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
As I continued looking for the "essence" of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), or at least an insight into how it "works", I discovered that some of the 7-move games in The Database began to "predict" some of the regular main lines.
For example, in the following three games White's recovery of one of the pieces that he had sacrificed is enough for Black to surrender, even though the second player actually remained with the advantage.
mediax - TJay2465
Jerome Gambit Thematic
ChessWorld.net, 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 1-0
Petasluk - mihck
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 1-0
perrypawnpusher - Aerandir
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 1-0
Some of the other short games began to highlight the attacking ideas open to White in the Jerome Gambit, if the defense faltered.
stivb_99 - spymaster
gameknot.com, 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 (in The Database, White won 6 out of 8 games against this move) 6.Qh5 d6 7.Qf7#
Esistes - ClosetDoor
blitz, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 (The Database, White won 22, lost 8, and drew 1 against this move) 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qf7#
escapade - Sakebomb
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 Nxd4 6.Nxe5+ Ke8 7.Qh5+ (in 89 games in The Database that reached this position, White won 59%) 1-0
perrypawnpusher - gelgel
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke7 7.Qxe5+ 1-0
Knight32 - Haroldlee123
Jerome Gambit Thematic,
ChessWorld, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.c3 Nf6 6.Ng5+ Kg8 7.Qb3+ (White won 2 of 5 games with this position in The Database) 1-0
I have always been impressed by stories of Grandmasters who, upon being confronted by a new or surprising idea in the opening, think hard and come up with a refutation right on the spot.
In club play, you may find the right idea, and not even realize it until it is too late. If then.
perrypawnpusher - KnightIsHorse
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game, about to become the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
7...Bb4
This defense can work for Black, but he needs to give some thought as to what his plan will be.
8.dxe5 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3
Now, retreating the Knight, or even letting it expire on f6 with 9...Re8 10.exf6 Rxe4+ 11.Be3 Qxf6, keeps an edge for Black.
9...Nxe4 10.Qd5+
Black resigned
It was possible to continue, as in my most recent example, perrypawnpusher - Aerandir, blitz, FICS, 2011, but I suspect that KnightIsHorse was discouraged by the turn of events.
The Italian Four Knights Game is a pretty tame beast, and when White livens it up (actually, "deadens" it up might be more accurate in terms of his chances) with a couple of piece sacrifices, it can be hard for Black to develop a sense of urgency or to even take things other than casually.
perrypawnpusher - Aerandir
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game.
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4
An interesting defense that seems, on the surface, to have a number of things going for it, although it reduces Black's game from "won" to "equal". The line was well-explored in "Coffee Break".
8.dxe5 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4
All according to short-sighted plan: bust up White's pawns and then gobble one. Black would keep the game even with 9...Re8 10.exf6 Rxe4+ 11.Be3 Qxf6.
10.Qd5+ Ke8 11.Qxe4 Qe7 12.0-0 d6
Black is not distressed: White's extra pawn is doubled, and there are enough open lines to trade off the heavy pieces and slide into the infamous Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame where a draw can be found.
13.Bf4 dxe5 14.Rfe1 Bd7
This move, however, is a bit too casual.
15.Qxb7 Black resigned.
It's not just the b-pawn, or the e-pawn and c-pawn that will follow it in capture: Black's King will be too exposed after 15...Kf7 16.Rxe5 Qf6 17.Qxc7 for the second player to hope any more for a draw.
