Jerome Gambit: Entertaining Chess Content (Part 2)

 

As mentioned in the previous post, Entertaining Chess Content has published entertaining short YouTube videos of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) being played against various Chess.com bots.

Now ECC has now come out with a video of a Jerome Gambit game against the Pokimane bot. The bot is based upon Imane Anys, a very popular online streamer, gamer and internet personality.

The following game illustrates why club players love to play the Jerome. It is a classic example of the defender bringing a knife to a gunfight.

NN - Pokimane-bot

Chess.com, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 

It can be a psychological ploy for Black to refuse to capture White's Knight on e5 - upending White's plan for attack. However, for this strategy to be successful, Black needs to retreat his King to f8, not e8 or, as in the game, e7.

White immediately applies pressure.

6.Qh5 Nh6 

Black protects the f7 square. The problem is that White has other threats.

Stockfish 14.1 has a gloomy suggestion to return material first: 6...Bxf2+ 7.Kxf2 Qf8+ 8.Ke1 Nd4 9.Na3 Nf6 when Black, a pawn down, has at least managed to prevent White from castling.

7.Nxc6+ bxc6 8.Qxc5+ Ke6 

Black is behind in material and his King is unsafe.

I do not know the rating of the person or computer playing White, but Pokimane-bot was rated at 1000, so it has difficulties ahead.

9.d3 a6

This move is hard to understand.

10.Qc4+ Ke7 

There is a significant and immediate difference between this move and 10...Kf6.

11.Bg5+ Ke8 12.Bxd8 Kxd8 

White's Queen will now dominate play, collect material, and move towards checkmate.

13.Nd2 Ke8 14.Qc3 Ng4 15.Qxg7 h6 

Aimless, indifferent to loss. The Pokimane-bot appears depressed.

White finishes the game powerfully.

16.Qxh8+ Ke7 17.Qg7+ Ke6 18.Qxg4+ Ke5 19.Qg6 d5 20.Nf3+ Kf4 21.Qg3 checkmate