Repeated Face Palm

 

Almost 4 1/2 years ago, and not for the first time, it was necessary to post a(nother) warning

I need to spend a moment or two on a Jerome Gambit variation that has been bothering me for almost 20 years. (See "Another Way to Sacrifice the Knight" and "PSA 2.0" for a couple of rants.) A disreputable line in a disreputable opening, it keeps showing up in games. I would like to call it the Face Palm Variation.

The variation is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+

 Even in the topsy-turvey world of the Jerome Gambit, it still is a bit outrageous.

On the other hand, it offers only one piece, while the Jerome offers two, so maybe...

No, Stockfish 16.1 (30 ply) evaluates the Face Palm position as about a Rook better for Black, which is twice as bad as it evaluates the Jerome Gambit.

So - Why the fuss? I am not recommending the line.

Going through The Database today, I stumbled upon the following game:

pajeloi_skripach - N-Word-Abuser, 3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2019: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ Qxg5 6.d4 exd4 0-1

Take a closer look. White is willing to sacrifice his Knight, because, after the enemy Queen captures it, he can play 6.d4 and simultaneously attack the Queen and an enemy Bishop.

This is faulty reasoning, though, as Black can avoid cooperating by playing 6...exd4 - dropping his Queen - and, instead, cause plenty of mayhem after 6...Qxg2.

(So, how did Black win the game after offering his Queen? On time, of course.)

Checking The Database, there are 748 games with 5.Ng5+, with White scoring 26% - up 3% from the earlier Face Palm post of 24%.

Checking lichess.org, there are 32,891 games with 5.Ng5+, with White scoring 31%!?

There is no way that 5.Ng5+ is getting stronger over time, is there?

Probably not, but it is fun to see that a few years ago a player rated 2770 at the online lichess.org site played a 3 0 blitz game with 5.Ng5+ (against a player rated "only" 2298), and checkmated his opponent in 10 moves:1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ Kf8 6.Qh5 g6 7.Nxh7+ Kf7 8.Ng5+ Kf6 9.Qxh8+ Kxg5 10.d4+ Kg4 11.f3 checkmate

Shakespeare's Hamlet was right when he said, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horation, than are dreamt of in our philosphy."