Really, The Jerome Gambit Is Playable (Part 1)

Louis Morin's ("MrJoker") second Jerome Gambit game in the recent Quebec Open again fulfills the mission of an effective chess opening - one that allows him to reach a playable middlegame.

He still has to work hard for the full point, succeed in a tricky endgame, and dodge time trouble in the process, but the game is a battle well worth playing over.   

Morin, Louis - Weston, Paul
Quebec Open, 2018
40 moves / 90 minutes, then 30 minutes

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

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

Often Black adopts this defense on-the-fly, because it makes sense: he saves one piece and lets the other one go, as he will still be a piece ahead. In addition, he keeps his King on the 7th rank, the better to allow him to develop his Rook to f8 or e8.

Sometimes, however, the Knight on g6 is part of a long term plan - and, in this game, the King moves to and stays in the center. That is an interesting contrast to Louis's earlier Jerome Gambit.

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

A standard setup in the 6...Ng6 variation.

Recently I wrote on this blog about Sheldrick, Kevin - Bhat, Vishal
Australian Open, 2017 (1-0, 20)

This position is as old - fittingly - as Charlick - Mann, correspondence, Australia, 1881 (1-0, 72). The Database has 163 games with the position, with White scoring 70%. Mind you, beside this one, only one other game (by Guido de Bouver of Flanders, Belgium) is an over-the-board encounter.

Of course, we can now add Louis' over-the-board game.

According to The Database, he has had this position in over 50 games.

How do you win with the Jerome Gambit? Experience, experience, experience.

10.O-O Ng4

Interesting. This could be a naive harassment of the White Queen, or the start of tactical operations on the Kingside.

11.Qg3 h5

Wow. Weston is following Bhat's line of play from the Australian Open! (He could also be following perrypawnpusher - Riversider, blitz, FICS, 2010 [1-0, 18] - but, come on, seriously?!)

12.d4!?

An improvement - consciously or unconsciously - over "Cliff Hardy's" risky 12.h3?!.

12...h4

Consistent, although 12...Qh4!? would have forced 13.Qxh4 Nxh4 taking the Queens off of the board. However, Black is more interested in developing his attacking chances than snuffing out White's.

13.Qd3 h3 14.g3 Ne7 

15.f3 Nf6 16.c4 c6 17.d5 

Or 17.Nc3.

17...cxd5 18.cxd5 Bd7 19.Nc3 Qb6+ 

Black continues operations with his King in the center.

20.Rf2 a6 21.Be3 Qb4 22.a3 Qb3

An observer who walked by the board at this point would have a hard time realizing that the position came from an opening in which White sacrificed two pieces.

Stockfish 9 now recommends 23.Bf4 Qb6 24.Be3 Qb3 25.Bf4 Qb6, etc. with a draw by repetition of position.

The Jerome Gambit has, again, delivered a "playable middlegame".

[to be continued] 

Jerome Gambit: Cliff Hardy Revealed!

I recently received an email from "Cliff Hardy" that contained a significant "reveal" as well as an entertaining Jerome Gambit game. The following notes are his, except for some minor ones by me, in blue. Enjoy!

An epiphany on Epiphany OR Batman* vs the "Visual Bat"

Hi Rick,

I had an epiphany on Epiphany!

The epiphany was to play the Jerome Gambit on the 6th of January, the date of Epiphany - the day of the year dedicated to the Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles, as represented by the Wise Men.

I don't really mind whether I am referred to as my Bruce Wayne-like name of Kevin Sheldrick or my Batman-like alter ego "Cliff Hardy", since I now have played a Jerome Gambit in a tournament game and have been told by the arbiters that all games from this tournament will be published on the internetski at some point - in other words, my secret identity is out!

All analysis below is with Stockfish.

Sheldrick, Kevin - Bhat, Vishal
Australian Open, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

I now spent about a minute on my fourth move and found it extraordinarily difficult to play my planned 4.Bxf7+. This hesitation largely being due to a battle raging inside of me of conflicting thoughts of doubt and fear of playing the Jerome, giving rise to a soliloquy, going something like this:

Me (to my brain): "This is one of the most prestigious chess tournaments in Australia - don't take on f7!"

4.Bxf7+

My brain (to me): "DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

Surprisingly, this move was, by now, very easy for me to physically play. I guess it's kind of like trying to go into a cold swimming pool. At first you may be terrified to even dip your toe into it, but if you can put aside the fear and just jump in, you can then adjust to it rather easily.

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+

Fellow participant, Tony Fereday, in the post-mortem exclaimed, around this point in the game, "I wonder what he was thinking!", in reference to my opponent.

6...Ng6?!

Better 6...Ke6

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

This position is as old - fittingly - as Charlick - Mann, correspondence, Australia, 1881 (1-0, 72). The Database has 163 games with the position, with White scoring 70%. Mind you, beside this one, only one other game (by Guido de Bouver of Flanders, Belgium) is an over-the-board encounter. - Rick 


10.O-O Ng4 

Better 10...Kf7

11.Qg3 h5?! 

Better 11...Nf6 

12.h3?! 

12.d4 is best, which would allow the bishop on c1 to cover f4 and prevent the knight on g6 from going there, where it may assist black to launch a kingside attack.

12...h4 13.Qb3

Having made queen moves for almost half of the total moves played (6 out of 13 moves), it was apparent that I had been violating a few established chess opening principles so far in the game.

13...Nf4!

A brilliant sacrifice!

An improvement over the play of the only other game in The Database to reach this position: 13...N4e5 14.f4 Nc6 15.Nc3 Qf6 16.d3 Qd4+ 17.Kh1 Nf8 18.Nd5 Kd8 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Riversider, FICS, 2010 - Rick 

14.hxg4??

Oops! The cautious 14.Kh1! may help white to hope to defend against the vicious black assault on the white king.

14...h3?

A miscalculation in a bafflingly complex position - 14...Qg5! actually leads to a thumping black kingside attack e.g. 15.f3 h3 16.g3 h2+ 17.Kh1 Ne2. 

15.g3 h2+ 16.Kh1 Bxg4 17.gxf4

White has defended well, and is a pawn and a piece ahead. Things are still scary for him, but Black has only one move to keep the advantage. - Rick

17...Bh3?!

An inaccuracy - 17...Qh4! 18.f3 Bh3 

18.Re1 Qh4 19.Qg3 Qh5 20.d4 Black resigned

Eerily, as I went strolling in the moonlight one night (I think it
was the night immediately after I had just played this game), a large visual bat (or flying fox, as they are referred to in Brisbane) emerged from a nearby tree above my head and flew away, silhouetted magestically against the night sky but, oddly, I didn't fully comprehend the ominousness of that until days
later.

The final position is still quite complicated, but White should be okay. If need be, he can return some material to settle things down further (i.e. Re3 with the idea of sacrificing the exchange on h3 while exchanging Queens) - and he always has his "Jerome pawns"! Black may have realized at this point that he could save his energy for the next round. 

However dubious the honor, Kevin seems to have grasped the title of "strongest player to use the Jerome Gambit in serious over-the-board play". Well done! - Rick

A Nice Jerome Gambit

I just noticed that chessfriend Guido de Bouver of Flanders, Belgium, has a post on his Blackmar Diemer Gambit website (1.d4 d5 2.e4!? dxe4 3.Nc3; I have a link to it from this blog) which is titled "A Nice Jerome Gambit".

In the past we have exchanged ideas on the Jerome Gambit, although Guido's first love is the BDG, about which he has written a fine book, Attack With the Blackmar Diemer (see my review here).

About the following game, Guido notes "Friday evening, as a surprise act, I played a nice little Jerome gambit in our local chess club. My opponent, who had prepared himself for a fierce Blackmar Diemer, could not believe his eyes."

De Bouver, Guido - Verstappen
Mechelen, 2015

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 

10.O-O Rf8 11.d4 b6 

We are already in unexplored territory, according to The Database.

12.f4

"Jerome pawns on the move!" Guido remarks.

12...Bb7 13.Nc3 Qe7 

14.f5 Nh8 15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Nd5 17.Nxd5 Bxd5 18.b3 Nf7 19.Bb2

Drawn

Guido's assessment: "A very complicated position - white has two strong pawns for the piece and has the safer king. If black however can exchange a few pieces, black should have the better endgame."

Instead of the Sunday Book Review

Four days ago (see "GM Larry Evans and the Jerome Gambit"), Guido de Bouver, author of a rowdy, rollicking and bodacious book on the Blackmar Diemer Gambit, had a Comment to make on the post, which, of course, I took time to answer.

Guido De Bouver said...

Great work Rick ! Really great. I replayed the Evans game and it feels good to see also grandmasters are only human after all. But by curiousity, what do you play after 6...g6 7.Qxe5+ Qe7. I guess 8.Qf4+ but then black has both 8...Qf6 and 8...Kg7 ?

guido


Rick Kennedy said...

Hi Guido,

Here, as with an earlier comment (readers should check out "Slaughter" from 6/22/2011), you have touched on a very difficult defense for White to handle, Whistler's Defense, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7! played by Lt. G.N. Whistler, Secretary of the Lexington, Kentucky Chess Club, against Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, in a set of correspondence games in 1876.

The Database contains 37 games with this defense, including one of the Jerome - Whistler games (0-1, 15) and a Jerome - D.P. Norton game (1/2-1/2, 20) from the same year. (I have a win from each side of the board.)

White scored 51% in The Database games, which seems a bit optimistic to me.

White's best response is 8.Qf4+, as you suggest.

8.Qxh8?? is, of course suicidal for the first player, although The Database has White scoring 55% in 29 games!

It looks like it is time for me to post an update on the status of the Whistler Defense.

Thanks for your comments.

Rick

So, I guess it is time to have another "Update", this time on the Whistler Defense, which runs

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5+ 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7

As it turns out, only a few hours after I posted my response to Guido's Comment, I played a Jerome Gambit game at FICS – and somebody played the Whistler against me!

My opponent played his moves quickly, especially his 6th and 7th. Not for the first time did I suspect that I had found a defender who had been reading this blog...

So, I have jumped this most recent game to the top of the list (I usually present my games in the order that they were played) and will use it as the backbone of the Update.

Let me start by saying that, unless you are someone like Bill Wall, who can "bend steel in his bare hands" or who has the power to "cloud men's minds," don't play 8.Qxh8.

The game UNPREDICTABLE - sharepointme, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 26) is a lesson hard-learned (although I do not know if UNPREDICTABLE has learned it, as he has played 8.Qxh8 seven times, with a 4-3 record, at that).

Black can play 8...Qxe4+ and very bad things (Tyrin Price and Brian Wall have done a comprehensive analysis of the brutality, right down to the very last coffin nail, but I can't find a url to reference) can happen to White's King...

To Be Continued...

Update: 8...Qf6

Repeating the "comments" that follow a recent blog post (see "Slaughter"):




Guido De Bouver said...
     8...Qf6 seems like a killer black reply in the position you described ? [after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4]
     What has been tried here ?

Rick Kennedy said...
Guido,
     You are right, 8...Qf6 is strong for Black. It is at least as old as A.W. Jerome - W. Shinkman, USA, 1874 (0-1, 21).
     The Database is somewhat misleading in this regard, as it has 50 games with 8...Qf6, with White scoring 58%.
     After 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 The Database has 53 games (it picked up two games with 8...Qe7 and one with 8...Qe8) with White scoring 59%.
     White has tried 10.Qxe5+, 10.Qf8+, 10.Qg4, 10.Nc3, 10.c3 and 10.Qf3 with different degrees of success.
     10.Qf8+ scores worst (0%, 3 games) and 10.Qg4 scores best (100%, 1 game); with 10.Qf3 being the currently recommended move (71%, 27 games)
     This topic certainly deserves a post or two -- and soon! I will get to work on it.
     Thanks.




billwall - benstoker
standard game, FICS, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6

9.fxe5+


The most recent coverage of the 8...Qf6 line in this blog was in the game axykk - bromby, blitz, FICS, 2011: 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qxe5+ Kxe5 11.b4 Bb6 12.Bb2+ Kxe4 13.Bxg7 Black resigned

9...Qxe5 10.Qf3

After 10.Qf3, Black has to avoid falling into the "Disdainful Defender Defense", for example, 10...Nf6 11.d3 Rf8 12.Bf4 and the Black Queen is lost. This is one of those apparent "optical illusions" that appear from time-to-time in the Jerome Gambit, and in this case it has accounted for 9 wins for White.

Instead, 10.Qf3 Nf6 22.d3, and as Jerome wrote of his last move in the April 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal, "Compelling either K or Q to move as White threatens Bf4; or Black can play ...g5" [translated to algebraic notation].

10...Nf6 11.d3 Kc6 12.c3

White has only one pawn for his sacrificed piece, and he is currently behind in developement. He works with what he has available, however: the central "Jerome pawns" and Black's misplaced King. Something will come up (see "Like the Big Boys").

12...Re8 13.b4 Bb6 14.Bf4 Qh5 15.a4 d5 16.Nd2

16...Bg4 17.Qg3 dxe4 18.d4 e3 19.Nc4 Qf5 20.0-0 Nh5

21.Nxe3 Nxg3 22.Nxf5 Nxf5 23.b5+ Kd5 24.a5 Nxd4 25.axb6 Ne2+ 26.Kh1 Nxf4 27.Rxf4 axb6 28.Rb1 Be6  White resigned

Wait a minute... White resigned?

Yes, good Readers, it is true. Losses by Bill Wall in The Database are rarer than hens' teeth, but they occasionally happen. (Cherish this one; you will probably not see another.)

Every once in a while I have to point out that the Jerome Gambit is, "officially", a refuted opening – no matter how many times we win with it!