Jerome Gambit: Winning Without the "Best"

If the "best" line of play - according to computer analysis - takes too much time to figure out, or is too messy to follow easily, or if it is not as clear as a "good" line of play; then perhaps there are reasons to avoid the "best", especially if you can win without it. 

The following game is a good example.

Wall, Bill - Guest14935422
PlayChess.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qe7

8.O-O 

Bill has also played 8.Bf4, and castled Queenside, in Wall,B - Guest433702, PlayChess.com 2017 (1-0, 22). 

8...Nf6 

An improvement over 8...c5 9.Qd5+ Qe610.Qxc5 Ne7 11.f4 d6 12.fxe5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016. 

9.Nc3 d6

Or:

9...Nc6 as in Wall,B-Bojovic,D, PlayChess.com, 2017 (1-0, 23); or 

9...c6 as in Wall,B-Guest2327120, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 20) 

10.Bg5 

Thematic.

Last year, Bill tried another thematic line: 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qc4+ Be6 12.Qd3 Rhf8 13.f5 Bd7 14.Bg5 Kg8 15.Nd5 Qd8 16.Nxf6+ gxf6 17.Bh6 Rf7 18.Rf3 Ne5 19.Rg3+ Kh8 20.Qb3 Qe8 21.c4 Bc6 22.Qc2 Qe7 23.b4 b6 24.a4 a5 25.b5 Bb7 26.Rf1 Rg8 27.Rxg8+ Kxg8 28.Rf4 Kh8 29.Qe2 Qe8 30.Qh5 Qg8 31.Qh4 Rg7 32.Qxf6 Nd7 33.Bxg7+ Qxg7 34.Qd8+ Nf8 35.Qb8 c6 36.Qxd6 cxb5 37.cxb5 h5 38.Qxb6 Qe5 39.Qh6+ Nh7 40.f6 Bxe4 41.Qg7 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest2010250/, PlayChess.com, 2018. 

10...Rf8 

White continues to play "normal" Jerome Gambit moves.

Black continues with his piece-for-pawn advantage.

11.Nd5 Nc6 12.Qd2 

White offers a pawn to be able to break up Black's Kingside, and to open a door to complications.

12...Qxe4 

Stockfish 10 says Black is still better after this move, but it must be thinking about its silicon siblings. The human being handling the defense is showing his skepticism about White's attack, and fairly well drools at the prospect of simultaneously grabbing a pawn, unpinning the Knight from his Queen, and threatening the enemy Knight on d5. What could possibly go wrong?

13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Rae1 Qd4 

Black offers to swap Queens, which would take much energy out of the position, even at the cost of a pawn, e.g. 15.Qxd4 Nxd4 16.Re7+ Kg6 17.Rxc7 Ne6. However, the move is a mistake.

I suspect that Bill looked at the following line, later suggested by Stockfish 10, and then rejected it as somewhat fishy... Or, more suited for correspondence play.

"Best" was the wild 15.Re7+!?. Black's King has to dodge with 15...Kg6, when 16.Nf4+!? forces the defender to give up his Queen, eventually winding up with a Knight, Bishop and Rook for a Queen and a pawn - but with a difficult position after 16...Qxf4 17.Qxf4 Nxe7 18.Qe4+ Kf7 19.Qxh7+ Ke8. After some Queen dancing by White - 20.Re1 Rf7 21.Qg8+ Rf8 22.Qg6+ Rf7 - Black is tied up, and 23.h4!? shows White's winning path.

Analysis Diagram






But - why bother? That kind of calculation takes time, and, instead, White can simply continue to put pressure on the enemy King.

Let Black do all the figuring out.

15.Qh6 Bf5

Of course not 15...Qxd5 16.Qxh7#.

16.Nxc7 Rac8 

Indeed, what to do about White's threat to win the exchange?

There was also 16...Bxc2, but after 17.Re3 Rg8 18.Nxa8 Rxa8, Black has a Bishop and Knight for a Rook, but White remains with the initiative.

17.Ne6 

More thinking to do! White threatens to win the exchange, again, and Black should let him, with 17...Qg4 18.Nxf8 Rxf8. 

17...Bxe6 18.Qxh7+ Ke8 19.Rxe6+ Kd8 20.Qxb7 

20...Qb6

Black finally cracks. In offering to exchange Queens to reduce the pressure on his King, he unprotects the vulnerable d-pawn. 

21.Rxd6+ Ke8 22.Qd7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Heavy Blows Unexpectedly

As early as July 1874 it was clear that Alonzo Wheeler Jerome had no illusions about his gambit, as the Dubuque Chess Journal noted

It should be understood that Mr. Jerome claims in this New Opening "only a pleasant variation of the Giuoco Piano, which may win or lose according to the skill of the players, but which is capable of affording many new positions and opportunities for heavy blows unexpectedly."

Indeed. In the following game, Black plays a move that would have been fine as his 10th, but is totally inadequate as his 11th. After his 14th move - he cannot escape checkmate.

Wall, Bill - Guest433702
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qe7 

An unusual replacement for 7...d6, although Black has done well with it, according to The Database, which has 24 games - and Black has won 14 of them (White scores 42%). The defender looks even better if you subtract the 4 wins with White (against no losses) that were scored by Bill Wall.

8.Bf4 

White takes a break from castling, which has also been successful for him: 8.0–0 Nf6 (8...c5 9.Qd5+ Qe6 10.Qxc5 Ne7 11.f4 d6 12.fxe5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016) 9.Nc3 c6 (9...Nc6 10.Qd3 Nb4 11.Qc4+ Kf8 12.e5 Nh5 13.f4 Nxc2 14.Nd5 Qe6 15.Qxc7 Nxa1 16.f5 Qxd5 17.Qd8+ Kf7 18.e6+ dxe6 19.fxe6+ Kxe6 20.Re1+ Qe5 21.Rxe5+ Kxe5 22.Qxh8 Nc2 23.Qe8+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Bojovic,D, PlayChess.com, 2017 *This is arguably the best Jerome Gambit game of the year*) 10.f4 Ng6 11.e5 Ng4 12.h3 Nh6? 13.f5 Nh4 14.f6 gxf6 15.exf6 Nf3+ 16.Rxf3 Qe6 17.Bxh6 Rg8 18.Qd3 d5 19.Qxh7+ Ke8 20.f7+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest2327120, PlayChess.com, 2014. 

8...d6 9.Nc3 c6 

Aiming to keep White's Knight out of d5, although it weakens his d-pawn, and this becomes an issue as the game develops.

10.O-O-O Ke6

Brave, but probably unnecessary. Black could afford to develop with 10...Nf6 and let the d-pawn go.

11.Rd2 Nf6 

Suddenly, this move is no longer a good idea. The Knight crowds Black's King, and makes it vulnerable to the upcoming Queen check along the a2-g8 diagonal. Black would have done better to retreat his King with 11...Kf7, reserving the e6 square for his Bishop. If White then grabbed a pawn with 12.Qxd6, then 12...Nc4!? would have stabilized the game, e.g. 13.Qxe7+ Nxe7 14.Rdd1 when Black would have his typical piece for two pawns.  

12.Bxe5 dxe5 13.Qc4+ Nd5

He has no choice but to return the extra piece.

14.exd5+ cxd5 15.Nxd5 

Black cannot escape checkmate.

15...Qf7 16.Nc7+ Kf6 17.Qh4+ Kg6 18.Rd6+ Kf5 19.g4+ Ke4 20.Re1+ Kf4 21.Qg3+ Kg5 22.h4 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Game of the Year?

Of course, when it comes to selecting Jerome Gambit games, it is always pleasant to find one that shows a powerful attack. In the following game, Black is quite willing to mix it up with his opponent. White, however, has more sacrifices in store, and the board quickly erupts in flames. Certainly this battle bids for Jerome Gambit game of the year!

Wall, Bill - Bojovic, Dejan
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qe7 

Protecting the Knight, while establishing a veiled threat against the e-pawn and the King behind it.

8.O-O Nf6

An improvement over 8...c5 9.Qd5+ Qe6 10.Qxc5 Ne7 11.f4 d6 12.fxe5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016.

9.Nc3 Nc6 

Probably better than 9...c6 10.f4 Ng6 11.e5 Ng4 12.h3 Nh6 13.f5 Nh4 14.f6 gxf6 15.exf6 Nf3+ 16.Rxf3 Qe6 17.Bxh6 Rg8 18.Qd3 d5 19.Qxh7+ Ke8 20.f7+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest2327120, PlayChess.com, 2014. 

10.Qd3 Nb4 11.Qc4+ Kf8 

Black would have done better to complicate things with 11...d5 12.exd5 Nxc2. 

12.e5 Nh5 

Black's Knights do not impress.

Stockfish 8, which always seems to keep an eye out for the draw, recommends 12...Ne8 13.Qf4+ Kg8 14.Qc4+ Kf8 and repetition. I can't see Bill wanting to wrap things up so quickly - at the cost of surrendering a half point.

13.f4

Protecting the e-pawn and considering possible pawn advances. Also available was the fork of the two Knights, 13.Qg4.

13...Nxc2 

The Rook on a1 looks like a good target, but this adventure will not turn out well. 

14.Nd5 Qe6 15.Qxc7 

It is not easy to see that 15.f5 is playable, as after 15...Qc6 16.Qe4 Black would have 16...Nxa1. However, White would have complex but strong play after either 17.Bg5!? or 17.f6.

White's choice in the game is practical, and still offers the Rook sacrifice. Black would now do better to decline it with 15...Qxd5 16.Qxc2 d6 17.Be3 Qf7 18.Rad1 Bf5 although White would be at least even in a complicated position.

15...Nxa1 16.f5 

Bill's idea - offer more material!

16...Qxd5

The only move that avoids checkmate. Wow.

17.Qd8+ Kf7 18.e6+ dxe6 19.fxe6+ Kxe6 

20.Re1+ Qe5 21.Rxe5+ Kxe5 22.Qxh8 Nc2 23.Qe8+ Black resigned

For the moment Black has two Knights and a Rook for his Queen, but he is going to drop the piece on h5 right away. The placement of his King, and the agility of the enemy Queen guarantee that another piece, as well as a few pawns, will also disappear soon after.