Jerome Gambit: Calculated Risk

Playing the Jerome Gambit is always a calculated risk. How much does your opponent know? How much can he figure out? How quickly can he think his way through the complications?

The following game features bold play by angelcamina, who enters the most dangerous variation of one of the most dangerous defenses to the Jerome Gambit - and lives to tell of it. He knows what he is doing; his opponent, less so. With only 1 minute on the clock, knowledge and experience beat improvisation.

angelcamina - ssez222
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7

As in the better-known Blackburne Defense, 7...d6!?, Black offers a Rook. The Queen move, apparently the invention of Lt. G. N. Whistler, who played in a correspondence match against Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, is even stronger.

8.Qxh8

Wow! White takes the Rook and hurls a challenge: can you make me pay?

Analytically, the move leads to a crushing position - for Black. (Komodo 9 says he is almost 6 pawns ahead.) Of course, the defender has to find the follow-up. (Here is a discussion from a previous post.)

Also, as a reflection of the complexity of the position, I have to mention that in the 494 games with the capture of the Rook in The Database, White scores 66%!

8...Qxe4+

This is, of course, Black's point. He should be able to combine attacks on the White King and Queen to wrap things up quickly.

9.Kf1 Bd4

This is an inspired idea, and probably cost Black important seconds of thinking time. It still leads to advantage, but the brutal 9...Qh4!? was the way to seek quick victory.

Maybe. Even after that move, The Database give 4 games: two wins by Black, but two checkmates by White.

10.Qxh7+

Possibly overlooked by Black.

10...Bg7 11.d3 Qg4 12.Nc3 

White is the exchange and a couple of pawns ahead. More importantly, his King and Queen are safe and he can begin to seek aggressive play, himself.

12...d5 

Possibly not best, but the computer recommendation is discouraging: 12...Nf6 13.f3 Qxf3+ 14.gxf3 Nxh7.

13.Qh3 Qb4 

Black, too, has aggressive thoughts, and so retains his Queen - but he would have done better to exchange it, to mess up White's pawns.

Now White moves in for the knockout.

14.Qf3+ Bf5 15.Qxd5+ Kf6 16.g4 Bxg4 17.Bg5 checkmate.

Jerome Gambit: The Creeping Terror

The latest Jerome Gambit game from Cliff Hardy is a doozy. Cliff takes the white pieces and appears to give his opponent "Jerome Gambit odds". His higher-rated opponent, however, returns the favor with "Berserk" odds.

As Mr. Hardy quickly demonstrates, there is much to be said for knowing the basic Jerome strategy and tactics when the time control is "think fast!" The play with the heavy pieces at the end is quite instructive.

Notes are by Cliff Hardy. Diagrams are by me.

The following game was played in a tournament on Lichess. I must say it wasn't a totally fair game though: in Lichess tournaments, you have the option of pressing the "Berserk" button at the start of the game, which shortens your total clock time by 50%. IM Eric Rosen did this so he actually had only 2 and a half minutes for the game, while I had a whole 5 minutes.

Cliff Hardy (2105) - IM Eric Rosen (2297), 
Lichess, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6?! -+

6...Kf8 -++

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.0-0 Qe7 11.Nc3 Bd7?! =+

Attempting to artificially castle with the standard 11...Kf7 -+ would have been better.

12.f4 Bc6 13.f5 Ne5 14.Qg3?

Oops! I left the e-pawn unguarded so 14.d3 += instead would have been better!

14...Nf7? =+

14...Bxe4 -++

15.d3 h6?! =

Weakening the pawns in front of the king is not advisable; 15...Re8 =+ would have been a superior move here.

16.Bd2 Qe5 17.Qh3 Re8 18.Rae1 b5

19.Kh1 b4 20.Nd1 Kg8? 

Lol, another oops! Black leaves his b-pawn on but I missed that I could take it. Defending it with 20...a5 would have been best.

21.c3? Qa5 22.cxb4 Qxa2 23.Bc3 Ng5 24.Qh4 Kh7 25.Ne3 Re7 26.Ng4

26...Nxg4? ++-

White's kingside pawns will now savage Black in the usual Jerome style; whereas 26...Rf8 += would have defended much better.

27.Qxg4

Black is in huge trouble, as White intends to play 28.h4 and if Black then were to save the knight with 28...Nf7??, he would wander into 29.Qxg7 mate.

27...Rg8 28.h4 Nf7 29.Qg6+ Kh8

Black has successfully defended against Qxg7 mate, but now White's f-pawn is set to cause trouble by crawling down the board like a creeping terror.

[A while back, Cliff and I discussed so-bad-they're-almost-good movies. I expressed my support for Ed Wood's "Plan 9 from Outer Space" (1959). Cliff mentioned "The Creeping Terror" (1964). Neither is likely to improve one's chess play, but they may explain why we both like the Jerome Gambit. - Rick]

30.f6 Ne5

There was no adequate defence to both of White's threats of fxe7 and fxg7+.

31.Bxe5 Rxe5 32.fxg7+ Rxg7 33.Rf8+ Qg8

Unfortunately, 33...Rg8? would have lost to 34.Qxh6 mate.

34.Qxh6+ Rh7 35.Qf6+ Rg7 36.Re3 Re8 37.Rxg8+ Rxg8

38.g3 Kh7 39.Rf3 Bd7 40.h5 Bg4 41.Rf4 Bxh5 42.Rh4 Rg5 43.Qf7+ Kh6 44.Qf6+

44...R8g6??

Black makes it easy for me. As I was moving back and forth, I clearly couldn't work out how to win this position, even with the overwhelming advantage that I had. The IM perhaps saw that  44...R5g6?? would have lost to 45.Rxh5+! Kxh5 46.Qh4 mate and probably he was still hoping to win and didn't want to let me repeat for a draw with 44...Kh7 45.Qf7+, although there the superior 45.g4! R8g6 46.Qf7+ and then 47.Rxh5+ instead would have been crushing.

45.Qh8 mate

Jerome Gambit: Not Always Crash and Boom

The Jerome Gambit can produce a no-holds-barred attack that decimates the defender. It can also provide an opportunity for the creation of weaknesses in the defender's camp - followed by patient play to take advantage of the minor "destructions".

Wall, Bill - Alfaave
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6 

One of the nice things about defending against the Jerome Gambit is that you have so many ways to return one of the sacrificed pieces.

7.dxc5 Nf6 8.Nc3 Re8 9.O-O Kg8

Black has every reason to be content with his position: he has a piece for a couple of pawns, and his King has castled-by-hand.

His only problem is that his opponent isn't interested in resigning - he wants to play until he wins.

10.Qd4 b6 11.Bg5 bxc5 12.Qxc5 d6 13.Qd4 c5

14.Qa4 Bd7 15.Qa6 Qb6 

I suspect that Bill welcomed the opportunity to exchange Queens here, as he was able to create targets for his remaining pieces. His skill, and his experience with the Jerome Gambit, gave him a better understanding of how to play the game.

16.Qxb6 axb6 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Nd5

The game doesn't always have to be *Crash!* and *Boom!*. White's Knight targets weaknesses in Black's position, and the defender does not cover up well.

18...Rf8 19.Nxb6 Ra7 20.Rfd1 Bc6 21.Rxd6 Bxe4 22.Nd7 Rxd7 23.Rxd7 Bxc2 

Black has two pieces for a Rook - and two pawns. The pawns are going to cause problems.

24.a4 Ra8 25.a5 Be4 26.a6 Nf8 27.Rc7 Ne6 28.Re7 Bd5 29.a7 Nd8 

Black's Knight is almost to his defensive position at c6.

30.Rd1 Nc6 31.Rb7 Be6 

A slip. The tireless Knight needed to take one more defensive leap, 31...Nd4, to shield the Bishop.

32.Rd6 Bc8 33.Rc7 Black resigned

Black's Knight is en pris, but cannot move to safety, as it protects against Rd8 checkmate.