It is often fun to see how Black works to dispose of the Jerome Gambit - an opening that appears so bad that it can be vanquished on-the-spot by a quickly assembled-at-home response.
I got to play an online blitz game the other day, and it was reassuring to see that tradition is still respected.
perrypawnpusher - SSGSSGSSG
5 5 blitz, FICS, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
The Two Knights defense. I have to try for a Jerome, anyhow.
4.Nc3 Bc5
Now I can get a Jerome out of this.
For some reason I am always uneasy playing this line. Hmmm. Let me check The Database...
I thought so. I have played 60 games with the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit line, and have scored only 74%.
That compares to the regular Jerome Gambit move order, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, which I have played 319 times and have scored 82%.
Or the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+, which I have played 58 times, and have scored 88%.
Even with the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7, which I have played 58 times, I have scored 78%.
(It has to be me. I just checked Bill Wall's statistics, and he scores "only" 92% with the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, vs 93% with the regular Jerome.)
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4
There you have it. Problem solved. Stockfish 9 even gives Black a 1/3 of a pawn advantage here. Now to finish White off.
8.dxe5 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4
10.Qd5+
How rude.
This kind of thing happens in blitz games all the time. Three of my past games ended at this point: perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010; perrypawnpusher - KnightIsHorse, blitz, FICS, 2011; and perrypawnpusher - Sonndaze, blitz, FICS, 2011.
10...Kf8
Or 10...Ke8, as in perrypawnpusher - Aerandir, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 15).
11.Qxe4 d6
12.O-O Qe7
I had seen 12...dxe5 13.Qxe5 Qe7 before (but, of course, did not remember it) in perrypawnpusher - obmanovichhh, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 39).
The text has a weakness (putting the Queen on a dangerous diagonal) that 12...Qe8 might have avoided.
13.Ba3 Be6
Probably stronger than 13...c5, which was seen in perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 17); but Stockfish 9 prefers 13...Kf7.
14.exd6 cxd6
Okay. Time to take stock. White has recovered his sacrificed piece, with better development and a safer King. His extra pawn is not a big deal, as it is doubled and isolated - a fair reminder that lazy play could lead to a Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame that Black could draw easily.
So - What weakness in Black's position should White focus on?
15.Rae1
I decided to pin the Bishop and put pressure on it.
If you thought, instead, that White should go after the d-pawn with 15.Rad1, threatening Black's Queen and King along the a3-f8, Stockfish 9 agrees with you.
15...Kf7 16.f4 g6
17.f5 gxf5 18.Rxf5+ Kg7
19.Qxe6
Sure, this works, but so does 19.Qg4+ Kh6 20.Rh5 checkmate. Ooops.
Now Black has to exchange Queens and go into a lost endgame - or face checkmate.
19...Qc7 20.Qf6+ Black resigned
Although the attack in my most recent Jerome Gambit game was unsound, it succeeded in winning back the sacrificed piece, reaching a drawn 2Rs + Ps vs 2Rs + Ps endgame. Alas, I let up my focus too soon, and my opponent's tactic won a rook, and the game.
perrypawnpusher - spince
blitz, FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
An earlier game against the same opponent continued 3...Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8, perrypawnpusher - spince, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 23).
4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Re8
9.0-0
Instead, 9.Bg5 followed by 10.0-0-0 was seen in Wall,B - PLMW, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 24).
9...Kg8
This is an improvement over 9...Nc6 of perrypawnpusher - DrHilarius, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 27) and 9...Nfg4 of perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22).
10.f4
A bit stronger is 10.Bg5 as in perrypawnpusher - hklett, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 20) and billwall - chiefh1, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 29).
10...Nc6 11.Qd3 d6 12.Bd2 Be6
Or 12...Kh8 as in perrypawnpusher - Fazmeister, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 36).
13.f5 Bf7 14.a3 Re5 15.Bf4 Re7 16.Rae1 Ne5 17.Qh3 Qe8 18.Bg5 Rd7 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.g4
This kind of thing always seems to work for Bill Wall.
20...Qf8 21.Kh1 Qg7 22.Rg1 Kf8 23.Qg3 Ke7 24.Nd5+ Kd8 25.Qf4 c6 26.Nc3 Kc7 27.h4 Rg8 28.Re3 Qf8
Black could have played 28...Nxg4, but he had already decided on his defense.
29.Reg3 Qe7 30.g5 fxg5 31.hxg5 d5 32.exd5 Bxd5+ 33.Nxd5+ Rxd5 34.Re3
Instead, c2-c4, either here or the next move, would give White the advantage.
34...Kc8 35.Rge1 Qxg5 36.Qxg5 Rxg5 37.Rxe5 Rd4 38.R1e2
This move is okay, but 38.Re8+ Kc7 39.Re7+ Kb6 40.Rxh7 Rxf5 41.Ree7 would have made the draw clear.
38...Rh5+ 39.Rh2
A blunder, which my opponent quickly spotted. Even was 39.Kg2.
39...Rd1+ 40.Kg2 Rd2+ 41.Kg3 Rdxh2 White resigned
(The list of the top 10 home countries of visitors to this blog, for all time, is: United States, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Brazil, Canada, Poland, Netherlands, Ukraine. Welcome, and feel free to return! - Rick)
In looking at ionman's Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and related games in the online FICS games database, I found an effort that had escaped The Database, a situation that I was glad to quickly correct.
ionman - RavingEagle
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening. If Black subsequently brings his Bishop out to c5, White can consider going Jerome-ish with Bxf7+.
4.d4 Na5
At some point this offside Knight move is going to become known as the "kick me maneuver".
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8
It is a measure of Black's difficulties to realize that his "strongest" move here is 6...Ke7, allowing the Knight fork at g6.
7.Qh5+ Ke7 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Qd5+
This is strong and winning.
Checking out The Database, only sanforu - goaheadandtakemy, blitz, FICS, 2008 has 9.Na3 that leads to mate in 3; and only plasmafaz - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2012 has 9.Nc3 that leads to mate in 4.
No matter, White has the fork mentioned in the note to move 6.
9...Ke7 10.Ng6+ Ke8 11.Nxh8 Nf6 12.Qf7 checkmate
It was late when this game was played, and I suspect that my opponent was in need of a cup of coffee.
perrypawnpusher - LydenChess
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game.
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4
This certainly has the right feel to it: Black has three pieces developed to White's one, and that one is pinned... What could go wrong?
8.dxe5 Nxe4
I hope that I do not give too much away with a note about a previous game: 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010.
9.Qd5+
Thus ended perrypawnpusher-kezientz, blitz, FICS, 2010.
9...Kf8
Or 9...Ke8 10.Qxe4 as in perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 33).
10.Qxe4 g6
Extreme puzzlement.
Before I had faced 10...Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 d6 in perrypawnpusher - obmanovichhh, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 39) and 10...Qe7 11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 d6 in perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 17).
11.Qxb4+ Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 13.0-0
Old habits die hard: get an advantage, exchange Queens, be sure that the King is safe, figure out the rest later...
13...Re8
Possibly planning to castle-by-hand?
14.Nd5+ Kd8
Reacting to the threatened Knight fork of the two Rooks at c7, but leading to something worse.
15.Bg5+ Black resigned
I do not think that my opponent took our game very seriously, which is something that I am used to with the Jerome Gambit.
There's nothing quite like a good mind-swarm of worries to degrade a player's chess abilities.
(For me, lack of appropriate levels of caffeine in my blood system runs a close second.)
perrypawnpusher - Abatwa
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
Opting for the Two Knights Defense.
A couple of games by my opponent continued with the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: 3...Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 (5...Ke7 6.d3 h6 7.Ng6+ Ke8 8.Nxh8 Nf6 9.0-0 Bd6 10.Re1 Bxh2+ 11.Kh1 Be5 12.c3 Nc6 13.Qb3, Black resigned, Abatwa - yeabro, FICS, 2010) 6.c3 Nc6 7.d4 Nce7 8.Qg4+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.
4.Nc3 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game.
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. My opponent and I have been here before.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
7...Bxd4
The most popular response, and stronger than my opponent's earlier, creative, efforts: 7...Bb4 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxe4 Qe7 11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 d6 13.Ba3 c5 14.Qf4+ Ke8 15.exd6 Qd7 16.Rfe1+ Kd8 17.Qg5+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010; and
7...Rf8 8.dxe5 Ne8 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Bg5+ Nf6 11.exf6+ gxf6 12.Qxc5+ d6 13.Nd5+ Kd7 14.Qd4 fxg5 15.Qg7+ Kc6 16.Qc3+ Kd7 17.0-0-0 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.
8.Qxd4 Re8 9.0-0 Nfg4
My opponent was spending a lot of time thinking, and this move gave me a bit of a start: my worries started to multiply, even though, objectively 9...d6 was better.
What was there to worrry about?
I would normally play 10.f4 here, but I imagined that Black would respond to the move with 10...Qh4, threatening mate. Of course, I could play 11.h3, but then he would have 11...Qg3, and if I took off the advanced Knight with 12.hxg4 he could replace it with 12...Nxg4.
After some thought, I played
10.Bf4
Not enough thought, of course.
My worried thoughts were faulty.
For starters, after 10.f4 Qh4 White would be able to remove the backup Knight with check either on his 11th or 12th moves.
Even after the hallucinated 10.f4 Qh4 11.h3 Qg3 12.hxg4 Nxg4 White can defend, with an even game, after 13.Qd5+ Kf8 14.Qh5.
Pretty sad.
Best was simply 10.h3, and after 10...Nf6 then 11.Bg5 d6 12.f4 Nc6, with Black still better.
One positive thing did come out of my odd Bishop move: I don't think it made sense to my opponent, either. What was I up to?? He continued to eat up thinking time.
10...Qf6 11.Qd2 Qg6
12.Bg3
I still wasn't sure what I was doing, either.
The straight-forward 12.h3 Nf6 13.Bxe5 Rxe5 14.f4 followed by 15.e5 would have given White the initiative and positional compensation for his material deficit.
12...d6
This certainly looks good: with four pieces aimed at my Kingside (let's not count the Black King) my opponent opens a line for a fifth.
I decided, though, that the pressure on the wing needed counter-pressure in the center.
13.Nd5 Rb8 14.Nxc7 Re7 15.Nd5 Re8 16.f3 Nf6 17.Nf4 Qh6 18.Qxd6
With three pawns for the piece, White is now probably even. It was nice to be forcing the pace of the game, making my opponent react.
18...Bd7 19.Nd5 Nxd5 20.Qxd5+
This keeps the game even, while 20.Bxe5 gives White the edge. How big an edge is not clear, as there is always the possibility of things devolving into a drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame if I am not careful.
20...Kf8
Unfortunately time had now become very much a factor for my opponent, and he missed the stronger 20...Qe6 which would have kept things level.
21.Bxe5 Qe3+ 22.Kh1 Black lost on time
Three extra pawns should be enough for White to win.
I did not recognize my opponent's name until after I had challenged him to this game. In two previous games I had not treated him kindly. I do not think that I will bother him any more in the future.
perrypawnpusher - Abatwa
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
The Two Knights Defense.
Previously my opponent had tried the Blackburne Schilling Gambit: 3...Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Nc6 7.d4 Nce7 8.Qg4+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.
4.Nc3
As I played this move, I wondered to myself if Abatwa had read my blog recently (see "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense Part 3 and Part 4" ).
4...Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game.
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4
Black has scored only 33% in this line in the games in the updated New Year's Database, and my games have been a wasteland for the second player. Best is 7...Bd6 8.dxd5 Bxe5.
Previously my opponent had played the intriguing 7...Rf8, although he did not follow up the move strongly: 8.dxe5 Ne8 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Bg5+ Nf6 11.exf6+ gxf6 12.Qxc5+ d6 13.Nd5+ Kd7 14.Qd4 fxg5 15.Qg7+ Kc6 16.Qc3+ Kd7 17.0-0-0 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.
8.dxe5 Nxe4
Alternately: 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ (here Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010) 10...Kf8 11.Qxe4 d6 12.0-0 dxe5 13.Qxe5 Qe7 14.Bf4 Qxe5 15.Bxe5 c6 16.Rad1 Bf5 17.Rd2 Kf7 18.Rfd1 Rhe8 19.f4 Re6 20.Rd8 Rxd8 21.Rxd8 Re7 22.Rd2 g5 23.g3 gxf4 24.gxf4 Be6 25.a3 Bc4 26.Kf2 b5 27.Ke3 a5 28.Rd6 Bd5 29.Rh6 Kg8 30.Kd4 a4 31.Kc5 Be4 32.Rxc6 Bxc6 33.Kxc6 Re6+ 34.Kxb5 Rh6 35.c4 Kf7 36.c5 Ke6 37.c6 Ke7 38.Kb6 Kd8 39.Kb7 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - obmanovich, blitz, FICS, 2010
9.Qd5+
And here Black resigned in perrypawnpusher - kezientz, blitz, FICS, 2010
9...Kf8
Or 9...Ke8 10.Qxe4 Rf8 11.Qxb4 b6 12.Qe4 Rb8 13.Qxh7 Qe7 14.Qh5+ Kd8 15.Bg5 Rf6 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qh8+ Qe8 18.Qxf6+ Qe7 19.0-0 Bb7 20.Qh8+ Qe8 21.Qxe8+ Kxe8 22.f4 Ke7 23.f5 Rg8 24.g3 a5 25.Rad1 c5 26.Nd5+ Kf7 27.Nxb6 Ke8 28.Nxd7 Kf7 29.Nxc5 Bc6 30.e6+ Ke7 31.f6+ Kf8 32.Rd8+ Be8 33.Nd7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010
10.Qxe4 Qe7
White is a pawn ahead, but Black's next move will diminish it to an isolated, doubled one. Still, this is better than a few moves ago, when I was down two pieces, and such a change in fortunes often causes me to suddenly go meek and mild...
11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 d6
13.Ba3 c5
Throwing some material on the deadly diagonal to block the Bishop. Black's best chance was to have his King to flee to f7, although after a Queen check he would lose the d6 pawn.
14.Qf4+ Ke8
It all goes to pieces quickly now. The Queen needed to leap in front of His Majesty, but my opponent probably did not want the exchange of pieces and subsequent two-pawn-down endgame, even if he did have slight prospects with the Bishops-of-opposite-colors.
15.exd6 Qd7 16.Rfe1+ Kd8 17.Qg5+ Black resigned
My first game against Abatwa (see"Pulled Up Short") was short. I challenged him again days later: would anything be different?
perrypawnpusher - Abatwa
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
Black decided, after some thought, not to play the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, as in our first game, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 8).
Good choice, but he was not out of the woods yet.
4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
7...Rf8
Figuring, I guess, that since he is going to lose a piece no matter which one he moves, he might as well prepare to safegard his King by castling-by-hand. Under other circumstances this would be a fine idea, but his best move here was 7...Bd6.
8.dxe5 Ne8
Understandably wanting to stay a piece ahead, but it was necessary to surrender one with 8...d6 9.exf6 Qxf6 10.0-0 Qe5 when White will have an edge.
9.Qd5+ Ke7
After the game Rybka showed that Black's King could reach safety in a round-about way: 9...Kg6 10.Qxc5 d6 11.Qd4 Kf7 12.Be3 Kg8. However, after 13.0-0-0 White is clearly better.
10.Bg5+ Black resigned
What an uncomfortable position!
After 10...Nf6 11.exf6+ gxf6 12.Qxc5+ d6 it looks like White has won two pieces, only to have left two en prise himself, but with 13.Nd5+! he can give the Bishop back and maintain the attack, e.g. 13...Kd7 14.Qd4 fxg5 15.Qg7+ (or 15.0-0-0).
This Blackburne Shilling Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4) game was galloping along toward lightly-explored territory when a sudden Knight move caused it to pull up short and end quickly...
perrypawnpusher - Abatwa
blitz 12 4, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Nc6
I had looked at this move in depth (see "Clearly Unclear") based on the games of Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member GOH at FICS.
7.d4 Nce7
8.Qg4+ Black resigned
Black is going to lose his Queen after either 8...Kd6 9.Nf7+ or 8...Nf5 9.Qxf5+ Kd6 10.Nf7+.
This was good enough for me, although after the game Rybka pointed out that 8.d5+, instead, led to checkmate.
