Jerome Gambit: In the Meantime

When the third round games in the "Italian Battleground" tournament at Chess.com began to wind down (two left to complete, one a Jerome Gambit) I went looking for action in the "Italian Game Classic" tournament on the same site.

Round 1, Group 2 matched me with 4 other players - and I was able to construct a Jerome. I admit that I benefitted from giving "Jerome Gambit odds", as well as from my opponent's quick moves, despite the 3 days/move time control. Still, the game had its moments, especially the "throw in the kitchen sink" ending.  

perrypawnpusher - Al-der
Italian Game Classic, Chess.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 

As I posted about this move, some time ago

As early as his first article with analysis (Dubuque Chess Journal 4/1874), Alonzo Wheeler Jerome considered the possibility that Black might refuse to capture the second piece, and play for King safety instead with 5...Kf8.  

This was, in fact, the defense that Jerome, himself, credited to G. J. Dougherty, ("a strong amateur, against whom I first played the opening") of Mineola, New York, in a yet unfound game; that O.A. Brownson, editor of the Dubuque Chess Journal, played against Jerome in an 1875 game (Dubuque Chess Journal3/1875); that magazine editor William Hallock used against D.P. Norton in an 1876 correspondence game played “by special request” to test the gambit (American Chess Journal 2/1877); that William Carrington tried in his 1876 match vs Mexican Champion Andres Clemente Vazquez (Algunas Partidas de Ajedrez Jugadas en Mexico, 1879); and which Lt. Soren Anton Sorensen recommended as “more solid and easier to manage” in his seminal Jerome Gambit essay (Nordisk Skaktidende 5/1877). 

As I noted: early in the Jerome's Gambit's life, there were players willing to accept one "gift", but who were skeptical of accepting two "gifts".

6.Nxc6

Probably the strongest move, although Bill Wall has experimented with 6.0-0!?, intending to meet 6...Nxe5 with 7.d4.

The Banks Variation, 6.Qh5!?, has scored 18-20-1, but is well met by 6...Qe7!?. See "Jerome Gambit Secrets #4".

6...dxc6

The better pawn capture, as 6...bxc6 would allow 7.d4, right away.

7.O-O

I considered both this move and 7.d3, and decided that castling was going to be necessary, in any event, while, perhaps, it wasn't yet time to give up on the opportunity to play d2-d4. My judgement was almost immediately rewarded.

7...Qh4 8.d4 Bg4 

Played quickly, probably with the idea that you don't always have to defend against an opponent's threat if you can come up with a greater threat. In this case, however, Black has overlooked a resource that White has.

9.f3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3+ Qf6 11.Qd3 

Black's game has come off the rails, quickly.

11...Qxf1+ 12.Kxf1 Rd8 13.Qf3+ Ke8 14.dxc5 Ne7

White has a Queen, Bishop and pawn for a Rook, but he still needs to be careful.

15.Kg1 Rf8 16.Qe2 Ng6 17.Nc3 b5 18.Bg5 Rd7 19.Rd1 Ne5

White's pieces are developed. Now it is time to put them to use: nothing subtle, just throw the pieces at him, especially the Queen and Bishop.

20.Qh5+ g6 21.Qh3 Rff7 22.Qe6+ Kf8 23.Bh6+ Rg7 24.Rf1+ Rdf7 25.Qc8+ Ke7 26.Bg5+ Black resigned

The finish would have been 26...Rf6 27.Bxf6+ Kf7 28.Bg5+ Nf3+ 29.Rxf3 checkmate.

Jerome Gambit: Velveteen Rabbit (Part 1)

The title of today's post was laid out, previously

Like Pinocchio or the Velveteen Rabbit, the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) longs to become a "real" chess opening, or at least a "normal" one. 

Of course, that is a bit of a stretch for something so often refuted. 

Yet, occasionally, I experience a sense of "normality", as I noted a while back in my post "Still More Errors in Thinking 4.0"

I mean, I play a game, I publish it on this blog, someone takes that information and uses it in another one of my Jerome Gambits. I publish that game in this blog, someone elses uses that information in another of my Jerome Gambits...

Just like a real opening.

perrypawnpusher - warwar
"Italian Battleground", Chess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

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

This variation does not have a name, but it could well be titled the Brownson Defense, after O.A. Brownson, who played it in Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1-0, 28), shortly after the Jerome Gambit's debut. 

The defense was subsequently played by William Carrington in the first game of his second match against the Mexican champion, Andres Clemente Vazquez, in 1876 (1-0, 34).

It should be noted that Vazquez played a match against Steinitz in 1888, and one against Blackburne in 1891. The latter match included two Giuoco Piano openings played by Vazquez, and it would have been fascinating - if downright risky for the first player - if one of the strongest players of the Jerome Gambit at that time had used it against the player whose crush of it against "Amateur" a few years earlier had covered the attack in ignomy. Alas, Vazquez opted for 4.0-0 both times.

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

There are 186 games with this position in The Database, with White scoring a surprising 71%. This more likely reflects the comfort, knowledge and experience of the player with the White pieces, rather than an "objective" evaluation of the state of affairs. 

10.O-O Kf7

Black will castle-by-hand, bringing his Rook to the e-file.

White will urge his "Jerome pawns forward."

11.f4 Re8 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 

13...Neg4

After enticing White's pawns forward, Black takes a swipe at his Queen.

14.Qb3+ Kf8 15.h3 Nh6 

16.Bxh6 gxh6 17.Nd2

Here we have a strange looking position, quite possibly even, with White's extra (and healthy) pawns and development balancing Black's extra piece and unsafe King.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Too Fast, Too Furious (Part 2)

[continued from previous post]

perrypawnpusher - TobiasBrunner

"Let's Play The Italian Game" tournament

Chess.com, 2018 

Striking back, the Knight that has been kicked around targets the Queen.

I have seen the retreat 13...Nc6 three times: perrypawnpusher - Heler, Giuoco Piano tournament, Chess.com, 2015 (1-0, 33); perrypawnpusher - apurv83, Giuoco Piano tournament, Chess.com, 2015 (1/2-1/2, 29); and perrypawnpusher - Hywel2, Italian Game tournament, Chess.com, 2015 (0-1, 44).

Stockfish 9 prefers the retreat 13...Ned7; there are no games with this move in The Database.

14.Qb3+ 

Delivering the check before Black can sequester his King at g8.

14...Kf8

Better than 14...d5 15.e5 (15.h3!? Rxe4 16.hxg4 Rxg4 17.Bf4 Bxf5 =) Ne4 (15...Nxe5!? 16.dxe5 Rxe5 17.Bf4 Re8 =) 16.h3 (16.Nc3!? Ngf6 17.exf6 Nxf6) Ngf2 (16...Nxe5 17.dxe5 Rxe5) as in perrypawnpusher-whitepandora, blitz, FICS, 2011(1-0, 64) 

15.h3 Nh6

Instead, 15...Rxe4 16.hxg4 Rxg4 was seen in Vazquez,A - Carrington,W, Mexico, 2nd match 1876 (1-0, 34)

16.Bxh6 gxh6 17.Nd2 

It is rather curious that Stockfish 9, after the game, now recommended 17...b6!? for Black, giving 18.Qe3 Qe7 19.Rae1 Bb7 20.e5 dxe5 21.dxe5 Nd7 22.Qxh6+ Qg7 23.Qxg7+ Kxg7 24.e6 Nf6 25.g4 as even.

Clearly the e-pawn is poisoned, but why is that?

17...Nxe4 18.f6 

This advance and offer of a "Jerome pawn" is the reason. After 18...Nxf6 White will double his Rooks on the f-file and swing his Queen over to the g-file. As is often the case, Black will be troubled by having his Bishop on its home square, blocking entry of his other Rook.

I wish I could take credit for the move, but I had already seen it in Wall - Vijay, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 22). Of course, I had already played it, then, in perrypawnpusher - Bunnywarrior, Giuoco Piano thematic tournament, Chess.com, 2016 (1-0, 20)

18...Be6

This moves seems to solve Black's problems at first glance, avoiding the tempting 18...Nxd2? which led to a crush after 19.Qg3!? in Wall, - Vijay, Chess.com, 2010. It also improves on my game against Bunnywarrior, which makes me wonder - was TobiasBrunner aware of that game?

19.Qd3 Nxd2 

The Knight grabs material, abandoning his King.

After the game, Stockfish 9 said something like "Bwahaha! White now has a checkmate in 12." I didn't have any idea at the time, but I knew that White was going to have a strong attack.

What could Black have done, instead? He could have (temporarily) protected the h-pawn with 19...Ng5, although 20.h4 Bf7 21.hxg5 Bg6 22.Qf3 looks good for White. He could also have tried 19...d5, although 20.Nxe4 dxe4 21.Qe3!? targeting the advanced h-pawn, looks dangerous.

Looking at White's f-pawn, I remembered the villains' line from various Scooby Doo cartoons, "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids"

20.Qxh7 Qd7 21.Qh8+ Bg8 22.Qxh6+ Kf7 

Now, 23.d5! would effectively block the Black King's avenue of escape, and he could only delay checkmate by returning lots of material.

I missed the move because, two pieces down, I was mostly thinking about - material.

23.Qg7+ Ke6 24.d5+

This certainly accomplishes the task of moving the King away from his defense of the Queen, but 24.Rae1+ would have provided more of an attack, and would have been stronger. 

24...Kxd5 25.Qxd7 

25...Nxf1 26.Rxf1 Be6 

Black has a Rook and a Bishop for his Queen (and a couple of pawns), and decides that he can fight on.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit Secrets #4

One of my favorite Jerome Gambit "secrets" has actually been solved, but the story is always a good one to tell. And tell again.

Let's look at a line.

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8

About 4 1/2 years ago I posted about this move

As early as his first article with analysis (Dubuque Chess Journal 4/1874), Alonzo Wheeler Jerome considered the possibility that Black might refuse to capture the second piece, and play for King safety instead with 5...Kf8.  

This was, in fact, the defense that Jerome, himself, credited to G. J. Dougherty, ("a strong amateur, against whom I first played the opening") of Mineola, New York, in a yet unfound game; that O.A. Brownson, editor of the Dubuque Chess Journal, played against Jerome in an 1875 game (Dubuque Chess Journal3/1875); that magazine editor William Hallock used against D.P. Norton in an 1876 correspondence game played “by special request” to test the gambit (American Chess Journal 2/1877); that William Carrington tried in his 1876 match vs Mexican Champion Andres Clemente Vazquez (Algunas Partidas de Ajedrez Jugadas en Mexico, 1879); and which Lt. Soren Anton Sorensen recommended as “more solid and easier to manage” in his seminal Jerome Gambit essay (Nordisk Skaktidende 5/1877). 

It is interesting that early in Jerome's Gambit's life, there were players willing to accept one "gift" but who were skeptical of accepting two "gifts".

6.Qh5

This move shows up in 38 games in The Database, with White scoring 49%.

As I noted

White also has the option of playing 6.Qh5, the Banks Variation, as in Banks - Rees, Halesowen, 2003, when Black can transpose with 6…Nxe5  as recommended by the American Chess Journal, (3/1877) - "The continuation adopted by Jerome, Qh5 looks promising." 

Pete Banks ("blackburne" online), a stalwart member of the Jerome GambitGemeinde (and still the strongest player I know who has played the Jerome regularly over-the-board in rated contests), brought international attention to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's invention by writing to International Master Gary Lane, who commented at length on the opening, and on a couple of Banks' games, in his March ("The Good Old Days") and April ("Chess Made Easy") 2008 "Opening Lanes" columns at ChessCafe.com. IM Lane also mentioned one of Banks' games in his The Greatest Ever chess tricks and traps (2008), which reprised some of the earlier material. 

It is humorous to note that in his "Opening Lanes" column Lane wrote, after 5.Nxe5+, "I think anyone with good manners playing Black would now kindly ask their opponent if they wanted to take their move back" while in his book he changed this to "I think anyone with good manners playing Black would now go to another room to carry on laughing." 

Apropos the Banks Variation itself (i.e. playing 6.Qh5 in response to 5...Kf8), IM Lane noted in "The Good Old Days" that "6...Qe7 is a good alternative [to 6...Qf6 of Banks - Rees], because it stops the checkmate and protects the bishop on c5." 

A few months later, 6...Qe7 was tested successfully in a GameKnot.com game, splott - mika76, 2008: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Qh5 Qe7 7.Ng6+ hxg6 8.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 Qd4 10.Ke1 Qxf2+ 11.Kd1 d6 12.h3 Qxg2 13.Re1 Qf3+ 14.Re2 Bf2 15.d3 Nd4 16.Nc3 Qh1+ 17.Kd2 Nf3 checkmate. Clearly White, the very-slightly-higher rated player, was taken aback by the move. I asked mika76 if he had been influenced by IM Lane's recommendation, but he said he had come up with the move himself.

Cliff Hardy Jerome Gambit Adventure Number Three

Here is a third Cliff Hardy Jerome Gambit game, again a 10 minute game -  and again, playing blindfold!

Notes are by Cliff. I have added diagrams and an occasional comment in blue.

Hardy, Cliff - ronin7887
10 0, white playing blindfold
lichess.org, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

Reaching this position for the third time in three games. There are 91 games in The Database with this position, going back to Vazquez - Carrington, 2nd match, Mexico, 1876. - Rick

10.f4 Qe7 11.Nc3 Kf7 12.O-O c6?!

+/=  Stockfish doesn't like this move and gives12...Re8 with a clear advantage for black. 

13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4?!

+/=  This move is quite clumsy for black and the odd move 14...Ned7 would have actually much better, with an equal position 

15.Qd3 Nb6 16.Bg5 h6? 

+- An unnecessary weakening of the black king; 16...Re8 would have been more circumspect, with a clear advantage for white 

17.Bh4 Re8 18.Rae1 Qc7? 

18...Nbd7 may have held out longer, though white would still have had an overwhelming initiative 

19.e5?! Nfd5?

Better would have been 19...dxe5 since after my planned 20.dxe5 Rxe5 21.Bg3 black would then have had the complicated 21...Bxf5! though then after 22.Qf3 his rook would still then have been lost on e5, so white would still have had a winning position in that circumstance anyway 

20.Ne4 dxe5 21.dxe5 Rxe5 22.Bg3 Kg8 23.f6 g5?

Weakening the king's position, though black is lost in any case 

24.Nxg5 hxg5??

The complicated 24...Bf5! was best, though white would still have been completely winning e.g. 25.Bxe5 Bxd3 26.f7+! Qxf7 27.Rxf7 hxg5 28.Rg7+ Kf8 29.cxd3 

25.Qg6+ Kf8 26.Bxe5 Qf7 27.Bd6+ Black resigned

Nice. Checkmate will arrive in 4 moves. Readers will notice Black's light-squared bishop at home, blocking the rook - a telltale sign that all is not well with black's position; and clearly punished by Cliff in this game. - Rick