Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Jerome Gambit: Check It Out



The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game features a defense that always brings a smile to my face - because of its creativity, because of its audacity, and because, according to The Database, White scores 90% against it. 


Wall, Bill - Elviejoben

Internet, 2021 


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

6...Nf3+ 

Simple and elegant: Black has to give a piece back, so he decides to break up White's Kingside with this sacrifice before retreating his Bishop.

What comes to mind is the quote by H.L. Mencken

There is always a well-known solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong.

7.Qxf3+ 

This is not the only time in this game where Black overlooks the fact that a move will be played with check.

The text leads to an advantage for White, as he will have time to capture a second piece. The alternative, 7.gxf3, would lead to Black's advantage after he moved his Bishop.

7...Nf6 


Bill has also seen 7... Qf6 8.Qb3+ (8.dxc5Qxf3 9.gxf3 Nf6 10.Nc3 Re8 (10...Rf8 11.Bf4 Ne8 12.Nd5 c6 13.Nc7 Nxc7 14.Bxc7 Ke6 15.Ke2 a5 16.a4 Rf6 17.Rag1 g6 18.h4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest5649018, PlayChess.com, 2018) 11.Nb5 Re7 12.Nxc7 Rb8 13.Bf4 b6 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Bxb8 bxc5 16.Bd6 Re8 17.Bxc5 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest151963, PlayChess.com, 20118...d5 9.Qxd5+ Be6 10.Qxc5 Nh6 11.Qxc7+ Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 13.Bxh6 gxh6 14.f4 Rhg8 15.g3 Rac8 16.Nc3 a5 17.d5 Bg4 18.e5 Bf3 19.Rf1 Bg2 20.Rf2 Bh1 21.O-O-O Black resigned, Wall,B - Gian, PlayChess.com, 2017

8.dxc5 Qe7 9.Nc3 Qxc5 10.O-O d6 

White is a solid pawn ahead, and his King is safe. He doesn't have a smash-and-crash attack, but he does have a position that he can improve slowly and steadily. (I guess you can say that Black sacrificed a pawn to frustrate White's ambitions, similar to the Counter-Jerome Gambit1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+)

11.Be3 Qc4 12.Qg3 Bg4 13.f3 Nh5 


See the note to White's 7the move.

14.
fxg4+ Black resigned

There is time for White to capture the Bishop with check, and then, the Knight, after 14...Nf6 15.g5.


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