I have used the "Day in the Life of" blog posts to present Jerome Gambit games that are not "perfect" (or "perfectly awful") to show the eb and flow of the game, how the attacker must adjust and continue to move forward, how the defender must shift and slide in order to stay in the game.
The following ZahariSokolov game is quite an adventure. Both sides have chances in an all-out brawl.
ZahariSokolov - Dragonianlee
standard, FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7
This is Whistler's Defense, even stronger than Blackburne's Defense (7...d6).
8.Qxh8
ZahariSokolov has over 90 games in The Database, but none show him facing Whistler's Defense before this game. Does he take the Rook unaware of the dangers, or does he plunge right into complications trusting that he will find a way out??
8...Qxe4+ 9.Kf1
White's other alternative is also dreary: 9.Kd1 Qxg2
or
a) 9...Qg4+ 10.f3 Qxg2 11.Qxh7+ Kf8 12.Re1 d5 13.Qh4 Qxf3+ 14.Re2 Bg4 15.Nc3 Bf2 White resigned, Jerome,A - Whistler,G, correspondence, 1876; or
b) 9...d5 10.Re1 Bg4+ 11.f3 Bxf3+ 12.gxf3 Qxf3+ 13.Re2 Re8 14.Qxh7+ Kf8 15.Nc3 Qf1+ 16.Re1 Qxe1 checkmate, franciskov - danielhidrobo, FICS, 2013.
10.Re1 Qf3+? 11.Re2 Qh1+ 12.Re1 Qf3+ 13.Re2 Qh1+ 14.Re1 Qf3+ Draw, Wall,B - Mathieubuntu, 40 0, FICS, 2011. A bad case of "nerves". (On the other hand, many players would jump at a chance to draw against Bill Wall!)
9...Nf6
The text is the best move. Results from other moves, as seen in The Database, show that the complexity of the position gives White chances:
9...Qxc2 10.Qxh7+ Kf8 (10...Kf6 11.Qh4+ Kg7 12.Nc3 Qd3+ 13.Kg1 d6 14.g3 Bd7 15.b4 Bd4 16.Bb2 Bc6 17.Na4 Bxb2 18.Nxb2 Qf3 19.Qd4+ Nf6 20.Kf1 Qxh1+ Black forfeits by disconnection, markinchrist - Gurucool, FICS, 2013) 11.Na3 (11.Nc3 Qd3+ 12.Ne2 (12.Kg1 d6 13.Qh4 Bf5 14.h3 Re8 15.Kh2 d5 16.f4 d4 17.Na4 Bd6 18.b3 Be7 19.Qf2 Bf6 20.Nb2 Qe4 21.d3 Qd5 22.Re1 Rxe1 23.Qxe1 Qd6 24.Bd2 Nh6 25.Nc4 g5 26.Nxd6 cxd6 27.Bb4 g4 28.Bxd6+ Kf7 29.Kg3 gxh3 30.gxh3 Bxd3 31.Qb4 Nf5+ 32.Kf2 Bh4+ 33.Kg1 Be4 34.Rc1 Ng3 35.Rc7+ Kg6 36.Kh2 Nf1+ 37.Kg1 Nd2 38.Qxd2 Black resigned, chessmanjeff - CHESSWILL, FICS, 2013) 12...b6 13.h4 Ba6 14.Rh3 Qxe2+ 15.Kg1 Qxf2+ 16.Kh1 Qg1, checkmate, chessmanjeff - throwback, FICS, 2014) 11...Qf5 12.d4 Bxd4 13.Qh4 c5 14.Bh6+ Kf7 15.Bd2 Nf6 16.Re1 g5 17.Qg3 d5 18.b4 Be6 19.Qc7+ Kg6 20.Qd6 Ne4 21.Rxe4 dxe4 22.bxc5 Qxf2 checkmate, shugart - roentgenium, FICS, 2014; or
9...Qc4+ 10.d3 Qxc2 11.Qxh7+ Kf8 12.Bh6+ Nxh6 13.Qxh6+ Kf7 14.Qf4+ (14.Qd2 Qa4 15.Nc3 d6 16.Nxa4 Black resigned, Abijud - Jeru, blitz, FICS, 2005) 14...Ke8 15.Nd2 Qxd3+ 16.Kg1 Bd6 17.Re1+ Kd8 Black resigned, IagainstI - kingphilippineda, FICS, 2013.
10.d3
Or 10.Nc3 Qe5 11.d3 b6 12.Bh6 Qf5 13.Qg7+ Ke6 14.Re1+ Kd6 15.Qf8+ Kc6 16.Qf7 Qxf2, checkmate, shugart - bakugan, FICS, 2014.
10...Qf5
Possibly 10...Qd4 is best, or Black could try 10...Qh4.
11.f3
White is up a pawn and the exchange, and despite the precarious position of his King and his poor development, Houdini sees the game as about even now.
11...Bf8 12.Nc3 d5
13.Bd2
As a historical note, 13.h4!? Qd7 14.h5 Bg7 15.hxg6+ Kxg6 16.Rh6+ Bxh6 17.Bxh6 b6 18.Ne2 Qf7 19.Qf8 Qxf8 20.Bxf8 Draw was Jerome,A - Norton,D, correspondence, 1876.
13...b6 14.Nb5
White would do better to continue his development with 14.Re1. Yet, White has some attacking ideas associated with his move.
14...c6
Black is distracted - perhaps that was part of White's plan. The second player is clearly better after the prudent 14...Qd7.
15.Nd6+
Getting ahead of himself! First White should play 15.Bh6! when Black's position will collapse, for example 15...Ba6 (or 15...Bb7) 16.Bxf8 Rxf8 17.Nd6+ Ke6 18.Qxf8.
15...Bxd6 16.Bh6
16...Bb7
Here Black misses his chance to grab the advantage again with 16...Qxf3+! 17.gxf3 Bh3+ 18.Ke2 Rxh8. Amazing.
Now White crashes through.
17.Qg7+ Ke6 18.Re1+ Be5 19.Qxb7 Ng4 20.Qxc6+
Black forfeited by disconnection. You can sense his great disappointment.
In the following game Bill Wall played the Jerome Gambit, retreated his Queen to an odd square, allowed it to be exchanged off - and, later won. All in all, not what was expected for a "refuted" opening, played loosely - but what did you expect? Bill goes on to win in the endgame.
Wall,B - Guest10254637
PlayChess.com, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8
7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qc3
A more usual retreat is 8.Qg3, but Bill likes to experiment.
8...Qf6 9.0-0
A small caution: 9.Qb3? Qxf2+ White resigned, GeniusPawn - satori, FICS, 2000.
9...Qxc3
Also seen was 9...Bd4 10.Qxc7 Bxb2 11.Bxb2 Qxb2 12.Qxd6+ Ne7 13.Nc3 Kf7 14.Qf4+ Ke8 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Kd8 17.Rfe1 Qxc2 18.Qg5+ Kc7 19.Rac1 Qxc1 20.Rxc1+ Kb8 21.Qe5 checkmate, guest714 - guest1041, Internet Chess Club, 2003.
10.Nxc3
White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece.
10...Nf6 11.d3 Kf7
Black did not castle-by-hand in Abijud - djinmaster, FICS, 2005: 11...Bg4 12.a4 a6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Nd5 Bd4 16.c3 Be5 17.f4 Be2 18.fxe5 Bxf1 19.Rxf1 dxe5 20.Nxf6 Ke7 21.Nd5+ Kd7 22.Rf5 c6 23.Nb6+ Ke6 24.Nxa8 Rxa8 25.Rh5 Rh8 26.Kf2 Rh7 27.Ke3 Kf6 28.g4 b6 29.h4 c5 30.Rf5+ Ke6 31.g5 hxg5 32.hxg5 Rh3+ 33.Kd2 Rh2+ 34.Kc1 Black forfeited on time.
12.Re1
Bill points out two alternatives: 12.Na4 Bb4 13.a3 Ba5; and
12.Be3 Bxe3 13.fxe3 c6.
12...Rf8 13.h3 Bd7 14.a4 Rae8 15.Be3 Bb4
I suspect that Black felt good about this move, taking advantage of the fact that the Bishop cannot be kicked away by a2-a3. The fact is, though, that White can now spring his "Jerome pawns".
16.f4 a6 17.Re2 Bc6 18.Rf2 Bxc3 19.bxc3
Black will now give back his piece to fracture White's pawns.
19...Bxe4 20.dxe4 Nxe4
The rest of the game is interesting, as White's pawns are not as weak as they appear - or the pawn structure gives chances to White's pieces. The game is balanced - for a while.
21.Rf3 Nxc3 22.Bf2 Ne4 23.Bd4 d5
24.Rb3 b6 25.Rd1 Kg8
Completing castling-by-hand, but perhaps that was no longer necessary, in which case it is not a good use of tempo.
26.Be5 Nc5 27.Rc3 c6
Bill points out the better 27...Rd8 28.Bxc7 Nxa4.
28.a5 Nd7 29.axb6 Nxb6 30.Rxc6 Nc4 31.Rxd5 Ne3
Black misses his chance to exchange off White's Bishop and head toward a R + Ps endgame where he has practical drawing chances, Bill notes: 31...Nxe5 32.fxe5 Rf5 33.Rxa6 Rfxe5 34.Rxe5 Rxe5.
32.Rd7 Rf7 33.Rxf7 Kxf7 34.Kf2 Nd1+ 35.Ke2 Nb2 36.Kf3 Na4 37.Rxa6 Nc5 38.Ra7+ Black resigned
Playing the Jerome Gambit is a lot like giving your opponent a weapon - and then stepping in and bopping him on the nose before he figures out how to use it. If you are fast or skilled (or lucky) enough, you can walk away with a win.
IagainstI - kingphilippineda
blitz, FICS, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7
This is Whistler's Defense, as opposed to the much better known 7...d6, Blackburne's Defense. The offered Rook is poison.
8.Qxh8
When Alonzo Wheeler Jerome played this move against D.P. Norton in a correspondence game in 1876, the American Chess Journal, June 15th, noted that it was "[P]layed experimentally; and analysis will probably show the capture to be unsound." White was fortunate to draw the game, however.
8...Qxe4+
Black immediately lost his way with 8...Qf6 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.O-O Black resigned, Wall,B - Sepoli, Chess.com, 2010. Bop!
9.Kf1
Even worse is 9.Kd1 although you couldn't tell by the result of Wall,B - Mathieubuntu, FICS, standard 40 0, 2011 (1/2 - 1/2, 14). Bop!
A more representative 9.Kd1 game is blackburne - perrypawnpusher, JG3 thematic, ChessWorld.net, 2008 (1-0, 17). The earliest example, equally educational, is Jerome,A - Whistler,G, correspondence, 1876 (0-1, 15).
9...Qc4+
9...Nf6 was the start of White getting off the hook in Jerome,A - Norton,D, correspondence, 1876 (1/2, 1/2, 20). Bop!
Likewise, the text gives White a breather, and that is all that he needs to reverse his fortunes.
Instead, Black needed to continue to both attack and defend with 9...Qh4.
10.d3
The only move.
10...Qxc2 11.Qxh7+
Now White's Queen is more dangerous, and Black's King is more at risk.
11...Kf8 12.Bh6+ Nxh6 13.Qxh6+ Kf7 14.Qf4+
Or 14.Qd2 Qa4 15.Nc3 d6 16.Nxa4 Black resigned, in Abijud - Jeru, blitz, FICS, 2005. Bop!
14...Ke8 15.Nd2 Qxd3+ 16.Kg1 Bd6 17.Re1+ Kd8
Black resigned
Mate will arrive in a couple of moves.
Even against the better defense 17...Be7, Black's unsafe King would guarantee more suffering, e.g. 18.Qf6 Qd6 19.Qh8+ Kf7 20.Nc4 when the entry of White's Knight will either cost Black his Queen, or lead to checkmate. Bop!
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