The Jerome Gambit: Another Jerome Gambit Practice Tournament (Part 6)

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Another Jerome Gambit Practice Tournament (Part 6)

Familiarity with the Jerome Gambit lines is helpful in navigating its tricky ways.

Be sure to check out Geoff Chandler's "Blunder Table", below, as it gives the insights of a creative player and chess teacher on how much an advantage is usually enough for a player to have, in order to advance to a win.

Duckfest - LemonOtter42

Jerome Gambit Practice Tournament, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6

Leaving the Rook en prise, either an oversight, or the Blackburne Defense.

The latter harkens back to the brutal game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884 (0-1, 14), the one Jerome Gambit game most chessplayers are likely to be familiar with.

As I wrote in "Harried"

Here "Amateur" played 8.Qxh8 and after 8...Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6 10.c3 he was crushed by Blackburne: 10...Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8 Qxh3+ 14.gxh3 Bxe4 checkmate.

At that time, 10.Qd8 was suggested by J.B. and E.M. Munoz, giving White the better game; although, almost 120 years later, Chandler and Dimitrov showed that Black could hold the draw.

8.Qxh8 Qf6

Reacting to the enemy Queen.

White is content to swap, being the exchange and a couple of pawns ahead.

9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.d3 Ng4 11.O-O d5

12.Nc3 d4 13.Nd5 Bd6 14.Bf4 Be5 15.Bxe5 Nxe5

White continues to move ahead.

It is good to reflect upon Geoff Chandler's "blunder table"

Here is a one-move blunder table showing how severe the blunder [or advantage, in this case - Rick] needs to be in a game between two players of the same grade.

All players should be able to spot their opponent leaving a mate in one on.
A 1200 player should win if an opponent blunders a Queen or a Rook. But not necessarily if they pick up a Bishop or Knight.
1500 players often convert piece-up games into a win, but this is not the case if a pawn or two up.
An 1800 player usually wins if they are two pawns up.