Long time readers of this blog - or, newer readers who have done their research - are familiar with chess friend and Jerome Gambit investigator, Canadian Louis Morin, who has played online as MrJoker. He has also risked rating points and the occasional skeptical eye by playing the Jerome over-the-board, as well.
This weekend the FIDE Olympiad for the Disabled has started - online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Louis is playing for the Canadian team.
Of course, in a warm up, practice game, he had to play the Jerome Gambit. Take a look: his tactics are as sharp as ever.
Morin, Louis - Moran, Helmer Andras Orteg
25 10 online, FIDE Olympiad for the Disabled, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
The Jerome Defense to the Jerome Gambit, played at least as early as Jaeger, D - Jerome, A.W., correspondence, 1880, but already suggested in Jerome's 1874 analysis in the Dubuque Chess Journal. It is a solid defense, avoiding the risky-feeling 6...Ke6 and side-stepping the offer of a Rook with 6...g6.
7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.d3 Qe7 10.O-O Be6 11.Nc3
Most games reach the point where the opening stage is complete (or almost complete) and the question is then: What now? Black has defended well, and it looks like he intends to castle-by-hand, a prudent decision.
11...Kf7 12.Be3 Bb4
I am not sure what this move is about. It would seem okay to exchange Bishops (When you are ahead in material, exchange pieces) even though it would open the f-file for White's Rook: 12...Bxe3 13.fxe3 Rhf8 14.e5 dxe5 15.Qxe5 Kg8. Black's King would be safe, the pressure along the f-file would largely be neutralized, and White' benefit would mostly have been exchanging his f-pawn for White's d-pawn. Black's next move shows what he might have been thinking.
13.f4 Ng4
Apparently there was no need for Black to exchange off his Bishop; he could just trade a Knight for White's Bishop, instead.
White has other ideas. It is time to attack.
14.f5 Nxe3
Counting on the fact that the Knight now attacks White's Rook, and so the Queen must recapture 15.Qxe3, after which there is the unsettling 15...Bc4. But Black overlooks the fact that the next move is a discovered double check.
15.fxe6+
It was safer for the King to run for cover with 15...Ke8. What would White have, then? That is an interesting question. After the simple 16.Qxe3 Qxe6 17.Nd5 it looks like White would be a pawn up, working to exchange his Knight for Black's Bishop. But White's lead in development, and Black's uneasy King, would encourage the first player to continue after, say, 17...Bc5, with 18.d4 Bb6 19.Rf4 Rf8 20.Raf1 Rxf4 21.Nxf4 when White would clearly be better, with attacking prospects.
However, if you have a good imagination - or a good sense of humor - you might choose to meet 15...Ke8 with 16.Nd5!?, a seriously Joker-like move, the point being that the natural 16...Nxd5 17.exd5 would give White a great supported outpost for his Rook at f7. Even active defense would be of limited use: 17...Bc5+ 18.Kh1 Rf8 19.Rxf8+ Kxf8 (or 19...Qxf8 20.d4 Bb6 21.Qd3) 20.Rf1+ Kg8 21.Rf7.
16.Qh3+
Do you think MrJoker has been reading and drawing inspiration from the articles on this blog by Yury Bukayev??
White now has a forced checkmate.
16...Ke5 17.Rf5+ Nxf5 18.Qxf5+ Kd4 19.Nb5+ Ke3 20.Qf2 checkmate
The game lasted, I am told, 5 minutes.
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