Jerome Gambit: Hobbesian

Most of the time, I enjoy playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

Every once in a while, however, I am reminded that it is, after all, a refuted opening.

Usually those games are a very Hobbesian (not Calvin's pal), that is nasty, brutish and short.

This time the reminder was Klewnom. 

It looks like I am going to have to win the rest of my games in order to advance to the next round of this tournament. Fortunately, at least one of the games is also a Jerome.

perrypawnpusher - Klewnom

Italian Game tournament, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.Na3 

I thought I would try something different.

There are 71 other games with this move in The Database, with White scoring 48%.

Stockfish 15.1 (30 ply) rates Black about 4 pawns better.

The earliest mention I have seen of the move is in "Chess Theory for Beginners" by Lieut. Sorensen, in the May 1877 issue of Nordisk Skaktidende.

As I wrote in my post "The Jerome Gambit Article (Part 7)" 

Sorensen also suggested the direct 8.Na3 which “appears to offer favorable chances for White” according to Gossip (Theory, 1879), although it is hard to see anything but misery for White after the straightforward 8…Bxa3.

The most recent coverage of the move was in Yury V. Bukayev's post "Anatoly Karpov & Jerome Gambit (Part 4)"

8...c6 9.d4 

Yury Bukayev has invented the attack 9.f4 and recommends it to play here: 

I) 9...Ng6 10.Nc4+!

II) 9...Qe7 10.fe+!

III) 9...Qh4+! 10.g3! Qe7 [10...Nf3+! 11.Kd1 (or 11.Kf1 Qe7!) 11...Qe7! - the best defence, Black has a serious advantage, but White has some practical chance to fight] 11.fe+!
 

IV) 9...Nd3+ 10.cd!
 

V) 9...Nf3+ 10.gf!

9...Bxd4 10.c3 

This was my idea - to give up a pawn for open lines - but it doesn't seem to go anywhere.

After the game, Stockfish 15.1 suggested 10.Bf4, but 10...Qa5+ 11.c3 Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 Qxc3+ 13.Ke2 Qb2+ 14.Nc2 Qxc2+ 15.Kf1 has its own kind of misery.

10...g6 

This is a new move, according to The Database, but it works just fine.

11.Qf4 Ke6 12.Qg3 

Sadly, White can not capture the Bishop with 12.cxd4 because that would allow the brutal fork 12...Nd3+.

12...Bc5 

Black is up two pieces, for which White has an extra pawn compensation.

As Carly Simon sang, "This isn't exactly what we had planned".

I tried something that might have worked in blitz, but I could easily have resigned here, as I think the time control was 2 days per move.

13.f4 Nf7 14.f5+ gxf5 15.exf5+ Ke7 

Prudent. I had hoped for the greedy 15...Kxf5, when 16.Rf1+ would have been deadly.

16.Be3 Bxe3 17.Qxe3+ Kf8 18.O-O-O d5 

19.g4 Qg5 

An exchange of Queens seals it.

20.Rhe1 Qxe3+ 21.Rxe3 Nf6 22.h3 h5 White resigned