The latest issue (#33) of Gary K. Gifford's ever-interesting and always-enlightening "Unorthodox Openings Newsletter" (in pdf format; see "UON", among others) is now available.
Among many topics, "UON #33" contains material from the "Dany Sénéchaud" post to this blog - an interesting game by the French chessplayer (and openings explorer) with notes, and speculation about possible early influences on Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's creation of the Jerome Gambit.
Well worth checking out.
Why turn down a gift? Why choose a line of play in an unsound gambit that gives away the advantage? Black's defensive strategy in the following game might be due for some reconsideration.
perrypawnpusher - Hensel
blitz, FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+
I have been skeptical about this approach to defending the Jerome Gambit, having written before
Just about everyone who plays the Jerome Gambit faces this "bail out" variation at one point or another. Black manages to exchange Queens at the cost of returning a piece, and with the prospect of playing on, a pawn down. White can no longer play "his" attack; but he also no longer has an "objectively" lost game.
As the following game shows, it will take a long time for White to turn his advantage into a winning game; so perhaps there is more to say in favor of Black's strategy than I have previously admitted.
8.Kxf2 Qh4+
The direct 8...Qf6+ has been seen in many games, in this blog and in The Database.
9.g3
9.Kf1!? was tried in Wall,B - Guest1443273, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 36).
9...Qf6+ 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6 11.Nc3 Re8 12.d3
12...c6
Or 12...d6 as in Wall,B - Guest2115687, PlayChess.com, 2014, (1-0, 21).
13.Kg2 Kg7 14.Bg5 Ng4 15.h3 Nh6 16.Rhf1 d6 17.Rf2 Be6 18.Raf1
White is a clear pawn up, but Black can continue here with 18...Nf7 19.Be3 b6 and the game is far from over, with the prospect of a Bishops-of-Opposite-Colors endgame.
18...Rf8
A slip. Oddly, in response I remembered a tactic from perrypawnpusher - Dubnobase, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 49), and double-checked things before playing...
19.Bxh6+
Black resigned, as he will lose a Rook.
In an early article on the Jerome Gambit in the July 1874 issue of The Dubuque Chess Journal, it was noted
It should be
understood that Mr. Jerome claims in this New Opening "only a pleasant
variation of the Giuoco Piano, which may win or lose according to the skill
of the players, but which is capable of affording many new positions and
opportunities for heavy blows unexpectedly."
The same can be said for the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, as the following game illustrates. White triumphs in a blitz game - but, afterwards, as he played the game over, he must have smiled at a few of the missed "heavy blows".
TrippL - boggus
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+
The Database has 18 Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit games by TrippL, with White scoring 58%. (That's above the average of 56%
for all 4,454 BSJG games in The Database.)
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3
TrippL has played 2 games with 6.Qh5 against the same opponent: 6...Nf6 (6...Nxc2+ 7.Kd1 Nxa1 8.Qf5+ Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Qd5+ Ke7 11.Qf7+ Kd6 12.Qd5+ Ke7, drawn, TrippL - boggus, FICS, 2008) 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Nc4+ Kc6 9.Nba3 Qe7 10.Qxe7 Bxe7 11.c3 Bxa3 12.cxd4 Be7 13.d5+ Nxd5 14.exd5+ Kxd5 15.Ne3+ Kc6 16.0-0 d6 17.b3 Bf6 18.Rb1 Be6 19.Re1 Rae8 20.Nc4 Bf5 21.Rxe8 Rxe8 22.Na5+ Kd7 White resigned, TrippL - boggus, FICS, 2013.
He has also played 6.f4 against boggus: 6...h5 7.c3 Nc6 8.Qb3+ Kd6 9.Nf7+ Ke7 10.Nxd8 Nxd8 11.d4 d6 12.f5 Nf6 13.h3 Ke8 14.Nd2 Be7 15.Qc2 Nc6 16.Nf3 Bd7 17.Bg5 a6 18.0-0-0 Kd8 19.e5 dxe5 20.dxe5 Black resigned, TrippL - boggus, FICS, 2012.
6...Kxe5
This is the strongest continuation, although the two players have tried
6...Nc6 7.Qh5 Nxe5 8.d4 Nd3+ 9.Kd2 Nxc1 10.d5+ Kd6 11.Kxc1 h6 12.Na3 Qg5+ 13.Qxg5 hxg5 14.Nc4+ Ke7 15.Kc2 d6 16.f3 Nf6 17.h3 Nd7 18.Rae1 b5 19.Na5 Ne5 20.Rhf1 Bd7 21.f4 Nf7 22.f5 Ne5 23.Nb3 a5 24.Nd4 c5 25.Nb3 a4 26.Nd2 Kd8 27.a3 Kc7 28.Nf3 Nxf3 29.Rxf3 Be7 30.g4 Bf6 31.Rd3 Rh7 32.Rde3 Rah8 33.Rh1 Be5 34.Kd2 Bf4 White resigned, TrippL - boggus, FICS, 2008; and
6...Qg5 7.cxd4 Qxg2 8.Qf3 Qxf3 9.Nxf3 Nf6 10.d3 h6 11.Nc3 c6 12.Be3 d5 13.e5 Ng4 14.Bf4 g5 15.Bg3 h5 16.h3 Nh6 17.Nxg5+ Kf5 18.h4 Be7 19.Nf3 Bb4 20.Kd2 Kg4 21.Ng5 Rf8 22.f3+ Kxg3 23.Rag1+ Kf4 24.Kc2 Bxc3 25.bxc3 Nf5 26.Rb1 Nxh4 27.Rxh4+ Kxg5 28.Rbh1 Rh8 29.Rg4+ hxg4 30.Rxh8 gxf3 31.Rg8+ Kf4 32.Kd1 Ke3 33.Ke1 Kxd3 34.Kf2 Kxc3 35.Rf8 Kxd4 36.e6 Bxe6 37.Rxa8 Bg4 38.Rxa7 b5 39.Rc7 Kc5 40.Rb7 Bh5 41.Rh7 Bg6 42.Rh6 Be4 43.Ke3 Kb4 44.Rf6 c5 45.Rb6 c4 46.Ra6 Kc5 47.Ra8 b4 48.a4 bxa3 49.Rc8+ Kb4 50.Ra8 Kb3 51.Ra5 a2 52.Rb5+ Kc3 53.Ra5 Kb2 54.Rxa2+ Black forfeited on time, TrippL - boggus, FICS, 2009.
7.cxd4+ Kxd4 8.Nc3 Qg5
White's 8th move was mentioned in the last post, "Caught Out".
Black's 8th move (thematic in the Blackburne Shilling Gambit) has already been scolded a number of years ago in "Gorilla Chess".
9.Qb3
This wins. Even better 9.Qa4+ Ke5 10.f4+ (or 9...Kc5 10.d4) as Black will lose his Queen. Check it out, play a few variations.
9...c6 10.d3 Qxg2
Deadly - but for the wrong side.
11.Be3+
This is good, but who could resist the double Rook sacrifice: 11.Bf4 Qxh1+ 12.Kd2 Qxa1 13.Qc4# ? Resisting the second Rook requires Black to sacrifice his Queen - and he will still be checkmated.
11...Ke5 12.f4+
Instead, 12.Qf7 would box the enemy king in, e.g. 12...Qxh1+ 13.Ke2 Qxh2 (13...Qxa1 14.Bf4+ Kd4 15.Qc4#)14.Nb5 Nf6 15.Bd4+ Kf4 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qxf6+ Kg4 18.Qf5+ Kh4 19.Nd4 Qg2 20.Nf3+ Qxf3+ 21.Kxf3 Rg8 22.Rh1 checkmate, anyway.
12...Kf6
Black's King appears to be getting away.
13.0-0-0 Ne7
Houdini suggests that after 13...Ke7 Black would be better, but that is hard to see. Now the game concludes quickly.
14.Rhg1 Qxh2 15.Bd4 checkmate
Very pretty!
