I have been away from the Jerome Gambit (see"Reliable") long enough that Bill Wall questioned if I had given it up. Not so, not so. That doesn't mean that all of my new games are gems - although the following one brought a smilt to my face.
perrypawnpusher - grosshirn
2 19 blitz, FICS, 2016
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
10.O-O Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.f5
This position appeared as early as Vazquez,A - Carrington,W, Mexico, 2nd match (1), 1876 (1-0, 34).
This is my 14th game with this position, having won 9, drawn 1, and lost 4 to date (68%).
From here, four times my opponents made it easy for me, as in this game - and, sadly, I only won 3 of those games.
12...Rxe4
I have previously mentioned FIDE Master Dennis Monokroussos' thoughtful website, The Chess Mind, and his down-to-earth query,
Is there even a single trap for Black to fall into in the Jerome Gambit?
If Black believes that White is making it up as he goes along, the defender is not likely to pay attention close enough to avoid stepping in a small trap.
13.fxg6+
Black resigned.
I think my opponent was unhappy at having slipped. His position isn't "objectively" all that bad after 13...Kg8 14.gxh7+ Kh8! (14...Kxh7 15.Qd3 will win the exchange) 15.Qf2!? (15.Qd3 Bd7! 16.Rxf6? Qxf6 17.Qxe4 Re8!) and White will have to be happy to be just a pawn up (the White pawn at h7 is doomed) while lagging in development.
In the following game, Black defends well against the initial gambit, and then a further couple of sacrifices. Things are not easy for him, but he is well on his way to a full point when he makes a small slip...
LeAlv96 - HydraxDev
3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2016
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.f4+ Kd6
White's extra offer of a piece, 6.Qg4+, offers additional risk to both players. Black can take the Knight and live, but he must be careful. So far he is defending well in an uncomfortable position.
8.e5+ Ke7 9.f5 Nxc2+
Not as effective is 9...Nc6, which appeared in the up-and-down game JordanKwiatek - FrankBono, FICS, 2007: 10.d4 h6 11.O-O d6 12.Nc3 dxe5 13.Qh4+ Ke8 14.Bg5 Qxg5 15.Qxg5 hxg5 16.dxe5 Bc5+ White resigned.
10.Kd1 Nxa1 11.d4
White would improve with 11.Qh4+!? Nf6 12.exf6+ gxf6 13.Re1+ Kd6 although the position would still be better for Black.
11...Ke8
Black also struggled after 11...d5, i.e. 12.Bg5+ Nf6 13.exf6+ gxf6 14.Re1+ Kd6 15.Bf4+ Kc6 16.Re3 Bd6 17.Rc3+ Kd7 18.Bxd6 cxd6 19.Nd2 Qg8 20.Qh3 Qg5 21.Nf3 Qf4 22.Qh5 Qe4 23.Qf7+ Qe7 24.Rc7+ Kxc7 25.Qxe7+ Kb6 26.Qxd6+ Kb5 27.Qxd5+ Kb6 28.Qc5+ Ka6 29.b4 b6 30.b5+ Kb7 31.Qc6+ Kb8 32.d5 Bxf5 33.d6 Rc8 34.Qd5 Rc5 35.Qg8+ Kb7 36.Qxh7+ Kc8 37.Qg8+ Kb7 38.Qf7+ Kc8 39.Qe8+ Kb7 40.Qe7+ Kb8 41.Nd4 Bc2+ 42.Ke1 Bf5 43.Nc6+ Kc8 44.Qd8+ Kb7 45.Qc7 checkmate, GOH - boggus, FICS, 2004.
Black's best defense is 11...Kf7. The difference between the two retreat squares (i.e. at f7 the Black King can protect a pawn at g6) quickly becomes apparent.
12.Qh5+g6 13.fxg6 hxg6
14.Qxg6+ Ke7 15.Bg5+ Nf6 16.Qxf6+ Ke8 17.Qg6 checkmate
I found the following Jerome Gambit game on a Reddit sub, with a heading about playing drunk or stoned. Whether that would help White's play or not, I do not know; perhaps it would ease the pain of losing?
Readers can decide. The game certainly is exciting, regardless.
ohhiwrigley - anonymous
posted on reddit, 2016
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6
Returning the two sacrificed pieces.
7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ Kf8 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qd4
White continues to play creatively. This position is not in The Database.
10...Qg5 11.O-O
This offers Black the opportunity of 11...Bh3, which he overlooks, tossing away a pawn, instead. Was this a high-speed blitz game?
11...c5 12.Qxd6+ Ne7 13.d3 Qh5 14.Qf4+ Ke8 15.Qg3 Rf8
Unwittingly setting up a trap that White falls into.
16.Qxg7 Ng6
Instead, Black had 16...Rg8 which could be followed up by 17...Bh3, with an attack that wins material.
17.Bh6 Bg4 18.Qxb7 Be2 19.Qc6+
Certainly playable was 19.Qxa8+.
19...Kf7 20.Bxf8 Bxf1 21.Bxc5 Nf4 22.Qxa8 Bxg2
White can now win another piece with 23.Qf8+ followed by 24.Qxf4, but he makes the very prudent decision - given Black's pieces clustered around his King - to be happy to have an extra exchange (after 23...Qxc5) and 5 more pawns, and to focus on development.
23.Nc3 Nh3+
This looks scary at first glance, but is actually just a fancy way to lose more material. (Again, time trouble suggests itself.) Still, what choice does Black have, other than to complicate things and hope?
24.Kxg2 Qg4+ 25.Kf1 Qg1+ 26.Ke2 Nf4+ 27.Ke3 Qg5
Give Black credit, he keeps on fighting, looking for chances.
28.Qxa7+ Kg6 29.Bd4 Nd5+ 30.Ke2 Qg4+ 31.f3 Qg2+
32.Kd1 Qxf3+
33.Kc1 Ne3 34.Qg7+
The move that White has been angling for. Now it is all over for Black.
34...Kh5 35.Qxh7+ Kg4 36.h3+ Kg3 37.Be5+ Kf2
38.Qh4+ Kf1 39.Kd2+ Kg2 40.Qg5+ Kf2 41.Nd1+ Kf1 42.Nxe3+ Kf2 43.Rf1 checkmate
Nice.
