Jerome Gambit: The Elusive Corner (Part 1)

My recently completed Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game from the second round of the ongoing "Giuoco Piano Game" tournament at Chess.com was a loss, as I was steadily outplayed by my opponent, Cuilleanain.

The game was a continual attempt by me to turn the corner from a worse game to a better game - and it turns out there was no corner to turn, I was effectively going around in circles.

perrypawnpusher - Cuilleanain

Giuoco Piano Game tournament, 3 d/move, Chess.com, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6

This move was recommended by FM Eric Schiller in his Unorthodox Chess Openings (1998). It had first appeared in analysis by Jerome in the April 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal, and first played, according to The Database, in Jerome - Shinkman, Iowa, 1874 (0-1, 21)

9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qxe5+ Kxe5 11.b4 

We have gotten this far into the game - the first really critical position (after 4.Bxf7+ and 5.Nxe5+, of course) - and usually by now I would have filled this post with lots of comments.

Even a difficult loss hasn't dampened my interest in playing the Jerome Gambit.

Checking The Database, and looking at the mainline Jerome, the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit and the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit - almost 600 games - I have still scored 82%.

Now, it does seem a bit foolish to play the Jerome at a time control of 1 move every 3 days, although Alonzo Wheeler Jerome himself tested his opening in correspondence play.

Back to the text move, above...

The earliest example that I have of 11.b4 is from the computer vs computer game Matacz CCT7 - Imp 0.74b, 2005 (0-1, 54), mentioned in " 'Jerome pawns' - Clowning Around" (Matacz is a Winboard engine by Maciej Pestka.)

I have played 11.b4 several times (vs djdave28, twice; vs Altotemmi), but I think that it is more interesting that American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has played the move twice, and faced the move twice - albeit, in 3-minute blitz games. See

GMHikaruOnTwitch - Mrkooshaj, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 27);

GMHikaruOnTwitch - Thechesskid2021, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 37);

Damwon - GMHikaruOnTwitch, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com 2021 (0-1, 26);

simonsah2004 - GMHikaruOnTwitch, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 (0-1, 34).

11...Bf8 

A couple of years ago, in "Jerome Gambit: Beautiful", I mentioned that the first time that I had seen 11.b4 Bf8 in a game, was in BoomBoomTNT-YT - 123456789010chess, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020 (1-0, 21). The Database has seen only one other game, since (also a win for White).

From a practical point of view, the alternative of capturing the pawn with 11...Bxb4 has not been successful, as White has scored 4 - 0 in the relevant games. Komodo12.1.1 assesses White as almost 2 pawns better after 12.Bb2+. As I posted

As Yury Bukayev notes, move 11...Bxb4 creates a position of the bona fide master attack, which later became known to everyone after several GM Nakamura's videos.

Retreating the Bishop with 11...Bb6 has also been shown to be not successful in games played, with White again scoring 4 - 0 - although the computer rates Black as better (by a pawn and a half), because he can now answer 12.Bb2+ with 12...Bd4. 

Black has done best with the advance-and-retreat 11...Bd4 12.c3 Bb6, scoring 4 - 3 - 1, according to The Database. The computer rates Black then about 2 1/4 pawns better.   

After the text move, I was encouraged by Black's centralized King and his lack of development. I did not know it at the time, but Komodo 12.1.1 rates the position as a bit less than plus two pawns for Black. Still, I figured that in time I could turn the corner from a losing game to a winning one...

[to be continued]