Sunday, October 4, 2020

Jerome Gambit: There Is Danger Out There


Attack the enemy King! That is the main idea behind the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), and the online player LetsJeromeGambit understands that very well. 

The following game is one of a handful he has sent, and it gives the message clearly to Black's King: There Is Danger Out There.


LetsJeromeGambit - kochikegabil

10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 


7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qe7 

An interesting alternative to 8...Qf6, although the game would transpose after 9.fxe5+ Qxe5.

9.b4 


b2-b4 without c2-c3 has been played occasionally in Jerome Gambit games, going back at least as far as Jerome - Norton, correspondence, 1876, (0-1, 42), but not in this particular position.

9...Bb6

Timid, allowing White to fianchetto his Bishop for free.   

LetsJeromeGambit has also seen 9...Bxb4, which we will cover in a later post. 

10.Bb2 Kc6 

Fleeing possible checks delivered at e5, but there is danger out there.

11.b5+ Kxb5 


This capture feels unsafe, but 
11...Kc5 would lose the Queen to 12.Ba3+, while 11...Kd6 would lead to 12.Bxe5+ Kc5 13.Bd6+ Kxd6 14.Qd5 checkmate. 

12.fxe5 d6  

Black attacks the White Queen and tries to open an escape route for his King. The computer suggests that 12...Kc6 is really the only move here, and that after 13.Nc3 Ba5 14.e6 Qc5 15.Qxc5+ Kxc5 16.Na4+ Kb4 17.Bxg7 Kxa4 18.Rf1 dxe6 19.Bxh8 the game would be level, White's extra Rook and pawn balancing Black's extra Bishop and Knight.

I do not know if LetsJeromeGambit had that all figured out, but if he didn't, his intuition behind the sacrifice of the b-pawn was solid: at worse, and even game, at best, a checkmate.

13.a4+ Kc6 14.e6 a6 


Stopping one threat, but missing the other. He had to get rid of the Bishop that was crowding his King, with 14...Bf2+, although 15.Kxf2 a6 16.Qd5+ Kb6 17.Qd4+ c5 18.Qxg7 means the loss of more material.

15.Qd5 checkmate




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