Although I have been able to play a number of Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) lately at FICS, I have also noticed opponents pausing before choosing their 3rd move, and then selecting ...d6 or ...Be7, clearly side-stepping my intentions. Avoiding my Jerome Gambit?? Oh, my goodness...
The following game seemed to come as a logical extension of this.
perrypawnpusher - Greystroke
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ne7
The Database has only 4 previous examples of this spirited, if misguided, counter-attack. Three of those games were played by perrypawnpusher.
9.Qxe5+ Kc6
I did some thinking here, but before I could play 10.Qc3, Black resigned
I appreciate the respect involved in my opponent's decision – Black's best response seems to be to castle-by-hand with 10...b6 11.b4 Kb7 12.bxc5 leaving the second player's position a bit of a mess, and the first player up a couple of pawns – and I promise it will not give me a big (conceited) head.
I just ran into a video that silently presents the game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885. I know, I know, that kind of smashing play by The Black Death always leaves me speechless, too...
5-minute chess means that each side has 300 seconds to win the game, or lose on time. In a 30-move game, that means about 10 seconds of thought a move. Under such conditions, the chess can become rather daffy.
Wall,B - Guest2591977
playchess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 Bd6
Playable, although more defenders prefer the simpler 7...d6 as it allows for easier development of the light-squared Bishop.
8.Qa5
A new move Bill introduced a while back.
8...Ne7
Or 8...Qf6 as in billwall - firewine, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 53)
9.d4 Nc6 10.Qf5+ Ke8
An indication that Black might be unfamiliar with the Jerome Gambit, as 10...Qf6 would seem to be the safest idea here.
11.d5 Nd4 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qd1
Half of White's moves have been with his Queen, yet the game is about equal.
13...Qh4
Not a good time to follow the leader.
14.Qxd4 Rf8 15.Nc3 c5 16.dxc6 dxc6 17.Be3 Bc7 18.0-0-0 Bg4 19.f3 Rd8 20.Nd5
The tactics heat up.
20...Bb6
Taking the Knight leads to exchanges: 20...cxd5 21.exd5 Kf7 22.Qxg4 Qxg4 23.fxg4.
21.Qe5+ Kf7 22.Bg5 Black resigned
In taking my "A Jerome Look At The Semi-Italian Opening" I realized that the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc3 h6 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+ was something that I had never played before. Luckily, The Database had a whole collection of games by Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member DragonTail to fill in. Just a few to give a few general ideas:
DragonTail - Moldus
blitz, FICS, 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.e5 Bb4+ 7.c3 dxc3 8.bxc3 Bc5 9.Qd5+ Black resigned
DragonTail - FtAll
blitz, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.c3 Qf6 7.0-0 Bc5 8.e5 Qf5 9.cxd4 Bb6 10.Qb3+ Kg6 11.Nh4+ Black resigned
DragonTail - Daoda
blitz, FICS, 2007
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.e5 Ke6 7.Nxd4+ Nxd4 8.Qxd4 c5 9.Qg4+ Kxe5 10.0-0 Nf6 11.Re1+ Kd5 12.Qf3+ Kd6 13.Bf4 checkmate
DragonTail - bsouljah
blitz, FICS, 2007
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.e5 Bc5 7.0-0 Nge7 8.Nh4 Nxe5 9.Qh5+ N5g6 10.Nxg6 Nxg6 11.Qxc5 Rf8 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Re1+ Black resigned
DragonTail - xsnrgtwo
blitz, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.e5 Nxe5 7.Nxe5+ Ke8 8.Qh5+ Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Nc4+ Kc6 11.0-0 d5 12.Nca3 Bxa3 13.Nxa3 Qf6 14.Qe8+ Kb6 Black resigned
DragonTail - lorenzoaadler
blitz, FICS, 2007
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.e5 Bb4+ 7.c3 dxc3 8.Qd5+ Kg6 9.bxc3 Nge7 10.Nh4+ Kh7 11.Qe4+ g6 12.cxb4 Re8 13.0-0 d6 14.e6 d5 15.Qe3 Nf5 16.Nxf5 Rxe6 17.Qxh6+ Kg8 18.Qg7 checkmate
Here is a game that almost speaks for itself on the topic we are discussing.
LaughingHyena - eclipze
standard, FICS, 2007
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.d4
Per Euwe and Meiden.
4...Nxd4
Ill-advised, and punishable immediately. Even the conservative player should be thinking "Jerrrrrrroooooommmmmme!"
5.Bxf7+
This is so much fun, I hate to point out that 5.Nxe5 is probably even stronger, e.g. 5...d5 (5...Nc6 6.Bxf7+ Ke7 7.Ng6+ Kxf7 8.Nxh8+ Ke7 9.Qd5; 5...Ne6 6.Bxe6 dxe6 7.Qxd8+ Kxd8 8.Nxf7+) 6.Qxd4 and White's centralized lead in development is overwhelming.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8
Ending things, but 6...Kf6 7.Qxd4 and 6...Ke6 7.Qxd4 are clearly better for White.
7.Qh5+ Black resigned
It is not hard to work out: 7...g6 (7...Ke7 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Nc4+ Kc5 10.Qd5+ Kb4 11.c3+ Ka4 12.Qa5#) 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Nc4+ Kc5 11.Qd5+ Kb4 12.Bd2+ Ka4 13.Qa5 checkmate
On this blog I refer to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 as the Semi-Italian Opening, a name given to it in Chess Master Vs Chess Amateur(1963), byMax Euwe and Walter Meiden. Here is what the authors say about Black's third move (I have changed the notation from English descriptive to algebraic.
This is a favorite move of the weaker amateur. He fears some future attack by the White QB (Bg5, for instance) or by the White KN (Ng5), and, before the White QB is even able to move, he plays the precautionary 3...h6. In certain positions, such a precautionary move is occasionally necessary, but in this position, not only is it not necessary, but it consumes valuable time. This puts Black one move behind White in the type of opening where tempi are of greatest importance. Instead of meeting the enemy's rapidly mobilizing forces with armed soldiers (i.e., by bringing out his pieces), Black only loses time and force, and, without realizing it, even weakens his defensive wall...
After 4.d4 exd4 they write
Black must take, as we shall see by an analysis of the most plausible alternate reply 4...d6: 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.Qxd8+ and (a) 6...Kxd8 7.Bxf7, etc., or (b) 6...Nxd8 7.Nxe5. White could act even more energetically by playing 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+, and Black is in great trouble, for (a) 7...Nxe5? 8.Qxd8 or (b) 7...Ke7 8.Ng6+, or (c) 7...Ke8 8.Qh5+ Ke7 9.Ng6+. After (d) 7...Kf6, the continuation is less clear. This does not mean that the sacrifice would be incorrect, since after 8.Nd3, White has two Pawns for a piece and the Black King is badly placed. On the other hand, a safe win of a Pawn as in the other variations, might be preferable.
The authors then look at 5.c3 and 5.Nxd4, and there I shall leave them.
I went back to Chess Master vs Chess Amateur after I began thinking about how to transform the game to the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit. I usually play 4.0-0 (then, after 4...Bc5, I play 5.Bxf7+), but I keep wanting to look at 4.Nc3 and other possible moves.
Hmmmm.... What about the normal 4.d4 that Euwe and Meiden recommend? How does that fit in for the Jerome Gambiteer?
Well, there are 300 games in The Database with the line 4...exd4 5.Bxf7+, but before we go there, let's take a look at the mistaken 4...Nxd4? (perhaps Black plays the Blackburne Shilling Gambit and gets carried away here).
Even someone who does not play the Jerome Gambit should start reaching toward his King's Bishop...
Black's seventh move in the following game appears almost 50 times in The Database, with the outcome overwhelmingly in White's favor. Still, after eleven moves, it is hard to see the game as an "easy" win for the first player; after all, Black can come up with some counter-play, can't he?
Tadayoshi - SkyMeadow
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4
Not best, but it doesn't lose.
8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qd5+ Ke8 10.Qxe4 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qe7
White is a pawn ahead, but it is an isolated, doubled pawn. Certainly Black can think up an idea to work against White's shattered Queenside.
12.0-0 Qa3 13.Bxa3 Black resigned
Okay, maybe another idea.
