Jerome Gambit: Can He Do That? (Part 2)

?????

Like I wrote, last post:

I just received the latest batch of Jerome Gambit games from Bill Wall, and I found myself scratching my head over the moves in some of them, asking myself "Can he do that?"

Here's another example.

Wall, Bill - Uli
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.a4 

Golly...

This is clearly an un-gambit-style move, as White makes a pawn move - instead of sacrificing another piece. Logic is twisted in the Jerome Gambit.

Black should be able to survive - if he doesn't lose his way. Famous last words in the Jerome Gambit.

5...Bd6

Bill has also faced:

5...Nf6 6.O-O Rf8 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Ng6 9.dxc5 d6 10.cxd6 Qxd6 11.Qxd6 cxd6 12.Nc3 Be6 13.f4 Bc4 14.Rd1 Nxf4 15.Bxf4 Kg8 16.Bxd6 Rf7 17.e5 Ng4 18.b3 Be6 19.Nb5 Rc8 20.Rd2 Ne3 21.c4 a6 22.Nd4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest3303570, PlayChess.com 2018; and

5...h6 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.f3 Re8 11.Bf4 Nc6 12.Qd2 d5 13.O-O-O dxe4 14.Qf2 Qe7 15.Rhe1 Qb4 16.Bxc7 Kg8 17.h3 Na5 18.Bd6 Qc4 19.fxe4 Be6 20.Kb1 Rad8 21.Qxa7 Ra8 22.Qb6 Ra6 23.Qb4 Qxb4 24.Bxb4 Nc6 25.Bd6 Rd8 26.b3 Na5 27.e5 Ne8 28.Bc5 Rxd1+ 29.Rxd1 Nc6 30.Bd6 Nxd6 31.exd6 Nb4 32.d7 Bxd7 33.Rxd7 Rb6 34.a5 Ra6 35.Rxb7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest2021465, PlayChess.com, 2018. 

6.Nc3 Nf6 7.O-O Re8

8.Qe2 Kf8 9.Qc4 Nd4 10.Nxd4 exd4 11.Qxd4 Be5 12.Qb4+ Qe7 13.Qc4 Bxc3 14.bxc3 

Black has the typical Jerome Gambit piece for two pawns. It can be argued that it is his game to lose; and, so, he does. It is interesting to see how White helps him along this path.

14...c6 15.Ba3 d6 16.f3 Be6 17.Qe2 Kg8 18.c4 Qd7 19.d3 

Steinitz said that the player with the advantage was required to attack, lest the opportunity slip away. Black should try something like 19...d5 now, to open the position. Instead, he works to close it, and then maneuver with his Queen.

19...c5 20.Bb2 Qc6 21.f4 Qb6 22.Bc3 Qc6 23.f5 

White fights for the initiative with a typical Jerome Gambit move.

23...Bf7 24.Qd2 a6

Mis-reading the intent of White's last move.

25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.Qh6

White has a winning attack.

Black has much less time than he thinks.

26...b5 27.Rf3 Bxc4 28.Rg3+ Kf7 29.Qg7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Can He Do That? (Part 1)

?????

I just received the latest batch of Jerome Gambit games from Bill Wall, and I found myself scratching my head over the moves in some of them, asking myself "Can he do that?"

Some of the moves are odd or downright scary. Let's take a look. 

Wall, Bill - Guest604541
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.h3

Sure. I mean, why not? To play like this, you have to be a bit of a gambler - but you have already decided to play the "Jerome Gamble", so what's a bit more risk?

The move can't be any worse than the usual sacrifice of a piece with 5.Nxe5+, right?

Oh, Stockfish 9 says that 5.h3 is clearly worse than 5.Nxe5+ ?

Well, what do you know about that...

(Actually, Bill knows something, as he has played the move before.) 

5...d6

Bill has also faced:

5...Bxf2+ 6.Kxf2 Nf6 7.Nc3 d6 8.d3 h6 9.Rf1 g5 10.Kg1 Rf8 11.h4 g4 12.Bxh6 Rh8 13.Bg5 gxf3 14.Qxf3 Bg4 15.Qxg4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest468009, PlayChess.com, 2018; and

5...Nf6 6.Nc3 Rf8 7.Qe2 d6 8.Qc4+ Be6 9.Ng5+ Kg8 10.Nxe6 Bxf2+ 11.Kxf2 Nd5+ 12.Nxf8 Qxf8+ 13.Kg1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Stick,K, Chess.com,  2010. 

6.O-O Nd4 7.d3 Nf6 8.Ng5+ Ke8 9.c3 Ne6 10.Nf3 h6 

So far, so good. As long as Black doesn't get overconfident or careless. (The watchwords of many Jerome Gambits.)

11.d4 exd4 12.cxd4 Bb6 13.Nc3 Ng5 14.Nxg5 hxg5 15.Bxg5 Bxh3

 Excellent! Steady as she goes, now...

16.gxh3 Rxh3 

This looks good, but it isn't. As Bill points out, ...Qd7 on this move or next was better.

17.Nd5 c6 

Black was clearly not expecting a counter-attack to his counter-attack.

18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Qg4 Qd7

Not now.

20.Qg8 checkmate

And Now A Word From Alexa

Oh, my...

According to Alexa, the global rank of this blog is 9,425,472.

I suppose that means that at any given moment, 9,425,741 people have something better to do than check in on the Jerome Gambit.

Alas, a good many of them do not know what they are missing.

For the rest: excitement always lies ahead!