Saturday, July 13, 2019

Jerome Gambit: Transpositions Small and Large

The following game goes mildly along its way, featuring an arcane transposition from a "modern" Jerome Gambit to a Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit. Then, suddenly, the game lurches into deadly waters. And out, again.

Of course, Bill Wall is playing the Jerome.

Wall, Bill - Guest1507051
PlayChess.com, 2019

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


4...Kxf7 5.d3 

Bill plays a "modern" variation of the Jerome Gambit - one without 5.Nxe5. He decides that sacrificing one piece is enough - for now.

5...h6 

Black wants to keep a White piece out of g5. The move is playable, but probably not best.

Bill has faced the stronger 5...Nf6 three times: Wall,B - Richard123, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 10); Wall,B - Hovo,D, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23); and Wall,B - Bandera,M, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 28).

The move in the game, 5...h6, creates a transposition to the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit - in this case, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 - and White decides to capture on e5, after all.

6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ke6 



Bill has also faced 7...g6, as in Wall,B - Riichmarj, Chess.com,  2010(1-0, 29); and 7...Ng6 8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qc3 Qf6 11.Qxc7 N8e7 12.O-O Kf7 13.Nc3 Be6 14.Qxd6 Rhd8 15.Qg3 Rac8 16.f4 Bd7 17.f5 Nh8 18.e5 Qb6+ 19.Be3 Qxb2 20.Bd4 Nxf5 21.e6+ Bxe6 22.Rxf5+ Bxf5 23.Qxg7+ Ke6 24.Re1+ Kd6 25.Qe7+ Kc6 26.Qc5+ Kd7 27.Re7 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest396164, PlayChess.com, 2017

8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.f4 Qh4+ 10.g3 Nf3+



Quite a shot! Without d2-d3 for White, and ...h7-h6 for Black, as in the current game, this move leads to a complicated and deadly (for White) variation - see "Repairing A Variation" Part 123 and 4 for a more complete assessment. I recall getting an email from my friend, "Mad Dog", about a Jerome Gambit correspondence game that he figured he was winning, as he had just won his opponent's Queen - alas, it was a Queen sacrifice, and he was ultimately thrashed.

What difference do the "extra" moves make in this case?

11.Kd1 Qd8

Uh, er, never mind.

The real test of the line goes something like this: 11...Ne7!? 12.e5+ (White must force the issue) Kc6 13.Qe4+ d5 (the only move to keep Black in the game) 14.exd6+ Nd5 15.gxh4 (there goes the Black Queen, White's only chance) Bg4 16.h3 (in the original line, "Mad Dog" tried Qa4; in a series of games against the computer program Crafty in 2012, Philidor1792 tried d4, and Crafty tried f5; all to no avail) Bh5 17.c4!? (The White Queen does not have to retreat, as she is protected in this line) Ng5+ (best) 18.Kc2 Nxe4 19.cxd5+ Kxd5 20.dxe4+ Kxd6 21.Nc3 and the game is balanced, as Black's two Bishops counter White's extra, doubled pawn.





analysis diagram




In the current game, Black is temporarily up a couple of pieces, but that situation does not last.

12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Qxc5+ d6 14.Qf2 Bg4 



Black cannot save his Knight, and so falls behind by a pawn or two.

15.h3 Nd4+ 

Better was 15...Nh2+ 16.hxg4 Nxg4

16.hxg4 c5 

17.g5 Kd7 18.Be3 Qb6 19.Kc1 Ne7 



The game remains complicated, but White is clearly better.

20.gxh6 gxh6 21.Nd2 Raf8 22.Nc4 Qc6 23.Bxd4 cxd4 24.Qxd4 Kc8 

Things begin to slip away.

25.Nxd6+ Kc7 26.Nc4 b6 27.Qe5+ Kd8 28.Qb8+ Nc8 29.Ne5 Qc7 30.Qxc7+ Kxc7 31.Ng6 Black resigned



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