Jerome Gambit: Did You Leave the Water Running?

Many humorous stories revolve around a family leaving home for a visit or a vacation, only to have one member worriedly ask "Did we leave the water running?"

The following quick game by Bill Wall reminds me of that. Black is fighting back against the Jerome Gambit, but, at one point he forgets something important...

Wall, Bill - Anonymous
lichess.org, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qe7 8.O-O c5

Or 8...Nf6 9.Nc3 c6 10.f4 Ng6 11.e5 Ng4 12.h3 Nh6 13.f5 Nh4 14.f6 gxf6 15.exf6 Nf3+ 16.Rxf3 Qe6 17.Bxh6 Rg8 18.Qd3 d5 19.Qxh7+ Ke8 20.f7+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest2327120, PlayChess.com, 2014 

9.Qd5+ Qe6 10.Qxc5 Ne7 11.f4 d6 

Overlooking something.

12.fxe5+ Black resigned

The pieced is captured with discovered check. After 12...Kg8 13.exd6 Black will be 3 pawns down. (The vacation is ruined.)

Jerome Gambit: Sending Pieces to the Wilderness

In the following game, Bill Wall sends one piece, then another, far from the action - or so it seems. Each returns, only to be traded off - yet they are active in helping win the game. The final position is very interesting.

Wall, Bill - NN
lichess.org, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qf6 

An unusual defense, but, according to The Database, one faced by other Jerome Gambiteers such as blackburne, chessmanjeff, drumme, HauntedKnight, jfhumphrey, stretto, Teterow, and yorgos. Black, having to lose a piece, decides not to move either, but develops a piece instead.

7. dxc5 Ne7 

Further development. Black also had 7...d6, e.g. 8.O-O dxc5 (8...Be6 9.cxd6 cxd6 10.f4 Ng4 11.f5 Qd4+ 12.Qxd4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.com, 2016) 9.Qd5+ Be6 10.Qxb7 Ne7 11.Qxc7 Rac8 12.Qxa7 Qg6 13.f4 Bh3 14.fxe5+ Ke8 15.Qa4+ Rc6 16.Rf2 Rf8 17.Qa8+ Rc8 18.Qa3 Rxf2 19.Qxh3 Rxc2 20.Na3 Re2 21.Nb5 Kf8 22.Qf3+ Ke8 23.Qxe2 h5 24.Nd6+ Kd7 25.Nxc8 Nxc8 26.Qb5+ Kd8 27.Bg5+ Qxg5 28.Rd1+ Ke7 29.Qd7+ Kf8 30.e6 Qe3+ 31.Kh1 Ne7 32.Qd8 checkmate, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016 

8.O-O Rf8 9.Nc3 Kg8 

Black has castled-by-hand and has seen to his piece development. What will White do? A hint can be found in an earlier Bill Wall game, with a different defense: 9...c6 10.f4 N5g6 11.Be3 d5 12.cxd6 Ng8 13.d7 Rd8 14.dxc8=Q Raxc8 15.Qh5 Kf8 16.e5 Qf7 17.f5 Nxe5 18.Bc5+ Ne7 19.Qxh7 Qf6 20.Ne4 Qh6 21.Qxh6 gxh6 22.f6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest4060198, PlayChess.com, 2013. 

10.f4 N5c6 11.Nb5 a6 12.Nxc7 Rb8 13.c3 Qg6 

It looks like White has sent his one developed piece off on a risky pawn-hunt, but the Knight still has influence on the center, and the first player still has things under control - thanks, in part, to the "Jerome pawns". 

14.f5 Qf6 15.Bf4 Ne5 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.Qxd5+ Nf7 18.Bxb8 Re8 

White has retrieved (and traded off) his far-flung Knight, and now has a Bishop off in the wilderness (admittedly, it captured a Rook). An interesting comparison can be made between the two Bishops left on the board, as one is actively involved, while the other is a passive observer.

19.Rae1 Kh8 20.e5 Qe7  21.Bd6 Nxd6 

The Bishop, too, is exchanged, but by now White has a powerful, checkmating attack.

 22.f6 gxf6 23.cxd6 Qe6 24.exf6 Black resigned

What a position!

Black can simply take White's Queen with 24...Qxd5, but it will be checkmate in a few moves after 25.Rxe8+ Qg8 26.f7! 

Black's best option is to win two Rooks for his Queen with 24...Qxe1 25.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 26.Kf2 but it is clear that he has no way of dealing with White's advanced pawn, for example 26...Re6 27.Qg5 or 26...Re8 27.f7.

Jerome Gambit: Theory and Practice (Part 4)

In the following game, White confidently and patiently makes his way through the opening and middlegame, indifferent to his opponent's attempts to simplify - and, later, to look for dynamic chances. The endgame win is there; he just has to keep strolling until he gets there.

Vlastous - Daboa 1799
ChessManiac.com, 2016

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Qf6 

8.Rf1 g6 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.fxe5 Qxe5 11.Qf3 Nf6 12.Nc3 c6 

White's play was inexact after 12...Bd4 in Gary_Seven - Kevin the fruitbat, JG3 thematic, ChessWorld.net, 2008:  13.d3 Bxc3+ 14. Bd2 Bxb2 15. Rb1 Bc3 16. Bxc3 Qxc3+ 17. Kd1 d6 18. h3 Bd7 19. g4 Rhf8 20. d4 Qxf3+ 21. Rxf3 Nxe4 22. Rxf8 Rxf8 23. Rxb7 Bb5 24. Rxc7+ Kd8 25. Rxa7 Rf1 checkmate.

What happens next in the text is that Queens are exchanged and the sacrificed piece is returned for a couple of pawns, giving Black a small advantage. The game is not over at all, however.

13.Ne2 Rf8 14.d4 Bxd4 15.Bf4 Qxe4 16.Qxe4+ Nxe4 17.Nxd4 d5 

18.O-O-O Bg4 19.Rde1 Kd7 20.h3 Bf5 21.Bh6 Rf7 22.Nf3 Re8 23.g4 b6 

An odd choice by Black. He will have two pawns for his piece, a typical Jerome Gambit situation for White. Perhaps it was a slip, perhaps he saw that situation as more dynamic that a possible Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame.

24.gxf5 Rxf5 25.Nd2 Ng3 26.Rxe8 Kxe8 27.Rxf5 Nxf5 28.Bf4 h5 

Black's extra pawns are more targets than attacking units, as White begins to show.

29.Nf3 Ke7 30.Ne5 Kf6 31.Nxc6 g5 32.Bc7 g4 33.hxg4 hxg4 34.Nxa7 g3 35.Nb5 Kg5 36.Bxb6 Kg4 

37.a4 g2 38.Bg1 Kg3 39.a5 Nh4 40.Nd4 Kf4 41.a6 Nf3 42.Nxf3 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Theory and Practice (Part 3)

Chessfriend Vlastimil Fejfar sent a couple more of his games. They fit in well with the current "Theory and Practice" theme.

Here is the first, which illustrates an important, if infrequent line, where Black's carelessness (who needs to analyze against the Jerome Gambit?) needs to be addressed right away, with an immediate advantage to White. Suddenly, a "funny" opening isn't funny any more.

Vlastous - Orca
ChessManiac.com, 2016.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nf6

Despite developing a piece that attacks the enemy Queen, this move is an error. White needs to know the proper response and play it quickly, as it leads to a position where he is up a couple of pawns (not down a couple of pieces).

The Database has 56 games with this position, with White scoring 73%. (In club play, a 2-pawn advantage isn't always decisive. See "Blunder Table" for Geoff Chandler's interesting point of view.)

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Kf6 11.b4 

I like this move, which is a TN.

Of course not 11.Qxe4 Re8. 

Petasluk twice tried 11.Qe5+ Kf7 followed by 12.O-O: 12...Nf6 (12...Re8 13.Qd5+ Kf8 14.d3 c6 15.Qh5 Qb6+ 16.Kh1 Nf2+ 17.Kg1 Nxd3+ 18.Kh1 Nf2+ 19.Kg1 Re1 20.Qf5+ Kg8 21.Nd2 Nd1+ 22.Kh1 Rxf1+ 23.Nxf1 Qf2 24.Qd3 d5 25.Be3 Nxe3 26.Nxe3 Be6 27.Rf1 Qh4 28.f5 Bd7 29.Nxd5 Rf8 30.g3 Qh3 31.f6 cxd5 32.Qxd5+ Be6 33.Qd3 Rxf6 34.Rxf6 gxf6 35.Qd8+ Kg7 36.Qe7+ Kg6 37.Qe8+ Bf7 38.Qe4+ Kg7 39.Kg1 Qd7 40.Qe2 Qd4+ 41.Qf2 Qd1+ 42.Qf1 Qxc2 43.Qf2 Qd1+ 44.Qf1 Qd4+ 45.Qf2 Qxf2+ 46.Kxf2 Bxa2 47.b4 Be6 48.Ke3 a6 49.Kd4 b5 50.Kc5 Bf5 51.Kb6 h5 52.Kxa6 h4 53.Kxb5 Black lost on time, Petasluk - tiranas, FICS,  2010) 13.d3 Re8 14.Qd4 Kg8 15.Nc3 d6 16.Bd2 c5 17.Qf2 Ng4 18.Qf3 h6 19.h3 Nf6 20.Rae1 Rb8 21.Ne4 b5 22.a3 Nxe4 23.dxe4 Bb7 24.Bc3 Qh4 25.f5 Bxe4 26.Qg4 Qxg4 27.hxg4 Bxc2 28.Rc1 Bd3 29.f6 Bxf1 30.Kxf1 gxf6 31.g3 Rf8 32.Kg2 f5 33.gxf5 Rxf5 34.Rd1 Rb6 35.Rh1 d5 36.Bd2 h5 37.Bf4 Rg6 38.Kf3 d4 39.Rc1 Kf7 40.Ke4 Kf6 41.b4 cxb4 42.axb4 Rg4 43.Rc6+ Ke7 44.Kxf5 Rg7 45.Ra6 h4 46.gxh4 Rf7+ 47.Kg4 d3 48.Rxa7+ Ke8 49.Rxf7 Kxf7 50.h5 Kf6 51.h6 Kg6 52.Bd2 Kh7 53.Kh5 Kh8 54.Kg6 Kg8 55.h7+ Kh8 56.Bc3 checkmate, Petasluk - DenisBarin, FICS, 2013.

Once he played 11.O-O directly: 11...Nd6 12.Qe5+ Kf7 13.d4 Re8 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Nc3 Qf6 16.f5 Qxd4+ 17.Kh1 Qc4 18.Bf4 Rf8 19.Bxd6 cxd6 20.f6 gxf6 21.Nd5 Qd4 22.Rf4 Qe5 23.Rf5 Qe6 24.Raf1 Kg7 25.Qg4+ Kh8 26.Nxf6 Rxf6 27.Qd4 Black forfeited on time, Petasluk - fabercastle, FICS, 2009. 

11...Re8 12.O-O h6 13.f5 Ng5 

Allowing checkmate.

14.Bb2+ Ke7 15.f6+ gxf6 16.Bxf6+ Black resigned

White does not even need to win Black's Queen, but that alone would be enough to force resignation.