Jerome Gambit: Offer Withdrawn

It is surprising, even after more than 20 years of research and 14 years of blogging about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) that there are lines that are new to me, or have escaped my attention.

The following game gives a peek at what I have missed.

Littleplayerparis - talha0

3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

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

 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8

We have been looking at this refusal of the second piece. See "Jerome Gambit: Refusing to Go along".

6.Nf3 

White withdraws his offer. This is rare - only 9 game examples in The Database. 

How to respond?

6...d6

Black has tried other ideas:

6...Qe7 7.O-O d6 8.d3 Nf6  9.Nc3 Kf7 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.exd5 Nd8 12.Re1 Qd7 13.Ng5+ Kg6 14.Re4 h6 15.Rh4 Qf5 16.Qh5+ Kf6 17. Rf4 Black resigned, Wall,B - MLHZ, internet, 2019;

6...Nf6 7.d3 Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Ng4+ 9.Kg3 h5 10.Rf1 Kg8 11.h3 d5 12.Bg5 Qd6+ 13.e5 Ngxe5 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Bf4 h4+ 16.Kh2 b6 17.d4 Ng4+ 18.hxg4 Qg6 19.g5 Bf5 20.c3 Be4 21.Nd2 h3 22.g3 Bg2 23.Re1 Kh7 24.Nf3 c5 25.Ne5 Qf5 26.Qg4 Qxg4 27.Nxg4 Rhe8 28.Ne5 cxd4 29.cxd4 Rac8 30.Rac1 a5 31.a4 Rb8 32.Ng4 b5 33.axb5 Rxb5 34.Rxe8 Rxb2 35.Ra1 Bf1+ 36.Kg1 Bd3 37.Re3 Rg2+ 38.Kh1 Be4 39.Rxe4 dxe4 40.Rxa5 e3 41.Nxe3 Rd2 42.d5 Rc2 43.d6 Rc3 44.Kh2 Rd3 45.Kxh3 Rxd6 46.Bxd6 Black resigned, Littleplayerparis - campingDronero-it, 10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022; and

6...Qf6 7.c3 h6 8.d4 Bb6 9.O-O d6 10.Be3 Bg4 11.Nbd2 Nge7 12.h3 Bh5 13.Qb3 Bf7 14.d5 Ne5 15.Bxb6 axb6 16.Nxe5 dxe5 17.Nc4 Kg8 18.Ne3 Kh7 19.Qc4 Rhc8 20.Qb4 Ng6 21.Ng4 Qg5 22.Qc4 Nf4 23.Kh2 Bh5 24.g3 Nxh3 25.Ne3 Bg4 26.Nxg4 Qxg4 27.Qd3 Ng5 28.Rh1 Rf8 29.Raf1 Rf3 30.Qd1 Raf8 31.Kg2 Nxe4 32.Rh4 Rxg3+ 33.fxg3 Qxg3+ 34.Kh1 Rxf1+ 35.Qxf1 Qxh4+ 36.Kg2 Qg3+ 37.Kh1 Nf2+ White resigned, Littleplayerparis - rimhel, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021.

Not surprisingly, the computers suggest 6...d5.

7.h3 

Keeping the enemy Bishop from g4. Does White have time for this?

Alternatives:

7.c3 Bg4 8.O-O Ne5 9.d4 Nxf3+ 10.gxf3 Bh3 11.dxc5 Bxf1 12.Qxf1 dxc5 13.Be3 b6 14.Na3 Qf6 15.Rd1 Qxf3 16.Nc4 Nf6 17.Rd2 Nxe4 18.Re2 Qg4+ 19.Kh1 h6 20.Ne5 Qf5 21.f4 Nd6 22.Qg2 Qe4 23.Qxe4 Nxe4 24.Ng6+ Kf7 25.Nxh8+ Rxh8 26.Bxc5 Nxc5 27.Re5 Re8 28.Rf5+ Kg6 White resigned, chessmanjeff - ouucch, 5 0 blitz, FICS, 2014;

7.d4 Bb6 8.h3 (8.O-O Bg4 9.c3 Nf6 10.h3 Bh5 11.g4 Bg6 12.Nbd2 h6 13.a4 Kf7 14.b4 a6 15.Qb3+ d5 16.e5 Nh7 17.a5 Ba7 18.Ba3 Re8 19.Rfe1 Ng5 20.Nxg5+ hxg5 21.Nf3 Rh8 22.Kg2 Kg8 23.Bc1 Be4 24.Rxe4 Kh7 25.Re1 Kg6 26.Bxg5 Qf8 27.Qxd5 Rxh3 28.Kxh3 Re8 29.Qe4+ Kf7 30.Qf5+ Kg8 31.Qxf8+ Rxf8 32. Kg3 Nb8 33.c4 Nc6 34.Rab1 Bxd4 35.Nxd4 Nxd4 6.Re3 Ne6 37.Be7 Rf7 38.Bc5 g5 39.Rh1 Nf4 40.e6 Black resigned, mbokhari - ziomizar, rapid, lichess.org, 2021) 8...Nf6 9.Qe2 Qe7 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5 Nd5 12.O-O Bf5 13.c4 Ndb4 14.Na3 Rd8 15.Re1 h6 16.Be3 Bxe3 17.Qxe3 Kg8 18.Rad1 Kh7 19.Nb5 a6 20.a3 axb5 21.axb4 Qxb4 22.cxb5 Qxb5 23.Qf4 Bg6 24.Nh4 Rhf8 25.Qg3 Bf5 26.Rxd8 Nxd8 27.Qc3 Ne6 28.Nxf5 Rxf5 29.Re3 Qc5 30.Rf3 Qxc3 31.Rxc3 Rxe5 32.b4 Kg6 33.Rg3+ Kf6 34.Rc3 Ke7 35.g3 b5 36.Rb3 c5 37.Rb1 c4 38.Kg2 Nd4 39.Ra1 Nc6 40.Ra7+ Nxa7 41.Kf3 Rd5 42.g4 Rd3+ 43.Ke4 Nc6 44.g5 Ke6 45.h4 Rd4+ 46.Ke3 h5 47.f4 Kf5 48.g6 Rxf4 49.Ke2 Rxh4 50.Kf2 Rg4 51.Ke2 Ke5  52.Kd2 Kd4 53.Ke2 Nxb4 54.Kf3 Nd5 55.Kf2 Nf6 56.Kf3 Ne4 57.Ke2 Rg3 58.Kf1 Re3 59.Kg2 Ke5 60.Kh2 Kf4 61.Kg2 c3 62.Kh2 b4 63.Kg2 c2 64.Kh2 c1=Q 65.Kg2 Qd2+ 66.Kg1 Re1 checkmate ChessCoach_UA - jpboyeras, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2017; and

7.O-O Nf6 8.Re1 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.d3 Nd4 11.Nbd2 Kf7 12.c3 Nxf3+ 13.Nxf3 Rf8 14.Bg5 Kg8 15.d4 Bb6 16.Qa4 Qe8 17.Qb3+ Kh8 18.e5 dxe5 19.Nxe5 Qd8 20.g4 Be8 21.Re2 Qd5 22.Bxf6 Qxb3 23.Bxg7+ Kxg7 24.axb3 c5 25.d5 Bf7 26.c4 Bc7 27.f4 Bxe5 28.fxe5 Bg6 29.e6 Rf3 30.Rd1 Rxb3 31.d6 Rxh3 32.Kg2 Bd3 33.Red2 Black resigned farhadba - Smole, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021. 

7...Nf6 8.d3 

Unplayed ideas include 8.d4, 8.Nc3 and 8.0-0.

8...Ne5 

Exchanging pieces is one way of proceeding when you are ahead in material, or when you want to head off an attack. It also can be played quickly, an asset in a blitz game.

Also played by Littleplayerparis in another game

8...Nd4 9.Be3 Nxf3+ 10.Qxf3 Bxe3 11.fxe3  Kf7 12.d4 c6 13.Nc3 Ke8 14.O-O-O Rf8 15.Rhf1 Qe7 16.Qf4 Nd7 17.Qg3 b6 18.Rxf8+  Nxf8 19.d5 Bd7 20.dxc6 Bxc6 21.Rxd6 Bxe4 22.Nxe4 Qxe4 23.Rd4 Qe7 24.Qf3 Rd8 25.Qc6+ Kf7 26.Qf3+ Kg8 27.Rxd8 Qxd8 28.g4 Ng6 29.Qf5 Qe7 30.Qd5+ Qf7 31.c4 Qxd5 32.cxd5 Kf7 33.Kc2 Ne7 34.d6 Nc6 35.e4 Ke6 36.d7 Kxd7 37.Kd2 Ke6 38.Ke3 Ke5 39.h4 Nb4 40.a3 Nc6 41.Kf3 h6 42.Ke3 g5 43.h5 Nd4 44.a4 a5 45.Kd3 Black resigned, Littleplayerparis - Ali197509, 10 0 blitz, lichess.org. 2022. 

9.O-O Nxf3+ 10.Qxf3 Kg8 11.Be3 Bxe3 12.fxe3 Be6 

White has his compact central pawn mass, plus a safer King, as compensation for his sacrificed piece. He must patiently away his chances.

13.b3 Qd7 14.d4 Rf8 

Putting the Rook on the file that the enemy Queen occupies. As a general idea, it is effective - but in this case, there is a hitch.

15.e5 Black resigned

Black will have to surrender his Knight, as it is pinned to the Rook on f8.

However, after that the game would still be in balance, so the resignation may have been linked to clock issues, or a general sense of disappointment.