Jerome Gambit: Educational (Part 3)

As I mentioned last post ("Jerome Gambit: Educational (Part 2)")

In a couple of previous posts ("Jerome Gambit: Unbeatable Gambit!?" and "Jerome Gambit: Educational (Part 1)") I mentioned a YouTube video (again, thanks for the information, Mikka Eckkinen) featuring Canadian Grandmaster Aman Hambleton playing a couple of Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games.

It turns out that the grandmaster played three Jeromes against his opponent, a FIDE master (although very close in Chess.com rating).

Here is a game that did not appear in the video. It is a 3-minute blitz game, and the time control alters plans a bit.

I mean no disrespect to the grandmaster by showing a loss with the Jerome Gambit - it can happen when you play a "disreputable" opening at high speed; and the game is still educational, especially the endgame.

 

KNVB - TampaChess

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

The Jerome Defense to the Jerome Gambit, introduced by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in 1874, which TampaChess played in the previous game as well. 

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.Nc3 Kf7 10.d3 Rf8 11.Be3 Bxe3 12.Qxe3 Kg8 13.0-0 d5

Except for a few changes in move order, this game follows the path of the previous one, up to this point. It looks like TampaChess has reflected upon his previous 13...a6 (by transposition) and decided more actively to strike at White's pawn center.

White is not interested now in 14.exd5, but the threat to fork two pieces means he has to move one of them - giving Black the opportunity to exchange.

14.Qg3 dxe4 15.dxe4 Qe7 16.Rfe1 c6 17.a3 Be6 18.Rad1 Rad8 19.f3 

White relents and protects the e-pawn with the f-pawn.

19...Rxd1 20.Rxd1 Rd8 21.Rxd8+ Qxd8 22.Qe5 

White is counting on his Queen's activity to help even things despite the material imbalance (two pawns vs a Bishop).

Black would like an active Queen - to pursue checkmate.

22...Bc4 23.b3 Qb6+ 24.Kh1 Qf2 25.h3 Bf1 26.Qh2 Qxc2 27.Na4 b6 28.Qb8+ Kf7 29.Qc7+ Ke8 30.Qc8+ Ke7 31.Qc7+ Nd7 32.Qg3

Defending and attacking.

 

32...Qxg2+ 

Instead, 32...Qxb3 looked safe enough, despite 33.Qxg7+, but I am not the one facing a grandmaster with my clock ticking down.

33.Qxg2 Bxg2+ 34.Kxg2 Ne5

The idea: the better placed Knight, a more centralized King, the Queenside pawn majority. It may not be enough to win, but it should not lose.

35.b4

Against 35...c5. Repositioning the Knight (to b2, to keep the enemy Knight off of c4) might have been better.

35...Nc4 36.Nc3 Nxa3 37.Kf2 Nc2 38.b5 Nd4 39.bxc6 Nxc6 

Things look difficult here for White, but there is a reason that Grandmaster Hambleton plays 3-minute blitz (besides the fun and excitement) - he is very good at it.

40.Ke3 Ne5 41.Nd5+ Kd6 42.f4 Nf7 43.Kd4 Nd8 44.e5+ Kc6 

Should the Black King protect his pawns and help them to advance, or stay in front of White's pawns and hinder them?

Stockfish 15.1 suggests 44...Ke6, instead, looking at 45.Nc7+ Kd7 46.Nb5 Ne6+ 47.Ke4 a6 48.Nd6 g6 49.f5 gxf5+ 50.Kxf5 Ng7+ 51.Kf4 Kc6 52.Ke4 b5 53.h4 Ne6 54.Kf5 Nc7 55.Ke4 a5 56.Kd4 Ne6+ 57.Kc3 Nf4 58.Ne4 a4 59.Ng5 Nd5+ 60.Kb2 when Black would be winning.

45.Ke4

The split-second decisions can cut against you. The computer likes 45.f5 a5 46.e6 Kd6 47.Nxb6 Nxe6+ and the game will be strangely even and likely drawn, i.e. 48.Ke3 Ke7 49.fxe6 g5 50.Ke4 Kxe6 51.Na4 Kf6 52.Nb6 Kg6 53.Kf3 Kf5 54.Kg3 h5 55.Kf3 Kf6 56.Kg3 Kf7 57.Na4 Ke6 58.Nb6 Kf6 59.Kf2 g4 60.hxg4 hxg4. Wow.

45...g6 

Arrrggghhh.

46.f5 gxf5+ 47.Kd4 Ne6+ 48.Kc4 b5+ White resigned

White's pawns are not going anywhere; Black's are.

Jerome Gambit: Educational (Part 2)

In a couple of previous posts ("Jerome Gambit: Unbeatable Gambit!?" and "Jerome Gambit: Educational (Part 1)") I mentioned a YouTube video (again, thanks for the information, Mikka Eckkinen) featuring Canadian Grandmaster Aman Hambleton playing a couple of Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games.

It turns out that the grandmaster played three Jeromes against his opponent, a FIDE master (although very close in Chess.com rating).

Here is the second game from the video.

 

KNVB - TampaChess

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

The Jerome Defense to the Jerome Gambit, given in the Dubuque Chess Journal, July 1874, ("Jerome's Double Opening Third Variation") by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.d3 Kf7 10.Nc3 Rf8 11.O-O a6 12.Be3 Bxe3 13.Qxe3 Kg8 

So far, Black has shown restraint, focusing on castling-by-hand and keeping White's Knight from adventures (i.e. 11...a6).

White will use his actively placed Queen and "Jerome pawns" to stir up trouble.

14.Qg3 Nh5 15.Qe3 Nf4 16.g3 Nh3+ 17.Kg2 

Is this a prelude to a trap?

Apparently Stockfish 15.1 prefers 17.Kh1 on principle - as if computers had principles (although perhaps that is part of their programming) - but the grandmaster is more knowledgeable about human nature.

17...Ng5 18.h4 Bh3+ 

Although attractive at first glance - and 3-minute games have a lot of "first glances", as Stockfish's predecessor, HAL the computer, said in "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), this "can only be attributable to human error."

19.Kh2 Rf3 20.Qxg5 Qxg5 21.hxg5 Bxf1 22.Rxf1 Raf8 

White has two pawns for the exchange. It is educational to play through the game and see how he takes advantage of this small material plus.

Keep in mind that if the game lasts 30 moves, the players will average no more than 6 second a move thinking time; and if it lasts 60 moves, that average will drop to 3 seconds per move.

Good players play good moves, even while under pressure.

23.Kg2 c6 24.Ne2 R3f7 25.f4 g6 26.Nd4 Re8 27.Nf3 Kg7 28.Nh2 h5 29.gxh6+ Kxh6 30.a4 Kg7 31.Nf3 b6 32.Nd4 c5 33.Nf3 b5 34.Ra1 c4 35.axb5 axb5 36.Nd4 cxd3 37.cxd3 Rc7 

White's Rook has an open file and it and the Knight help guard entry points to the file that Black's Rook has.

Now, White can pawn hunt, even as the Kings become more active.

38.Ra6 Rd7 39.Kf3 b4 40.Rb6 g5 41.Rxb4 Rh8 42.Rb5 Kf6 

43.Rf5+ Ke7 44.Rxg5 Rh2 45.b4 Kd8 46.Rd5 Kc7 47.Nb5+ Kc6 48.Nd4+ Kb6 49.Nf5 Kc7 50.b5 Rb2 51.Nd4 Rb1 

White's threatening b-pawn temporarily ties down Black's Rook and King, while White's Knight proves annoying both on attack and defense.

There needs to be another distraction, and White has it. 

52.f5 Kb6 53.Ne6 Rf1+ 54.Ke2 Rb1 55.Kf2 Rb2+ 56.Kf3 Rxb5 57.Nf4 Rc5 58.Ke3 Rc1 59.g4 Re1+ 60.Kf2 Ra1 

I didn't say that it was going to be easy.

Stockfish 15.1 assesses White as almost two pieces better.

Oh, and time management is an issue, too.

61.Rd4 Kc6 62.Ke3 Re1+ 63.Kd2 Ra1 64.Ne6 Ra2+ 65.Ke3 d5 66.Rxd5 Rxd5 67.exd5+ Kxd5 

68.Nf4+ Ke5 69.d4+ Kf6 70.Ke4 Ra1 71.Ne6 

71...Re1+ 72.Kd5 Ke7 

Black's Rook has done a good job defending from behind the enemy pawns, but here - under serious time pressure - the defender slips.  The silicon advisor sees 72...Rg1 73.Kc6 Rxg4 74.d5 Kxf5 75.Nc5 Rg6+ 76.Kc7 Ke5 77.Nd3+ Kxd5 78.Nf4+ Kc4 79.Nxg6 with a draw, as White will not be able to checkmate with just a Knight..

73.g5 Ra1 74.Nf4 Ra5+ 75.Ke4 Ra6 76.Nd3 Kd6 77.Ne5 Ra2 78.f6 Re2+ 79.Kf4 White won on time, in a won position

A heart-pounding conclusion.

Jerome Gambit: Hype

 

I stopped by the HypeStat page for this blog, and discovered that some numbers are interesting and some numbers are kind of odd.

Domain Summary

What is the traffic rank for Jeromegambit.blogspot.com?

• Jeromegambit.blogspot.com ranks 2,404,093 globally on HypeStat.

What percent of global Internet users visit Jeromegambit.blogspot.com?

• 1.0E-5% of global Internet users visit Jeromegambit.blogspot.com

How many people visit Jeromegambit.blogspot.com each day?

• Jeromegambit.blogspot.com receives approximately 493 visitors and 493 page impressions per day.

How much Jeromegambit.blogspot.com can earn?

• Jeromegambit.blogspot.com should earn about $2.01/day from advertising revenue.

What is Jeromegambit.blogspot.com estimated value?

• Estimated value of Jeromegambit.blogspot.com is $1,766.40.

What IP addresses does Jeromegambit.blogspot.com resolve to?

• Jeromegambit.blogspot.com resolves to the IP addresses 216.58.192.161.

Where are Jeromegambit.blogspot.com servers located in?

• Jeromegambit.blogspot.com has servers located in Draper, Utah, 84020, United States.

(Food for thought. I don't think I will "monetize" the blog to earn 2 bucks a day. I have no idea how the estimation of the value of the blog was arrived at. Draper, Utah has about 51,000 people in it - and I am not one of them.)

Jerome Gambit: Educational (Part 1)

Here is the first of the two Jerome Gambit (1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games by Canadian Grandmaster Aman Hambleton mentioned in the earlier post "Jerome Gambit: Unbeatable Gambit!?"

It is well worth playing over, from the opening through the middlegame to an interesting endgame. Grandmaster play is educational at any speed.

Grandmaster Hambleton's opponent is a FIDE Master. I do not know how many Jeromes that Praschess has played or defended against, but he gives a good account of himself.

KNVB - Praschess

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2022 

1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

10.Nc3 Kf7 

Or 10...h6 11.O-O Kg8 12.f4 Qe7 13.d3 Kh7 14.Qg3 Rf8 15.f5 Ne5 16.Be3 Nh5 17.Qh3 Qf7 18.g4 Nf6 19.g5 Ne8 20.d4 Qc4 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.gxh6 gxh6 23.Qxh6+ Kg8 24.Qg6+ Ng7 25.Nd5 Qxe4 26.Ne7+ Kh8 27.Qh6 checkmate, KNVB - irish_frank, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2022

11.d3 Re8 12.O-O Kg8 13.Qg3 c6 14.f4 Qe7 15.f5 Ne5 16.Bg5 

The Database has 22 Jerome Gambits played by KNVB - 20 wins.

16...Nf7 17.Bd2 Qe5 18.Qh4 Bd7 19.Rae1 Qe7

20.h3 b5 21.a3 a5 22.Ne2 d5 23.Ng3 dxe4 24.dxe4 Ne5 25.Kh1 Qf7 26.Bg5 c5 

27.Rd1 b4 28.Rd6 Bb5 29.Rfd1 Nc4 

Tempting, to evict the enemy Rook, but it's stay was temporary, anyhow.

30.Rxf6 gxf6 31.Bxf6 Ra6 32.Qg5+ Kf8 33.Qh6+ Kg8 34.Qg5+ Kf8 35.Qh6+ Kg8 

White has a draw if he wants it, and with only 3 pawns for a Rook it would be understandable if he took it - but Black's offside pieces suggest that there might be more for White in this position than just 1/2 a point.

Stockfish 15.1 evaluates White as about a pawn better.

36.Nh5 Ne5 

Rushing reinforcements to the front, but this is a mistake. Better was to threaten an exchange of Queens with 36...Qf8. But, of course, I am sitting at my desk with all the time in the world.

37.Qg5+ Ng6 38.e5 Be2 

Things have gotten quite wild.

39.Nf4 

The computer recommends 39.e6 Raxe6 40.fxe6 Rxe6 41.Rd8+ Re8 42.Ng3 Rxd8 43.Bxd8 Bb5 44.Bxa5 Bc6 45.Qxc5 bxa3 46.bxa3 Qd5 47.Qxd5+ Bxd5 but that is a lot to see when the clock is ticking. White does not want a pawns-up endgame, he wants to attack.

39...Bxd1 40.fxg6 hxg6 41.Nxg6 Rxf6 42.exf6 Re1+ 43.Kh2 

43...Qc7+

Black is feeling aggrssive, too. He probably should have looked for calmer waters with 43...Kh7 44.Ne5 Rxe5 45.Qxe5 Bxc2 46.axb4 cxb4 47.Qxa5

The rest of the game was played at breakneck speed, as both clocks ticked off their last seconds.

44.Nf4+ Kf8 45.g3 Re2+ 46.Nxe2 Bxe2 47.Qh6+ Ke8 48.Qe3+ Kf7 49.Qxe2 Kxf6 50.Qf2+ Kg6 51.axb4 cxb4 52.c3 White won on time

The position is about even, but the clock has the final say.

Jerome Gambit Magic

Sometimes a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game unfolds with a sense of magic about it, as if the gambiteer simply walks past dangers to his win.

The following game is a fun example.

Chalcinos - 3mad7mdy

10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3

This is a routine Jerome Gambit position. Perhaps White, familiar withe the opening, arrived at it a with few ticks on the clock.

9...Nf6 10.O-O Ng4 

Many Black pieces feel an immediate need to attack White's Queen, especially since she has been wandering the board, causing further dislocation of his game.

10...Ng4 does not surrender all of his advantage. It could be part of a plan for both Knights to corral Her Majesty - if the follow-through is done right.

11.Qh3

This new move has its risks. Did White anticipate his opponent's sacrifice? Or did he simply see himself passing through the complications, unscathed?

11...Nxf2 

Black takes advantage of the uncovered attack on the Queen to grab one - and then another - pawn.

It is an attractive idea, but the real danger was with 11...Nf4!? when White is going to lose material. One example of the possibilities is 12.Qf3 (Stockfish says this is best) Rf8 13.Nc3 (covering the e2 square) Nxh2 14.Qg3 (capturing the Knight 14.Kxh2 allows 14...Qh4+ 15.Kg1 Nh3+ and White must give up his Queen after all) Nxf1 15.Kxf1 Qf6 and White is only down a Rook.

12.Qb3 Nxe4 

Having said A, Black now says B.

The attack would continue if Black ignored the pawn grab, and instead offered a piece with 12...Nh3+ 13.gxh3 Qh4. 

13.Qf7 checkmate

Presto!

Jerome Gambit: Unbeatable Gambit!?

Reader Mikka Eckkinen tipped me off to a new Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) video that features Canadian Grandmaster Aman Hambleton playing - successfully, of course - a couple of Jeromes.

Thirteen and a half minutes of enjoyment and excitement.

Do check it out.

THIS UNBEATABLE GAMBIT will Destroy 2600s!

Jerome Gambit: The Little Things

Sometimes it is the little things that make a chess game interesting.

In the following game, some moves stand out and make the conflict enjoyable. 

Chalcinos - gotham_chess_boyfriend

10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

Referring back to the post"Jerome Gambit: Focus on the Enemy King"

As I recently mentioned in the post "Jerome Gambit: Pawns Take Their Place"

The move appears to be the "people's choice", however, according to The Database: 6...Ng6  is played 45% of the time; 6...Ke6 is played 24% of the time; 6...Kf8 is played 16% of the time; and 6...g6 is played 13% of the time...

Of the 4 top moves, Stockfish 15.1 (31 ply) rates 6...Ke6 as about 1/4 of a pawn better as 6...Kf8, which Stockfish sees as about 3/4 of a pawn better than 6...g6, which is seen as about a pawn better than 6...Ng6.

So, top choice but 4th place in strength. This helps the Jerome Gambit player.

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 N8e7 

At this point The Database show 481 games with this position. White scores 67%.

By comparison, the lichess.org site shows 774 games, with White scoring a comparative 63%.

Likely 9...Nf6, which goes back to the game Vazquez, Andres Clemente - Carrington, William, 2nd match, Mexico, 1876 (1-0, 34), would put more pressure on the center.

Stockfish 15.1 recommends 9...d5 which would be a novelty.

10.O-O c5 

This move is rare, only seen in one other game in The Database. Apparently Black wants to prevent 11.d4. 

11.Nc3 

In an earlier game White played 11.d4, anyway, and found success:  11...b6 12.c3 b5 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Qxc5 Qd3 15.Bg5 Qxe4 16.Nd2 Qg4 17.Bxe7+ Nxe7 18.Rae1 Be6 19.h3 Qg6 20.f4 Kf7 21.f5 Nxf5 22.Qc7+ Kf6 23.Ne4 checkmate, PedrosF1 - OlaCh, 10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021. 

11...b6 12.f4 Kf7 13.d3 Rf8 14.f5 Ne5 15.Bd2 Kg8

Black has castled-by-hand. The game is about even. What next?

16.Qg3 d5 

In a blitz game it is possible to focus on one part of the board, to the detriment of events happening at another part. Here, Black is focused on the square d5, missing the threat to the square e5 (and its occupant). 

17.Qxe5 dxe4 18.f6 

Immediately striking.

18...Nc6 19. Qxe4 Rxf6 

Clock or nerves.

20.Rxf6 Qxf6 21.Qe8+ Qf8 22.Qxc6 Bf5 

White is winning. He needs a plan. He has choices.

23.Rf1 Rc8 24.Qd5+ Kh8 25.Rxf5 Rd8 

White now has a forced checkmate.

26.Rxf8+ Rxf8 27.Ne4 Rf1+ 

Since Black is a human competitor, I suspect that this may be part of a plan to eliminate his own pieces and hope to escape with a stalemate.

Back in "Jerome Gambit: Against the Titans (Part 2)" I pointed out

I have seen examples of computers tossing piece after piece, just to make an even-more-unfavorable future position "disappear", only to have it "reappear" after the opponent makes a capture. In the end, more material is lost than in the "dreaded" situation it is trying to avoid. (The similarity to human clinical depression is notable.)

28.Kxf1 c4 29.Qxc4 b5 30.Qxb5 a6 31.Qxa6 

31...h6 32.Bxh6 Kh7 33.Bxg7 Kxg7 

Time for White to find the checkmate before the time runs out.

Black is playing a dangerous game, but he still has a slim hope - stalemate.

I was surprised to see the number of times stalemate ended a game in this blog. For a sample, see "No Letdown", "Did I tell you about the time...?", "Getting Away With Something", "Easy As Pi", "One Game, Several Positions", "Jerome Gambit: A Tricky Endgame", and "Jerome Gambit: Slip?". 

For a real head-scratcher, try "Adjudicated Win".

And now for the conclusion of the game.

34.Qb6 Kf7 35.Ng5+ Ke7 36.Qe6+ Kd8 37.Qf7 Kc8 38.Kf2 Kb8 39.Ke3 Ka8 40.Ke4 Kb8 41.Ke5 Kc8 42.Ke6 Kd8 43.Qh7 Ke8 44.Qh8 checkmate