The Jerome Gambit: Jerome Gambit: LPDO Lesson

Monday, April 4, 2022

Jerome Gambit: LPDO Lesson

I have mentioned before (see "My House! My House! My Kingdom for a House!" and "LPDO Revisited") GM Nunn's warning in Secrets of Practical Chess (1998) that "loose pieces drop off" - that unprotected pieces can be lost to tactical shots.

The following game features an interesting opening battle in a variation of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) that suddenly gets over-run by another example of LPDO.

MBItaly - CharlyMarly1904

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+

This is known as the "Counter-Jerome Defense" or the "Counter-Jerome Gambit". It is one part psychology - If you are going to sacrifice a piece to disturb my King, then I am going to sacrifice a piece to disturb your King - and one part side-step from the main lines of the Jerome; for the price of a pawn, Black exchanges Queens and turns White's hopes of a smashing, crashing attack into a tedious task.

Previously one of the Jerome Gambit Secrets, it held the position of #13.

8.Ke2

The Counter-Jerome Gambit Declined. Yes, there is such a thing. See Intercrosse - azizmasud, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021 (1-0, 19) and mamen_oscar - MengalZ, 5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2021 (0-1, 14).

For the alternative, 8.Kd1, see TacticalRain - sriramv, Internet, 2020 (1-0, 21).

I think that it is important to point out that White can safely capture the Bishop, but by declining he offers his own psychological take. In a 5-minute blitz game, you use what tools you have at hand.

8...Nf6 9.Rf1

This is White's idea: pressure down the deadly f-file. It looks scary, and is scary in a blitz game, but it is only fair to point out that one of the ways Black can respond, with advantage, is 9...d6, e.g. 10.Qf4 Bd4 or 10.Qc3 Nxe4.

9...Bh4

This should work, too.

10.g3 Re8 11.Qf4