Counter the Annoying Defense

As if in response to my previous plea (see "Please, Sir, I Want Some More"), regular contributor Yury V. Bukayev sends his latest Jerome Gambit game.

Thank you, Sir.

Yury_V_Bukayev - V. Sololov from Russia

30 0 rapid, Chess.com, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

Yury said he wanted to try something different here. 

The Database has 5,059 games reaching this position, with White scoring 55%.

7.f4 d6 

Ah, yes, The Silicon Defense, otherwise known as "The Annoying Defense." A favorite of computer programs, it appears in over 500 games in The Database. White's scoring drops to 45%.

But, like I said, Yury was prepared.

8.fxe5 dxe5 9.a3

According to The Database, this move was a novelty.

9...a5 10.d3 a4 11.b4 

 This was, as Yury wrote

...a part of my idea 11...ab 12.Bb2 Bd4!? 13.c3 Bb6 14.d4 ed, where White gets a sharp position with a lot of checks.

Instead, Black counters with what he believes is a strong attack on the enemy King, while threatening a Rook.

11...Qd4 

Stockfish 16.1, though is not impressed, as it quickly jumps to evaluating the position as "0.00", a clear draw. Seeing that White has only one pawn for a sacrificed piece, the computer "believes" that the first player would be happy to split the point.

Not so.

12.bxc5 

Offering the Rook in exchange.

12...Qxa1 

Grabbing the piece, but, perhaps overlooking that his Rook, too, is in danger.

13.Qe8+ 

And now 13...Ne7 would lead to 14.Qxh8, but that was Black's best chance.

13...Kf6 14.O-O+ Black resigned

There will be checkmate with 14...Bf5 15.Rxf5.

 

Please, Sir, I Want Some More

 

In Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, the young boy asks, "Please, sir, I want some more."

In search of more Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games, I have set a Google Alert for "Jerome Gambit". Alas, more than 90% of the time, it finds either posts on this blog, or the game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884 - the best known Jerome Gambit game, and, for many, the only one known.

Even as The Database approaches 100,000 entries, I continue to search for new Jeromes, especially from those who encounter this blog.

Readers who have sent games and analysis, I thank you. My email address can be found in the About Me section on the right, under Search This Blog.

Yet, I ask "Please, sir, I want some more."

Jerome Gambit: Fortune Favors the Bold

It is often not enough to play the bold Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), it is necessary to play the Jerome Gambit boldly, as the following game shows.

The lichess.org player anilone has 315 games in The Database, scoring 51%. His rating has hovered around 2000.

anilone - Naranjo77

10 0 rapid, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ng6 

Black's strongest move is for his King to walk away with 8...Kc6, but the text still keeps Black better.

9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qe3 

He has also tried 11.Qf2 Nf6 12.d3 Ng4 (12...Rf8 13.f5 Ne5 14.O-O Bd7 (14...c5 15.Nc3 Kf7 16.Bg5 Kg8 17.Qh4 Qe8 18.Bxf6 Rxf6 19.Nd5 Rh6 20.Qxh6 gxh6 21.Nf6+ Kf7 22.Nxe8 Kxe8 23.Rf4 Kf8 24.Raf1 Bd7 25.Rh4 Nf7 26.Rg4 Re8 27.Rf3 Ne5 28.Rfg3 Nxg4 29.Rxg4 Kf7 30.Rf4 Rg8 31.Kf2 Kf6 32.h3 b5 33.c3 a5 34.Rh4 Kg5 35.Rg4+ Black resigned, anilone - CarlosERestrepo, lichess.org, 2024) 15.h3 c5 16.Nc3 Qb6 17.b3 Rae8 18.Bg5 Bc6 19.Qh4 c4+ 20.Kh1 cxd3 21.cxd3 Nxd3 22.Qxh7 Kd8 23.Qxg7 Kc8 24.Bxf6 Rg8 25.Qf7 Ref8 26.Qe7 Re8 27.Qxd6 Nf2+ 28.Kh2 Nxe4 29.Nxe4 Rxe4 30.Rg1 Re2 31.Kh1 Bxg2+ 32.Rxg2 Qxd6 33.Rxg8+ Kc7 34.Bd8+ Kd7 35.Bc7 Qd5+ 36.Kg1 Qxg8+ White resigned, anilone - DUSTY71, lichess.org, 2024) 13.Qg3 Re8 (13...Rf8 14.d4 h5 15.f5 Bxf5 16.exf5 Rxf5 17.Nc3 Kf8 18.Be3 Qe7 19.Kd2 h4 20.Qxg4 Rg5 21.Qxg5 Black resigned, anilone - mohammadkhyrw, lichess.org, 2024) 14.O-O Kf8 15.f5 Kg8 16.Qxg4 Ne5 17.Qg3 Black resigned, anilone - Jkjhgfghhuj, lichess.org, 2024; and

11.Qg5+ Ke8 12.Qg3 Nf6 13.d3 Rf8 (13...Bd7 14.f5 Ne5 15.Qxg7 Rg8 16.Qh6 Rxg2 17.Bg5 Rxg5 18.Nd2 Rh5 19.Qf4 Qe7 20.Rg1 Bc6 21.O-O-O Kd7 22.d4 Nf7 23.e5 Nd5 24.e6+ Kd8 25.Rg8+ Be8 26.Qf3 Rxf5 27.Qxf5 Nh6 28.Qxd5 Nxg8 29.Qxb7 Rc8 30.d5 Nf6 31. Nc4 Ne4 32.Qxa7 Qg5+ 33.Kb1 Nf2 34.Qxf2 Black resigned, anilone - Hazza123, lichess.org, 2024) 14.f5 Ne5 15.Qxg7 Rg8 16.Qh6 Rxg2 17.Bg5 Nf3+ 18.Kf1 Rxg5 19.Ke2 Nd4+ 20.Ke3 Ng4+ White resigned, anilone - tonymassis, lichess.org, 2024. 

Possibly strongest was 11.Qc3 Ke8 (or 11...Nf6; or 11...Kf7) 12.O-O Nf6 13.f5 Ne7 14.d3 =/+.

11...Nh6 

Also 11...Qf812.f5 Ne5 13.O-O Nf6 14.h3 Bd7 15.b3 Bc6 16.d4 Nf7 17.d5 Bd7 18.c4 b6 19.Bb2 Re8 20.e5 dxe5 21.Bxe5 Kd8 22.Bxf6+ gxf6 23.Qc3 Qg7 24.Na3 Re2 25.Qf3 Re5 26.Nc2 Rxf5 27.Qxf5 Bxf5 28.Rxf5 Rg8 29.Rf2 Ng5 30.Kh2 f5 31.Raf1 Ne4 32.Re2 Ng3 33.Rff2 Nxe2 34.Rxe2 Qg3+ 35.Kh1 f4 36.Ne1 Re8 37.Rxe8+ Kxe8 38.Nf3 Qf2 39.Kh2 Qxa2 White resigned, anilone - Dragi_1, lichess.org, 2024; 

11...Bg4 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc4 14.Qg5+ Nf6 15.e5 h6 16.exf6+ gxf6 17.Qxg4 Kd7 18.O-O Rg8 19.Qe2 Nb6 20.Qe6+ Kc6 21.d5+ Nxd5 22.c4 Nb6 23.Nc3 Qf8 24.c5 Re8 25.Qb3 dxc5 26.Qb5+ Kd6 27.Bf4+ Ke7 28.Qxc5+ Kf7 29.Qxc7+ Re7 30.Qd6 Qg7 31.Bg3 Rge8 32.Nd5 Rd7 33.Qxf6+ Qxf6 34.Nxf6 Kxf6 35.Bh4+ Kf7 36.f6 Nc4 37.b3 Ne3 38.Rfe1 Rd2 39.Bf2 Ng4 40.Rxe8 Kxe8 41.Bxa7 Nxf6 42.b4 Kd7 43.a4 Ne4 44.a5 Rb2 45.Re1 Rxb4 46.Bb6 Nc3 47.h3 Na4 48.Rd1+ Kc6 49.Rc1+ Kb5 50.Bd8 Nc3 51.Rxc3 Rb1+ Black resigned, anilone -  Apoaja, lichess.org, 2024; and

11...Nf6 12.f5 Ne5 13.d3 Re8 14.Qh3 Kf8 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.O-O Nf7 18.Nc3 Ng5 19.Qg4 c6 20.Rae1 b5 21.Ne2 Qxb2 22.c3 Qd2 23.Qg3 Nf7 24.Nf4 Qxc3 25.Kh1 Kg8 26.Rc1 Qe5 27.Rxc6 Bb7 28.Rc7 Re7 29.Rxe7 Qxe7 30.Ne6 Ng5 31.Nf4 d5 32.h4 Nh7 33.Ne6 dxe4 34.dxe4 Bxe4 35.Qe5 Qb7 36.Rf2 Rc8 37.Kh2 Nf6 38.Kh3 b4 39.Rd2 Rc3+ 40.g3 Rc1 41.Rd8+ Kh7 42.Nf8+ Kh8 43.Ng6+ Kh7 44.Rh8 checkmate, anilone - abodirof, lichess.org, 2024. 

A novelty to explore was 11...c5!? 

12.h3 Re8 13.f5 

Premature, but he gets away with it.

13...Ne5 

13...Bxf5!?

14.f6+ Kf8 15.fxg7+ Kxg7 

16.d4 

He really needed to castle first, if only for safety sake, but, once again, he gets away with it.

16...Ng6 

Missing White's threat.

17.Qxh6+ Kh8 18.O-O Rxe4 19.Bg5 

Black resigned

How to Get an Advantage or to Win with JG (4.Bxf7+) against Maestri: the Collection of Practice (Part 2)

 

How to Get an Advantage or to Win with 

JG (4.Bxf7+) against Maestri: 

 the Collection of Practice (Part 2)

(by Yury V. Bukayev)

Dear readers, let me remind you that these my new posts about White's advantage and wins in such chess games are dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's publications with 4.Bxf7+ in Giuoco Piano. Now the world chess history knows a lot of cases, where White got an advantage or won here against grandmasters and other extremely strong defenders!

We should start this new part from the second of two games between the same grandmasters:

Top GM Hikaru Nakamura - GM Dmitrij Kollars (3 min blitz, Chess.com, 2020),

where after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6 10.fxe5+ Qxe5 11.Qf3 Black made, in my opinion, his first positional mistake 11...Qf6 in the game. The fight went on, and after several moves Black abandoned the game with the position where his King was not safe enough. It is unknown what has happened when the game was abandoned, but it seems to me, Black didn't plan to play two Jerome gambit games against Hikaru Nakamura without enough tie-break. Thus, Black didn't know theory of Jerome gambit: he spent too much time in the first game for known opening moves, made a mistake 11...Qf6 just after the alternative White's way in the second game. Finally, Nakamura said in September 2020 as a result of his enough long practice: "At least at blitz chess, I'm probably the best or second-best player ever, in the entire history, at least online". In this situation 6...Ke6 is a risky choice for 3 min time control games. Thus, analogously someone can beat a maestro in the first game and provoke him for the similar second one, which wasn't in his plans. If something isn't in plans, the probability of abandonment can be enough large, even if a position is excellent.

 Further, we should say about the game 

Amateur - GM Andrew Tang ( NN - penguingm1, 0 15 bullet, GM penguingim1 Arena, 2018,   https://jeromegambit.blogspot.com/2024/10/jerome-gambit-light-hearted.html ), 

where after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 White has made a blunder 5.Ng5+ . Here after 5...Qxg5 6.O-O Qg6 7.d4 Black has made two blunders 7...d6 8.dxc5 Bh3 , so White could get the slight advantage after the trivial 9.Qf3+ with 10.Qxh3 .

(to be continued)

_______________________________

Jerome Gambit: It's Fun. It's Real Fun.

I just finished watching the new YouTube video "The Jerome Gambit" by PawnNation. 

TheRealPawnNation's 10-minute Jerome Gambit game starts at 14:05 in the video.

"Okay, I'll try to go for, how it's called, Jerome Gambit. A really bad opening, but I'll play it, anyways. It's fun. It's real fun."

I have made it clear in earlier posts that I appreciate the Jerome Gambit games of Bill Wall - over 1,500 games in The Database, scoring 90% - because they are fun, creative, and appear effortless.

The game in this video is equally enjoyable because it is anything but effortless. 

TheRealPawnNation works his way through the complications of the Jerome. It is fascinating.

Check it out.

Jerome Gambit: Psychological Chaos and Nothingness

Many chess games, especially those between club players, end with a tactical shot - one person makes a mistake, the other person immediately takes advantage of it.

Often, these kinds of one-move-ends-it positions are set up by earlier play, with complications coming sometimes even from the opening play.

I think that one reason the Jerome Gambit is (and isn't) popular with average players is that it frequently provides enough chaos to lead to that sharp ending.

Not just piece chaos, but psychological chaos.

Once again, Bill Wall illustrates.  

Wall, Bill - Fighter

SparkChess, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qxc5 N8e7 

Frequently the Knight finds itself at f6, instead.

8.O-O 

This is a bit calmer than 8.Qh5, which still led to success in Wall,B - Suku, internet, 2023 (1-0, 23). 

8...Rf8 

Or 8...Re8 as in Wall,B - Kiev, SparkChess 2024 (1-0, 14) 

Black's best bet would be 8...d5!? 

9.f4 Kg8 

Black has castled-by-hand and holds the typical Jerome piece-for-two-pawns advantage. He is better, but he has to be careful and keep up.

10.f5 d6 11.Qc4+ Kh8 

I almost want to suggest that every move Black consider playing ...d5. It isn't always right, but often it is. Like, now.

True, the second player has an "extra" piece to give back, but it he gets only 1 pawn for it, that won't be enough.

12.fxg6 Rxf1+ 13.Qxf1 Nxg6 

It is almost as if White and Black have to start all over again, although the first player has a pawn for his efforts - and that's a long way from giving up two pieces.

14.Nc3 Be6 15.d4 Qe7 16.Be3 Rf8 17.Qe2 a6 18.Re1 Bd7 

It is to smile: White continues to just move his pieces, an abrupt change from when he was throwing them away. What is he doing?

19.a3 Nf4

Lulled by nothingness, he strikes out at the enemy Queen.

20.Bxf4 Rxf4 21.Nd5 Black resigned

White's Knight fork does more than win the Rook, it stirs up tactical chaos that is too much for his opponent.

If 21...Qg5, then 22.Nxf4 Qxf4 23.Rf1 takes advantabe of Black's unprotected back rank.

If 21...Qxe4 22.Nxf4 (or 22.Qxe4 Rxe4 23.Rxe4) Qxe2 23.Rxe2

If 21...Qf7 22.Nxf4 Qxf4 23.Rf1.

Sicilian Jerome Gambit Redux

 

Although the focus of  this blog is the Jerome Gambit - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ - I have occasionally examined the sacrifice Bxf7+ in other openings.

For example, about 15 1/2 years ago, in "Sicilian Jerome Gambit", I looked at the game Jyrki Heikkinen - Timo-Pekka Lassila, Tampere, Finland, 1987 (1-0, 26,) which started 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 e5 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.Bxf7+, a Sicilian Defense that took on Jerome-ish quality.

Recently, chessfriend Yury V. Bukayev pointed me toward another Jerome/Sicilian hybrid. It was chosen "Game of the Day" at ChessGames.com.

Rhine, Frederick - NN

blitz, lichess.org, 2018

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 

So far, we have a Smith-Morra gambit in the Sicilian.

4...e5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Bc4 Na5 

This can't be good. Black looks to win the "minor exchange" of Bishop for Knight, but this is a time-waster. Compare the move to the outcome of 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5, where White scores 71%.

7.Bxf7+ 

Even Stockfish 16.1 prefers the Bishop shot over the quiet alternative, 7.Nxe5 Nxc4 8.Nxc4. 

7...Kxf7 8.Nxe5+ Ke6 

Black's King advances to his doom.

Better was 8...Ke8, although then 9.Qh5+ g6 10.Nxg6 Nf6 11.Qe5+ Be7 12.Nxe7 Qxe7 13.Qxa5 would be winning for White, too. 

9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Nb5+ 

This gets the job (checkmate) done, but faster was 11.Bf4 Qg5 12.Nxd7+ Qxf4 13.Nb5+ Kc6 14.Qd5#

11...Kxe5 

Or 11...Kc5 12.Qd5+ Kb6 13.Be3+ Bc5 14.Bxc5+ Ka6 15.Qd3 Nc4 16.Nxc4 Kxb5 17.Na3+ Kxc5 18.Rc1+ Kb6 19.Qb5#.

12.Bf4+ 

White can see his way to a pretty end. Impatient Readers can try 12.Qf5#. 

12...Kxe4 13.Nc3+ Kd3 14.O-O-O  checkmate

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome would be pleased.