Faster Than The Speed of Thought

Those who play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) have become comfortable, out of necessity, with a certain level of chaos all over the chess board.

The same is true for those who play Jerome-like (or Jerome-ized) openings – and doubly so for those who play them at blitz or lightning speed.

I was working through some fast games by DragonTail at FICS (Free Internet Chess Server), making some quick assessments and decided that the particular variation that I was looking at was too wild for me. Add the fact that the players were not at their tip-top best (no offense intended), and the whole series seems to have taken place faster than the speed of thought... 

DragonTail - chingching 

blitz, FICS, 2009 

 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4

Now, after 4...exd4 we will have a variation of the Scotch Gambit; and after 4...Bxd4 we will have George Laven's Miami Variation, as presented in Acers and Laven's The Italian Gambit (2004). 

4...Bxd4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Kg6 -+

Yes, after this move Black has a significant advantage, as he would after 6...Ke8, 6...Kf8 or 6...Ke7.

On the other hand, after the careless 6...Kf6, White would have the advantage: 7.Qf3+ Ke7 (7...Kg6 8.Qf5+ Kh5 9.Ne6+ g5 10.Bxg5 Bxf2+ 11.Kxf2 dxe6 12.g4#) 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Na3 Nf6 10.c3 Qg8 11.cxd4 Nxd4 12.Be3 h6 13.Nc4+ Kc6 14.Nxe5+ Kb5 15.Bxd4 hxg5 16.Qg6 Qh7± 

7.Qg4 Nf6?

A stronger move is 7...Nh6 -+ , but it has to be followed up properly: 8.Qg3 Bxf2+? 9.Kxf2 ± Rf8+ +- 10.Nf7+? -+ Kxf7 DragonTail - Patrick, FICS 2008 (0-1, 21); Not so good is 7...d5 8.Qg3 (but 8.Ne6+ +-) 8...Bxf2+ (8...Qf6) 9.Kxf2 Qf6+ ± 10.Kg1 = Kh5? +- 11.Nd2? -+ Qxg5 DragonTail - freesok, FICS 2007 (0-1, 23); 7...Qf6 -+ is the computer's choice;

Not 7...d6? giving White the advantage, but wait: 8.Qg3? (8.Ne6+ Kf7 9.Nxd8+ Nxd8 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qf3+ +-) 8...Kf6? 9.Nf3? (9.Qf3+ Kg6 10.Qf7+ Kh6 11.Ne6+ g5 12.h4 Bc3+ 13.Kf1 Bxe6 14.hxg5#) 9...Kf7 10.Ng5+ Ke7 11.Nf3 Be6? 12.Nxd4? (12.Qxg7+ Ke8 13.Qxh8 +-) 12...Nxd4 DragonTail - chingching, FICS 2009 (0-1,43) 

8.Qg3?

There was the opportunity for 8.Qf5+ Kh5 9.Nf3+ g5 10.Qxg5 checkmate 

8...Nh5 9.Qg4 d5? Instead, 9...Nf6 equalizes. 

10.Ne6+ Kf6 11.Bg5+ Black resigned

Adolf Albin Plays the Jerome Gambit (Part 2)

Adolf Albin (1848 – 1920), of Romania, was a creative chess master with a number of opening experiments to his credit, most notably the Albin Counter Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5) and the Albin-Alekhine-Chatard Attack vs the French Defense (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4).

As we saw last post (see "Adolf Albin Plays the Jerome Gambit (Part 1)" ) a case can be made that he dabbled in the "modern" variation of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) as well.

Albin,A - Schlechter,C
Trebitsch Memorial Tournament Vienna, 1914

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qe2 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

Not good, as it retards White's development. Max Lange, in 1859, pointed out the weakness of 5.Ng5 Nd4 6.Bxf7+ Kf8 7.Qc4 Qe7. The best move is 5.c3. Deutsches Schachzeitung

An old continuation which only helps Black to develop. Deutsches Wochenschach

5...Kxf7

Or, from the Jerome Gambit move order: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Qe2 Nf6. Voila!

6.Qc4+ d5 7.Qxc5 Nxe4
8.Qe3 Re8 9.0-0 Kg8 10.c4

The decisive blunder. 10.d3 was indicated. Deutsches Schachzeitung

10...Nf6 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.Qe4 Nf6 13.Qa4 e4

14.Ne1 Nd4 15.Nc3 a6 16.Nc2 c5

17.b4 was threatened. Deutsches Wochenschach

17.Ne3

Black would still have the best of it after 17.Nxd4 cd 18.Ne2 d3 Deutsches Schachzeitung

17...Be6 18.Qd1 Bf7

Threatening ...Bh5 and the sacrifice of the knight Deutsches Wochenschach

19.Kh1

There is no defense. If 19.b3 then 19...Bh5 20.Qe1 (or 20.f3 ef 21.gf Qd7) Nf3+ 21.gf Bxf3 with a winning attack. If 19.Ng4 then 19...Nh5 The reply to 19.d3 ed 20.Qxd3 is 20...Nf3+ Deutsches Schachzeitung

19...Bh5 20.f3

Or 20.Qe1 Nf3 21.gf Bxf3+ followed by ...Ng4 or 20.g4 Bg6 followed by ...Nf3 Deutsches Schachzeitung

20...exf3 21.gxf3 Qd7 22.Kg2

Otherwise Black plays 22...Qh3 Deutsches Schachzeitung

22...Re5 23.h4

Forced, on account of the threat of ...Rg5+ Deutsches Schachzeitung

23...Rf8 24.d3 Ne8 25.Ng4 Ref5 26.f4

If 26.Nh2 then 26...Nxf3 Deutsches Schachzeitung

26...Nf6 27.Nxf6+ R8xf6 28.Qd2 Rg6+ 29.Kf2 Rf8 30.Ke1 Qh3 31.Ne4 Rg2 White resigned

Adolf Albin Plays the Jerome Gambit (Part 1)

With the miracle of chess opening transpositions, and the inclusiveness of the "modern" variations of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), a bit of chess revisionism is hardly difficult to perform at all...

The Modern Jerome Gambit

The "Modern" Jerome Gambit – so-called because it was not seen during the days of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, and has only recently (within the last 10 - 15 years) appeared – can be classified as "1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Not-Nxe5+":

5.0-0, 5.Nc3, 5.d3, 5.a3, 5.h3, 5.Qe2, etc. All of those fifth moves for White can be safely submitted to chess analysis engines and all will receive a "better" score than 5.Nxe5+.

Let's take a look at 5.Qe2: it received attention as the backbone of GladtoMateYou's play (see "Home Cooking") with White in the current Chessworld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament. As Black's response, let's give the reasonable 5...Nf6.

And now a bit of a historical digression...

According to the August 1895 issue of the British Chess Magazine, the cities of Brandfort and Bloemfontein, South Africa, played a game of correspondence chess that year. It began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qe2 d6, and James Mason (writing for the BCM) wrote

Better 4...Nf6. There would be plenty of time to play the Pawn - perhaps two squares instead of one. For, as the Cape Times remarks, if White adopts the "Jerome Gambit" 5.Bxf7+ Black replies 5...Kxf7 6.Qc4+ d5 7.Qxc5 Nxe4 with advantage.

(It should be noted that despite Mason's assessment, GladtoMateYou won 3 of the 4 games in the Thematic Tournament that reached that position after 7 moves.)

We are now ready to proceed to Albin - Schlechter, Trebitsch Memorial Memorial Tournament, Vienna, 1914.

In the next post, that is...

Like a bull in a china shop...

When you know the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) as well as Pete Banks ("blackburne"), you can be dangerous with either the White or the Black pieces. Until they invent Gray pieces (and maybe not even then) no game that includes him is going to be safe.

Haroldlee123 - blackburne
JGTourney4 Chessworld, 2009

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

4...Kxf7 5.0-0

One of the Modern Jerome Gambit variations, in which White limits his sacrifices.

5...d6 6.h3 Nf6 7.d3 Rf8 8.Bd2 Kg8

Black has taken advantage of the "quietness" of the position to castle-by-hand, and even leads in development.

9.Nc3 Nd4 10.Nxd4 Bxd4 11.Rb1 Be6 12.Nb5 Bb6 13.b3 Qd7 14.Nc3 Rf7 15.Qf3 Raf8

Black even plans to make use of the f-file, which White opened for him.

16.Qe2 Bxh3
17.Qf3

Taking the Bishop leads quickly to mate. Now Black wraps the game up with play against the f-pawn.

17...Bg4 18.Qg3 Nh5 19.Qh4 Rxf2 20.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 21.Qxf2 Rxf2 22.Kxf2

22...Qf7+ 23.Kg1 Ng3 White resigned

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws

It's not over until the Lady sings...

You have to be an optimist to play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Objectively, you have a "lost game" after 4 moves. Yet, the Jerome Gambit player "knows" that something will turn up. It may take a while, it may take a long while, but an opportunity will arise...

After all, it's not over until the Lady sings.

The following game, which I've decided to present anonymously, illustrates my point. White struggles and struggles and hangs in there, taking what he can and accepting whatever Black give him, until...


Anon - Anon


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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Qh5

The Banks Variation.

6...Qf6 7.0-0

A new move, but not an improvement. 7.Nxd7 Bxd7 8.Qxc5+, seen before, would have led to an almost balanced game.

7...Nxe5 8.d4

8...Bxd4 9.Bg5 Qg6 10.Qh4 h6

Things are not (yet) going well for White. He is two pieces down, and here, instead, 10...Bxb2 would have allowed Black to win an exchange.

11.Qf4+ Ke8 12.Bd8 Kxd8 13.Qf8+ Qe8 14.Qb4

14...Nc6 15.Qb3 Qxe4 16.Nc3 Bxc3 17.Qxc3 Nf6

Perhaps White remembers the old saying: The hardest thing to win is a won game. Let Black try!

The first player has a choice: stay vigilant, or turn over his King.

18.Rfe1 Qg6 19.Re2 d5 20.Rae1 Ne4 21.Qd3 Nb4 22.Qb3 c5

Black is developing. White sees this as creating targets.

23.Rd1 Bg4 24.f3 Bxf3 25.Qxf3 Kd7

Black has given back a piece; but, again, he had three to give.

26.Rxe4

Ooops, that's another one. White is feeling optimistic about his optimism

26...Rhf8 27.Qh3+ Kc7 28.Re7+ Kb8 29.Qd7 Qc6

White is certainly turning up the heat...

30.Qg4 Qf6 Here it is: Black threatens mate-in-3 with a Queen sacrifice: ...Qf2+, ...Qf1+ and ...Rxf1 mate.

Does anybody notice that Black has allowed a mate-in-11, though??

Seeing the mate right away might not be easy, but finding the key move and working things out as they go along was much more possible.

We can start with the mini-combination 31.Qg3+ Qf4 32.Rf1 which wins Black's Queen.

analysis diagram

32...g5 33.Rxf4 Rxf4

Material is even, but that's not White's concern.

analysis diagram

34.Qc3 a5 35.Qg7

analysis diagram

Black's pieces are largely irrelevant.

35...Rf1+ 36.Kxf1 Ra6 37.Rxb7+ Ka8 38.Rb5 Rf6+ 39.Kg1 Rf1+ 40.Kxf1 Nxc2 41.Qb7 checkmate

What an astonishing example of Grasping Victory from the Jaws of Defeat!

Alas, True Believers of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde, that is not how the game actually ended. Instead, we saw...

31.Rde1 Qf2+ 32.Kh1 Qf1+ 33.Rxf1 Rxf1 checkmate

Piratepaul Tops Wild Muzio Tournament

Some time back (see "Wild!") I mentioned that Chessworld was holding a Lolli / Wild Muzio (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Bxf7+) Gambit Thematic Tournament (for some Wild Muzio's see "Wilder!", "Wildest!", and ""And Yet Wilder Still...") that might be of interest to Jerome Gambiteers.

The tournament is now complete, and Piratepaul – who is also leading the current Chessworld Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Thematic Tournament – was the winner, with 24 wins out of 28 games. Second place, on a tie-break, was blackburne, nudging out BigFace888 and Crusader Rabbit, all scoring 18 points out of 28.

Here are a few of the short games – one by the tournament winner, one by the runner-up, and one (his sole win, but always fighting) by the tail-ender, brain50.

Piratepaul - Macken
Chessworld, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Bxf7+

5...Kxf7 6.Ne5+ Ke8

7.Qxg4 d6

Black needed to play 7...Nf6, and according to old analysis after 8.Qxf4 d6 9.Nf3 Rg8 10.0-0 Rg4 11.Qe3 Rxe4 he would be much better.

8.Qh5+ Ke7 9.Qf7 checkmate




TWODOGS - blackburne
Chessworld, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Bxf7+

5...Kxf7 6.Ne5+ Ke6 7.Qxg4+ Kxe5

8.d4+ Kxd4


Here, Black claimed a win on time – just when the game was getting interesting.

White had the crafty move 9.b4, and play could have continued 9...Bxb4+ 10.c3+ Kc5 – instead, 10...Bxc3+ 11.Nxc3 Kxc3 12.Bb2+ Kxb2 13.Qe2+ Kxa1 14.Kf2 checkmate was played by Spencer (see "And Yet Wilder Still...") – 11.cxb4+ Kb6 12.Bb2 and White had a chance for advantage.



brain50 - DREWBEAR 63
Chessworld, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Bxf7+

5...Kxf7 6.Ne5+ Ke6 7.d4 White's best was, instead, 7.Qxg4+ so that after 7...Kxe5 he would be able to force a draw by repeatedly checking Black's King.

Now Black can play 7...Qh4+ (a move familiar to those who play the Jerome Gambit) with advantage. Instead, he plays a quieter move.

7...d6 8.Qxg4+ Kf6

Black's best was 8...Ke7 9.Qh4+ Nf6 10.Ng6+ hxg6 11.Qxh8 with an unclear game that is still playable.


9.Qxf4+ Ke7 10.Qf7 checkmate