Sunday, April 25, 2021

Jerome Gambit: GM Hikaru Nakamura Again



Chess friend Dan Middlemiss recently informed me of a significant Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) video

I noticed that you had several blogs on Hikaru playing the Jerome. However, I came across a very recent YouTube video ("How to win with the Jerome gambit") of Hikaru taking on all comers in a ‘Play the Jerome with Hikaru Arena’ played on 27 March 2021. I think about 115 players signed up, but the video only covers a few of the actual games, all starting from after the preset first 5 moves. Searching a bit more, I found 36 of the actual live games on Chess.com.

Imagine a Grandmaster stopped by your house, and decided to give you a couple of hours of instruction on the Jerome Gambit. Highly unlikely, you say?

Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura's recent video is a robust collection of his 3 0 blitz games where he plays and defends against the Jerome Gambit. It is not boring analysis, it is real live chess. Some of it is downright hilarious. (Even if it strays from actual Jerome theory.)

For example, watching him encounter Whistler's Defense - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7!? - for the first time, and listening to him ponder, Is taking the Rook a good idea, or is it falling into analysis?, is great.

Nakamura explains so much of each game as it progresses, a nice insight into the thinking of a GM. 

I challenge you to watch these games and not improve your understanding of the Jerome Gambit.

Oh, and thanks again, Dan, for the games.


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