Jerome Gambit: AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a popular topic these days. There are even AI chat bots that are available to interact with.

I decided to visit ChatGPT and see what it had to say.

My first attempt at asking about the Jerome Gambit received the reply that it was a chess opening played by the French player Jerome Michel.

Non. Ce n'est pas correct.

I figured we were chatting before either of us had had our morning coffee, so I let it go for a while.

Later I tried again, and the bot replied

The Jerome Gambit is a chess opening that starts with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5. The gambit refers to Black offering a pawn on c5, which White can choose to accept or decline. The idea behind the gambit is to create a quick and open position where Black can try to attack White's king, while White aims to develop their pieces and build a strong position. The Jerome Gambit is considered a very aggressive and tactical line, and is not often seen at the highest level of play.

Well, that wasn't quite right, either - offering a pawn on c5? - but it was closer. 

I tried "Are you familiar with Alonzo Wheeler Jerome?". The response was not too surprising - part wrong, part right - but seemed to indicate that the bot was not familiar with my blog.

I'm not aware of a chess player named Alonzo Wheeler Jerome. The name doesn't appear to be associated with a well-known chess player or with the Jerome Gambit in particular. It's possible that this person was a local player or someone who played chess as a hobby, but there is not enough information available to say for certain.

Then I tried "What do you think of 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ?"

The move 4.Bxf7+ in the Jerome Gambit is a speculative sacrifice that aims to gain an advantage by removing the black king's defender, the bishop on c5. The idea behind the sacrifice is that Black's king is exposed and vulnerable to attack, which can lead to a quick win for White if executed correctly.

However, the sacrifice is not considered to be very sound from a positional point of view, and Black can often equalize or even gain an advantage after White's aggressive play. As a result, the move 4.Bxf7+ is not often seen in high-level games, and more cautious options such as 4.d4 or 4.Ng5 are generally considered to be safer and more reliable ways for White to continue.

Overall, the move 4.Bxf7+ in the Jerome Gambit is a sharp and tactical line that can lead to interesting and complex positions, but it is not considered to be a reliable way for White to gain a lasting advantage.

I was impressed. 

I should have stopped there.

Instead, I spoiled it all by asking about the Jerome Gambit again a little bit later, when the bot gave the moves of the Fried Liver Attack - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 - as those of the Jerome...

Quelle dommage.