Que Sarratt, Sarrat

From time to time on this blog, I have looked for possible fore-runners to the Jerome Gambit (inspirations to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome from similar lines of play), including the Sarratt or Vitzthum Attack. (For examples, see "A Bridge To... Somewhere?", "Another Distant Relative?", "The Sarratt Attack", "Another look at the Sarratt Attack" and "Another Example of the Vitzthum Attack"). 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5 

5...Nh6 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+

KaspaChess has a recent educational and entertaining YouTube video "WHY's This Sarrat Opening Variation So Underrated?" that is worth checking out.

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Can't Win For Losing

Playing over the following game, and considering Black's play, I was reminded of Pleasant Joseph's lament, who recorded in "Bad Luck Blues" in 1947, 

If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all.

Lucky for Readers, I have covered this line of play for almost a decade and a half.

Edwinpaderes - dan-p

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1. e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

White has ideas of his own.

It is hard not to mention that a dozen years ago I was able to get Grandmaster Lev Albert's thoughts on the line, in Chess Life. See the post "Ad Ridiculum".

4...Ke7 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit Declined. See "Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit Declined", "BSJGD: It's Complicated", and "BSJGD: Embrace the Chaos"

Some thoughts from earlier posts:

"Idées Fixes et Manqués"

I have met this move before (see "Jedi Mind Tricks", "Jedi Mind Tricks / Rematch", "Sith Still and Don't Move", "Never Mind" and "Platinum Mind Tricks"), and whatever advantages it has are slight and purely psychological.

 "Lots of Practice, Some Theory"

I have not promoted declining the gambit, in fact I have referred to it as intending some kind of "Jedi mind trick", but I note that steveod has played several games with 4...Ke7:

5.Nxe5 d6 6.Nc3 (6.Bxg8 dxe5 7.d3 Rxg8 8.Bg5+ Black resigned, frizerkaHR - steveod, FICS, 2012) dxe5 7.Qh5 Nc6 8.Nd5+ Kd6 9.f4 Nf6 10.Qg5 h6 11.fxe5+ Nxe5 12.Qe3 Nxf7 13.e5+ Nxe5 14.d4 Nxd5 15.Qxe5+ Kc6 16.c4 Bd6 17.cxd5+ Kb6 18.Qxg7 Qe7+ 19.Qxe7 Bxe7 20.Rf1 Rf8 21.Be3 Rxf1+ 22.Kxf1 Bd7 23.d6 Bb5+ 24.Kg1 Bxd6 25.Rc1 c6 26.b3 a5 27.a4 Bd3 28.d5+ Kc7 29.Rc3 Be4 30.dxc6 Bxc6 White forfeited on time, AndrejRussia - steveod, FICS, 2014;

5.Nxd4 Kxf7 (5...exd4 6.Bxg8 Rxg8 7.d3 Ke8 8.c3 dxc3 9.Nxc3 c6 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qxh7 Rg7 12.Qh6 Qf6 13.Bg5 Qd4 14.0-0 d6 15.Be3 Qb4 16.Rab1 Be6 17.d4 Kd7 18.e5 dxe5 19.dxe5 Kc7 20.Bg5 Bf5 21.Bf6 Rf7 22.Rbc1 Bxh6 23.Nd5+ Kb8 24.Nxb4 Bxc1 25.Rxc1 Rd7 26.h3 a5 27.Nc2 Bxc2 28.Rxc2 b5 29.Rxc6 Kb7 30.Rc5 Kb6 31.Rc3 b4 32.Rg3 Rg8 33.e6 Rd6 34.f4 Rxe6 35.Be5 g5 36.Bd4+ Kb5 37.f5 Re4 38.Bf6 Rf4 39.h4 Rxf5 40.hxg5 Rxf6 41.gxf6 Rxg3 42.f7 Rd3 43.f8Q Rd1+ 44.Kh2 Rd5 45.Qb8+ Kc4 46.b3+ Kd4 47.Qf4+ Kc5 48.Qc4+ Kd6 49.g3 Rd2+ 50.Kh3 Rxa2 51.g4 a4 52.Qxb4+ Kd5 53.bxa4 Re2 54.Qb5+ Kd6 55.Qxe2 Black resigned, roosmanla - steveod, FICS, 2008) 6.Nf3 d6 7.c3 h6 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 Be6 10.d5 Bd7 11.Nc3 g5 12.Qd4 Bg7 13.Qd3 a6 14.Be3 Qe7 15.Bd4 Bxd4 16.Qxd4 Nf6 17.0-0 Rae8 18.Rfe1 g4 19.Nd2 Nh5 20.Re2 Rhg8 21.g3 Qf6 22.Qxf6+ Nxf6 23.Rae1 Rg5 24.f4 gxf3 25.Nxf3 Rg4 26.e5 Nxd5 27.Nxd5 c6 28.Nf4 Be6 29.Nxe6 Rxe6 30.exd6 Rxd6 31.Re7+ Kf6 32.Rxb7 Rd3 33.Kg2 Rb4 34.Rxb4 Black resigned, bushytail - steveod, FICS, 2010; and

5.Bxg8 Rxg8 6.d3 h6 7.Nxe5 d6 8.Nf3 Bg4 9.Nbd2 Kd7 10.b3 Qg5 11.Bb2 Bxf3 12.Nxf3 Qxg2 13.Rf1 Nxf3+ 14.Ke2 Nxh2 15.Re1 Qf3+ 16.Kd2 Qxf2+ 17.Re2 Qf4+ 18.Re3 Nf1+ 19.Qxf1 Qxf1 20.Rxf1 Be7 21.Kc1 Bg5 22.Rfe1 Raf8 23.Kb1 Bxe3 24.Rxe3 Rf1+ 25.Bc1 g5 26.e5 h5 27.e6+ Ke7 28.d4 c6 29.Kb2 g4 30.b4 h4 31.Re4 h3 32.Be3 h2 33.Bf4 h1Q White resigned, EstonianBear - steveod, FICS, 2002.

Meanwhile, back at the game...

5.Nxe5 d6 

Kick the Knight that protects the Bishop.

6.Bxg8 dxe5 7.Bc4 

Black may have psyched himself into a corner: If you want the Giuoco Piano, you can't have it; If you want me to take the Bishop, I won't take it... 

White is ahead by two pawns, and his King is safer.

7...Bg4 

dan-p has another trick up his sleeve: if White now takes the Bishop with 8.Qxg4, there is the Knight fork 8...Nxc2+, winning the Rook!

Only there is a problem with this line, as after 9.Kd1 Nxa1 White has 10.Qe6 checkmate.

8.f3  

White is comfortably ahead, he does not need complications. This is a 5-minute blitz game.

8...Be6 9.Bxe6 Kxe6 10.c3 Nc6 11.Qb3+ Kd7 12.Qxb7 

Okay, he goes for slight complications, ignoring the ancient wisdom "He who takes the Queen's Knight pawn sleeps in the gutter".

If necessary, White's Queen can retreat behind some solid pawns - and Black's King is still more poorly placed.

12...Rb8 13.Qa6 Qf6 14.O-O Nd4 15.Qxf6 g6 

More misfortune. I am sure this is a mouse slip for the intended 15...gxf6.

16.cxd4 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Among the "Worst Chess Openings"

DanielYT has compiled a half-dozen "Worst Chess Openings" and illustrated them with short YouTube videos.

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) - of course! - finds itself in the company of  the Senechaud Countergambit, the Mosquito Gambit, the Matovinsky Gambit, the Orsini Gambit, and the Frederico Variation.

The Jerome line given is the "Silicon Defense" or "Annoying Defense", 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6 8.fxe5 dxe5.

The Database has 342 games with this line, with White scoring 50% - which is really not that bad.

I wonder how well the other named openings score?

Jerome Gambit: No Longer Gloom and Doom

 

Thursday, March 10, 2022, was a gloomy day for this blog.

In "Jerome Gambit: No Longer Reaping the Benefits" I bemoaned the fact that

A look at the statistics provided by the blogger.com site shows that last month, February 2022, set a record - for the fewest views of this blog, ever. Given that there are over 160 other months of posts to compare it too, that's quite grim.

However, as the American writer Mark Twain once wrote, "The report of my death was an exaggeration". 

Blogger.com statistics for the recent month of May, 2023 show almost 20 times the number of views compared to 15 months earlier - the highest since that time.

That's quite an increase.

To steal (and mangle) a quote from a previous future American president, "You don't have the Jerome Gambit to kick around any more".

I owe many, many thanks to readers of the blog, old and new.

Jerome Gambit: More TikTok

 TikTok

In earlier posts (see "Jerome Gambit: Fun" and "Jerome Gambit: How How Do You REALLY Feel?") I have mentioned short TikTok videos covering the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

Chessfriend Yury V. Bukayev recently sent an updated TikTok link, "chess knowledge with h1 gambit jerome", worth checking out.

Part education, part entertainment, fully Jerome.

Jerome Gambit Declined 4...Kf8

This blog has featured a lot of Jerome Gambits with Bill Wall playing the White pieces.

Occasionally we show him playing the Black pieces.

In those cases, which prevails, Wall or Jerome? 

Predictably, it is Wall.

Muralha - Wall, Bill

internet, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kf8 

According to The Database, Bill is 8 - 0 against the ...Kf8 declined Jerome Gambit. This is his only attempt to play the declined.

This is the only Jerome Gambit that The Database has for Muralha.

By the way, according to The Database White scores 60% against the Jerome Gambit declined with 4...Kf8, versus 51% against the Jerome Gambit accepted with 4...Kxf7. (Less often seen is 4...Ke7, where White scores 72%.)

5.Bxg8 

White settles for a position where he is a pawn ahead.

Stockfish 15.1 rates the withdrawal 5.Bb3 as about a half pawn better than the text. 

5...Kxg8 6.O-O d6 7. c3 Qf6 8.Qb3+ Qf7 9.c4 

A pawn ahead, he decides to clamp down on the d5 square.

9...Qg6 10.g3 

Anticipating Black's next move. With 10.Nc3 Bh3 11.Ne1 Rf8 12.Nd5 White could have retained a slight edge. 

10...Bh3 11.d4 Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Bxd4 13.c5+ 

Black has several ways to meet this discovered check.

13...Qf7 14.Be3 

Exchanging Queens with 14.Qxf7+ would then allow White to move his attacked Rook, but a lead in development and the two Bishops would still keep Black better.

14...Qxb3 15.axb3 Bxe3 16.fxe3 Bxf1 17.Kxf1 dxc5 

Up the exchange and a pawn, facing White's shattered pawn stucture, Black has a technical win - which he is happy to demonstrate.

18.Ke2 a5 19.Nc3 Kf7 20.Nd5 Rhc8 21.Rf1+ Ke6 22.g4 b6 23.Nc3 c6 24.Na4 Rf8 25.Rg1 Rab8 26.g5 Kd6

White resigned

Jerome Gambit: The Unsafe Enemy King

The unsafe enemy King is the theme of many Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games.

It is true that in the following game there is a short interlude where White's Queen gathers in some pawns, but in the end there is checkmate.

Q.E.D.

Wall, Bill - Zulfikar

internet, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.h3 

Bill has enough faith in his own ability (and the Jerome Gambit?) that he can experiment.

The Database has 7 games with this move (White scores 6 - 1), 4 of them by Bill.

The whole situation is a bit puzzling. White has started a sacrificial attack - one that Stockfish (the skeptic) sees as turning the advantage over to the defender. Still, the attacker, knowing that his opponents often take the opportunity to find a second-, third- or fourth-best move, gives them a chance.

5...h6 

A defensive move (protecting the g5 square) that is not necessary; continued development would be the right idea.

Bill has also seen:

5...Nf6 6.Nc3 Rf8 7.Qe2 d6 8.Qc4+ Be6 9.Ng5+ Kg8 10.Nxe6 Bxf2+ 11.Kxf2 Nd5+ 12.Nxf8 Qxf8+ 13.Kg1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Stick,K, Chess.com  2010;

5...Bxf2+ 6.Kxf2 Nf6 7.Nc3 d6 8.d3 h6 9.Rf1 g5 10.Kg1 Rf8 11.h4 g4 12.Bxh6 Rh8 13.Bg5 gxf3 14.Qxf3 Bg4 15.Qxg4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest468009, PlayChess.com 2018; and

5...d6 6.O-O Nd4 7.d3 Nf6 8.Ng5+ Ke8 9.c3 Ne6 10.Nf3 h6 11.d4 exd4 12.cxd4 Bb6 13.Nc3 Ng5 14.Nxg5 hxg5 15.Bxg5 Bxh3 16.gxh3 Rxh3 17.Nd5 c6 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Qg4 Qd7 20.Qg8 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest604541, PlayChess.com 2018. 

6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Qh4 

The two players contested a Jerome Gambit a couple of years ago, without moving their h-pawns: Wall, Bill - Zulfikar, internet, 2021: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.O-O Be6 9.f4 Nc6 10.Qd3 Na5 11.Nd2 c6 12.b4 Qb6+ 13.Kh1 Qxb4 14.Ba3 Qa4 15.f5 Bc4 16.Qxd6 Nf6 17.Nxc4 Nxc4 18.Qe6 checkmate. 

8.O-O Bxd4 

As in the earlier game. Stronger was 8...Qxe4.

9.Qxd4 d6 

White has a pawn for a piece. He needs to stir things up. 

10.f4 Nc6 11.Qc4+ Be6 12.Qb5 Nge7 13.f5 

13...Bd7 14.Qb3+ Ke8 15.Nc3 Nd4

This is an invitation to White's Queen to go pawn-hunting. White's King is safe enough (and Black's pieces far enough away, except for the Queen) that he can afford to do so.

16.Qxb7 Bc6 17.Qxc7 Rc8 18.Qxa7 Nxc2 19.Rb1 Nb4 

Here we have a typical Jerome Gambit position: Black has an extra piece and he is better developed, but his unsafe King oveturns all of this, and his opponent is better.

20.Be3 Nc2 21.Bf2 Qg5 22.Rbc1 Nb4 23.Qd4 Na6 24.Qxd6 Rd8 

25.Qe5 Rd2 26.Nd5 Rxf2

A tactical slip. This would work if White now captured with his Rook.

27.Kxf2 Qd2+ 

Not quite a spite check, but the end is near.

28.Kg1 Bxd5 29.exd5 Rf8 30.Rc8+ Kf7 31.Qe6 checkmate