If you inquired how someone can regularly be successful with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), you might first find that it is helpful to be a strong player.
You might also learn that becoming familiar with a large number of Jerome games, by working with The Database, is an advantage.
Finally, you might see that experience in playing the Jerome Gambit is a great help, too.
Which is a pretty handy introduction to the latest Bill Wall game.
Wall,B - guest2170544
PlayChess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.0-0
A "modern" variation of the Jerome Gambit (i.e. not 5.Nxe5+).
5...h6
Provoking a transition to the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.
6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
Of course, there is also 7.Qh5+ Ng6 (7...Ke6 Wall,B - Guest473534, PlayChess.com, 2011 [1-0, 21]) 8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 Wall,B - Castro,S, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23).
7...Nf6
A quick position search in The Database will find 5 games (before this one), with Black winning 80% of them. Does that make any sense?
A second look will show that in all of those games it is Black to move; that White first played d2-d3, and then, later, d3-d4. The loss of tempo changes everything.
That makes Black's 7th move in this game a novelty – understandable, perhaps, in that the second player does not choose which piece to surrender, he merely develops another – but his choice is not as strong as the old 7...Bxd4, as in 8.Qxd4 Qe7 (8...Qf6 9.Be3 Ne7 10.Nc3 Rf8 11.Nb5 c6 12.Nc7 Rb8 13.f4 Nf3+ 14.Rxf3 Qxd4 15.Bxd4 Kg8 16.Bxa7 1-0 Wall,B - Foman, Chess.com, 2010 [1-0, 16]; 8...Ng6 9.Qc4+ Kf8 10.Nc3 c6 11.Be3 b5 12.Qb4+ N8e7 13.f4 a5 14.Qd6 Kf7 15.f5 Nf8 16.f6 Ne6 17.fxe7+ 1-0 Wall,B - Merdiyev,F, Chess.com, 2010 [1-0, 17]) 9.f4 Nc6 Wall,B - Ratebabb, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 28)
8.dxe5 Nh7
Choosing this time, but not wisely. Black would have done better to hold onto the Bishop with 8...d6, and, after 8.exf6 Qxf6 he would at least have the two Bishops as partial compensation for his lost pawn.
9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Rd1 Black resigned
Black sees that it is time to let the game go, as he will be down three pawns after 11...Be6 12.exd6 cxd6 13.Rxd6
When Black faces the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) he should resist the temptation to come up with something new that is crushing or brilliant, and stick with the old, boring, tried-and-true refutations. Unfortunately, to some defenders the Jerome looks like a giant "Kick Me" sign, and they want to add their own signature impression.
jfhumphrey - fractalclouds
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.f4
Here we have a typical Jerome Gambit position, where Black's extra piece outweighs White's two forward "Jerome pawns."
The Database shows Black winning about 3/4 of the games from this position. *Yawn*
8...c5
What could be more natural than kicking the enemy Queen?
9.Qd5+ Kf8
Here is the problem, though. Black has to be ready to sacrifice his b-pawn with 9...Be6 in order for the "kick" to work. I'm pretty sure that jhumphreys had several improvements in store from the last time he met that move: 10.Qxb7+ Nd7 11.0-0 Ngf6 12.f5 Bc4 13.Re1 g6 14.Nd2 Qa5 15.Qxd7+ Nxd7 16.Nxc4 Qxe1 checkmate, jfhumphrey - Yunoguthi, FICS, 2011
10.fxe5 Qh4+
Perhaps this is still part of Black's counter-attack, but he overlooks the fact that his own monarch is in great danger.
11.g3 Qh3 12.Qxd6+
As good as this is, 12.Rf1+ was even stronger.
12...Ne7 13.Rf1+
White has an embarassment of riches, as 13.Bg5 and even 13.Nc3 also give a substantial advantage, either in material or advanced "Jerome pawns".
13...Ke8 14.Bg5 Ng6 15.Qd8 checkmate
The Queen has her revenge.
Here is another draw from the nearly-completed-now Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament at ChessWorld. It is full of play on both sides of the board, and White only grows "peaceful" when his King is threatened.
Knight32 - Baron wd von Blanc, heart pirate
Jerome Gambit Thematic TournamentChessWorld, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4..Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qxc5 N8e7 8.d4 Rf8 9.Nc3 d6
10.Qc4+ Be6 11.d5 Bd7 12.Bg5 Kg8 13.f3 Ne5 14.Qe2 h6 15.Bh4 g5 16.Bg3 N5g6
17.h4 c5 18.h5 Nf4 19.Bxf4 Rxf4 20.g3 Rf8 21.0-0-0 b5
22.e5 dxe5 23.Qxe5 Nf5 24.Ne4 Nd4 25.f4 Nf3 26.Qc3 g4
27.Qxc5 Qa5 28.Qd6 Qxa2
That's close enough, thinks White, who checks out.
29.Qg6+ Kh8 30.Qxh6+ Kg8 31.Qg6+ Kh8 32.Qh6+ Kg8 33.Qg6+ Kh8 34.Qh6+ drawn
Sometimes I will play a game, and be happy with it: I put on the pressure, my opponent cracked.
Then I will turn the game over to Rybka and see what the computer program has to say. About the following game, it suggested that I played so poorly, my opponent probably cracked up laughing, and as a result lost his focus and lost...
perrypawnpusher - bartab
standard, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Nc6 9.Qd3
Bill Wall has taken a look at 9.Qc4+, and maybe I should, too: 9...Kf8 (9...Ke8 10.Bg5 (10.0-0 Na5 11.Qa4 b6 12.e5 Ng4 13.Qxg4 h6 14.Qxg7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Donavan, Chess.com 2010) 10...h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.Bg3 d6 13.0-0-0 Qe7 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Ne5 16.Qc3 Qg7 17.Rhe1 Kd8 18.Bxe5 dxe5 19.Rxe5 Qd7 20.d6 c6 21.Rf5 Re8 22.Qf6+ Re7 23.dxe7+ Ke8 24.Qf7# Wall,B - Firewoods, Chess.com 2010) 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 d6 12.0-0-0 Bg4 13.f3 Bd7 14.Nd5 Be6 15.Rhe1 Bxd5 16.exd5 Na5 17.Qd3 g5 18.Bf2 c6 19.Bd4 Rh7 20.Bxf6 Qxf6 21.Qxh7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Jag, Chess.com 2010
9...Re8
Or 9...Ng4 10.Bf4 Nge5 11.Bg3 Nxd3+ White resigned, perrypawnpusher - anandh, blitz, FICS 2011.
Better, yet, might be 9...d5 10.Nxd5 Nxe4.
10.Bg5
A bit better was 10.0-0, as in perrypawnpusher - Duir, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 42).
10...h6
Missing the shot 10...Nxe4!?
11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.0-0 Re5
Perhaps with the idea of shifting the Rook to the Kingside for attack, but this looks like asking for trouble.
13.f4 Re7 14.Nd5
It was either this move, or the positional 14.e5, with pressure against Black's d-pawn, which, in turn, confines Black's light-squared Bishop. Of course, after the game, Rybka preferred 14.e5 over the text.
14...Qd6
The safe play was ...Qd4+, exchanging Queens, either right away, or after 14...Qxb2 15.Rab1
15.Qc4 Re6
Planning to block the Queen's check, but sounding a lot like "Trouble, please."
16.Nxc7
Am I the only person who did not see 16.f5 Kg8 (16...Re5 17.Nb6+ Kf8 18.Nxa8 Rc5 19.Qd3) 17.fxe6 dxe6 ?
16...Qxc7 17.f5 Ne5
Perhaps my opponent was laughing too hard at my play to see 17...Kg8 18.fxe6 dxe6 with an edge to Black.
In any event, he missed something.
18.fxe6+ Ke7 19.Qxc7 Black resigned
That was not so much "funny, ha ha" as "funny, strange".
I've been reading the book Nerve, Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool, by Taylor Clark, with the naive hope that it might help me in a number of ways, including my blitz chess. A quick look at my 12th and 15th moves in the game below show I have a ways to go...
perrypawnpusher - Duquesne
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
6...Kf8
Declined. I was surprised to find only one example in The Database.
7.Bb3 Ng4
Instead, 7...d6 8.h3 Nd4 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.Nd5 Nxe4 11.Qf3+ Nf6 12.d3 Be6 13.Nxf6 Qxf6 14.Bxe6 Qxf3 15.gxf3 Ke7 16.Re1 g5 17.f4 Bb4 18.Re2 gxf4 19.Bxf4 Raf8 20.Bg3 Rhg8 21.Bxg8+ Black resigned, was perrypawnpusher - Duquesne, blitz, FICS, 2010.
8.d3
A little better was to play for the "fork trick" with 8.h3 Nf6 and then 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.d4, etc.
8...Nd4
I think my opponent may have decided that his Knight on g4 was tactically protected, i.e. 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.Qxg4 dxc3, but this was short-sighted, as 11.Qf5+ would allow White to pick up the Black Bishop on c5. The calm 8...d6 was probably best.
9.Nxd4 d6 10.Ne6+ Bxe6 11.Bxe6 Bxf2+
12.Rxf2+
From his 7th move, I was sure that my opponent wanted to exchange his two pieces for my Rook and pawn. I was okay with that. What I missed here is that, with my Bishop on e6, attacking his Knight (which protects his Bishop), a better move was 12...Kh1, as both Black pieces remain hanging.
12...Nxf2 13.Kxf2 Qf6+ 14.Qf3 Ke7
15.Qxf6+
Okay, but 15.Nd5+ was Game Over.
15...gxf6 16.Bf5 Rhg8 17.Be3 c5 18.Nd5+ Kf7
19.Nc7 Rab8 20.Be6+ Ke7 21.Bxg8 Black resigned
As with yesterday's post (see "Imperative"), today's game shows Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) advocate blackburne taking the black pieces and asking his opponent to show what he has gotten out of the "modern" variation. It is imperative that he find something.
Black can bide his time with his extra piece, and blackburne does – until it is time to switch over to attack.
DREWBEAR 63 - blackburne
Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament
ChessWorld, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.0-0 d6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.d3 Bg4
8.Bg5 Nd4 9.Nd5 Rf8 10.h3 Bxf3 11.gxf3 Kg8 12.b4 Bb6 13.c3 Ne6 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Nxb6 axb6
White has an open file to work with (the g-file) but Black will be able to oppose there.
16.Kh2 Nf4 17.Rg1+ Kf7 18.Rg3 Rg8 19.Rg4 Qd7
This move does more than link Rooks.
20.Rh4 Rg2+ 21.Kh1 h5 22.Rxf4
Expecting 22...exf4 23.Kxg2 leaving him ahead a pawn.
22...Qxh3 checkmate
Players who gamble with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) do so because there are all sorts of wild and creative things they can do out of the opening.
In fact, it is almost imperative that they do all sorts of wild and creative things.
Otherwise, Black can do all sorts of calm and boring things, like exchanging pieces, leaving him one ahead.
Or Black can use his extra piece to do all sorts of wild and creative things, himself.
Rikiki00 - blackburne
Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament
ChessWorld, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.d3 Nf6 6.0-0 Rf8 7.Be3 Bxe3 8.fxe3 Kg8
White is playing one of the "modern" Jerome Gambit variations, without 5.Nxe5+. He has sacrificed less than in the "classical" lines, but he now has to work harder to make something of his position.
In the meantime, Black has castled-by-hand and has no apparent weaknesses.
9.Nc3 d6 10.h3 Nh5
Taking a look at the "hole" White has created at g3.
11.Nd5 Ng3 12.Re1 Ne7 13.Qd2 Nxd5 14.exd5 Rf7 15.Kh2 Nh5 16.e4 Nf4
The Black Knight, kicked out of g3, returns to f4.
In the meantime, Black has swapped off White's advance Knight. He has all the time in the world to double his Rooks on the f-file, to exchange them off, too, if White follows the same plan.
Or, he can look for something else.
17.Rf1 Qf6 18.Rf2 Qh6 19.Raf1 Bxh3
Great use of his extra piece.
20.gxh3 Qxh3+ 21.Kg1 Rf6 22.Rh2 Rg6+ 23.Kh1
A slip, but there was not a lot of future in 23.Kd2 Qg3+ 24.Ke3 Rf8 25.Qf2 Nh3 (yet another hole) 26.Qxg3 Rxg3 27.c3 Ng5 28.Rhf2 Nxf3 29.Rxf3 Rgxf3+ 30.Rxf3 Rxf3+ 31.Kxf3 and Black's endgame chances are clearly better.
23...Qxf1+ White resigned
