Jerome Gambit: Unsafe (for me) At Any Speed (Part 1)

I wanted to play a game of chess.

I went online to the Free Internet Chess Server.

I challenged a Guest.

I should have paid more attention.

Hey! Wait a minute! What is the time control for this game? 2 12? What am I doing playing at this speed? 

perrypawnpusher - GuestJDZB

2 12 blitz, FICS, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5...

I was banging out my moves, hoping that I could use my knowedge of the opening lines to put some increment time on my clock. 

8...Qe7 

At this point I had the suspicion that my opponent had met the Jerome Gambit before, although there is no way to check The Database, due to his use of the "Guest" handle.

As I mentioned back in the post "Fire Exit"

It's always a good thing if Black can get in ...Qf6 or ...Qe7 in a meaningful way.

Interestingly, The Database has 315 games with this position, with White scoring 53%. By comparison, the lichess.org website has 8,071 games with the position, with White scoring 51%. Close.

9.Qe3 Nf6 10.Nc3 Ng4 

There are 8 examples of 10...Ng4 in The Database, with White scoring an understandable 54% (see previous note). Surprisingly, the 33 games at lichess.org show White scoring 71%.

I don't know how to account for the discrepancy.

I have also faced 10...d6 in a number of games:

perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, 10 5 blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 22);

perrypawnpusher - Navarrra, 6 12 blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 24);

perrypawnpusher - chingching, 5 11 blitz, FICS, 2011 (1/2 - 1/2, 36);

perrypawnpusher - mikelars, 4 12 blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 50);

perrypawnpusher - ZhekaR, 10 5 blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 36);

perrypawnpusher - MarkHundleby1, Chess.com, 2013 (1-0, 27);

perrypawnpusher - alvarzr, 2 12 blitz, FICS, 2013 (0-1, 59) 

perrypawnpusher - CorH, 3 12 blitz, FICS, 2014 (0-1, 41)

[That's right, it looks like I have discovered one more of my games that has not yet made it into this blog. It will appear soon. - Rick]

I have also faced 10...Kf7, in perrypawnpusher - frencheng, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2-1/2, 34) 

11.Qe2 d5 

A thematic move in the Jerome Gambit - in other lines. I was surprised to see, after the game, that both my opponent and I had overlooked that ...d5 here simply drops a pawn to 12.Nxd5. 

(This is even more puzzling when I recall that I chose 10.Nc3 over 10.d3, in order to hit the d5 square. Tick, tick, tick... For both of us.)

Instead, there was 11...Nf6 12.d4 d5 13.e5 Ng8 14.Nxd5 Qd7 15.Nc3 and now taking the d-pawn would be even, although the computer slightly prefers (by a half-pawn) 15...N8e7. 

12.d3 Rf8 

Instead, 12...d4 would have withdrawn the opportunity of my grabbing that pawn.

13.O-O 

Uh, 13.Nxd5 would have kept the game even. 

[to be continued]