This is the second in a series of quizzes to test the reader's understanding of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and related openings.The answer to each quiz can be found at the end of the following day's post.
Here we see that White has decided to play something new, and Black has responded with a defensive move: after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 White moved 4.Ng5 (instead of the sacrifice 4.Bxf7+) and Black played 4...Nh6.
What do you think? What are some of the benefits of this line? What are some of the difficulties that it creates?
Answer to Quiz #1:
By reversing his 4th and 5th moves, White makes his opponent's defense much easier: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nxe5 Nxe5 5.Bxf7+ Nxf7.
White has two pawns for his two sacrificed pieces, but he has little chance to recover any more material, as a Queen check at h5 or the pawn strike d2-d4 are both ineffective, since they are not forks. In addition, Black's King has not been forced to move, and can eventually castle to safety.
This new line is not an improvement upon the Jerome Gambit.
I don't like the look of this line but it's tricky, at least u get black to put his horsey on the inactive h6 square. But now 5. Nxf7 Nxf7 6. Bxf7 Kxf7 swaps off white's attacking pieces and 7. Qh5 g6 8. Qf3 Qf6 doesn't seem to do much - I would personally assess the line as "yucky" for white but I'm open to debate about it...
ReplyDelete