When I play through Jerome Gambit games by Bill Wall or Philidor 1792, I imagine a hero emerging, unscathed, from the center of whirling, churning chaos...
When I play the Jerome Gambit, though, it is a lot more like riding in a car that is careening out of control, heading for a cliff - and, if I am lucky, I can jump out in time...
Something like the following game.
perrypawnpusher - OudeKwakkelaar
blitz, FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+
My opponent has faced this opening a few times earlier, and may not have been impressed:
6.0-0 Rf8 7.Nd5 Kg8 8.d3 h6 9.Nh4 Nxd5 10.Nf5 Nde7 11.Nxh6+ gxh6 12.Bxh6 Rf6 13.Bg5 Rg6 14.Qh5 Qf8 15.Bxe7 Nxe7 16.Qxe5 Bd6 17.Qb5 Qh6 18.h3 b6 19.Rae1 Qg5 20.g3 Qxb5 White resigned, maharishi - OudeKwakkelaar, FICS, 2006; and
6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.d3 d6 8.0-0 Rf8 9.Nd5 Nxd5 10.exd5 Nd4 11.c3 Nf5 12.Nxh7 Rh8 13.Qh5+ Ke7 14.Bg5+ Kd7 15.Bxd8 Rxd8 16.Qf7+ Black resigned, BurtForFun - OudeKwakkelaar, FICS, 2012.
6...Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4
This is a slight improvement over our earlier game, which continued with 7...d6, in perrypawnpusher - OudeKwakkelaar, blitz, FICS, 2011 (½-½ , 62).
8.Qxd4 Qe7 9.0-0
This is a little bit better than 9.f4 as in perrypawnpusher - HGBoone, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 27); but 9.Bg5, which I played next move, is probably best.
9...Re8 10.Bg5 Qd6
The prudent 10...Kg8 was seen in perrypawnpusher - BigKalamar, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 49).
11.Qe3
I just knew that after the game Houdini was going to scold me for not playing 11.Qxd6 and it did, suggesting 11...cxd6 12.Nb5 and Black has an edge, which he keeps, of course, after 12...Rg8 13.f4 Nc4 14.b3 Nd2 15.Nxd6+ Ke6 16.Rfe1 Kxd6 17.Rad1 h6 18.Rxd2+ Ke7 19.Bh4 g5 20.fxg5 hxg5 21.Bg3 b6.
Now my game is headed for a cliff...
11...Neg4 12.Qh3 h6 13.Bh4 Qc5 14.Qd3 Qh5
Black would have done better with 14...d6, but Houdini still says that White has very little for his sacrificed piece.
15.Bg3 d6 16.f4
Here, however, Black forfeited on time.
Once again, White is saved by the Jerome Gambit's "secret weapon".
Two guys are walking in the savannah, when a tiger wanders into the clearing.
The first guy reaches into his backpack, takes out his running shoes and starts to put them on.
"Forget it. You'll never run faster than that tiger" says the second guy.
"I don't have to," replies the first. "I just have to run faster than you."
I remembered that joke when I played over the following game. I don't think that my play was very good. However, it turned out to be better than that of my opponent, and that was enough.
perrypawnpusher - BigKalamar
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4
8.Qxd4 Qe7 9.0-0
Preparing f2-f4, which I have also played immediately, as in perrypawnpusher - HGBoone, blitz, FICS, San Jose, California US 2010 (1-0, 27).
9...Re8 10.Bg5
Because of the arrangement of Black's King Knight and Queen, I would have done better to think of 9.Bc1-g5, possibly following up with Nc3-d5, saving the f2-f4 thrust for another time.
10...Kg8
Castling-by-hand, a standard defensive move in the Jerome Gambit.
After the game, Rybka 3 suggested: 10...Nc6 11.Qd2 Qe5, slipping the Black Bishop's pin . With some work, White then can win a pawn, 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Nb5 Qe5 14.Qd5+ Re6 15.Rfe1 b6 16.c4 g5 17.Qxe5 Rxe5 18.Nxc7 but Black still maintains the advantage (piece vs 2 pawns).
10...c6 was seen in HauntedKnight - greeneel, FICS, 2010 (1-0,35), when 11.f4 would have led to an even game.
11.f4
Missing the opportunity for 11.Nd5, as after 11...Qd6 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.f4 Nf7 White can win the exchange with 14.Nxf6+. That will leave the first player with a Rook and two pawns against two pieces, a small advantage in an endgame (if he plays 14...Kf8 15.Qxd6+ Nxd6; and he can add to his positional advantage with the further 16.e5 Nc4 17.b3 Ne3 18.Nxe8 Kxe8 19.Rf2; thank you, Rybka).
11...Nc6 12.Qd3
White's routine play of the position (with one exception, which will show up, shortly) has given him his usual situation: Black is better.
12...Qf7 13.e5 Nh5
It was time to play "kick the Queen" with 13...Nb4 14.Qd2 Nfd5, letting Black's King Knight escape toward the center.
14.g4
Prelude to a Kingside traffic jam that I somehow survive.
14...h6 15.Bxh6 gxh6 16.gxh5 Qxh5
Rybka 3 now sees the game as about even, based on the strength of White's next possible move, 17.Nd5, which will allow him to either win the c7 pawn or play the annoying Nf6...
17.Kh1 Kh8 18.Nd5 Rg8
This is a critical error, if it is caught.
19.Nf6 Qg6
Compounding the problem.
20.Nxg8
Clueless.
Instead, 20.Rg1 Ne7 21.Rxg6 and White mates.
20...Qxg8
Fortunately, my opponent was keeping pace with me. Instead, 20...Qxd3 21.cxd3 Kxg8 produced a safer (and better) position for Black.
21.Rg1 Qf7 22.Qg6
Wrong piece! Instead, 22.Rg6 is crushing.
22...Qxg6
In turn, Black did better to leave the Queens on the board.
Can you tell that this is a blitz game between club players??
23.Rxg6 d6
Offering a pawn to distract me from doubling Rooks. It works.
24.exd6 cxd6
Black needs development: 24...Bf5 would be about equal.
25.Rxd6
Ouch. I could at least have taken the h-pawn first.
25...Kh7 26.Rf1 Bf5 27.c3 Rg8
We have reached an interesting endgame, where Black's Knight and Bishop are at least the equal of White's Rook and two pawns.
I win because at a critical moment my opponent is unable to counter my evil plan... Bwa-ha-ha-ha!
28.h4 Be4+ 29.Kh2 Rg2+ 30.Kh3 Rxb2 31.Re1 Bg2+
Instead, the Bishop should check from f5, leaving the g-file open for the Rook.
32.Kg4 a6
Missing the point of White's King advance.
33.Ree6
Heh, heh, heh... Me too: 33.Rd7+ Ne7 34.Rexe7+ Kg8 35.Rd8#
33...Rxa2 34.Rxh6+ Kg7 35.Rhg6+ Kf7 36.h5
This is my idea. I was convinced that it would be successful, so I was blind to faster solutions, like checkmate.
36...Be4 37.Rgf6+ Kg7 38.f5 Rg2+ 39.Kf4 Bc2 40.h6+ Kg8
41.Rg6+ Rxg6 42.fxg6 a5 43.h7+ Kh8 44.Kg5 a4
Black had one last chance, a swindle: 44...Bxg6 45.Kxg6 Ne5+, as White can reflexively, but erroneously, protect his passer with 46.Kh6?, losing his Rook to 46...Nf2+. Instead, 46.Kf5, attacking the Knight, gives White time, after 46...Nc6, to protect the pawn with 47.Rd7.
45.Kh6 Bxg6 46.Rxg6 Ne7 47.Rf6 Ng8+ 48.hxg8Q+ Kxg8 49.Rb6 Black resigned
