Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Jerome Gambit: Ordinary, With Shot

The following Jerome Gambit game is rather "ordinary", with White slowly gaining control over the game - followed by a nice tactical shot to take the game toward the full point.
  
Wall, Bill - Guest4658155
PlayChess.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 




4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 



This move always gives me a smile. Black is happy with one piece, and so moves his King, leaving the White Knight hanging. The earliest analysis was by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, in 1874. "Objectively" best, now, is for the first player to exchange off the piece.

6.O-O 

Bill insists on the piece offer, getting his King out of the way and putting his Rook on the useful f-file.

6...Qf6 

Black still declines.

Bill has seen the tardy 6...Nxe5 (billwall - DeDrijver, Chess.com, 2012, [1-0, 20] ) as well as 6...d6 (Wall,B - Guest399227, PlayChess.com, 2016 [1-0, 17] and Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016 [1-0, 26])

7.Nxc6

Oh, very well...

7...dxc6

Or 7...Qxc6, as in Wall,B - computer level 6, Chess.com, 2017 (1-0, 44)

8.Nc3 Be6 9.d3 Rd8 10.Be3 Bd6 



Black looks like he is doing just fine, but Stockfish 10 is suspicious, and awards White a slight edge. Can you see why? (The "Jerome pawns" can cause mischief.)

11.f4 Bb4 12.e5 Qg6 13.f5 Bxf5 14.g4 Ne7 15.Kh1 Ke8 16.gxf5 Nxf5 

17.Qf3 Nxe3 

Winning the "minor exchange" seems reasonable, but Black would have done better by following up on his 15th move by playing 17...Rf8.

18.Qxe3 b6 19.Ne4 Rf8 20.a3 Be7

The poor Bishop moves, once again.

21.Qh3 Rd5 

It is not immediately clear that this is an error - but that is what chess is all about.

22.Nd6+ 

This move wins the exchange - 22...Rxd6 23.exd6 Qxd6 - if Black responds properly. Instead, he goes astray and allows checkmate.

22...Bxd6 23.Qc8+ Ke7 24.exd6+ Rxd6 25.Rae1+ Re6 26.Qxc7+ Ke8 27.Qc8+ Ke7 28.Qxf8+ Kd7 29.Rf7+  Black resigned

To follow: 29...Qxf7 30.Qxf7+ Kd6 31.Rxe6+ Kc6 32.Qf5+ Kd4 33.Re4 checkmate

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