Jerome Gambit: Balance

Bullet chess requires players to constantly balance different factors against each other very quickly. In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game we see both sides calculating to balance time, material and King safety.

angelcamina - Nieto01

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 Qf6

This placement of Black's Queen is seen in defenses to the Jerome Gambit, so I was surprised to find only 8 games with this position in The Database.

White scores 94%, which suggests that the move is weak; indeed, Stockfish 15 indicates that the move decreases the evaluation of Black's position 2 pawns' worth. 

9.O-O Nh4 

This year angelcamina also faced 9...N8e7 10.Qxc7 d6 11.Nc3 b6 12.f4 Be6 13.Qb7 Bc8 14.Qxa8 Kf7 15.f5 Nf4 16.d4 Black resigned, angelcamina - aNKansEn, lichess.org, 2022.

10.f4 Qg6 11.g3 

A split second decision, to keep his Queen active, instead of defending with 11.Qf2. 

11...d6 12.Qb5+ Bd7 

In a bullet game, which is more important, not wasting time or grabbing material? Black offers the b-pawn, White takes it. Otherwise, 12...c6. 

13.Qxb7 Rd8 14.f5 Qf6 

Black offers the Knight, which could have been protected by 14...Qg4.

White could take the piece, but he prefers to develop.

15.Nc3 g6 16.fxg6 

Overlooking Black's response. What was needed was the reinforcing 16.d3. 

16...Qd4+ 

17.Kh1 Nxg6 18.d3 Bh3 

The position is more complicated than it appears at first glance. With Black's King stuck in the center, development with 18...N8e7 would have safer than moving an already placed piece. 

19.Bg5 

You attack my Rook, I will attack your Rook.

With 1 minute for the whole game, it probably wasn't possible - or even necessary - to fully examine the offer of a piece with 19.Be3!?. If 19...Qxe3 then 20.Nd5, with threats at c7, is overwhelming. A Queen retreat like 19...Qg7 is still not enough against 20.Nb5, e.g. 20...Rd7 21.Bg5 N8e7 22.Rf6 with threats such as 22...Rf8 23.Qb8+ Rd8 24.Nxc7+ Kd7 25.Rxd6+!?

Black's game now crumbles.

19...Bxf1 20.Rxf1 Rd7 21.Qc8+ Rd8 22.Qxd8 checkmate

Busch-Gass Gambit Standard Bearer

From time to time this Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) blog has looked at "reversed" Jerome and Jerome-ish Gambits, most notably the Busch-Gass Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5) - earlier known as the "Charlick Gambit" - and its relatives Chiodini's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Nc6) and the Stafford Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6).

FIDE Master William Graif is the current standard bearer for the Busch-Gass Gambit, and he has a series of educational and entertaining videos on YouTube.com, including

"Busch-Gass Gambit: The GREATEST Gambit Ever???"

"BUSCH-GASS GAMBIT: Tricking and winning FAST vs titled players | New opening theory & traps in BGG!"

"I can't stop CRUSHING with the Busch-Gass Gambit!"

"Destroying Busch-Gass Gambit Deniers: FULL REPERTOIRE"

"Busch-Gass Gambit DENIERS?! Punish with checkmate in 15 moves!"

"Can the Busch-Gass Gambit defeat a strong STOCKFISH-PREPARED viewer???"

"Stockfish LOSES ITS MIND versus my Busch-Gass Gambit!"

If you are disappointed that you can't always be White in your chess games - and thus be able to go for the Jerome Gambit every time - you might consider the Busch-Gass Gambit for those times when you are Black.

(Of course, if you are familiar with this blog, you might remember Yury V. Bukayev's thoughts on Jerome play as Black in "GM#1 vs you: Wing gambit bombs, BC & history: 1", too. Check that post out!)

JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 12)

 

JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 12)   

  

(by Yury V. Bukayev) 

 

 

Here I continue to develop the modern theory of the variation 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ of the Jerome gambit (JG), although my invented attacks with 7.Qh3+! are much stronger. My previous inventions after 7.Qf5+ Kd6 were published mostly in the posts: ‘Jerome Gambit: Article’ (2020), ‘JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 4)’ (2020), ‘Anatoly Karpov & Jerome Gambit (Part 4)’ (2022). 

 

Let’s consider my new attacking way after 7…Kd6 8.d4 (the Tonetti variation). Thus, after 8…Bxd4! White can play 9.0-0!? AN. Of course, an Italian castling is forbidden by modern chess rules, but players of old times could use the more strong move 9.0-0 (Kh1, Rf1)!? AN (I have mentioned an Italian castling in my recently published analytical research ‘Who is the 1st inventor of JG in chess - A.Jerome or G.Tonetti? The new approach (Part 1)’) with the plans which are very similar to those ones which you’ll see below. 

 

After the recent castling incident at the FR Chess Championship 2022 with the reigning World Champion the following question is interesting: is it possible to meet attempts of an Italian castling in the modern chess practice? Let me tell one short story about myself. Approximately in 1999, when I have had the 1st Category in chess, I have been a participant of the simultaneous exhibition in Moscow against dear “FIDE Master Mr. Nosov”, according to dear organizer’s words. My strong opponent has started the game with the King’s gambit: 

 

FM (?) Nosov  –  1st Cat. Yury Bukayev 

 

Moscow, simul., 1999 

Result:   0 : 1 

 

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d5 4.exd5 Nf6 5.Bb5+ c6 6.dxc6 Nxc6 7.0-0 (Kh1, Rg1)  . 

 

I was shocked, but quickly attracted Mr. Nosov’s attention to his forbidden move. He apologized and corrected it by the modern castling, because it was his only possibility to correct it:  

 

7.0-0  . 

 

Of course, I have used opponent’s blunder: 

 

7…Qb6+  ,  

 

and then Black plays 8…Qxb5 with an easy win. It is notable that players in old times might play 7.0-0 (Kh1, Rg1)!? here, and this move was normal. 

 

This story shows that it is possible to meet attempts of forbidden Italian castling in the modern chess practice (please, be attentive including in non-web bullet Jerome gambit games), even at enough high level, although it is a museum-piece only. 

 

Let’s return to our Jerome gambit topic of the modern opening theory. After White’s castling Black’s “most natural” response is 9…Qf6!? and the strongest response is 9…g6!. After  

 

I)9…Qf6!? 10.Qh5!  

 

the risky position of Black’s King permits White to get a certain chance. For example, the move 11.Kh1 could be a wonderful start of an attack or (more often) an initiative which is also a psychological weapon for chess practice: 

 

A)10…Nf3+ 11.Kh1! 

 

B)10…Ke6 11.Kh1! 

 

B1)11…g6 12.Qd1! Bb6!?, and White’s possible ways are: 

B1a)13.a4!? 

B1b)13.Bd2!? Nc6 14.a4 

B1c)13.f4 Nf7 [13…Nc6?! 14.f5+] 14.Bd2!? Bd4 15.f5+!? Ke7 16.fxg6 Qxg6 17.Bb4+ d6 18.Qxd4 c5 19.Bxc5 dxc5 20.Qxc5+ Ke8 21.Nc3 with the attack 

 

B2)11…d6 12.Qd1! Bb6!? 13.f4 Nf7!? 14.e5 

 

B3)11…Bb6 12.f4   . 

 

Here is Black’s strongest move:  

 

II)9…g6! [After 9…Ne7!? 10.Qh5! White gets an initiative too.] 10.Qh3, and Black can start to hide his King with the large advantage after the serious fight. 

 

These are first analytical steps in the variation 9.0-0!? AN only. 

 

Of course, ‘the Fantastic Star Jerome Gambit Deferred’ and ‘the Triumphant Jerome Gambit Deferred’ (these are my most strong deferred lines of JG, real parts of JG, they were invented and published in 2022 in my article ‘Lose Never with a Strong Deferred Jerome Gambit! (Part 2)’) will be much more attractive for a lot of experts of the modern chess opening theory than the standard line of JG.