Jerome Gambit: Entertaining Chess Content (Part 1)

Entertaining Chess Content publishes short YouTube videos of, among other things, the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) being played against various Chess.com bots. I am not sure how realistic the play of these bots is, but I have to admit that they are entertaining and addicting.  

Who wouldn't be interested in seeing how the Jerome fares against the Play Magnus [Carlsen] bot, the Wesley So bot, the Anish Giri bot, the Ian Nepomniachtchi bot and the Aman Hambleton bot? 

Now ECC has now come out with a Jerome Gambit game against the Agadmator bot.

Agadmator, himself, is Antonio Radić, a very popular Croatian YouTuber and chess player. It is not surprising that Chess.com has him as one of their computer personalities.

I do not know who or what is playing the White pieces in the following game.

NN - Agadmator-Bot

Chess.com, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 

This is a standard position in the Jerome Gambit. The Database shows 365 previous examples.

9...Be6 

This move is inaccurate, as White will soon play f2-f4, threatening f4-f5 with the fork of two pieces. Black has an interesting, if offbeat way of dealing with the threat.

10.O-O Nf6 11.f4 Bg8 

The difficulty with this move - a novelty - is that the Bishop traps the Rook, which is usually developed at f8 or e8, sometimes as part of castling-by-hand.

Stockfish 14.1 judges that White has compensation for his sacrifice. 

12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Neg4 

Attack the Queen: A common idea amongst those who defend against the Jerome Gambit, sometimes right, often wrong.

14.Qf4 Qe7 15.Re1 h5

An interesting idea - if it is an idea at all. I remember my old Chess Challenger 7 dedicated chess computer would play ...a5 or ...h5 when it assessed that its King was safely defended, usually in the middle of the board, and it couldn't "think" of anything else.

16.h3 Nh6 

A tempting line - not for the computers, I admit, but for humans - was something like 16...Bd5, increasing pressure on White's pawn center, and not being afraid of 17.hxg4 hxg4, activating the Rook and making the shifting of Black's Queen to the h-file look dangerous. White should try 18.Nc3 - his Rook at e1 is unsupported, and his center can use the support - when 18...Re8 19.Bd2 Bc6 (19...Qf7 is met by 20.Nxd5) 20.Re2 Qf7 21.Rae1 Qh5 can be met by 22.Qg3 Qh1+ 23.Kf2 and Black's attack has come to naught.

17.Nc3 Rh7 

Incomprehensible. Better 17...Re8.

Now White begins to outplay his/its opponent.

18.Bd2 Nf7 19.e5 dxe5 20.dxe5 Nxe5 

Giving back some of the sacrificed material, perhaps seeing that as better than further retreat with 20...Ne8. 

21.Rxe5 Qd6 

White's lead in development is decisive.

22.Nb5 Nd5 23.Nxd6 Nxf4 24.Ne4 Nxh3+ 

When a computer wrestles with the "horizon effect" (the point at which its search ends) and starts making poor moves, even throwing material away, it can be compared with being depressed.

White neatly wraps things up.

25.gxh3 b6 26.Re1 Re8 27.Rxe8+ Kxe8 28.Nc5+ Kf7 29.Nd7 g6 30.f6 g5 31.Bxg5 h4 34.Re5 Rg7 35.fxg7 Bh7 36.Bd2+ Bf5 37.Rxf5 checkmate

Nice.