Jerome Gambit: A Better Outcome

In Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884, Joseph Henry Blackburne famously gave up a Rook to lock in White's Queen and pursue an attack on White's King. The game featured a beautiful Queen sacrifice, and is probably the best known example of the Jerome Gambit.

Attackers today still take the Rook and brave the complications, hoping for a better outcome.

My notes below accompany some of those by the website's computer "coach".

perrypawnpusher - torrefish

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

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

Chess.com's coach commented when we reviewed this game

You are losing material this way. This is the Giuoco Piano opening. You've played this opening 70 times, with a 73% win rate.

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 

Blackburne's defense. I have a solid 13 - 1 record against it, but that is a bit misleading. (See perrypawnpusher - MrScrumps, blitz, FICS, 2011, [0-1, 11].)

The Database has 1,130 games with the Blackburne defense, with White scoring 70%.

Believe me, it is more complicated that those numbers would suggest.

By the way, the Chess.com "coach" is quite harsh here, giving 7...d6 a "??" and calling the move a blunder.

This gives away a free piece. Only one move worked there - and this wasn't it.

I don't agree with the poor assessment of 7...d6, although I do agree that 7...Qe7 is best here. 

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.O-O 

I played the alternative, 9.d4. in another Jerome Gambit game this round. 

The "coach" agrees with that choice, giving 9.0-0 a "?".

9...Nf6 10.Qd8 

The Queen seeks escape, for the moment also pinning Black's Knight. "Great move," says the "coach".

10...Bd7 

I gave this move and an alternative a look in "Updating the Blackburne Defense (part 2)"

...The core game continued 11.Qxc7 (instead, 11.Qxa8? Nxe4? [Black should finish Blackburne-style: 11...Ng4 12.h3 Bxf2+ 13.Kh1 Qg3 14.Rxf2+ Nxf2+ 15.Kg1 Nxh3+ 16.Kh1 Nf4 17.Qf8+ Kxf8 18.d3 Qxg2#] 12.d4 Bxd4 13.Be3 Bxb2 14.Qxb7 Bxa1 15.Qxc7 Nf6 16.Qxd6 Kg7 17.Qc5 Ne4 18.Bd4+ Bxd4 19.Qxd4+ Kh6 20.f3 Black resigned, UNPREDICTABLE - choron, FICS, 2009) 11...Bb6? (instead, 11...Rc8 12.Qxb7 Ke7 is "gloriously obscure" according to Dr. Andrew Walker, University of Nottingham, personal communication, 2001. Probably 13.Qb3 with the idea of Qg3 is White's answer - not 13.Nc3? Ng4 when Black mates)  12.g3?! (12.Qxd6) 12...Qh3 13.Qxd6? Bc6 14.g4 Qxg4+ White resigned, Harris,S - Quayle,E, Los Angeles, CA, 1944.

Certainly solid, and Rybka's recommendation, is 10...Bb6. White should spring his Queen with 11.e5 dxe5 12.Qd3. The earliest reference that I have seen to this line is from The Art of the Checkmate by Renaud and Kahn (1953), which says White has the advantage. This proved true in Wall,B - Foo,N, Palm Bay, FL, 2010 (1-0, 33).

11.Qxc7 Ke8 12.d4 

Another "great" move. Thanks, "coach".

12...Rc8 13.Qxb7 Bxd4 14.Nd2 Black resigned

White's Knight will move to f3 to protect his Kingside, and in the meantime his Queen is free and he is up the exchange and 3 pawns.

It might be worthwhile to see how things would go if we were playing a blitz game, but with a time control of 3 days / move, my opponent probably decided to invest his time elsewhere - like beating me in our game where he had the White pieces..