Jerome Gambit: Puzzle Pieces (Part 1)

 

The following game (and its notes) puts together several different Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) topics covered recently on this blog.

DutchLiLi - gureye

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

Dan Middlemiss, a Jerome and Stafford Gambit afficonado, recently sent me a collection of over 100 Jerome Gambit games played at lichess.org by DutchLiLi.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.b4 

This move had not received any analysis until Yury V. Bukayev considered it in "Jerome Gambit: Article". It is quite likely that a number of players were influenced by his work, as shown in the games below.

8...Ne7 

This is an interesting take on the "three-pieces-vs-the-Queen defense" that suffers from not having been worked out deep enough - not unusual for a 3-minute game.

At least three other moves deserve attention.

First there is 8...Bd4, apparently as yet unplayed, but rightly given attention by Bukayev, who points out that after 9.Nc3 (9.c3? Nd3+! 10.Kd1 Nxf2+ 11.Ke2 Nxh1 with the idea ...Ke7, Black wins, Bukayev;  or 9.Ba3 Bxa1 10.b5+ c5 Black wins, Bukayev) 9...Bxc3 10.dxc3 Qf6 Black wins.

Then there is 8...Bb6, which has been seen in several games - 

 9.c4 

Or 9.b5 c6 10.Ba3+ c5 11.d4 Qf6 12.dxe5+ Qxe5 13.Qxe5+ Kxe5 14.Bb2+ Kxe4 15.Bxg7 Ne7 16.Bxh8 d5 17.Nd2+ Kf5 18.O-O Be6 19.Bb2 d4 20.Rae1 Nd5 21.f4 Bc7 22.g3 Rg8 23.Kh1 Ne3 24.Rf2 Bd5+ 25.Kg1 h5 26.c3 h4 27.cxd4 hxg3 28.Rxe3 gxf2+ 29.Kxf2 Rg2+ 30.Ke1 cxd4 31.Bxd4 Bxf4 32.Re2 Rxe2+ 33.Kxe2 Bxa2 34.Bxa7 Bd5 35.Bg1 Kg4 36.Kd3 Bg2 37.Kc4 Kh3 38.Nb3 Bxh2 39.Bxh2 Kxh2 40.Nc5 Kg3 41.Nd7 Kf4 42.Kc5 kf5 43.Kb6 Ke6 44.Nc5+ Kd6 45.Nxb7+ Bxb7 46.Kxb7 Kd7 47.b6 Kd8 48.Kb8 Kd7 49.b7 Kc6 50.Kc8 Black resigned, DutchLiLi - El_7awy, lichess.org, 2021; 

or 9.f4 Ng6 10.Bb2 N8e7 11.e5+ Kd5 12.c4+ Kxc4 13.Na3+ Kxb4 14.Qe4+ Ka5 15.Bc3+ Ka6 16.Qa4+ Black resigned, konrad149 - jeantomasia, lichess.org, 2020; 

or 9.d4 Qe7 10.dxe5+ Qxe5 11.Bf4 (11.Qf8+ Qe7 12.Qf4+ Kc6 13.a3 d6 14.Nc3 Be6 15.Bb2 Rf8 16.Qd2 Bxf2+ 17.Ke2 Bb6 18.Raf1 Nf6 19.Kd1 Bc4 20.Nd5 Nxd5 21.exd5+ Kd7 22.Re1 Qh4 23.g3 Qg4+ 24.Kc1 Re8 25.Kb1 a5 26.Qc3 axb4 27.Qxg7+ Qxg7 28.axb4 Rhg8 29.Rxe8 Qg4 30.Bg7 Rxe8 31.Be5 Qe4 32.Bf4 Qxd5 33.Rc1 Qb5 34.c3 Qa4 35.Kb2 Qa2 checkmate, Go_Move-NagmusGarlsen, lichess.org, 2020) 11... Ne7 Black resigned, BenoneG - chessfan1, lichess.org, 2018 - a transposition from an Evans Gambit declined!; 

or 9.Ba3 Qf6 10.b5+ Bc5 11.Bxc5+ Kxc5 12.d4+ Kxd4 13.Qh3 Kc5 14.Qa3+ Kb6 15.Nc3 c6 16.bxc6 dxc6 17.Rb1+ Kc7 18.Nb5+ cxb5 19.Qc5+ Nc6 Black won on time, francopobbio - Penjafil, lichess.org, 2021; 

9...c5? 

better 9...Nd3+ 10. Ke2 Nxc1+ 11. Rxc1 Qf6 12.c5+ Ke7 13.Qxf6+ Nxf6 14.cxb6 cxb6 15.Nc3 d6 16.d4 Bd7 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Ne8 19.Nd5+ Ke6 20.Nc7+ Nxc7 21.Rxc7 Rhg8 22.f4 Bc6 23.Rd1 Rad8 24.Rxd8 Rxd8 25.Rxg7 Rd7 26.Rg5 Kd5 27.Ke3 Rc7 28.a3 Kc4 29.f5 Kd5 30.e6 Ke5 31.g4 Be8 32.Rg8 Bb5 33.h4 h5 34.gxh5 Kxf5 35.h6 Kxe6 36.Rg7 Rxg7 37.hxg7 Kf7 38.Kd4 Kxg7 39.Kd5 Bc6+ 40.Kd6 b5 41.Kc7 a6 42.Kb6 Kh6 43.Kc5 Kh5 44.Kb6 Kxh4 45.Kc7 Kg4 46.Kb6 Kf4 47.Kc5 Ke4 48.Kb6 Kd3 49.Kc5 Kc3 50.Kb6 Kb3 Black won on time, NklsLnnrt - MarceloIgnacio, lichess.org, 2020; 

or 9...Bd4!? 

10.Bb2 Qf6 11.Qh3 Nf3+ 12.Qxf3 Qxb2 13.O-O Qxa1 $2 14.Nc3 Qb2 15.Qf8+ (15.Qf7 $5 a6 16.Qxg7 Qxb4 17.Nd5 Qxd2 18.Qxh8 Ba5 19.Qxh7 Qd4 20.Qxg8 Qxe4 $15) 15...Kc7 16.Qxg7 cxb4 17.Nd5+ Kd6 18.Qxb2 Ne7 19.Qxh8 Nxd5 20.exd5 Kc5 21.d4+ Kxc4 22.Rc1+ Kxd5 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.Qxc8 Bxd4 25.Qxb7+ Kc4 26.Qxd7 a5 27.Qxh7 Bc3 28.Qc2 a4 29.Qxa4 Kd3 30.Qb3 Ke2 31.h4 Kd3 32.g4 Ke4 33.g5 Kf5 34.Qd5+ Kg4 35.g6 Kxh4 36.Qe4+ Kh5 37.f4 Kh6 38.f5 Kg7 39.Kg2 Kf6 40. Qe6+ Kg5 41.Kf3  Kh6 42.Qf7 Kg5 43.f6  Bxf6 Black won on time, DutchLiLi - edeangelis, lichess.org, 2021

Finally there is 8...Bxb4 9.O-O 

Or 9.f4 Ng6 (9...Ke7 10.fxe5 d6 11.Qf4 Ke8 12.Bb2 Qe7 13.O-O dxe5 14.Bxe5, Bukayev; or 9...Qf6?? 10.fxe5+ Qxe5 11.Qxe5+ Kxe5 12.Bb2+, Bukayev) 10 c3 (10.Qd5+ Ke7 11.f5 Nf6 12.Qc4 c5 13.fxg6 hxg6 14.O-O d6 15.c3 Ba5 16.d4 Bb6 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Nd5 19.Bg5+ Nf6 20.exf6+ gxf6 21.Bxf6+ Kd7 22.Bxd8 Rxd8 23.Rd1+ Kc6 24.Rxd8 Bxd8 25.Nd2 Bf6 26.Ne4 b6 27.Nxf6 Bf5 28.Qd5+ Black resigned, DutchLiLi - chessgenius71, lichess.org, 2019; or 10.Bb2, Bukayev) 10...N8e7 11.e5+ Kc6 12.Qe4+ d5 13.exd6+ Kxd6 14.cxb4 Bf5 15.Qxb7 Qb8 16.Qa6+ Qb6 17.Qa3 Rhe8 18.b5+ Kd7 19.Nc3 Nd5+ 20.Kd1 Ndxf4 21.Rf1 Bd3 22.Rf3 Qg1+ White resigned, DutchLiLi - Robmy, lichess.org, 2020;

or 9.c3? Nd3+! (9...Ba5 10.Ba3+ c5 11.Bxc5+ Kxc5 12.Qxe5+ Kb6 13.Qd6+ Kb5 14.a4+ Kc4 15.Qd4+ Black resigned, D Y Mills - NN, casual game, Edinburg, 1899) 10.Kd1 Qf6!? 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qxd3 Bc5 Black wins, Bukayev) 

9...Qf6 10.Qh3 Ke7 11.c3 d5 12.Qe3 Ng4 13.Qe1 Bc5 14.exd5+ Kd8 15.d4 Bxd4 16.cxd4 Qxd4 17.Bg5+ N8f6 18.Nd2 h6 19.Nf3 Qb6 20.Bxf6+ Nxf6 21.Ne5 Rf8 22.Rb1 Qd6 23.Nc4 Qf4 24.Qc3 Ng4 25.g3 Qf6 {26.Qxf6+ Nxf6 27.Ne3 b6 28.Rbc1 Bb7 29.d6 cxd6 30.Nf5 Kd7 31.Nxg7 Ng4 32.f4 Ne3 33.Rfe1 Rae8 34.f5 Re7 35.Ne6 Rxf5 36.Rc7+ Kxe6 37.Rxe3+ Re5 38.Rxe7+ Kxe7 39.Rc3 Rc5 40.Re3+ Re5 41.Rd3 Rd5 42.Rxd5 Bxd5 43.a3 Be6 44.Kf2 Bd7 45.Ke3 Bc6 46.Kd4 Kf6 47.Kc4 Ke6 48.Kd4 Kf6 49.Ke3 Ke6 50.h4 Kf6 51.Kf4 Ke6 52.g4 Kf6 53.Kg3 Kg6 54.Kf4 Kf6 55.Kg3 Kg6 56.Kf2 Kf6 57.Ke3 Kg7 58.Kd3 Kf7 59.g5 Kg6 60.gxh6 a6 61.h7 Kh6 62.h8=Q+ Kg6 63.Qc8 Kf6 64.Qc7 Ke6 Black won on time, DutchLiLi - mclukito, lichess.org, 2020 

The problem with the text in the game is that there are too many pieces hanging, while White's Queen is active and Black's King is in danger.

9.bxc5+ Kc6 10.Qxe5 

10...d6 11.cxd6 cxd6 12.Qc3+ Kd7 13.Qxg7 Black resigned

White is ahead three pawns, and Black has no compensation for the material.