Chessfriend Yury Bukayev recently referred me to the France-Echecs.com website, to a discussion that took place earlier in the year, regarding, in part, the game Millet,C - Sénéchaud,D, Rochefort, 1995 - most recently covered in the "Unorthodox Openings Newsletter", issue #33, which was mentioned in the last blog post.
In addition, in the France-Echecs.com article there are three games presented with the opening moves 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Bxf7+, along with the suggested name "the Jerome-Knight gambit".
A quick look at The Database shows only 6 examples of the Jerome-Kight gambit (not surprising, as I have not specifically collected the line), including an online ICC blitz game by American GM Larry Christiansen ("Here, have a Bishop...") and three games recently discovered at GameKnot.com.
While Readers check out France-Echecs.com, I will see what other games I can gather.
It's true.
As I posted before, "The Jerome Gambit Is Going To Drive Me..." (Part 1 and Part 2).
It has been 2 1/2 months and I have heard nothing further from Fat Lady of the online site TimeForChess (also known as RedHotPawn) about the supposed Alekhine Jerome Gambit game...
I will let Readers know if anything ever turns up, but it looks like for now this game will have to join the pile of Jerome Gambit "urban legends", such as the book All or Nothing! The Jerome Gambit by Chaim Schmendrik.
By the way, did you hear the one about Grandmaster Larry Christiansen playing the Jerome Gambit at the Internet Chess Club...?
[August 2014 was the 4th most-visited month in the history of this blog - starting in 2008. All four of those top months are within the last year, too - add May 2014, December 2013, November 2013 - showing increasing interest. To our Readers - many thanks - Rick]
After my week of searching at ICC for Jerome Gambit games (starting with "A GM Plays the Jerome Gambit??"), I was successful in discovering only one additional example (see "The Search Continues... With Some Success"), and that one was played by neither Grandmaster Larry Christiansen nor any other Grandmaster.
Finally, I did run across 3 games played by someone whose ICC handle was "AlonzoJerome".
Guess who?
Of course, I played them myself.
Well, that's at least a few games for the next Jerome Gambit explorer to discover.
AlonzoJerome - HenryV
blitz, ICC, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.
6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Nf3+
I was still pretty nervous at this point, because if I've played any games at ICC, it was quite some time ago, and I was still getting used to the software and sensing the strengths of players...
At this point, though, I gave thanks to AirmanLeonidas, who played this line against me last year. I did not find the best response the first time, but I did the second, and I was ready to remember it this third time.
9.Qxf3 Bb6
Black passes on the d-pawn.
After 9...Bxd4 10.Nb5 White eventually collects the Knight on f6 and has an even game: 10...Be5 (10...Bb6 11.e5) 11.Qb3+ d5 12.f4 Bd6 13.Nxd6+ Qxd6 14.e5 Qb6+ 15.Qxb6 axb6 16.exf6
10.e5 Rf8 11.exf6 Qxf6 12.Qxf6+ Kxf6
I was happy with my pawn advantage in the Queenless middle game, but Black's two Bishops almost offset this.
13.Be3 d6 14.Ne4+ Kg6 15.c3 d5 16.Ng3 Kh7
17.Rae1 a5 18.Bd2 c6 19.Re7 Bg4 20.Rfe1 Bc5
A thoughtless move that I managed to overlook for a move. I guess I wasn't the only nervous player in this game.
21.Rxb7 Rab8
Amaurosis scacchistica. Chess blindness.
22.Rxb8 Rxb8 23.dxc5 Rxb2 24.Be3 Rxa2
Black has hopes that his passer will make up for the missing piece.
25.f3 Be6 26.Ne2 a4 27.Bd4 a3 28.Nf4 Bc8
Black should probably have safe-guarded his Kingside with 28...Bf7, i.e. if 29.Re7 Kg8, but then White would chase away the a-pawn's defender with Nf4-d3-b4 and then capture it with Re1-a1.
29.Re7 Ra1+ 30.Kf2 Ra2+ 31.Kg3 Rc2 32.Rxg7+ Kh8 33.Ng6 checkmate
The second game passed along to me by Dr. Goeller (see "A GM Plays the Jerome Gambit??" and "Here, have a Bishop...") was closer to a "pure" Jerome Gambit game. Again, we see how an experienced, aggressive Grandmaster, American Larry Christiansen, can give something similar to "Jerome Gambit odds" and win the game with ease.
LarryC (2559) - wetvader (1250)
45 15, ICC (1), 2007
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7
4.d4 Nxd4
This capture is not seen very often, and is not correct. Even Fritz8 sees the next move as best.
5.Bxf7+
Adding a little Jerome to the quiet Hungarian Defense. In this case it is the Knight on d4 that is hanging.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Kf8 7.Qxd4
7...Bf6 8.Qb4+ d6
As sometimes happens, the weaker player misses an "opportunity" against the Grandmaster. Instead of the text, the "anti-positional" 8...c5 bids to win a piece, i.e. 9.Qc3 (if 9.Qxc5, then 9...d6) d6 10.f4 although things are actually quite complex: 10...Nh6 11.0-0 Ke8 (getting off of the hot f-file) 12.Nd2 Qe7 13.Ndc4 Nf7 14.Nxf7 Bxc3 15.Nfxd6+ Kf8 16.bxc3 b5 17.Nxc8 Rxc8 18.Ne5 and Rybka 3 sees the position as about equal, even though White has only two pieces and two pawns for his Queen...
analysis diagram
Does the Grandmaster worry? He does not. He knows that every player makes mistakes with a certain frequency, like a metaphorical "bomb" that goes off again and again (infrequently for GMs, regularly for club players). He just has to light the fuse, playing solidly, holding tight, and waiting for the next "boom!"
9.Nf3 h6 10.0-0 a5 11.Qc4 b6 12.Qe2 Ba6 13.c4 d5 14.exd5 Qe7
Black backs away from his original idea of 14...Qxd5, which would have been best.
15.Qc2 Qd6 16.Nbd2 Ne7 17.Ne4 Qd7 18.Nxf6 gxf6 19.Re1 Re8 20.Bf4 Qg4
21.Bg3 Qxc4 22.Qxc4 Bxc4 23.d6 cxd6 24.Bxd6
White did not mind returning a pawn to exchange Queens, as there is every likelihood that he can play the pawn-up endgame with half his brain tied behind his back.
Black can hope: can he reach the Bishop-of-opposite-colors endgame? In the meantime, there is the issue of the pinned Knight.
24...Rh7 25.Nd4 Kf7 26.Rac1 Ba6 27.Bxe7 Rxe7 28.Rxe7+ Black resigned
After 28...Kxe7 29.Rc7+ will win his Rook.
The first game passed along to me by Dr. Goeller (see "A GM Plays the Jerome Gambit??") was not a "pure" Jerome Gambit game, but it included an early Bishop sacrifice and gave a fascinating insight into how an experienced, aggressive Grandmaster, American Larry Christiansen, can give something similar to "Jerome Gambit odds" and still win the game.
LarryC (3058) - therealwizard (1991)
blitz, 3 0, Internet Chess Club, 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6
Rybka 3, in "blunder check" mode, helpfully adds that this is the "last book move" in the line of play.
3.Bxf7+
Here, have a Bishop...
My guess is that modern masters are more likely to give "time odds" in play against weaker opponents, but here the Grandmaster donates a piece to the "cause" of an interesting and more-balanced game.
3...Kxf7 4.d3 Be7 5.Nc3 Rf8 6.f4 d6 7.Nf3 Kg8
Black has castled-by-hand and maintains his piece-for-a-pawn (soon two) advantage.
On the other hand, White can take inspiration from the "Theory of Infinite Resistance" as developed by my chessfriend (and co-author of The Marshall Gambit in the French and Sicilian Defenses) Riley Sheffield. Often, after making an early error (we can debate if the Bishop sacrifice was an error, but bear with me), if the defender bears down and plays hard, making no further mistakes and provides plenty of resistance to his opponent, a loss is not inevitable. (At least when facing a human.)
By the way, if you get a chance to take a look at Sheffield's Tension in the Chess Position, do so. It is a helpful read for club players.
8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Nxe5 Bc5 10.Nf3 Bg4 11.Bg5 Nc6 12.Qd2
To castle Queenside and not be troubled by the broken up Kingside.
12...Bxf3 13.gxf3 Qd4
Black's advantage (extra piece, better development, safer King) is clear, but White goes about developing and playing his game. He knows that his time will come.
14.0-0-0 Ne5 15.Rhf1 a5
16.Ne2 Qd7 17.Kb1 Be7 18.f4
This advance looks natural, but is actually an error, although Black misses his chance.
18...Nc4
This idea works, as it often can in blitz, but should not. Instead, Black should grab a pawn with 18...Nxe4.
19.Qc3
Overlooking Black's next move.
19...Ne3 20.Ng3 Nxf1 21.Rxf1 b5
Black has a Rook for two pawns and should feel elated.
Yet, it is still a 3 0 game against a Grandmaster, and he can't just take his chessboard and go home. He has to win and beat the clock. That is a tall order.
22.Nf5 c5 23.Rg1 b4 24.Qc4+ Kh8 25.Nxe7 Qxe7 26.e5 Qf7 27.exf6 Qxc4 28.fxg7+ Kxg7 29.dxc4
White's resourcefulness has him now with two pawns for the exchange. Black is still probably better, but not by much, and not for long.
29...Kf7 30.b3 Rae8 31.Rd1 Re2 32.h4 Rfe8 33.Kb2 Kg6 34.Bd8 Rf2 35.Bxa5 Rxf4 36.Rg1+ Kh5 37.Rg5+ Kxh4 38.Rxc5 Rf2 39.Bxb4 Ree2
Black's two Rooks on the 2nd rank look aggressive, and they blind him to the truth of the position: a likely draw.
40.Ka3 Rxc2
Bold and wrong.
Rybka 3 likes 40...Kg4 41.Rc8 Rxc2 42.Rg8+ Kf5 43.Rf8+ Ke6 44.Re8+ Kf7 45.Rf8+ Ke6 and an eventual draw through repetition.
41.Be1
Pinning and winning the Rook.
41...Rxa2+ 42.Kb4 Rae2 43.Rf5
Cute.
43...Kg3 44.Rxf2 Rxf2 45.c5
The White pawns decide.
45...h5 46.c6 h4 47.c7 h3 48.Bxf2+ Kxf2 49.c8Q h2 50.Qh3 Kg1 51.Qg3+ Black forfeited on time
While Dr. Michael Goeller was filling me in on the reversed Blackburne Shilling Gambit (see "Through the Looking Glass: A Reversed BSG" and "Looking Deeper: the Reversed BSG") and working with his friend, Fritz, to temper my expectations (see "Reversed BSG: A Closer Look"), he dropped this bomb on me
I have seen [GM Larry] Christiansen venture your favorite Jerome Gambit in ICC blitz or simul games, but I'm not sure he really believes in it.
You can imagine my response! Grandmaster Larry "Storming the Barracades" Christiansen!? The Jerome Gambit??
As politely and calmly as possible (under the circumstances), I asked to see some of the games...
I began searching for LarryC games but ran into the dreaded "Game Database temporarily unavailable." But I turned up a couple before that kept happening...
I think he mostly does this as an interesting way to spot a weaker opponent a piece in online simuls.
Remembering now, he probably does it mostly via the C24 Bishop's Opening, which is how I stumbled upon the LarryC Jerome Gambit phenomenon -- while searching for Urusov Games, of course.
I will try to dig up some more this weekend, but anyone you know on ICC can find them with the search string "Search LarryC C24 White" etc.
I suggested that he look for Jerome Gambit games under C50 as well. I heard back from Dr. Goeller.
I spent some more time looking for LarryC games on ICC with the Bxf7 sac but couldn't find any more. I am not sure why, because I am certain I saw a bunch of them a couple years back while doing a search. It's possible that unrated games (such as simul games) are only temporarily available on the server and then vanish, even if played by LarryC.
In any case, there are very few C50 games at all, and none that really meet your criteria. And I only found the one C24 game I sent. It seems almost certain I saw them while searching through recent C24 games, which I do from time to time. It seems unlikely I was looking at C50 games. Started trying C21 and got Game Database currently unavailable. But the few I was able to go through did not look promising.
So sorry to get your hopes up and then disappoint... But at least you have one game. I'll keep an eye out for more.
In all, Dr. Goeller sent me two games, which we will look at in future posts.
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