Jerome Gambit Hammer

Sometimes defenders will believe that the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is such a dubious opening that just about any defense will be good enough to defeat it. When that happens, the attacker should double his efforts to finish the game off quickly.

The following Internet game is from chessfriend Vlasta Fejfar of the Czech Republic. He makes fast work of his opponent.

Vlastous - PornobeshKumar
Internet, 2016

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 g5

Quite an odd move. I was surprised to find several examples in The Database, including two games where it was played by the "Boris" computer personality at Sparkchess.com.

8.fxe5 Kxe5

Stockfish 7 suggests 8...Nf6 9.exf6 Qxf6 10.Rf1 Qg6 11.Qe2 Ke7 12.Nc3 Kd8 when White is better.

Wall, B - Lisandru, Chess.com, 2012, continued 8...Qf8 9.Rf1 Qe7 10.Qg4+ Kxe5 11.Qf5+ Black resigned

9.Rf1

White played 9.c3 and then 10.d4+ successfully in Black,D - Boris, Sparkchess.com, 2012 (1-0, 18).

Stockfish 7 argues that White can hit the center immediately: 9.d4+ Bxd4 10.Bxg5 Nf6 11.Bxf6+ Kxf6 and Black's Bishop, Queen, and King remain in danger, e.g. 12.Rf1+ Kg7 13.Rf7+ Kg8 14.Rf3 Bf6 15.Nc3 Kg7 16.Nd5 Rf8 17.Rh3 Rf7 18.e5 - a line worth looking at in detail as an example of building an attack.

9...d5

Or 9...Be7 10.d4+ Kxd4 11.Be3+ Kxe3 12.Qf3+ Kd4 13.Qc3+ Kxe4 14.Qd3+ Ke5 15.Rf5+ Ke6 16.Qd5 checkmate, Wall,B - Boris, Chess.com, 2012.

10.d4+ Bxd4 11.Bxg5 Qd7

Black was doomed after 11...Kd6 12.Bxd8 in GuestCRJQ - Despistado, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 26).

12.Bh4+ Kd6 13. Qxd5  checkmate

Go On, Take The Money And Run

Black does well defending against the Jerome Gambit in the following game, until he becomes careless, and all of his gains disappear quickly.

Wall, Bill - Guest2905635
PlayChess.com, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, a transition from 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nc3 Nf6.

6.d3 Re8

Or:

6...Ng4 7.Ng5+ Ke8 (7...Kg8 as in Wall,B - Richard123, Chess.com, 2010 [1-0, 10]) 8.Qxg4 h6 9.Qh5+ Ke7 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Nb5 checkmate, Wall,B - 321, InstantChess, 2015; or

6...Bb4 7.O-O Bxc3 8.Ng5+ Kg8 9.bxc3 h6 10.Nf3 d5 11.exd5 Qxd5 12.Be3 Bg4 13.c4 Qd8 14.h3 Be6 15.Rb1 b6 16.Re1 e4 17.dxe4 Bxc4 18.e5 Nd7 19.Qd2 Bxa2 20.Rbd1 Be6 21.Qc3
Ne7 22.Nd4 Bd5 23.Nf5 Nxf5 24.Rxd5 Ne7 25.Rd4 c5 26.Qc4+ Kh7 27.Qd3+Kg8 28.Rxd7 Qf8 29.Ra1 Nf5 30.Qd5+ Kh7 31.Rf7 Qg8 32.e6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com, 2012; or

6... Bxf2+ as in Wall,B - Igidius, PlayChess.com, 2015 (1-0, 15); or

6... Rf8 as in Wall,B - BarAbbas, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 45) 

7.O-O g6

Instead, 7...Nd4 was seen in Wall,B - Albulus, PlayChess.com, 2015 (1-0, 44).

8.Nd5 Nxd5 9.exd5 Ne7 10.Nxe5+ Kg8 11.Bg5 d6 12.Nf3 Qd7

Black has unpinned his Knight and plans to grab the advanced d-pawn. It looks like a simple idea.

13.d4 Bb6 14.Re1 Nxd5 15.c4 Ne7

There.

16.c5 dxc5 17.Qb3+ Kf8 18.Bh6 checkmate

Never Send A Pawn to Do A Job...

I don't know if anyone ever opined "Never send a pawn to do a job a piece could do..." but the exact opposite is true in the following game. Bill Wall's 11th move improvement over an earlier game he played leads to an even faster win.

Wall,B - FJBS
FICS, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+

As befits the wackiness of the Jerome Gambit, this idea was seen in a game played 10 years earlier in a Jerome Gambit thematic tournament featuring two double-forfeits.

7.c3 Bxc3+

Bill has also faced 7...Be7 8.dxe5 Nh6 9.Qf3+ Ke6 10.Bxh6 gxh6 11.Qf5 checkmate, Wall,B - ChrSav, FICS, 2010.

An interesting idea: 7...Qh4 instead.

8.Nxc3

Stronger than 8.bxc3, as in HauntedKnight - OneNoTrump
blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 10) and shugart - chingching
blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 25).


8...Ng6 

Or 8...Nc6 9.d5 (9.0-0 Qf6 10.e5 Qg6 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Nb5 Kd8 13.Qf8+ Qe8 14.Qxe8+ Kxe8 15.Nxc7+ Ke7 16.Nxa8 Nxd4 17.Bg5+ Ke6 18.Nc7+ Kxe5 19.Rae1+ Kd6 20.Bf4+ Kc6 21.Rc1+ Kb6 22.Nd5+ Kb5 23.Rxc8 Ne6 24.a4+ Kxa4 25.Ra1+ Kb3 26.Be5 Black resigned, Wall,B - Caynaboos, FICS, 2011) 9...Ne5 10.f4 Ng6 11.h4 Nxh4 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qxh4 Qxh4+ 14.Rxh4 Nf6 15.e5 Ne8 16.Be3 c6 17.0-0-0 d6 18.e6+ Ke7 19.g4 Nf6 20.f5 gxf5 21.gxf5 cxd5 22.Bg5 a6 23.Nxd5+ Kf8 24.Bxf6 Rg8 25.Rxh7 b5 26.Be7+ Ke8 27.Nf6 checkmate, Wall,B - ChessFlower, PlayChess.com, 2012. 

9.0-0 Nf6

9...d6 was AsceticKingK9 - Luke Warm, Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, ChessWorld, 2011 (1-0, 16). Beware the "Jerome pawns"!

10.e5 Ne8 11.f4

This addition to the pawn chain is an improvement over 11.Qf3+ (but still: 11...Kg8 12.Qd5+ Kf8 13.Be3 a6 14.Rae1 c6 15.Qb3 d5 16.f4 Kg8 17.f5 Nh4 18.Qc2 g6 19.f6 Be6? (19...Kf7 20.Na4) 20.Bg5 Qb6 21.Bxh4 Qxd4+ 22.Bf2 Qf4 23.Ne2 Qc4 24.Qd2 Qxa2 25.Nd4 Bf5 26.Nxf5 gxf5 27.Qg5+ Kf7 28.e6+ Kf8 29.Bc5+ Nd6 30.Bxd6+ Ke8 31.f7 checkmate, Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com 2012) 

11...Rf8

Planning to castle-by-hand.

12.f5 Ne7

For better or worse Black had to continue with 12...Kg8, returning the piece.

13.Qb3+ d5 14.exd6+ Black resigned

White will deliver checkmate in a couple of moves.

Appearance and Reality

In the following game, Black leaps upon what he considers an error by White, only to find that he has attacked thin air, while, on the other side of the board, he allows a deadly attack!


Wall,B - Guest1468045 
PlayChess.com, 02.04.2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qc3

A similar position including the "nudge", after 7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qc3 was seen in Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 32),  Wall,B -Guest4149739, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 30) and Wall,B - Guest428245, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 20). 


The alternative, 8.Qd5+, looking for mischief, was seen in Wall,B-Guest4395, Microsoft Internet Gaming Zone, 2001 (1-0, 18);  Wall,B - Seven11, Chess.com, 2008 (1-0, 51); Wall,B - Chung,J, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 25);  Wall, Bill - CheckMe, www.Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23); and Wall, Bill - Guest249301, playchess.com, 2013 (1-0, 30).

8...Nf6 9.d3 Re8 

10.0-0 h6 11.f4 Kg8 12.Nd2 c6 

Houdini rates Black about a half point better here; while Stockfish sees Black as maybe nine-tenths of a pawn better. That's plenty for White to work with.

13.b4!? 

Bill and I have exchanged emails about this move. I like it - a lot. It reminds me both of the comment attributed to Bobby Fischer - "I don't believe in psychology, I believe in strong moves" - and one by Nimzovich - that a particular move was strong, because it appeared weak...

Notice how Black jumps all over the move. Notice how Black loses.

13...Qb6+ 14.Kh1 Ng4 15.Bb2 Re7 

As Bill points out, Black pauses for some defense: not 15...Nf2+? 16.Rxf2 Qxf2?? 17.Qxg7#

16.d4

Likewise, avoiding 16.Qc4+? Be6 17.Qd4 Ne3.

16...a5 

Here we go again: attacking the White b-pawn.

17.Qg3 

Which White abandons!

17...Qxb4

Black has the pawn in the bag, and forks two of White's pieces. What's not to like?

18.Bc3

Bill was aware of 18.f5? Qxb2 19.Qxg4 Qxd4 20.Qxg6 Qxd2.

18...Qb5 19.f5 

We will come back to this position.

19...Bxf5 

This looks like the beginning of panic. Black's Knights are at risk.

20.Rxf5 N4e5 21.dxe5 Nxe5 22.Raf1 Rae8

Collapse.

23.Bxe5 dxe5 24.Qg6 Qe2 25.Rf7 Rxf7 26.Rxf7 Qe1+ 27.Nf1 Re7 28.Qxg7 checkmate

Going back to the diagram after White's 19th move let's ask: What would have happened if Black had admitted that his "advantage" had evaporated, that his "right to attack" had therefore disappeared, and he had retreated with 19...Nf6?

As I had emailed Bill

Funny how 19...Nf6, admitting Black's mistake, would have mostly set things to rights.. : 20.Qxg6 Qxb4 21.e5 Nd5 22.Nb3 a4 23.f5! Bxf5 24.Rxf5 axb3 25.c3! Nxc3 26.exd6 Re2 27.d7! Nd5 28.Raf1 Re1! 29.axb3 Ne3 30.Bc3! Qxc3 31.Rf7 Rxf1+ 32.Rxf1 Nxf1 (what else?) 33.Qe8+ Rxe8 34.dxe8/Q+ Kh7 35.Qe4+ and it was a draw, after all... But even in this line White has almost all of the fun! 

Voice of Wreckage and Ruin

Many people play the Jerome Gambit for a very simple, straight-forward reason: it is fun. Imagine how much enjoyment Bill experienced in the following game, where he delivers wreckage and ruin upon the enemy King.

Wall, Bill - Guest3157671
PlayChess.com, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5

Of course, 7.Qd5+, "the nudge", is also played by Bill: 

Wall,B - Quack, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 22)
Wall, B - Vijay, V, Chess.com, 2010, (1-0, 22)
Wall,B - LC, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 20)
Wall,B - guest154187, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 22)
Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com 2012 (1-0, 32)
Wall,B - Guest4149739, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 30)
Wall, B - guest3797656, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 40)
Wall, B - guest392045, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 33)
Wall,B - Guest198654, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 21)
Wall, B - Guest428245, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0,20)  

7...d6 8.Qd5+ 

Ah, "Nudge 2.0", another Wall specialty.

8...Ke7

Or 8...Ke8 as in Wall,B - Seven11, Chess.com, 2008 (1-0, 51)

Or 8...Kf8 as in Wall,B - Chung,J, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 25).

Or 8...Be6 as in Wall, B - CheckMe, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23) and Wall,B - Guest249301,PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 30).

9.O-O

Or 9.d3 as in Wall,B - Guest4395, Internet, 2001 (1-0, 18). 

9... Nf6

10.Qg5 Be6

Despite the awkward  placement of his King, Black is feeling comfortable with his lead in development. All he has to do is take care of that pesky White Queen, and it will be smooth sailing, he reassures himself.

11.f4 Bf7 12.d4

Indeed, and how can White expect to prevail when he is only moving his Queen and his pawns? (Ah, the eternal Jerome Gambit question!)

12...h6 13.Qg3

Bill suggests 13.Qb5 and 13.Qf5 as alternate possibilities.

13...Re8

It looks risky for Black, but Bill's suggestion of 13...Nxe4 14.Qe1 d5 15.f5 Nf8 has merit. 

14.f5 Nf8 

This position reminds me of the kind of thing that my old "Chess Challenger 7" computer used to do - leave its King in the center of the board, surround it by pieces, and consider the position to be good. Often it would continue with the advance of a Rook pawn.

15.e5

Of course, Bill advances his "Jerome pawns" and plans to open up the center to get at the enemy King.

15...dxe5

Things are already dire for the defender, as Bill points out: 15...Nh5 16.Qh4+ Nf6 17.Bxh6 and 15...Nd5 16.Qxg7.

16.dxe5 Nd5

Or, fast and furious, any of the following: 16...Nh5 17.Qa3+ Kd7 18.Rd1+ or 16...Qd4+ 17.Be3 or 16...Ne4 17.Qh4+ Kd7 18.Qxe4. 

17.Qxg7 Nd7 18.e6

18...N7f6 19.exf7 Rf8 20.Re1+ Kd6 

21.c4 Nb6 22.Rd1+ Kc5 23.Rxd8 Raxd8 24.Be3+ 

As the loss of Black's Queen is not enough to cause him to strike his colors, Bill brings out some more pieces to enforce checkmate. Bill also notes that 24.Qxf6 leads to mate as well. 

24...Kxc4 25.Na3+ Kd3 26.Bxh6 Ne4 27. Rd1+ Ke2 28. Qg4 checkmate

Natural Moves

The latest game from Bill Wall came with the following description: Here is a Jerome where my opponent tried to attack, but made errors, grabbed a pawn too greedily and lost a piece and the game.  I just played natural moves and waited for his mistakes.

Bill makes it all look simple.

Wall,B - Guest428245
PlayChess.com, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qc3 

Sometimes - but not always, especially in Bill's games - the Queen goes to e3.

9...Nf6

Bill points out the alternatives 9...Qg5 and 9...Qh4, looking for counter attack. Black probably didn't want to repeat White's errors of moving his Queen too often.

10.d3 Kf7

10...Qe7 was seen in Wall,B - Guest4149739, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 30); while 10...c6 was seen in Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 32). 

11.0-0

White decides not to go pawn hunting with 11.Qb3+ Be6 12.Qxb7 Qd7. "Natural moves" and all that.

11...Re8

Black continues to castle-by-hand, although Bill points out the alternative 11...b6. 

12.f4

Houdini slightly prefers 12.Qb3+ Kf8 and then 13.f4 but I am not sure why. It suggests that Black should answer 12.f4 with 12...Kg8, and after a few more moves play ...Kh8; so perhaps the suggestion of the White Queen check is designed to keep Black's King closer to the center, at f8.

12...c6

Bill recommends that Black finish "castling" with 12...Kg8.

13.Nd2 Ng4 

Black is thinking of counter attack, but, again, should have turned his thoughts toward 13...Kg8.

14.f5 Qb6+?!

Bill offers alternatives: 14...Ne7; 14...Nh8; 14...Nf8;14...Nh4 15.Nc4.

15.d4

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Black simply overlooked this reply, expecting, instead, 15.Kh1? Nf2+ 16.Rxf2 Qxf2 17.fxg6+ Kxg6.

15...N6e5

Alternatives were 15...Ne7 16.Nc4 Qd8 17.Qg3; and 15...Nf8 16.Nc4 Qd8 17.Qg3. 

16.Kh1 Nf6?

17.dxe5 dxe5

As Bill points out, not 17...Rxe5? 18.Nc4. 

18.Nf3 Nxe4?

Black is a pawn down, but could continue to play with either 18...Qb5 19.Re1 a5 or 18...Qc7 19.Rd1. The text is a psychological slip along the lines of thinking White can't be better, now, can he, it's got to be an even game, and capturing the pawn will make it so...

I am reminded of the old Jerome Gambit saw: once White has equalized, he has the advantage.

19.Qc4+ Kf8 20.Qxe4 Black resigned

A-Maze-Ing

In the following game Bill Wall changes up his Jerome Gambit attack, playing 6.d4, the favorite move, at first, of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome. Can his opponent follow him through the maze?

Wall,B - Guest4060198 
PlayChess.com, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

6...Qf6

The more straight-forward 6...Bxd4 was seen in Wall,B - berserkergang, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 21) and Wall,B - Guest903719, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 47), as well as the seminal Jerome,A - Shinkman,W, 1876, (½-½, 42).

The trickier 6...Bb4+ was seen in Wall,B - ChrSav, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11);  Wall,B - Caynaboos, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 26); Wall,B - ChessFlower, PlayChess.com, 2012 (27);  and Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 31).

The questionable 6...Nf3+ was seen in Wall,B - Guest151963, PlayChess.com, 2011 (1-0,17).

6...Qh4, probably Black's strongest reply, was seen in Wall,B - Rajiv, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 33); Wall,B - Gorodetsky,D, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 18); and Wall,B - felineMMXI, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0,18).

7.dxc5 Ne7 8.0-0 Rf8 9.Nc3 c6 

Black would do better to follow through on his plan to castle-by-hand: 9...Kg8 10.f4 Nf7. The problem seems to be that he is trying to do too many good things at once - play ...Qf6, safeguard his King, hit back in the center with ...d5.

10.f4 N5g6 11.Be3 d5? 12.cxd6 Ng8 

The "Jerome Pawns" are a scary sight.

13.d7 Rd8

A bit better (but not much) was 13...Bxd7 14.Qxd7+ N6e7.

14.dxc8/Q Raxc8 15.Qh5

Threatening 16.f5. White is up two pawns, with the initiative. 

15...Kf8 16.e5 Qf7 17.f5 Nxe5 18.Bc5+ Ne7 19.Qxh7 Qf6 20.Ne4 Qh6 21.Qxh6 gxh6 22.f6 Black resigned

No matter how he struggles, Black is going to lose a piece and a Rook. Amazing.