Thursday, October 28, 2021

Jerome Gambit: Another Example of Why We Play


The following game is another example of why we play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+): throw enough danger against the defender, and he can slip and fall...


Bucknasty94 - Lichess Opponent

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

The Jerome Defense to the Jerome Gambit, successful in two correspondence games, Jaeger, Daniel - Jerome, Alonszo Wheeler, 1880.

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.e5 

A feint. White's pawn is still pinned to his King, so the threat against Black's pinned Knight is not yet active.

However, in blitz games, threats often loom large.

9...d6 10.d4 

Attacking the enemy Bishop, as well. 

10...Bb6 

Black flinches. With more time, he might have found 10...dxe5 11.dxe5 Bd6, when White's pawn thrust would have been thwarted.

This loss of tempo changes the evaluation of the position: White is now better. 

11.O-O dxe5 12.dxe5 Black resigned


Black has had enough.

Still, if he wanted to continue - since the game was blitz, and the clock might have been helpful - he might have pursued 12...Bd7 13.Qxe3 Bxe3 14.fxe3 Re8 15.exf6 Qxe3+ 16.Qxe3 Rxe3 17.fxg7+ Kxg7 18.Nc3 Bc6 where he would have been down a pawn, but his Bishop probably would be a bit stronger than White's Knight. 


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