in part, may reflect White's familiarity with the opening and a taste for tactics that led him to play the Jerome Gambit in the first place.

Of note, Bill has faced 6...Qh4 38 times, and scored 88%. That may seem daunting for the defender, but Bill has scored 93% in all of his 6.d4 games, so 6...Qh4 has been one of the more relatively effective defenses against him.

7.O-O Ng4

Black is happy to play for checkmate.

8.h3 Bd6

Cold-blooded: White can not now take the Knight with his pawn, as that would lead to checkmate; while taking with the Queen would lead to an exchange of Queens, and the typical piece-for-two-pawns advantage (not to mention the end of White's attack).

9.e5 Nxe5

Giving the piece back, after all, for two pawns; this may have been part of Black's plan. Stockfish 10 suggests, instead, 9...Be7 10.hxg4 d6, which seems to clash with Black's "scientific" approach. However, the Kings now reverse roles, as White's becomes safer, while Black's is more at risk. 

10.dxe5 Bxe5 11.Qd5+ Kf6

Black has to try to hold on to his Bishop. Unsuccessful was 11...Kf8 seen in Wall,Bill - Mecnieri, PlayChess.com, 2018 (1-0, 23).

12.Re1

Bill was 5 - 0 with this move previously, and wins again, this game. Next time, though, he might try a suggestion of Stockfish 10, 12.Nd2 (intending Nf3). Why? Follow along in the notes.

12...d6 13.Rxe5

Nice.

A year ago, Bill's choice of moves was not as strong, although he still won: 13.Re4 Qh5 14.f4 Ne7 15.fxe5+ dxe5 16.Qd3 Bf5 17.Nc3 Rad8 18.Qf1 Rhf8 19.g4 Qg6 20.Kh2 Ke6 21.gxf5+ Rxf5 22.Qc4+ Nd5 23.Rg4 Qf7 24.Ne4 h6 25.Bd2 Ke7 26.Rag1 g5 27.Qc5+ Ke8 28.Qxa7 Nf4 29.Qxb7 Ne2 30.Qb5+ Black resigned, Wall,Bill -Guest3836682, PlayChess.com, 2018.

13...dxe5 14.Qd8+ Ne7 15.Qxh8

Three years ago, an opponent now tried 15...Qe4, and ran into trouble and lost, in Wall,Bill - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 25).

The same year, another defender tried 15...Kf7, but quickly lost his way, and, then, the game, in Wall, Bill - NN, lichess.org, 2016, (1-0, 37). He had a resource, but he was not the only one to overlook it.

Sami, at lichess.org, had the right idea against Bill, earlier this year, and uncorked 15...Bxh3!?, a Rook sacrifice which brings to mind Blackburne's famous play back in 1884. Fortunately for Bill, the game continued 16.Qxa8 Bc8? and Black staggered on a Rook down, for a while, eventually being checkmated.

The proper followup was 16...Bxg2!?, when 17.Kxg2 would allow Black to draw by repetition, starting with 17...Qg4+. Okay, a draw is not as good as Blackburne's scintillating win with Black, but it still would have been a game to brag about at the club.

Likewise, after 15...Kf7, by NN, as mentioned above, if White were to play 16.Nd2 or 16.Qd8, his only two moves to avoid a losing position, the proper (drawing) response for Black would be 16...Bxh3.

Of course, all of this is based on the idea that Black - having been gifted with two pieces - would suddenly pursue a drawing line. Psychologically, that might be very difficult.

15...Qh5 

Black treats the position casually, threatening a check at d1 and a possible fork of King and Bishop.

16.Qf8+

This is a novelty, according to The Database.

Previously, Bill had met Black's threat with 16.Nc3 in Wall,Bill - Itboss, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 20).

16...Ke6 17.Nc3 c6

Black passes up the safer 17...Qf7, with the hope of exchanging Queens.

18.Ne4

At first, this move doesn't look like much, but it is crushing. It is horribly ironic that the only line, now, that doesn't lead to checkmate, is the surrender of that Rook: 18...Bd7 19.Qxa8; but, of course, Black would still be lost.

18...b6 19.Bg5 Kd5 20.Qd8+ Kxe4 21.Qd3 checkmate

Brutal.