A Closer Look at the Big Picture (Part 2)

Yesterday – see "A Closer Look at the Big Picture (Part 1)" – responding to Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Pete Banks' (blackburne) request for opening statistics (see his comment on "Another Closer Look") I checked the updated New Year's Database for answers. We continue today.

Currently the database contains 7, 298 games that begin 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, with White scoring 44%.

If we look at the classical Jerome Gambit Accepted line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.Qh5+, which scores 53% in 2,182 games, there are several defenses to investigate.

Most popular (994 games) is blocking the White Queen's check with the Black Knight, 6...Ng6. White, however, scores 49% – a bit below the classical Jerome Gambit Accepted average, but not by much. Black might well be comfortable playing a defense that gives him a better than 1 in 2 chance of winning.

Next most popular (589 games) is moving the King into the fray with 6...Ke6, where White scores 52%. The same might be said about Black's comfort level in playing this defense, even with White's minute edge.

Again, Black has a decent alternative in 6...Kf8 (289 games) against which White scores only 45%. As with 5...Kf8, mentioned yesterday, this is a line which makes intuitive sense (not over-reacting and staying out of trouble) and which deserves to be seen more often.

Most puzzling is 6...g6, appearing in 286 games and against which White scores a whopping 72%. This is the move popularized by Blackburne in his 1885 miniature, and can lead to either the Blackburne Defense (7.Qxe5 d6) or the Whistler Defense (7.Qxe5 Qe7).

Against the former, in 90 games White scores 69%; while against the latter, in 36 games, White scores 57%. This is clearly a reflection of the tactical complications involved as well as the success of the more Jerome-experienced player:  in the Whistler Defense, after the capture of a lethally poisoned Rook (7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qxh8) in 28 games, White still scores 57%.

Tomorrow we will take a look at the modern Jerome Gambit lines, as reflected in the New Year's Database.