Jerome Gambit: Always Educational

I ran across a video the other day featuring FM Noam Aviv Vitenberg playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). It is a fun game and a fun video. (Be sure to check it out!)  His comments reflect the thinking of a higher level player, which is always educational.

FUTUREWCC - Abject_Pawn

7 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

It was tantalizing to hear the master say, as a casual aside, that he had played a game that went 6...g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7 7.Qxh8 Qxe4, but that was all he shared. I will try to track that one down.

7.Qd5+ 

The FM's comment here is interesting, "Maybe this check doesn't do anything good. I don't know."

Many Jerome Gambit players play the Queen "nudge" here - about 40%, according to The Database - as opposed to the direct capture of the Bishop. But why?

With 7.Qd5+ White takes a move to chase the Black King back to the back rank, where it can interfere with the development of his Rook at h8. If Black wants his Rook to go to e8, or if he wants to castle-by-hand, he will have to return the tempo at some point by playing ...Kf7.

Does this really matter? Probably not to a computer. But not all club players defending against the Jerome realize the value of getting the King out of the way. This shows up in The Database, where 7.Qxc5 scores 46%, while 7.Qd5+ scores 70%.

It is possible that 7.Qd5+ is played more often those more familiar or comfortable with the Jerome Gambit. There may be more to it than that, though. 

The ChessBase statistics function, when applied to The Database, indicates that the average rating of those that play 7.Qxc5 is about even with those who defend against the move, so a score near 50% is to be expected. Maybe the 46% shows a little underperforming by White. 

However, the function (again looking at The Database) shows that those who play 7.Qxc5+ are on the average about 55 points higher than those they face, predicting that they would score 58%. As we have seen, though, they overperform, scoring 70%.

Interesting... Remember, as ever, YMMV.

7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.d4 Kf7 

As predicted in the note above.

11.O-O Re8 12.Nc3 Kg8 13.f4 

"Very risky move". He pointed out that his opponent now had 13...Nxe4 14.Nxe4 d5, although the move played "is also a decent move." We are talking about a casual game, streamed, with a lot of converstation between moves, so it's not a big deal, as we shall see.

13...Bf5 14.e5 Ng4

"I don't understand, to be honest. Ah, 15.Qg3, I guess my opponent has the idea of going 15...Qh4 in that case, insuring that I trade off Queens." Giving his opponent the benefit of the doubt; some defenders just like attacking the Queen.

15.Qe2 dxe5 16.dxe5 Qd4+ 17.Kh1 

17...N6xe5 

"Very interesting move here by my opponent here, going for the kill." The FM thinks it through, though, and finds a line where he thinks he might be "surviving".

18.fxe5 Rxe5 19.Qf3 Rf8 20.Bf4 

White has reached a position that is about even, a reasonable result from playing a "refuted" opening. Things are still complicated, however, and when Black decides to attack the Queen another way - well, there is a reason that masters are masters, starting with tactical ability. 

20... Be4 

Simplest would have been the retreat 20...Ree8. Now simplification will show Black the error of his ways.

21.Bxe5 Nf2+ 22.Rxf2 Qxf2 23.Qxf2 Rxf2 24.Nxe4 Re2 25.Bxc7 Rxe4 26.c3 Black resigned

White is up a piece and a pawn.