I have always found the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit to be one of the more difficult variations in the Jerome. This is probably due to the additional development which, among other things, restricts my Queen from making wild advances.
Even Bill Wall has experienced relative "difficulty", scoring only 91% in his games with the line. The following game is quite a rarity.
Wall, Bill - Guest343560
PlayChess.com, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
5...Kxf7 6.Qe2
Also seen are 6.d4 and 6.Nxe5+.
6...d5
Other moves have allowed Bill to utilize his Queen on a different diagonal, e.g. 6...Rf8, which led to 7.Qc4+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc4 Qe7 10.d4 exd4 11.Nxd4 Nxe4 12.Nxc6 Qh4 13.O-O Rxf2 14.Nxe4 Rxg2+ 15.Kxg2 Bh3+ 16.Kh1 Qg4 17.Qf7 checkmate Wall,B - Roberts,C, Chess.com, 2010. See also Wall,B - Hamilton,E, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22); Wall, Bill - NFNZ, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 15); and Wall,B - Guest1872464, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 30).
Or 6...d6 7.Qc4+ as in Wall,B - Guest1459913, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 38).
Or 6...h6 7.Qc4+ d5 8.Qxc5 as in Wall,B - DarkKnight, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 23),
7.exd5
Better was 7.Nxd5, as in Wall, Bill - Samvazpr, Chess.com, 2010 (0-1, 25)
7...Nd4
This is an improvement over 7...Nxd5 8.Qc4 Nce7 9.Nxe5+ Ke6 10.Qxc5 Kxe5 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.c4 b6 13.d4+ Ke4 14.Qc6 Be6 15.Qxe6+ Kxd4 16.cxd5 Qxd5 17.Be3+ Kc4 18.Rc1+ Kb5 19.Qxd5+ c5 20.O-O Rhd8 21.Qc4+ Kc6 22.b4 Kb7 23.Qd5+ Ka6 24.Qc6 Rac8 25.Qa4+ Kb7 26.Rfd1 Rxd1+ 27.Rxd1 cxb4 28.Qxb4 Rc7 29.Qb5 h6 30.Rd7 Rxd7 31.Qxd7+ Ka6 32.Bd2 g5 33.a4 g4 34.Qb5+ Kb7 35.Bxh6 a6 36.Qd7+ Kb8 37.Bf4+ Ka8 38.Qc7 b5 39.Qb8 checkmate, papernoose - jsit, FICS, 2004.
8.Nxe5+ Kg8 9.Qc4 Qd6 10.O-O a6 11.Nd3 Ba7 12.Rb1 Bf5
Black is developing, while White struggles to get his pieces coordinated. An attack on White's King combined with an attack on his Queen brings the game to a quick conclusion.
13.a3 Ng4 14.g3 Nxh2 15.Kxh2 b5 White resigned
Lately, not a lot of opponents have answered 3...Bc5, which would give Bill Wall a chance to play the Jerome Gambit. In the following game he shows some patience, and it turns out that he is okay with the delay.
Wall,B - Marz
PlayChess.com, 31.08.2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
The Two Knights Defense.
4.0-0
This reasonable move was looked at in "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense (Part 4)".
Bill has also played 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 as in Wall,B - Samvazpr, Chess.com 2010 (0-1, 25); Wall,B - Roberts, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 17); Wall,B - DarkKnight, Cocoa Beach, FL 2012 (1-0, 23); Wall,B - Guest1459913, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 38); Wall,B - Hamilton,E, FICS 2011 (1-0, 22); Wall,B - Guest1872464, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 30).
Of course, Philidor1792 has played 4.Bxf7+ here, any way, in 3-minute games.
4...Bc5
Or 4...Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ as in Wall, B - NTLZ, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 42).
Now there is a chance for a Delayed Jerome Gambit.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6
This kind of retreat is seen by White in response to the "fork trick" in the Italian Four Knights Game. Here 7...d6 improves.
8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.f4 Nxe4
Looking for more trouble. Instead, 9...Bd6 10.e5 Bc5+ 11.Kh1 d5 12.exf6 gxf6 when White has an edge.
10.fxe5+ Nf6
Defense with 10...Ke8 is best, but after 11.Qg4 Qe7 12.Qxe4 White is a piece up.
11.exf6 g6
Now the Jerome Gambiteer finishes with style.
12.Qd5+ Kf8 13.Bh6+ Ke8 14.f7+ Ke7 15.Qe5 checkmate
I know, I know, it baffles me, too, but some players continue to underestimate the Jerome Gambit - to their own discomfort and demise. While some people would never play the Jerome Gambit, they can be at risk against someone who plays it, and plays it, and plays it...
Wall,B - Guest1872464
PlayChess.com, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, which can also be reached from the regular Jerome move order: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nc3 Nf6.
6.Qe2
A favorite move of Bill, and an idea as old as Ruy Lopez, who proposed it in the Bishop's Opening - 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qe2 - in 1561.
Black overlooks the move's intention, and suddenly White is OK.
6...Rf8?!
More solid for Black was 6...d6 7.Qc4+ (7.0-0, Wall,B - Darkmoonstone, Chess.com, 2011, [1-0, 29]) as in Wall,B - Guest1459913, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 38); or
6...h6 7.Qc4+ as in Wall,B - DarkKnight, Cocoa Beach, FL 2012 (1-0, 23); or the direct
6...d5 as in Wall,B - Samvazpr, Chess.com, 2010 (0-1, 25).
7.Qc4+ d5
Black tried 7...Ke8 in Wall,B - Roberts,C, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0,17) and Wall,B - Hamilton,E, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22).
8.Qxc5 dxe4
Or 8...d4 as in Wall,B - NFNZ, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 15).
9.Nxe5+ Nxe5 10.Qxe5 Re8 11.Qf4 Kg8 12.0-0 c6
13.b3 Bg4
An aggressive and thought-out move, but Bill suggests instead 13...Be6.
14.Bb2 Bh5 15.Rae1
Threatening 16.Nxe4.
15...Bg6 16.Qg5 Nd5 17.Qg3 Rc8?
Alternatives: 17...Nb4 18.Nxe4 Nxc2 19.Qc3 Qd4; or 17...Qd7.
18.Nxe4 Qd7
Not 18...Bxe4?? 19.Qxg7#.
19.Nd6 Rxe1 20.Rxe1 Rf8 21.d3 Nb4 22.a3 Nxc2?
Black cuts his material imbalance to one pawn, at the risk of trapping his Knight. More solid was 22...Nd5.
23.Re2 Bxd3?
Black might have tried 23...Rd8 as after 24.Rxc2? (correct would be 24.Qe5) 24...Qxd6 25.Qxd6 Rxd6 26.Rd2 Rxd3 the game would be even.
24.Qxd3 Rd8 25.Qc4+ Kh8 26.Rd2
An alternative was 26.Qf7 Qxf7 27.Nxf7+ Kg8 28.Nxd8.
26...Qe7 27.Nf7+ Kg8 28.Rxd8+ Qxd8 29.Nxd8+ Kh8 30.Qf7 Black resigned
Mate is unavoidable.
As a therapist in my "day job" I often have the opportunity to help my clients expand their understanding of consequences of behaviors by asking them to look further: "And then what...?"
In the following game Black does a good job of defusing the primar threat behind White's 6th move, but he then becomes lax at just about the time he should have asked himself "And then what...?"
Wall,B - Guest1459913
Playchess.com, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
5...Kxf7 6.Qe2
A quiet move that you can find in a number of Bill's Jerome Gambit games.
6...d6
Dodging the misfortunes of 6...h6 7.Qc4+ in Wall,B - DarkKnight, Cocoa Beach, FL 2012 (1-0, 23); 6...Rf8 7.Qc4+ in Wall,B - Roberts,C, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 17), Wall,B - Hamilton,E, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22) and Wall,B - NFNZ, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 15).
An alternate was 6...d5 as in the rare Wall,B - Samvazpr, Chess.com, 2010 (0-1, 25)
7.Qc4+ Be6?
You can almost read Black's mind: I took care of that move with 6...d6. Now I strike back by attacking the Queen with my Bishop!
8.Ng5+
Oh, well, yes, there is that...
8...Kg6 9.Nxe6 Qd7
10.f4
Threatening 11.f5+ Kf7 12.Nxc5+, winning the Queen.
10...h6 11.fxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxc5 Nxc4 13.Nxd7 Nxd7 14.d3 Nce5 15.0-0 c6
Players like myself (and perhaps Guest1459913) are often relieved, if not downright hopeful, when we find ourselves facing a strong player like Bill, being "only" a pawn down - with Queens off of the board, to boot.
This is usually an error in thinking: strong players can wield that extra pawn the way ordinary players wield an extra piece.
16.h4 Rhf8 17.Bd2 Kh5 18.Ne2 Kxh4 19.Nd4 g5 20.Nf5+ Kh5 21.Nxd6 b6
In case anyone is paying attention, White now has a protected passed pawn.
22.d4 Ng4 23.Nf5 Kg6? 24.Ne7+ Kh5
25.Nxc6
This wins another pawn, although Bill points out that 25.Rf3! was stronger.
25...Ndf6 26.Bb4 Rfc8 27.Ne7 Rxc2? 28.Rf3
Threatening 29.Rh3 mate
28...Ne3 29.Rxe3 Rxb2 30.Rh3+ Kg4 31.Rf1 Nxe4 32.Nd5 Re2 33.Ne3+ Rxe3 34.Rxe3 Ng3 35.Rff3 Nh5 36.Bd6 Rd8 37.Re4+ Nf4 38.Bxf4 Black resigned
This past week was a good one for receiving Jerome Gambit games in the email. First Argentina, then the United Kingdom, and now from the United States, thanks to Bill Wall.
Rick,
Here is my latest game, a Four Knights Jerome Gambit, played at 15
minutes per game. He got his queen and king pinned on move 23. He gave up
another pawn after 12...Rf8, trying to makle a discovered attack on my queen.
After 18...Rf5, I had to watch out for Rg5. After 20.Rae1, he can't play
20...Qxa2 due to Qxg7 mate.
Bill
Wall,B - DarkKnight
15 0, Playchess.com 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
5...Kxf7 6.Qe2
A line Bill has had success with.
6...h6
Likewise 6...Rf8 7.Qc4+ as in Wall,B - Roberts,C, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 17); Wall,B - Hamilton,E, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22); and Wall,B - NFNZ, FICS, 2011 (1-0,15).
More in sync with the position is 6...d5 as in Wall,B - Samvazpr, Chess.com, 2010 (0-1, 25).
7.Qc4+ d5 8.Qxc5 dxe4 9.Nxe5+ Nxe5 10.Qxe5 Re8 11.Qf4 Kg8
12.0-0 Rf8 13.Nxe4 Bd7 14.d3 Bc6
15.Nxf6+ Rxf6 16.Qg3 Qd7 17.Bd2 Raf8 18.Bc3 Rf5
19.h4 Qf7 20.Rae1 g5 21.h5 Kh7 22.Bb4 Rg8 23.Re7 Black resigned
