Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Jerome Gambit: Kerfuzzled

It can be the piece sacrifices or the Queen moves, but sometimes the Jerome Gambit can leave a defender, well, kerfuzzled.

Wall, Bill - Guest2001870
PlayChess.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 




4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qf6 



At first glance, this appears to be a simple, almost transparent, threat: Black hopes to play ...Nf3+ and then capture White's Queen at d4. The idea is as old as Jerome - Norton, correspondence, 1876 (unfinished game).

A glance at The Database shows174 games with this position, and in 1/3 of the cases, White neither protected his Queen nor moved it out of danger. That would meet GM Albert's benchmark for playing a trappy move, but it should be noted that, when given the opportunity in the games, Black found 8...Nf3+ only a little more than 1/3 of the time. You can't play what you don't see. (Reminder: The Database is made up primarily of internet club games, many of them played at fast time controls. YMMV.)

8.Qc5 

Threatening the c-pawn.

8...c6 9.f4 Ng6 10.O-O d6 


Away, annoying Queen!

11.Qc4+ Be6

Okay, but beware of f4-f5.

12.Qb4 Bc8

Protecting the b-pawn and undoing the risks of the previous move - but isn't this getting a bit annoying?

13.Nc3 N8e7 14.e5 

Now, annoying the Black Queen. Really!?

14...dxe5

Blowing his game up. After 14...Qf5 15.Ne4 Kg8 he still would be better.

15.fxe5 Qxf1+ 16.Kxf1 Nxe5 17.Bf4 N5g6 18.Re1 Rd8 19.Bd6 Nf5 

Allowing mate.

20.Qc4+ Kf6 21.Ne4 checkmate


Nice.

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