Jerome Gambit Declined: ChessBrah

 

Igor Bondari and Dan Middlemiss tipped me off that ChessBrah - Canadian Grandmaster Aman Hambleton - has posted another (be sure to see the first hilarious video) YouTube video on the Jerome Gambit, this time on the Jerome Gambit Declined. (You might want to check out "Jerome Gambit: First Steps [Part 5]" for some basics).

It seems that someone dared play the Jerome Gambit against the GM. You can guess how that went.

Actually, you don't have to guess, as here is the game.

dontcallmelab - ChessBrah

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kf8 

The Jerome Gambit Declined.

For the record, The Database has 340 games with this position, with White scoring 56%. However, only one of those games - this one - included a Grandmaster, with White scoring 0%. Just a bit of perspective. 

5.Bb3

Well, all right. If this were a Grandmaster vs Grandmaster game, I would put my money solidly on White. However, given that GM Hambleton is playing someone he might very well be able to give Queen odds to - I'll hang onto my Social Security, I think.

5...Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.d3 Bg4 

"You don't Jerome me, buddy."

White is up a pawn, Black's King is less secure, so far things are going okay for White.

8.h3 Bh5 9.O-O Nd4 

FaithBreaker_@chessbrah don't forget to send the declined theory to the blog guy 

Still fine, but things are about to get complicated. For example, White can (and should) now play 10.Nxd4, because if 10...Bxd1 then 11.Ne6+ Ke7 12.Nxd8 Bxc2 13.Nxb7 Bxb3 14.axb3 Bb6 15.Na5 would leave White a couple of pieces ahead. Of course, a GM would simply play 10...Bxd4, and look to complicate things further on.

10.g4 Nxg4 

alec044 Gotta send this match in to the blog

Instructive. Black wants to checkmate White's King, and so sidesteps the simple win of the "minor exchange" with 10...Nxb3 11.axb3. (If White survives, he can point that move out in the post mortem.) 

11.Nxd4 Bxd4 12.Qf3+ 

White attacks, and defends his Kingside. He could have taken time to collect the enemy Knight first, but he is concerned: there is no way that a Grandmaster would sacrifice a piece just for the heck of it, is there? 

Actually, the Knight offer by Black is worth it in terms of the anxiety it produces, as well as the loosening up of White's Kingside. Besides, someone started the game off with an opening that often sees him sacrifice a couple of pieces for the heck of it, right? I am pretty sure we left Kansas a while back.

12...Nf6 

"How are we going to prosecute this?"

13.Qg3 h6 14.Ne2 

Challenging the Bishop on d4 with an already developed piece. He might have considered 14.Be3 blunting the piece's impact on the diagonal.

14...Bb6

Yes, the ChessBrah saw the hanging Knight. No need to bother with it. He was already turning his mind to how the checkmate would look.

15.Re1 g5 16.c3 Rh7 17.Bc2 Rg7 

"My Bishop is going to be part of the mating attack this game, and you guys are going to understand why I kept that piece on the board, why I kept it on h5. Trust me, it will become apparent right now."

18.Kh2 Kg8 

19.d4 Qe7 20.Ng1 

The piece was more helpful where it was, not where it is going - to f3. More lines are going to open - for Black's pieces.

20...Rf8 21.Bd2 exd4 

22.e5 d3 

Opening the diagonal for the Bishop.

23.exd6 

A double attack on the enemy Queen.

White's last chance - which might only last for a move or two - was 23.Bb3+ Kh7 24.exf6 Qxf6. Black's position still looks quite menacing.

23...Qd7 24.Bb3+ Kh8 25.Nf3 

25...Ne4 

Black generously surrenders the Knight, anyhow. The rest is the stuff of nightmares.

26.Rxe4 Rxf3 27.Qg2 Rxf2 28.Qxf2 Bxf2 29.c4 Qxd6+ 30.Kh1 

"Guys do you remember when I said this Bishop on h5 was going to win me the game?"

30...Bf3 checkmate

Gulp.

A bit reminiscent of  the finish to Blackburne's treatment of the Jerome.

Hats off to dontcallmelab for challenging the Grandmaster. I would not have lasted half as long.