A defender unfamiliar with the Jerome Gambit might search for some opening ideas from elsewhere, and try to apply them to the defense. That is a useful practice, and sometimes it works - but not in the following game.
Wall, Bill - Euphron
FICS, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bd6
I sometimes wonder when Black plays this move, if he is remembering the Fork Trick, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Nxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bd3 dxe4 7.Bxe4.
Still, there is a problem applying the logic of that opening line to the Jerome Gambit. The straight-forward 6...Bxd4 was simpler and stronger.
7.dxe5 Bxe5
The piece was safer on e7 or even f8. That is one of the interesting Jerome Gambit wrinkles.
8.Qh5+
There are 64 games in The Database with this move. White scores a solid 67%. (Bill: 100%)
For comparison, there are 69 games with 8.Qd5+. White scores 76%. (Bill: 100%)
8...Kf8
Black's King backs away from the action. "Stronger" (it may not feel that way for someone new to the Jerome Gambit) was 8...Ke6, but White still got plenty of play in Wall,B - Nikelin, lichess.org, 2017, (1-0, 14)
Also dealt with harshly was 8...g6, e.g. 9.Qxe5 Nf6 10.Bg5 Re8 11.Qf4 b6 12.e5 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016.
9.Qxe5 d6 10.Qf4+Qf6 11.Nc3
White is a pawn up, and doesn't mind exchanging Queens. If Black initiates the swap, the recapture will help White's development. The first player certainly has no need to enter complications.
11...c6
This keeps White's Knight out of d6, but weakens the d6 pawn, and this will have an effect on the rest of the play in the game.
12.O-O Bd7 13.Qg3 Nh6 14.Bf4 Nf7 15.h4
White's h-pawn plays more in the coming action than Black's h-Rook.
15...Re8 16.Rad1 Ne5 17.Bg5 Qe6 18.f4 Nf7
19.f5 Qe5 20.Bf4 Qc5+ 21.Kh1 Bc8
Making room for the Rook to slide over to d8 and protect the pawn on d6. Too late.
22.f6 g6 23.Bxd6+ Nxd6 24.Rxd6 Black resigned
White is only 2 pawns up, but they are the mighty "Jerome pawns", and their advance will cause destruction.
No comments:
Post a Comment