Jerome Gambit Secrets #7

Here is another Jerome Gambit line that is worth looking at, even if it is rare, if only to have a sense of how play has gone - or how it should go, if it ever appears again in a game. 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Nc4 

Black is 2 pieces ahead, and if he wants to return some material, he has a number of choices. The text is rare method (only 3 game examples in The Database), but both players need to know a bit about what they are committed to.

7.Qh5+

This is probably White's best choice. It is a common Jerome Gambit tactic, and the resulting position is rated as equal by Stockfish 9, at an analysis level of  46 ply. We shall see, however, that in this case the computer's "opinion" is of marginal value.

The game remains complicated after the alternative 7.dxc5, which gets rid of Black's troublesome Bishop and allows White pressure along the d-file, with his advanced c-pawn ready to trouble Black's advancing d-pawn. One game by an experienced Jerome Gambiteer continued: 7...Nf6 8.e5?! (8.b3!? Ne5 9.Nc3 (9.O-O d5 10.cxd6 Qxd6 11.Nc3 -/+) 9...Re8 10.Bb2 -/+) 8...Nxe5 (8...Qe7!?) 9.Bg5 Re8 10.O-O d6 11.cxd6 cxd6 12.Nc3 Bg4 13.f3 Bh5 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Qd5+ Kf8 16.Qxb7 Re7 17.Qe4 (17.Qb4) 17...Bg6 (17...Nxf3+!?) 18.Qh4 Rg7 19.Nd5 Rf7?! 20.c3?! (20.f4) 20...a5 21.Rae1 a4?! 22.f4 Nc4? 23.f5 Ne5 24.fxg6 Nxg6 25.Qd4 Ra5 26.b4 (26.Re6!?) 26...Rb5 27.a3 Ne5 28.Rf4 Ng6 29.Rxf6 Rxf6 30.Nxf6 Rf5 31.Re8+ Qxe8 32.Nxe8 Kxe8 33.Qxd6 Ne7 34.b5 Rd5 35.Qb8+ Rd8 36.Qe5 Rd5 37.Qh8+ Kd7 38.b6 Rb5 39.Qd4+ Rd5 40.Qxa4+ Nc6 41.h4 Ra5 42.Qg4+ Kd6 43.a4 Ne5 44.Qb4+ Rc5 45.b7 Nc6 46.b8=Q+ Nxb8 47.Qxb8+ Kd5 48.g4 Kc4 49.Qb4+ Kd5 50.a5 Rc4 51.Qb7+ Rc6 52.a6 Kd6 53.a7 Rxc3 54.Qb8+ Kd5 55.a8=Q+ Kd4 56.Qd8+ Ke3 57.Qe7+ Kd2 58.Qg2+ Kd3 59.Qd6+ Kc4 60.Qgc6+ Kb3 61.Qb5+ Kc2 62.Qh2+ Kd1 63.Qb1+ Rc1 64.Qd6+ Ke2+ 65.Qxc1 Kf3 66.Qd3+ Kxg4 67.Qg5 checkmate, HauntedKnight - jthurman, FICS, 2014.

7... g6

Black can also try 7...Kf8, although it isn't really an improvment - and is equally complicated. One game continued 8.Qxc5+ Nd6 9.e5 b5? (9...Qe7!? is a better try 10.O-O (or 10.Qxc7 Nf5 11.Qc3 d6 12.O-O dxe5 13.dxe5 transposing) 10...Nf5 11.Qxc7 d6 12.Qc3 dxe5 13.dxe5 Bd7 14.Qf3 Qxe5 15.g4 Bb5 16.Nc3 Bxf1 17.Kxf1 Nf6 18.gxf5 Qxh2 19.Bf4 Qh5 (19...Qh4 20.Re1) 20.Qxb7 Re8 21.Qb4+ Re7 22.Kg2 Qg4+ 23.Kf1 Qh3+ 24.Kg1 Qg4+ drawn) 10.exd6 c6 11.Be3 Qa5+ 12.Nd2 Nf6 13.O-O a6 14.b4 Qd8 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Ne4 f5 18.Qxf5+ Kg7 19.Qg4+ Kh7 20.g3 a5 21.Rae1 axb4 22.Qf5+ Kg7 23.Nc5 Rxa2 24.Re7+ Kg8 25.Qf7 checkmate, HauntedKnight - Dpouchy, FICS, 2014.

While computer analysis can sometimes tease out tactical ideas, in this case Stockfish 8 & 9 frustratingly throw in the towel, suggesting 7...Kf8 8.Qf5+ Ke8 9.Qh5+ Kf8 and a draw by repetition. After all, White is two pieces down, so he should be happy with the half point.

8.Qxc5 

This capture allows White to grab the Bishop, as well, without disrupting his pawn center. The move appeared in a recent Bill Wall game, and I am a tiny bit surprised (Bill's games are full of surprises) that he didn't try the "nudge" 8.Qd5+, instead - the kind of twist that shows up in many of his games.

Looking at 8.Qd5+ Kg7, we can see that Black already has to be careful:

8...Kf8? 9.dxc5 Na5 10.Bg5 Nf6 11.Qd4 Kf7 12.e5 Nc6 13.Qc4+ d5 14.cxd6+ Be6 15.Qf4 Nxe5 16.dxc7 Qe7 17.Qxe5; or

8... Kf6? 9.Bg5+; or

8... Ke7? 9.Qxc5+ Kf7 10. Qxc4+; or

8...Ke8? 9.dxc5 Nf6 10.Qxc4. 

The game can continue in a complicated manner toward an advantage for White: 9.dxc5 Na5 10.b4 Nf6 (or 10...Nc6 11.Bb2+ Nf6, transposing) 11.Bb2 Nc6 12.b5 Re8 (or 12...Ne7 13.Qd4 Rf8 14.g4 Kg8 15.Qc4+d5 16.cxd6+ Ned5 17.Nc3 Be6 18.exd5 Bxg4 19.dxc7 Qd6 +/-) 13.bxc6 dxc6 14.Qd3 Qxd3 15.cxd3 b6 16.Nd2 Ba6 17.Rc1 Bb5 18.Nc4 Rad8 19.Ke2 Kf7 20.Bxf6 Kxf6 21.f4 Bxc4 22.Rxc4 b5 23.Rcc1 g5 +/- 

8...d5 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.e5 

Here, Black's game blew up with 10...Ne4? in Wall - Guest6959655, PlayChess.com, 2018 (1-0, 21). The defender could have maintained an even game by giving back material with 10...c6 11.exf6 Re8+ 12.Be3 Nxe3 13.fxe3 Rxe3+ 14.Kd2 Re6 15.Rae1 Rxe1 16.Rxe1 Qxf6.

So - if Black plays the almost "secret" 6...Nc4, smile, but do not celebrate yet. Go for the Queen check at h5, consider the "nudge" at d5, and prepare for complex play where you can hope for an advantage (with a draw in hand, per Stockfish).