Jerome Gambit: Three Tools

When I am trying to make sense out of different lines of play of the Jerome Gambit - to post on this blog, or to prepare for a game - I generally use 3 tools.

It is often helpful to know what a computer chess engine "thinks" of a line or position. I currently use Stockfish 8 & 9, but have also used Houdini, Rybka, Fritz and Crafty. Computers are very good at pointing out tactical shots, and have been getting better and better at understanding positional nuances. (I have not tried Komodo, but it is supposed to be advanced in positional assessment.)

Of course, "objective" evaluation of the Jerome Gambit can be meaningless by itself. If machines could talk (I'm looking at you, Talking Fritz), after move 4 they would say "White, you are busted, why not stop wasting your time and just start another game?"

I leaven the serious look at Jerome lines with a peek at games drawn from The Database, currently 56,000+ Jerome Gambit and Jerome-related games that generally reflect online club play. Some players are very successful with my favorite "refuted" chess opening!

While I would not, ever, compare the Jerome Gambit to the Najdorf variation of the Sicilian defense, nor compare myself to Bobby Fischer, I was always impressed when Bobby would play Black with the Najdorf and win - and then turn around and take White and beat the Najdorf. Bobby was an awesome player, but he also showed the benefit of really knowing, down deep, the opening you play.

Finally, I always appreciate the wisdom of Geoff Chandler's humorous, but intuitively correct, "blunder table". In master and grandmaster games, the advantage of a pawn is frequently enough for a win. As we move down to the play of less-developed players, however, it can sometimes take a Knight or a Rook before one side has a "winning" advantage.

So, while the top players would hardly play an opening that involves the sacrifice of two pieces, it is not at all surprising (despite computer carping) to find that in club games - especially fast ones - that the Jerome Gambit can find its place - especially in lines where Black returns a piece, leaving him with a piece for two pawns (essentially a pawn ahead). That is hardly enough to guarantee a win for the second player!