I need to spend a moment or two on a Jerome Gambit variation that has been bothering me for almost 20 years. (See "Another Way to Sacrifice the Knight" and "PSA 2.0" for a couple of rants.) A disreputable line in a disreputable opening, it keeps showing up in games. I would like to call it the Face Palm Variation.
SPOKLECHAT - anzali
5 0 blitz, FICS, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Ng5+
This line does not have a name that I am aware of. It is based on a tactical shot that may be clever, but not convincing. (I gave a warning about a decade ago in the post "Public Service Announcment".)
The Database has 568 games with the line, with White scoring 23%. The earliest games that I have (6 losses) feature TiFoZi, at FICS, in 1999. I will try to message him there, but, according to the site, the last time he visited was October 22, 2001.
I can understand that a Jerome Gambit player might try the line on a lark, especially at blitz or lightning time controls; I noticed Jerome regulars such as COMTIBoy, DragonTail, drumme, HauntedKnight, JKELSEY, majorminor, MyGameUMove, Petasluk, snthor, sTpny, superpippo, Teterow, thmavz, ZahariSokolov, and yorgos, have given it a try.
5...Qxg5
Of course.
The Database shows that this capture occurred 415 times, that is, in 73% of the games. (White scored 16%.)
6.d4
The idea: the pawn attacks Black's Bishop, while uncovering an attack on Black's Queen.
One of the reasons that White fares so poorly in this line is that White played this thematic move in less than half of the games where Black had grabbed the Knight. But, why offer the piece unless you had this surprise in store? Another way of offering "Jerome Gambit odds"? Inattention?
One downside of the whole idea is that Stockfish 11 now rates Black's advantage to be about the equivalent of two Rooks and a piece...
6...Bxd4
Out of 195 games, 16 times Black fell for this "trap". That is not very often (8% of the time after 6.d4; 3% of the games where White plays 5.Ng5+), although, when it did happen, White scored 69%.
In 147 of the games, Black played 6...Qxg2, and White still scored 11%, which is kind of amazing.
For the record, 6...Qxg2 crushes. After 7.Rf1 (best) Qxe4+ (capturing on d4 is fine, too) 8.Be3 (8.Qe2 does not provide any relief: 8...Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Nxd4+ 10.Kd1 d6 11.Be3 Bf5 11.Na3 Nf6 is gruesome) Nxd4 9.Nc3 Bb4 10.Qd3 (Stockfish 10 prefers castling-by-hand with 10.Kd2 and 11.Kc1, but, really) Bxc3+ 11.Qxc3 Nxc2+ and that should be convincing enough.
But, in the game we are looking at, Black fell down the well...
7.Bxg5 h6
Black has 2 pieces for his Queen, and might as well try his luck with 7...Bxb2, going after the enemy Rook. Things can get a little complicated after 8.Na3 Nd4, but 9.0-0 Bxa3 10.f4 puts the heat back on the Black King.
After 7...Bxb2, there is also 8.Qh5+ g6 (8...Kf8 9.Na3 Bxa3 [9...Bxa1 10.Nb5] 10.Qf3+ Ke8 11.Qxa3) 9.Qf3+ Kg7 10.Nc3 Bxa1 11.Nd5 and Black will not be able to hold onto his Rook and two piece compensation for his Queen, e.g. 11...d6 12.Bf6+ Nxf7 13.Qxf6+Kg8 14.Nxc7 and White is not only threatening to win the Rook, he threatens to move the Knight to e8 to aid in checkmate.
Again, back to the game.
8.Qf3+ Nf6 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Qh5+ Kg7
11.Nd2 Bxb2 12.Rb1 Bd4 13.Nf3 Bb6
Black has secured most of his pieces, but he has left one at risk - his King.
14.Nh4 d6
Defense is hopeless. For example, 14...Ne7, 15.Rb3 with the idea of moving over to g3.
15.Qg6+ Kf8 16.Qxf6+ Kg8 17.Ng6 Black resigned
The Rook at h8, and possibly the one at a8 as well, will soon be leaving the board.
Hats off to SPOKLECHAT, who took great risks, but also took advantage of his opportunities.
I got a good chuckle out of the following 3 0 blitz game, also by COMTIBoy (see "Jerome Gambit: The Jerome Treatment (Redux)").
Sometimes we can get so caught up in our ideas and plans that we overlook - something.
The essential skill a Jerome Gambit player needs to hone is an awareness of when that "something" arrives at the board.
COMTIBoy - BravoDelta
3 0 blitz, FICS, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.c3
As someone who generally plays the "classical" Jerome Gambit lines (i.e. 5.Nxe5), I am not very familiar with
this move, and I was sort of surprised to find 1,601 examples in The Database. In those games White scores 41%. However, with 36 games in The Database, COMPTIBoy has a more
respectible 53% outcome.
5...Kf8
Not the first move that comes to mind, and I think there is a bit of psychology behind it - not at all surprising in a 3-minute game.
Surprisingly, there are 48 games with this line in The Database. Perhaps not surprisingly, White scores 60%.
6.d4
exd4 7.cxd4 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 d6
White's pawn center and the uneasy position of Black's King almost - but not yet - compensates for the sacrificed piece. The attacker needs some open lines.
10.e5 dxe5 11.Ba3+ Nge7 12.d5 Na5
Just the kind of chaos White wants in a fast blitz game, especially when you consider that "best" for Black is something like 12...Kf7 13.dxc6 Qxd1+ 14.Rxd1 Nxc6, giving back the piece to be able to exchange Queens and remain a boring pawn ahead.
13.Nxe5 Kg8 14.Qa4
Blitz attacking rule #1: Keep making scary moves.
14...Qxd5
Blitz defending rule #1: Beware of poisoned pawns.
15.Qe8 checkmate
You are playing a blitz game against a player rated about 175 points above you. Even worse, he plays an unorthodox line almost immediately. What do you do?
Well, if you are a Jerome Gambit fan, you provide a little instruction on how wild play can become - and you wrap up the win in under 10 moves!
COMTIBoy - valentinbasel
3 0 blitz, FICS, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5
If you play the Jerome Gambit, you will eventually meet this move.
It looks like Black would like to see 4.Bb3, when he can win the Bishop pair with 4...Nxb3. Of course, White can play the straight-forward 4.Nxe5, instead, grabbing a pawn and protecting his Bishop - not to mention attacking Black's f7.
There is another option for White, one explored a number of times on this blog, starting with "A Snack" about 6 years ago.
4.Bxf7+
The Jerome treatment. This leads to a roughly equal game, although White's attacking chances are to be preferred in quick play.
By the way, for a couple of earlier games by COMTIBoy facing the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, see "Incomplete" and "The Missing Element".
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6
Of course, Black wants to evict the enemy Knight, even though this move gives White the edge. His safest, and best, move is 5...Ke7, which is somewhat counterintuitive, as it blocks the diagonals of his Queen and Bishop; but it maintains an even game.
If you do not have experience in defending this line, the nuances are liable to escape you.
6.d4 d6 7.Qg4+ Kf6 8.Bg5 checkmate
Gosh. That took less time than it takes to tell...
Certainly Black needed to try 7...Ke7, although after 8.Qg5+ Nf6 9.Nf3 Nc6 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5 Kf7 12.exf6 White would have recovered his sacrificed piece and retained an edge.
In the following game White clearly had his chances. In fact, had he figured out or recalled a particular move (Nc4+) on several occasions, he would have brought the game to an early conclusion, in his favor. Sometimes the risks of blitz cut both ways.
COMTIBoy - elmasgrande
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. We have seen COMTIBoy play this before.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ Ke7
Almost asking to be checkmated.
7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.c3
Leading to an even game. Instead, White had 8.Nc4+ Kc5 9.Qd5+ Kb4 10.a3+ Ka4 11.Nc3#,
8...Nc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1
Black cannot resist the bait. He could have escaped to a roughly equal game with 9...Kxe5 10.Kxc2,
10.d4
This leads to an advantage for White, but he overlooks the missing element: 10.Nc4+ Kc6 11.Qd5#.
10...Qf6 11.Qd5+
Or 11.Nc4+ Kc6 12.Qd5#.
11...Ke7 12.f4
Instead, 12.Bg5 wins the Queen.
Now Black's counter-attack crushes, as he is a minor piece and a Rook ahead.
12...c6 13.Qc4 d6 14.Nf3 Bg4 15.Nbd2 Qxf4 16.Nf1 Bxf3+ 17.gxf3 Qxf3+ 18.Qe2 Qxh1 19.Bg5+ Kd7 20.Qg4+ Kc7 21.Qf5 Nf6 22.e5 dxe5 23.Qe6 Qxf1+ 24.Kd2 Ne4+ 25.Ke3 Qe1+ 26.Kd3 Nxg5 27.Qxe5+ Qxe5 28.dxe5 Bc5 29.b4 Rad8+ 30.Kc4 b5+ 31.Kxc5 Rd5 checkmate
The following game allows me to point out that my assessment of a line in the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit has been incomplete. Quick! Let me add a bit more.
COMTIBoy - erickking
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8
As I've written before
Seen most often is 5...Ke8, and after 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6, best play for both sides is 7...hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+, when Black can go for the draw-by-repetition with 9...Ke8; or go for an unbalanced (but largely equal) position as acirce suggested above with 9...Nf6 10.Qc5+ d6 11.Qxd4 when White has four pawns for a piece and it is unclear if Black has an open King or open lines for development.
This doesn't address the question, though, What if White wants more than a draw?
6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+ Ke8 10.Qe5+
Instead of repeating checks White decides to pick up the Knight at d4, going on his own for an "unbalanced (but largely equal) position."
10...Ne6
This move tilts the game in White's favor.
Stronger was10...Qe7, daring White to take the Rook: 11.Qxh8 Qxe4+ White resigned, avoiding checkmate, in jatapia - RVLY, FICS, 2008.
After the more sensible 11.Qxd4, Black has played 11...Rh6, GOH - Jorma, FICS, 2005 (1-0, 43); 11...Rh4, keeswillem - focus13, GameKnot, 2006 (0-1, 29); 11...Nf6, dic - zoranb, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 25); and 11...Bg7, GOH - boggus, FICS, 2005 (1-0, 28) and perrypawnpusher - adamzzzz, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 39).
11.Qxh8
White has a Rook and four pawns for two pieces, and a safer King.
11...Qg5
This is an obvious improvement over the knee-jerk 11...Qf6 of Dragon Tail - Blitzcraig, FICS, 2008: 12.Qh5+ (12.Qxg8 was okay, too) Kd8 13.d3 Nd4 14.Bg5 Nxc2+ 15.Kd1 d6 16.Bxf6+ Nxf6 17.Qf7 Nxa1 18.Qxf8+ Kd7 19.Qxf6 Kc6 20.Na3 Black resigned, DragonTail - Blitzcraig, FICS, 2008.
12.0-0 Nf6
Stronger was the more direct 12...Nf4, when Black out-played his opponent: 13.g3 d6 14.d4 Ne2+ 15.Kh1 Nxc1 16.Nc3 Bg4 17.Raxc1 Bf3+ 18.Kg1 Kd7 19.Qh4 Qxh4 20.gxh4 Bh6 21.Rce1 Bd2 22.Rb1 Nf6 23.e5 Rg8 checkmate, Raju - risbo, FICS, 2002.
13.d4 Qg6 14.Nc3 d6 15.f4 Nxe4
A slip that costs a piece and the game.
16.f5 Qg7 17.Qh5+ Ke7 18.Nxe4 Qxd4+ 19.Nf2 Nd8 20.Re1+ Kd7 21.Qe8 checkmate
