Jerome Gambit: Again, Half a Defense

Sometimes it's just too easy to play the Jerome Gambit.

Often the quickest games are the ones that show the defender demonstrating a "scientific" idea - but only part-way. As we have seen many times on this blog, half a defense can be worse than no defense at all.

Still, White must find the right continuation.

Wall, Bill - Guest4377728
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 

8.O-O h6

Black keeps his advantage after this move, but it seems overly cautious, and weakens the light squares around the King.

9.f4 c5 

Who hasn't heard the advice, if someone attacks one of your pieces, don't automatically move it, see if you can attack a more important piece  ? You can usually "trust" this advice, as long as you fulfill the other half of the obligation "trust - but verify".

In this game, Black has missed something very important.

(Surprisingly, there are 7 other games with this position in The Database. More spurprisingly, White was only 4-3 in those games. In only 2 of those games did White find the correct plan - and he was still only 1-1.)

10.fxe5+ 

Yes. The pawn captures with check.

10...Ke6 

Black would have still had a losing game after 10...Kg6, but if he wanted to hang around a bit longer, that was the move to make. Now, the end comes swiftly.

11.Qd5+ Kd7 12.Qxd6+ Ke8 13.Rf8 checkmate

Oh, man, that's gotta hurt...

Jerome Gambit: Just Play It!

A recent game illustrates why people play the Jerome Gambit - it just moves along, with various tactical ideas and traps that are often hidden to the defender, until it's too late...

Wall, Bill - Guest5463336
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb6 

This move seems perfectly reasonable, although 6...Bxd4 is considered the strongest response.

7.dxe5 Ne7

This is a position familiar to those who play the Jerome Gambit, in
particular (according to The Database) jfhumphrey, frizerkaHR, ndrwgn, HauntedKnight, chessmanjeff - and, of course, Bill Wall.

8.Qf3+ Ke8 

Bill has also faced 8...Kg8, e.g. 9.Qb3+ Kf8 10.O-O d5 11.Nc3 Be6 12.Bg5 c6 13.Rad1 Qd7 14.Bxe7+ Qxe7 15.exd5 cxd5 16.Nxd5 Qf7 17.Qa3+ Black resigned Wall, B-Guest6791785, PlayChess.com, 2018.

In the game position, Black is still doing fine. However, as White is still making moves, he has to come up with some kind of plan.

9.O-O Ng6 

Very good: go after the pawn at e5. Also tried: 9...Rf8 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qxh7 g5 12.Qh5+ Rf7 13.Bxg5 c6 14.Nd2 Qc7 15.Nc4 a5 16.Nd6+ Black resigned, Wall,B -WGMS, FICS, 2017. 

10.Nc3 Rf8 11.Qe2 Nxe5 

Mission accomplished. The biggest danger for Black at this point is "relaxing" too early, as the e8-h5 diagonal often brings destruction.

12.Qh5+ Rf7 

Oh, no. Suddenly worried about his Kingside, Black chooses a defense that will at least protect the g-pawn. This leaves his Knight on e5 hanging, but that is not his greatest worry.

13.Bg5 Black resigned

Never mind the Knight; White goes after the Queen.

Jerome Gambit: A Knight's Distraction

The latest Jerome Gambit game from Vlasta Fejfar comes with a reminder to all defenders: have fun, but do not allow your attention to wander, do not become distracted.

As the following game shows, Black's distraction is followed by his loss.

vlastous - JOHN LEGEND
internet, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 N8e7 

An interesting position in the 6...Ng6 variation (with the 7.Qd5+ "nudge"). I am sure that the computers are happy with Black's chances, but I have to point out that in the 20 games with this position in The Database, White has scored 80%. 

9.Qc3 

Vlasta has also played 9.O-O. See vlastous - Makaviel ,S, internet, 2017 (1-0, 21).

9...d5 10.d3 d4 11.Qc4 Ne5 

The computers like this move - but I don't. I can't count the number of times that Black has gotten in trouble in the Jerome Gambit by having one of his Knight's harass White's Queen. Even if we are only talking about the defender's attention wandering, I have to question the play.

12.Qb3 b6 13.f4 N5c6 14.f5 Bb7 15.O-O Qd6

Someone who glanced the game now might say "All Black has to do is castle and he has a crushing position." Ah, but Black can not castle, and he still has to focus and figure out a plan.

16.Bf4 Ne5 17.Na3 a6 18.Nc4 

18...N7c6 

Oh, Knights, you will be the death of me!

Black dutifully protects his Knight on e5 (on that square for the third time) from a double attack. But, he overlooks something.

19.Nxd6+ cxd6 

In a bit of irony, Black now has (only) 2 Knights for a Queen - not nearly enough. White finishes the game quickly.

20.Qe6+ Ne7 21.f6 gxf6 22.Bxe5 fxe5 23.Rf7 Kd8 24.Qxe7+ Kc8 25.Qc7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: A Bit of Strangeness

I just stumbled over a bit of strangeness, which, in the Jerome Gambit world, is saying something.

The "2014 October Giuoco Piano Jerome gambit" tournament at RedHotPawn was actually a two-game match between SeinfeldFan91 (2223) and Swiss Toni (2088).

We have seen SeinfeldFan91's games before.

The games:

SeinfeldFan91 - Swiss Toni
October Giuoco Piano Jerome gambit tournament, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Black resigned

Swiss Toni - SeinfeldFan91 - Swiss Toni
October Giuoco Piano Jerome gambit tournament, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 White resigned

I guess I understand why I couldn't find these games in The Database.