Jerome Gambit: Thus Endeth the Round...

Thus endeth another unfortunate game, in a rather unfortunate tournament round.

perrypawnpusher - egornikol

"Giuoco Fun", Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

This move first appeared in Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's analysis in the July 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal, in the article about the third variation of "Jerome's Double Opening".

The first game that I have with this position in The Database is that of Jerome defending against his own opening, against Daniel Jaeger. See "Jerome Gambit / Jerome Defense".

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Qe7 

According to The Database, I had scored 4 - 0 in games with this line. Such is the value of surprise and unorthodoxy: Stockfish 16.1 (30 ply) evaluates the position as being a bit over two pawns better for Black.

9.d3 Nf6 10.O-O Bd7 

Black's game looks remarkably healthy, despite his misplaced King. 

It is interesting to note some of the online players who have reached this position with the White pieces (albeit at blitz or bullet time controls): Mwafakalhaswa (1957), rahaf2018 (2065), Deniack (2108), DutchLiLi (2133), and TePart0 (2395). 

11.Bg5 

My opponent wisely sees one weakness of this move, compared to 11.Nc3 or 11.Be3.

11...Qe5 12.Qxe5 dxe5 13.Nc3 c6 

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece, but Black's two Bishops are strong, and his King is not in danger.

14.Na4 

Going after the "minor exchange", or chasing the enemy Bishop off of the a7-b1 diagonal in order to allow f2-f4.

14...Bd6 15.f4 b5 16.Nc3 h6 

17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.f5 

Deciding on a "come and get me" strategy. Sad.

18...Kf7 19.Rf3 

Planning an artificial defense, instead of the simpler 19.g3.

19...Rag8 20.Rg3 Rxg3 21.hxg3 Bc5+ 

As the saying goes, Now that you've got what you want, do you really want what you've got?

At this point, my only chance was a blunder by my opponent. Wasn't going to happen.

22.Kh2 Rg8 23.Kh3 Be3 24.Rf1 a5 25.g4 Ke7 26.Nd1 Bg5 27.b3 Be8 28.Nf2 Kd6 White resigned

Will Black's King break through on the Queenside? Will his Rook break through on the Kingside?

I decided not to hang around and find out.

On to the next Italian Game tournament!

Jerome Gambit: Slip (Part 2)

[continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - ponomargoal

"Giuoco Fun", Chess.com, 2024

25.Qc4 

Not thinking things through. Better was 25.Ng5 Qc6 26.Rxd8+ Rxd8 27.Nf3 with a continued advantage. 

The problem was that I missed an intermezzo move.

25...Qxc4 26.bxc4 

Offering a Queen exchange was a pretty wimpy move for me, but this capture overlooks play on the d-file. Best was first 26.Rxd8+ Rxd8 managing to keep the game equal. 

26...Rxd1 

Of course.

27.Rxd1 Bxe4 

Sigh.

It's not the slip that hurts you, it's the sudden stop at the end.

I played on a little bit longer, hoping against hope. I home my opponent was not offended.

28.c5 b5 29.c3 Rd8 30.Rxd8+ Kxd8 31.g3 Kd7 

32.Kf1 Kc6 33.a3 Kd5 34.Ke2 Kc4 35.h3 Kxc3 

36.Be1+ Kc4 37.Bxa5 Nxg3+ 38.Kf2 Nf5 39.Bxc7 Kxc5 40.Ba5 Nd4 White resigned

With a ticking clock, it might be worth hanging around a few more moves, but the time control on this game was 3 days per move.

The moral of this story (game) is that the Jerome Gambit creates complicated positions where Black can make mistakes.

But White has to be careful about making mistakes, himself, lest he slip.

Jerome Gambit: Slip (Part 1)

It is hard to blame the following loss on the opening, the Jerome Gambit. White was doing well - until he slipped.

perrypawnpusher - ponomargoal

"Giuoco Fun", Chess.com, 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 d6 9.Qe3 b6 

This rare move was new to me. The Database has White scoring 7 - 2 against it. 

I should not have been put off - I have faced Black's Queenside fianchetto in the Jerome Gambit (other, but similar positions) 31 times, scoring 81%.

10.O-O Bb7 11.d4 

This might have been a bit optimistic. Reinforcing the e-pawn with 11.Nc3 Nf6 12.d3 looks a bit better. Stockfish 16.1 continues 12...d5 13.Nxd5 Bxd5 14.exd5+ Kf8 15.c4 Qd6 16.Bd2 c6 17.dxc6 Qxc6 still giving Black the advantage.

11...Nf6 12.Nc3 Qe7 13.Re1 Kd7 

Black boldly takes his King off the e-file, so he can put a Rook there.

14.f4 Rae8 15.e5 

This is the thematic break, but it, alone, is not enough.

15...dxe5 16.dxe5 

Stockfish 16.1 channels chessfriend Yury V. Bukayev's move (elswhere) 16.Qh3+ as best here, followed by 17.fxe5. 

16...Nh5 

An unfortunate slip by my opponent, reversing our fortunes.

Better 16...Ng4, as 17.Qd3+ Kc8 18.Qf5+ can be met by 18...Qe6 blocking the check and protecting the piece.  

17.Qh3+ Qe6 18.Qxh5 

What could be simpler than grabbing the Knight?

A little more "complex" would have helped: 18.f5 Qc6 19.fxg6+ when 19...Re6 20.Ne2 Qxg2+ 21.Qxg2 Bxg2 22.Kxg2 Rxg6+and White would be a piece up.

18...Ne7 19.Be3 g6 20.Rad1+ Kc8 21.Qe2 Nf5 22.Bf2 h5 

White is two pawns up. That, and his center pawns, give him the advantage.

23.Ne4 a5 24.b3 Rd8 

Black's blockade of the enemy e- and f-pawns helps his defense. It will take a while for White to cash in on his advantage.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Back To The Drawing Board (Again)

                                                             

After having to resign my last two games in the Chess.com "Giuoco Fun" tournament, I finished Round 3 with an unimpressive 3 - 3 - 2 score.

More disconcerting, I scored only 1 - 3 with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). 

Part of my problem was a deficiency in tactics: in two of the losses, I simply dropped a piece - not in the opening, but in the middlegame. For an example, see perrypawnpusher - Wander007, Giuoco Fun, Chess.com, 2024 (0-1, 41)

In the third loss, I was simply outplayed throughout the game.

As suggested in the previous post, it is unlikely that I will progress to Round 4.

It is time to upgrade my play, and, while I am at it, re-evaluate my opening lines.

After all, I have already signed up for the 50-player "Italian Game" tournament, and, as always, I intend to play as many Jerome Gambits as possible.

Jerome Gambit: Something Stupid (Part 3)

[continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - Wander007

Giuoco Fun, Chess.com, 2024

 

32.Qf4+ Qd6 

Exchanging Queens does not ease the defensive task; in fact, it drops a piece.

33.Qxd6+ Rxd6 34.Bxe7 Rd7 35.Bg5 Bxd3 36.Rd2 Bxe4 

At first glance, Black might think that he need only exchange Rooks so that he can enter a Bishops-of-Opposite-Colors endgame that has significant drawing potential.

In this case, however, Black's King is too far away from White's Kingside pawns to effectively blockade them. 

37.g3 Bf3 38.Rc2 

Cutting off the enemy King.

38...Kb7 39.Kf2 Rf7 40.Ke3 Be4 

41.Bf4?

My opponent messaged me "What?"

I could claim lack of sleep, but the time control was 3 days per move, so there was no reason to hurry into this blunder.   

41...Bxc2 White resigned

Wander007 hung in, and finished by gathering the full point. I wish him the best of luck in his remaining games.

This loss probably ended my chances to move on to the next round in the Giuoco Fun tournament. I have two more Jerome Gambits ongoing, and they both look a bit sickly... Probably end up in 3rd place in my group of 5 - only the top 2 will advance.

 

Jerome Gambit: Something Stupid (Part 2)

[continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - Wander007

Giuoco Fun, Chess.com, 2024

The position is double-edged. White's pawn center is impressive. Black's King has castled-by-hand on the Queenside and he has attacking chances on the Kingside.

Evaluations and notes based upon computer assessments after the game make me wonder why I consult silicon assistants.

19...Qg4 20.Ng5 

After the game Stockfish 16.1 suggested a wild line of play: 20.Ne1 Raf8 21.Bg5 c5 22.b5 Bc8 23.a4 Rf7 24.a5 Rgf8 25.h3 Qxg5!? 26.fxg5 Rxf1+ 27.Kh2 Ne5 28.d4 cxd4 29.Qxd4 Bb7 30.Rd1 Rd8 31.Nc2 Rxd1 32.Qxd1 Bxe4 33.Ne3 Rf8 34.Qd4 Bg6 - the computer gives White less than a pawn's worth advantage here. 

This was all beyond my imagination, of course.

20...h6 21.h3 Qd7 22.f5 hxg5 23.fxg6 

23...Rxg6 

The computer much preferred 23...Nxg6, because now White has 24.e5 Ng8 25.Qe4 Rh6 26.exd6+ Kb7 27.Be5 Re8 28.b5 Rxd6 29.a4 Nh6 30.a5 Nf7 31.d4 Nxe5 32.bxa6+ Ka8 33.dxe5 Rde6 34.Rf5 Qc7 35.Rxg5 Rxe5 36.Qxe5 Rxe5 37.Rg8+ Qb8 38.Rxb8+ Kxb8 39.axb6 axb6 and it sees White as clearly better.

Of course, if I could have seen that line of play, I wouldn't need Stockfish to help me.

24.Bxg5 Rag8 25.h4 Qe6 26.Rf2 

My tendancy to grab pawns has given Black chances.

26...d5 

Risky, although neither of us understood why.

27.cxd5 

The magic move was 27.b5!? followed by 28.cxd5 cxd5 29.Qf4+, but - seriously. 

27...cxd5 28.Rc1+ Kb7 

Getting in the way of the Bishop. 28...Kb8 kept things balanced. 

29.Rfc2 

29...Rc8 30.a4 Rxc2 

What could be more natural than exchanging off an attacking piece? Still, Stockfish 16.1 pointed out that we had missed Black's chance to transition into a Queen + pawns vs Queen + pawns endgame: 30...Ka8 31.Rxc8+ Nxc8 32.e5 Rg8 33.Rf1 Ne7 34.Rf6 Qg4 35.e6 Qxb4 36.Rf4 Qd6 37.Rf7 Re8 38.h5 Bc8 39.h6 Bxe6 40.Rxe7 Rxe7 41.Bxe7 Qxe7 42.h7 Qxh7 43.Qxe6 Kb8 44.Qxd5 Qc7 45.Qg8+ Kb7 46.Qc4 where White has an edge (I think).

31.Rxc2 Kb8 

I was pleased to reach this position with White, but was flabbergasted, when things were all over, that the computer saw my position as almost a Rook better. It had to do with Black's pieces being awkwardly placed, although I still can not see it.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Something Stupid (Part 1)

The following Jerome Gambit game bring to mind a lyric from a 1960s song by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra, with my own little twist

...and then I go and spoil it all by playing something stupid like dropping a Rook..

I would love to just "forget" about the game, but I have promised to share every one of my Jerome's, good, bad, or indifferent - so here we go. 

perrypawnpusher - Wander007

Giuoco Fun, Chess.com, 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 d6 9.Qe3 Be6 

Black's Bishop and Knight need to be careful about White advancing his f-pawn to threaten a fork.

10.O-O Kd7 

Black's King gets off of the e-file, in case it is opened.

11.f4 Bc4 12.d3 Ba6 13.c4

White's center control balances his two-pawns-for-a-piece material deficit.

13...b6 14.Nd2 N8e7 

Putting the Knight on f6, or, even better, putting the Queen there, was a small improvement.

15.b4 c6 

Anticipating b4-b5, which was not part of my plan. 

16.Bb2 

16...Kc7 

Black is not afraid to have the g-file opened.

17.Bxg7 Rg8 18.Bf6 Qd7 19.Nf3 

Stockfish 16.1 gives White a slight (less than the value of a pawn) advantage. White's pawns control the center, although Black has the opportunity to move his Rook from a8 to f8 and provide more piece pressure on the Kingside.

[to be continued]