BSJG: The Win Is The Thing

angelcamina, playing online at lichess.org, likes to play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and other Jerome variants in bullet games with a time control of one minute, no increment. (Kind of like heavyweight boxers, wearing roller skates, on ice.) He beats his opponents when he has the advantage, and he beats them when they have the advantage. Both ways, quickly.

angelcamina - regullele
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020

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.Qh5

I have already pointed out

White's strongest move here is 6.c3, but any Queen move has to be scary for Black, and takes up thinking time to figure out how to deal with it.

6...Qf6 

A little bit stronger was 6...Nf6, as in angelcamina - rabirabi, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 13) and angelcamina - shahramkhoshseffat, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 13).

7.Ng4

A small improvement over 7.Qe8+ in angelcamina -Skhokho1507, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 12). 

7...Nxc2+ 

This fork is always tempting when it appears in the BSJG, but it would have been wiser to settle things down with 7...Qg6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Qxd4 Qxg4 10.O-O Kd8, with Black for choice. 

8.Kd1 Qg6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Ne5 Qe6 

11.Qxe6+ 

The Queens probably have to be exchanged, but 11.Kxc2 Qxd5 12.exd5 was the way to do it, with a roughly balanced game. With the text, White sheds his advantage - which only means he has to work a little bit harder.

11...Kxe6 12.Kxc2 Kxe5 13.d3 d5 14.f4+ Kd4 

Inexplicably headed for trouble. angelcamina obliges. 

15.Re1 Be6 16.Be3 checkmate

Provocation

The chess player, graviton, at the online site FICS, is not a Jerome Gambit afficionado, but he can turn Jerome-ish when he is provoked. He will take offense at the Blackburne Shilling Gambit. He will also react sharply to an ill-advised ...Na5. The following game is anexample.

graviton - porttela
10 0 blitz, FICS, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O

Black can be excused if he believed that his opponent was planning on a quiet game. Why not go along with the first player, and simply work to gain the "minor advantage"?

4...Na5

Ill advised. Expecting 5.Bb3, to be met with 5...Nxb3, he overlooked the straight-forward 5.Nxe5, which would have been a fine reply. He also overlooked White's actual response.

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke6 

The King would have been safer at f8.

7.d4

The next time around, graviton might try the still-unplayed (according to The Database) 7.Qg4+ which would have been even more punishing: 7...Kxe5 (7...Kd6 or 7...Ke7 would lose the Queen, while 7...Kf6 would lead to mate) 8.d4+ Kd6 (other moves would lead to loss of Queen or mate) 9.dxc5+ Kc6 10.e5, when the Knight at a5 will soon fall and Black's King is still unsafe.

7...Bd6

Allows checkmate. Black had to play 7...Nf6 and try to hang on.

8.Qg4+ Ke7 9.Bg5+ 

White has figured out his way to a win. It would be a bit academic to point out 9.Qxg7+ Ke6 10.d5#.

9...Nf6 10.Bxf6+ gxf6 11.Qg7+ Ke6 12.Qf7 checkmate

BSJG: Explore and Move On

It is fun to play through games sent to me by readers, or discovered in The Database, and see what is new in the main lines of the Jerome Gambit and related openings. Occasionally, I also find explorations off of the beaten path, like the following 3-minute game, which contains an additional lesson: White is successful in his first outing with a line, but, when Black finds a more solid defense, it is probably time to move on to the next exploration... 

SorryYouLose - adina
3 0 blitz, FICS, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.c3 

What is this? The move is not entirely new - there are 35 examples in The Database, with White scoring 40 % - but it seems like it would be more at home after 5.Nxe5+ Ke6, or in the main line (non-Jerome) Blackburne Shilling Gambit, i.e. 4.c3.

Still, the move has an immediate effect in disturbing Black.

5...Ne6 

Not too long after this game, SorryYouLose encountered a couple of opponents at FICS who played the much more direct (and stronger) 5...Nxf3+, and the results favored the defender: SorryYouLose - Patzerarschloch, blitz, FICS, 2019 (0-1, 13) and SorryYouLose - pugachevsky, blitz, FICS, 2019 (0-1, 12).

The text move is a novelty, according to The Database. It gives White another chance to grab the pawn at e5, leaving Black with only a small edge.

6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Nf6 

White has sacrificed a piece for a pawn. In return, he has a full pawn center facing an uneasy enemy King.  

8.d5 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 

10.Nbxd2 

With this capture, White protected his e-pawn. He overlooked the stronger 10.Qxd2, which is not troubled by 10...Nxe4, as 11.dxe6+ would win back the sacrificed piece and give time for the Queen to excape the Knight on e4's attack. Instead of grabbing the pawn, Black would do better, after 10.Qxd2, to move his attacked Knight to either c5 or f8, maintaining a small advantage.

These things happen in 3-minute blitz games.

10...Nc5 11.Ng5+ Kg8 12.e5 

"Jerome pawns" want to be pushed. 

12...Nxd5 13.Nde4 

13...Nxe4 

A slip. Black would be okay now, after 14.Nxe4, but White has something better.

14.Qxd5+ Kf8 15.Qf7 checkmate

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Huh?

On the surface, the following Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit is clear enough: White plays a recommended 8th move and checkmates his opponent on move 13. Yet, a peek at the notes - at what could have been played - is a bit head-spinning. The game turns out to have been a suspension bridge over churning, raging waters. 

foko - borodin
FICS, 2019

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 

Probably the strongest continuation for White.

6...Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxd4 

Black's pawn capture is risky; he would do better to head to safety with 7...Ke6. Still, with the move Black throws down the gauntlet: Can you punish me for this pawn grab?

8.Qb3

White has tried 8.d3 (see here, here, here and here), as well as 8.Nc3. I have recommended 8.Qb3, but it had remained unplayed - until it was seen 3 times in The Database in 2019.

Although Black's King looks vulnerable, play can become complicated, and White needs to realize that often his Queen has to go to f7 to help tighten a checkmating net. Earlier in the year, foko had played 8.Qb3 against sabishii in a standard FICS game, and after many changes of fortune, Black finally won in 55 moves.

I have to admit, I would probably play 8.d3 the next time I faced this line.

8...Ke5 9.Qd5+ 

Stockfish 10 likes 9.Qf7, while Komodo 10 likes 9.d4+ Kf6 (9...Kxd4 10.Qd5#; 9...Kxe4 10.Qf3+ Kxd4 11.Qf5 d5 12.Be3+ Kc4 13.Na3+ Kb4 14.Qd3 Qe8 15.Qc3+ Ka4 16.b3+ Kxa3 17.Qa5+ Kb2 18.Rb1+ Kxb1 19.Kd2+ Kb2 20.Bd4#) 10.Qf3+. Both agree that the text gives Black a slight edge.

9...Kf6 

10.d4 

More solid was 10.d3.

Leading to wacky complications - not a quick draw by repetition - is 10.Qf5+, e.g. 10...Ke7 11.Qe5+ Kf7 12.Qd5+ Ke8 13.Qh5+ g6 14.Qe5+ Qe7 15.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 16.Kd1 Qxg2 17.Re1+ Kf7 18.Qxh7+ Bg7 19.Qh4 Qf3+ 20.Kc2 Qc6+ 21.Nc3 d5 22.Qb4 Be6 and perhaps Black has an edge...

10...Qe8 

This clears things up. Black could have lurched ahead with 10...Ne7.

11.Bg5+ Kg6 12.Qf5+ Kh5 13.g4 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Down the Rabbit Hole, Again (Part 4)

[continued from the previous post]

Deacon, Frederic - Steinitz, William
match, London,1862

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 

The Evans Gambit.

4...Bb6

Declined.

5.b5

While not popular in modern play, this move is, nonetheless, quite direct, and leads to a tactical melee.

5...Na5 6.Nxe5 

There is at least a slight similarity to the play after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 (hoping for the Jerome Gambit) Na5 4.Nxe5 (the "serious" recommendation, instead of Jerome-izing the game with 4.Bxf7+).

6...Bd4

This looks like Steinitz's invention. Opening books at the time recommended either 6...Qf6 or 6...Nh6, when Black might (or might not) have an edge. Today, Komodo 10 shows a preference (32 ply deep) for the Blackburne Shilling Gambit-ish 6...Qg5.

7.Bxf7+ 

Stronger was 7.Nxf7. Now Black slowly outplays his opponent.

7...Kf8 8.Ba3+ d6 9.Bxg8 Kxg8 10.c3 Bxe5 11.d4 Bf6

Black has a piece for two pawns, and can continue to pull his game together.

12.Nd2 Be6 13.Qe2 Qe8 14.O-O Qf7 

15.d5 Bd7 16.Rac1 Re8 17.Qd3 b6 18.f4 Nb7 19.Nf3 h6

Komodo doesn't like this last move, suggesting that it can be answered by 20.e5, with advantage to White. It is fine with 19...Qg6 20.Rce1 h6, (advantage Black) which the game transposes into. 

20.Rce1 Qg6 21.f5 Qf7 22.g4 Kh7 23.h4 g5 24.hxg5 Bxg5 

Taking the Bishop off of the a1-h8 diagonal is a mistake, as White immediatly shows. 

25.e5 Qg8

This does not stop the pawns from advancing, "Jerome pawn" style, as part of a mating attack.

26.e6 Bc8 27.f6+ Qg6 28.Nxg5+ hxg5 29.Rf5 Nd8 30.Re2 Nf7 31.Rxg5 Rhg8 32.Rh2+ Nh6 33.Rgh5 Kh8 34.Rxh6+ Qxh6 35.Rxh6 checkmate

Verdict: interesting game, snappy conclusion - but, all told, not likely to be mistaken as a Jerome Gambit game.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit Fun

I have been playing through new and unexamined games in the updated The Database. There are many entertaining and educational games - and one player (among many) who caught my eye was DANNYALBERTO, at FICS. He shows up mostly with Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+) with the occasional Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) thrown in, from 2015 to the present. (He scores a very decent 64%.)

Check out the following end-of-the-game positions, just a few among many. The kind of fun that they represent is what draws many club players to the Jerome Gambit and various Jerome-ish lines.

DANNYALBERTO - Tseatsy, blitz, FICS, 2016

DANNYALBERTO - boggus, blitz, FICS 2016

DANNYALBERTO - NightEagle, blitz, FICS, 2017

DANNYALBERTO - fluters, blitz, FICS, 2019

The Database: Updated

I recently updated The Database with games from the Free Internet Chess Server, through the end of 2019. The 62,000 games therin represent the largest collection of Jerome Gambit and Jerome-ish openings that I know of.

In addition, because 90+% of the games come from online club play (wins, losses and draws), they are pretty representative of the practical outcome of certain moves or lines. Players can consult their favorite computer (Stockfish, Komodo, Houdini, Crafty, etc.) to get an "objective" assessment of play, and then they can dip into The Database and see how well the lines have fared in play.

There are 15,036 games with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, the main line Jerome Gambit.

There are 2,715 games with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+, the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

There are 207 games with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ and 160 games with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+, both variants of the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

There are 148 games with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.0-0 Bc5 6.Bxf7+, the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

There are 6,388 games with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+, The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

There are 2,470 games with the declination 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5.

There are 17,582 games with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+, the Abrahams Jerome Gambit.

That leaves about 17,500 miscellaneous games that are Jerome-related, primarily through an early Bxf7+. They are there both to give players ideas about the opening - an for entertainment purposes.

BSJG Bullet: Too Fast To Figure Out

Sometimes you can meet an expected offbeat opening (e.g. the Jerome Gambit) with another offbeat opening (e.g. the Blackburne Shilling Gambit) and morph into an offbeat line (e.g. the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit) - all of which can be rationally calculated, if the clock allows you.

Alas, for Black, in the following game, that does not happen.

angelcamina - shahramkhoshseffat
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. According to The Database, angelcamina is 9-0 with this line in bullet chess.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ 

6...g6 

Otherwise, White can checkmate, e.g. 6...Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Nc4+ Kc6 9.Qd5 checkmate, angelcamina - umutkaraca09, lichess.org, 2019. 

7.Nxg6 hxg6 

The alternative, 7...Nxc2+, should only lead to an even game, although angelcamina wrestled a win, e.g. 8.Kd1 Nxa1? 9.Nxh8+ Ke7 10.Qf7+ [10.Qe5#] Kd6 11.d4 [11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qe5#] Kc6 12.Qd5+ Kb6 13.Nc3 c6 14.Qb3+? Kc7? 15.Bf4+ d6 16.Qf7+ Ne7 17.e5 d5 18.e6+ Kb6 19.Na4+ Ka5 20.b3 b5 21.Bd2+ Ka6 22.Nc5+ Kb6 23.Qf4 Ng6 24.Qe3 Nxh8 25.Qc3 Bxc5 26.Qa5+ Kb7 27.Qxd8 Bb6 28.Qe7+ Ka6 29.Qxh7 Bb7 30.e7 Black resigned, angelcamina - eloali, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019. 

Likewise, 7...Nf6 led to trouble, 8.Qe5+ Ne6 9.Nxh8 Bg7 10.Qf5 Bxh8 11.e5 Nd5 12.Qxh7 Bxe5 13.Qg8+ Nf8 14.f4 Nxf4 15.O-O Ne2+ 16.Kh1 Qe7 17.d4 Bxd4 18.Bg5 Ng3+ 19.hxg3 White won on time, angelcamina - Skhokho1507, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019. 

And 7...Qf6 fared no better, e.g. 8.Nxh8+ Ke7 9.e5 Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 Qxf2 11.Qf7+ Kd8 12.Qxf2 Black resigned, angelcamina - felix_paton, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019. 

8.Qxh8 Nf6 

Not 8...Ke7 9.Qxd4 Ke8 10.O-O Be7 11.f4 Nf6 12.e5 Ng4 13.f5 b6 14.Qxg4 gxf5 15.Qg6+ Kf8 16.Rxf5+ Bf6 17.Rxf6+ Ke7 18.Rf7+ Ke8 19.Qg8 checkmate, angelcamina - aldiardiansyah, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019.

Now was the time for 8...Nxc2+, with advantage to Black. In the BSJG it can be hard to tell if the Rook on a1 is poisoned or not.

9.Kd1 d5 10.e5 

This is a slip, and in bullet games with a time control of one minute, no increment, they can be expected. Black now also misses the fact that 10...Ne4 would be crushing.

10...Nd7 11.c3 Nc6 

12.e6 Nf6 13.Re1 Qe7 14.d3 b6 

It would have been okay to grab the pawn with 14...Bxe6, but that would have taken some thinking time, and bullet games are notoriously short of that. Now White closes in.

15.Bg5 Bb7 16.Bxf6 Qd6 17.e7 

Those pesky "Jerome pawns"!

17...Nxe7 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Rxe7+ Kxe7 

20.Qe5+ Kd7 21.Kc2 Bd6 22.Qg7+ Kc6 23.Nd2 d4 24.cxd4 Rf8 25.f3 Rf5 26.Ne4 Rd5 27.Nxd6 Rxd6 28.Rc1 Ba6 29.Kd2+ Kb7 30.Qxc7+ White won on time