A Strange Jerome Gambit - But, What's New? (Part 1)

I just completed a Jerome Gambit game in the Italian Battleground tournament, online at Chess.com. It had more than the usual amount of strangeness in it.

perrypawnpusher -vasbur
Italian Battleground, Chess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

This move marks the "classical" Jerome Gambit lines, with the "modern" lines avoiding the second piece sacrifice, e.g. 5.0-0.

With the updated Database, I took a look at how the two ideas differed in success in club player practice.

I discovered 14,407 games which contained the acceptance of the first piece sacrifice, 4...Kxf7. White scored 45%, which is consistent with past measures.

I found 6,602 games (less than half?!) that continued 5.Nxe5+, and in those White scored 55% (suggesting that the "modern" lines scored somewhat above 35%).

Even though the edge in successful playgoes to the "classical" lines, it might be time to take a closer look at what "modern" lines do best. 

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+

With 4,328 examples in The Database, this line is more popular than 6.d4 (with 1,924 games), although in both White scores 55%

6...Ke6 

For the record, there are 1,091 games with this position in The Database. White scores 53%.

This compares with 514 games with 6...g6, where White scores 72%; 2,010 games with 6...Ng6, where White scores 53%; and 645 games with 6...Kf8, where White scores 49%.

The practical (based on games played, primarily by club players, primarily online) defensive choice, by a small margin, would seem to be 6...Kf8. Of course, "objectively" all of these 6th move alternatives for Black give him a winning position. Do remember, however, how hard it can be to win a "won" game...

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 

Wow. This is Black's sharpest defense. I have scored 19 - 6 against it (76%), but there always seemed to be a bit of luck involved - overall, White scores 52% in 77 games, according to The Database.

9.g3 Nf3+

Yikes.

10.Kf1 

I am not sure why I didn't play 10.Kd1, instead, with which I am 6-0. Before this game I had played 10.Kf8 11 times, going 8-3.

Over all, The Database shows 10.Kd1 as scoring 14 - 8 - 2 (63%), with 10.Kf8 at 12 - 5 (71%).

Of course, 10.Ke2 is a bad idea (White has scored a win and a draw in 10 games) but it's hard not to mention 10...Nd4+ 11.Kd3 Qe7? 12.Qd5 checkmate, ZahariSokolov - epifend, 15 0, FICS, 2018. 

[to be continued]