If a defender is not familiar with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), missteps are easy to find. The following game is one example as to how the opening can be effective in club play - one slip, and Black has passed the point of no return.
TitoH - prosoccer
RedHotPawn.com, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8
Black turns the advantage over to White, in order to not play along with the attacker's plans. For a recent example, see "Jerome Gambit: Disease 1, Cure 0".
6.Qh5+
The consistent 6.Nxc6 is stronger, although it could lead to the aggressive 6...Qh4!? (There are still no examples of this move in The Database.)
6...g6 7.Nxg6
The Database has 38 games with this position. White scores a hefty 72%.
7...Qf6
For an earlier discussion of this line, review "Jerome Gambit Secrets #3".
Black's strongest response was 7...Bxf2+, leading to a small advantage for him, after 8.Kxf2 Nf6. The earliest examples that I have of 7...Bxf2+ are the twin games Hultgren, R - Harrow, and Blackstone, J - Dommeyer, C, both played in Campbell, California and both played in 1960. Sadly - for Black - The Database has 10 games with the move, with White winning 8 of them.
8.Nxh8+ Ke7 9.d4
9...Bxd4
Tripping over White's out-stretched foot...
10.Bg5 Bxf2+ 11.Ke2 Black resigned
As mentioned in the first "Jerome Gambit Secrets" post
If you play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) you know that the best source of information on the opening is this blog.
If you face the Jerome Gambit, however, the best source of information on defending against the opening is - this blog.
Across the 10 years that I have shared history, games and analysis, I have done my best to give the lines that give White the greatest opportunities to snatch victory from the jaws of this defeated - er, "refuted" - opening.
I have also not shied away from presenting the various refutations, as well.
Sometimes players have used my suggestions. Sometimes they have not. The "Jerome Gambit Secrets" posts will re-visit suggestions that appear to remain unplayed.
Take for example, the play based on the following game.
Blackstone, John - Dommeyer, Carl
skittles game, Campbell, California, 1960
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7
5.Nxe5+ Ke8
Black decides to mix things up - some psychological warfare, perhaps - although the move is not "best". This is the first game example that I have in The Database (56,000+ Jerome and Jerome-ish games), but the position ultimately appears in 71 games; White scores 66%.
6.Qh5+
The Database gives this move in 34 games, and White scores 79%.
With that kind of success, it is not surprising that the improvement, 6.Nxc6, has not received as much play. The problem with the improvement it that it, too, faces an improvement.
The move 6.Nxc6 appears in 15 games in The Database, with White scoring 70%. That is a very reasonable outcome for the first player, but comparatively less successful than the text move, 6.Qh5+.
Why, then, choose this "better" move, especially since it can be met by 6...Qh4!? first mentioned in "You, too, can add to Jerome Gambit theory!" - and still having no examples in The Database? After all, Stockfish 9 recommends the messy 7.d4 Qxe4+ 8.Be3 bxc6 9.dxc5 Qxg2 10.Kd2 Qd5+ 11.Kc1 Ne7 12.Nc3 Qxd1+ 13.Rxd1 and White has an edge due to his bind on the Queenside, but it is not something to get too excited about.
analysis diagram
How is this better than the play in the game? Let's see.
6...g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+
Another psychological ploy for the defender in the Jerome Gambit is the "If you can sacrifice a Bishop, so can I!" maneuver. While not often useful, it is the best move in this position, as Black gets a pawn for the piece, instead of letting it hang.
8.Kxf2
It seems fair to mention that 8.Kf1?! was played in jecree - lhoffman, 2 12 blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 24), although the improvement 8...Nf6!? (which I mentioned 2 1/2 years ago in "A Long Day In the Life of the Jerome", and which has not yet appeared in The Database) would have likely reversed the outcome of the game.
8...Qf6+
This move was played in all 5 games in The Database to reach this position, with White scoring 80%.
I am not sure of the attraction of the Queen move (except that it delivers check), but much better is 8...Nf6!?, mentioned here a decade ago, and still, as far as I know, unplayed. After Stockfish 9's 9.Qh4 Rg8 10.Rf1 Rxg6 11.Kg1 Qe7 12.d3 Black has a piece for two pawns and a more comfortable King than he often has in the Jerome Gambit, with better development - an advantage.
That is one argument in favor of the alternative 6.Nxc6.
After 9.Nf4+ Kd8 10.d3 Blackstone consolidated his game, had the advantage, and won in 13 moves. White took risks, and won - a very fine outcome for the Jerome Gambit.
Sometimes Jerome Gambit games are easy, sometimes not. Sometimes they are pretty, sometimes pretty ordinary. Always they are complicated. Always they are exciting. Enjoy the following game, high notes and low.
Laaber - Ausxh,
blitz, FICS, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+
The text is thematic, but 6.Nxc6 is probably better: 6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.Qh5+ g6 (7...Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qd6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.e5 Ng4 11.Qf4+ 1-0 Wall,B - Gebba, Chess.com, 2010) 8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qc3 Qxe4+ 10.Kf1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest1609773, PlayChess.com, 2013;
Not 6.Nxc6 bxc6? 7.Qh5+ as seen in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25); perrypawnpusher - zsilber, blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½, 42); Wall,B - Qwerty, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9); and Wall,B - LFTN, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 20), for example.
Interestingly, Stockfish 6 prefers 6.Nxc6 Qh4!?
6...g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+
Best!?
8.Kd1
8.Kxf2 is playable: Blackstone,J - Dommeyer,C, Campbell, CA 1960 (1-0, 13); Philidor 1792 - Guest834593, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 16); ZahariSokolov - naijachampion, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 34).
The alternative, 8.Kf1, doesn't work if Black follows up with 8...Nf6!?, but that hasn't shown up in The Database yet, only 8...hxg6?! in jecree - lhoffman, FICS, 2008.
8...Nf6 9.Nxh8+
White is overlooking something.
9.Qf3 was seen in Petasluk - Klonkku, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 57).
9...Kf8
Black, too: 9...Nxh5.
And some thing else.
10.Qf5
Missing: 10.Qf7 checkmate.
10...d6 11.Qxf2
White will be up the exchange and a couple of pawns once he gives back the Knight at h8.
11...Bg4+ 12.Ke1 Qe8
Trying to mix it up again.
13.d3
There was nothing wrong with 13.Qxf6+.
13...Kg7 14.Bg5 Nxe4 15.dxe4 Qxe4+ 16.Be3 Nd4
White is winning, but it may not feel that way to him.
17.Nc3 Nxc2+ 18.Kf1 Nxe3+
19.Kg1 Qe5 20.Re1 Rxh8 21.Rxe3 Qd4
The extra Rook will help White, once it gets free. But first White will take advantage of Black's last move and win the Queen.
22.Re7+ Kg6 23.Qxd4 Rf8 24.Qxg4+ Kf6 25.Qe6+ Kg5 26.h4+ Kf4 27.Nd5+ Kg3 28.Qh3 checkmate
The following game allowed me to both see what an interesting new Jerome Gambit player was doing, as well as check out another example of a defensive move by Black that I have sometimes underestimated.
ZahariSokolov - naijachampion
standard, FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8
Black decides that accepting one sacrificed piece is enough.
His King would be safer on f8, however. See "A Second Chance to Decline".
6.Qh5+
The text is thematic, but 6.Nxc6 is probably "objectively" stronger. See "Don't drive like my brother", "Ooops..." and "A Short Wall(k)".
6...g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+
At first glance a surprise, but Black counts the Bishop's time left as limited, and plans to get a pawn for it.
8.Kxf2
White escaped twice after declining the piece, but it is not a strategy that I would endorse:
8.Kd1 Nf6 9.Qf3 Rg8 10.Nf4 Bc5 11.c3 d6 12.d4 Bb6 13.h3 h5 14.Re1 Bd7 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5+ Ne7 17.Qxh5+ Kf8 18.Rf1+ Nf5 19.Bh6+ Ke7 20.Rxf5 Bxf5 21.Qxf5 Qd7 22.Bg5+ Ke8 23.Qe4+ Kf8 24.Bh6+ Kf7 25.Nd2 Rae8 26.Qf4+ Kg6 27.Kc2 Qf5+ 28.Qxf5+ Kxf5 29.g4+ Kg6 30.Bf4 c6 31.Bxd6 Re2 32.Kd3 Rge8 33.Nc4 Bd8 34.a4 b5 35.axb5 cxb5 36.Ne5+ Kg7 37.Kxe2 Bg5 38.Rf1 Rh8 39.Rf7+ Kg8 40.Rf3 Kh7 41.Nc6 Re8+ 42.Kf2 a6 43.Ne5 Bh4+ 44.Kg2 a5 45.Rf7+ Kg8 46.Rf5 a4 47.Rh5 Bd8 48.Bb4 Kg7 49.h4 Bf6 50.Kh3 Rf8 51.g5 Bd8 52.Kg4 Bc7 53.Bc5 Bb8 54.d6 Rd8 55.Nc6 Rd7 56.Nxb8 Kg6 57.Nxd7 Black forfeited on time, Petasluk - Klonkku, FICS, 2011;
8.Kf1 hxg6 9.Qxh8 Qf6 10.Qxf6 Nxf6 11.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 12.Ke3 d5 13.Nc3 Bf5 14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.d3 Bf5 16.Bd2 Kd7 17.Rhe1 Re8+ 18.Kf2 Ne5 19.h3 d4 20.Bf4 Kd6 21.Bxe5+ Rxe5 22.Rxe5 Kxe5 23.Re1+ Kd6 24.Kf3 Black resigned, jecree - lhoffman, FICS, 2008.
8...Qf6+
8...Nf6! is the correct move here, still unplayed as far as The Database is concerned.
9.Qf5
9.Nf4+ is the strongest rejoinder, as seen as far back as Blackstone,J - Dommeyer,C, Campbell, CA 1960 and as recent as Philidor 1792 - Guest834593, PlayChess.com 2014.
9...hxg6 10.Qxf6 Nxf6 11.d3 d6
Black has the standard piece for two pawns. He has seen the Queens leave the board, and his King has escaped danger, but the game is not over.
12. c3 b6 13. Bg5 Ng4+ 14. Ke2 Be6 15.Nd2 Rxh2
A tactical oversight, not just the win of a pawn.
16.Rxh2 Nxh2 17.Rh1 Ng4
Still missing something, or in shock. It was time to bite the bullet with 17...Bxa2.
18.Rh8+ Kd7 19.Rxa8 Bxa2
White is a clear exchange ahead. From here on he outplayed his opponent.
20.b3 Nge5 21.Rg8 Na5 22.d4 Nxb3 23.Rg7+ Kc8 24.dxe5 Nxd2 25.Kxd2 dxe5 26.Rxg6 a5 27.Be7 Kd7 28.Ba3 Be6 29.g4 c6 30.g5 b5 31.Rg7+ Kd8 32.Ra7 a4 33.Ke3 Kc8 34.g6 Black resigned
Tom and Ray Magliozzi host the "Car Talk" program at NPR radio. They dole out auto advice in a humorous style, and they close each time with the exchange
"Don't drive like my brother."
"Don't drive like my brother."
That about sums up my opinion of the following funny game, as platel and I can each say
"Don't play like my opponent."
"Don't play like my opponent."
perrypawnpusher - platel
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8
Declining the second piece is an acceptable strategy, but going back to e8 (where a follow-up Queen check by White is possible) has not been recommended.
6.Qh5+
At the time that I played this move, I knew that the "right" choice was 6.Nxc6, since either 6...dxc6 or 6...bxc6 would allow White to play 7.Qh5+ followed by capturing the Bishop; for example, as in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25) and Wall,B - Qwerty, chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9).
Looking at 6.Nxc6 now, I still think that it is best for White, but I wanted to point out two untested responses that might surprise the first player.
a) 6...Bxf2+ (as long as Black is going to lose this piece, he decides to get a pawn for it) 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Qf3 Qxc6 (avoiding doubled c-pawns) when White is a bit better. He has to be careful because of the loose pawn on c2 and the King and Queen being on the same file (vulnerable to ...Ne7 and ...Rf8).
analysis diagram
Black also has the untried counter-attacking
b) 6...Qh4, (which I mentioned about 3 years ago in this blog) may be better than the capture of the Knight at c6, as well. White's best response is 7.d4, and after 7...Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 material is even, i.e. 10.Nb4 Bxd4.
analysis diagram
I think that White may have a tiny edge after 11.Nd5, and he may have better chances with his Kingside pawn majority as opposed to Black's Queenside pawn majority; but, in reality, Black's two Bishops probably balance all that out.
6...Kf8
In light of my two 6th move recommendations for Black, I have to say that this was the move that got Black into hot water, not 5...Ke8.
After the recommended 6...g6, White has the thematic 7.Nxg6, but, again, things are far from rosy for him – unless he is faced with 7...hxg6, when White plays 8.Qxh8 with advantage, as in Petasluk - Trasimene, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 18).
Black takes a step forward by interjecting 7...Nf6, so that after 6...g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qxc5 he can then grab the Knight at g6 with 8...hxg6. White has three pawns for his sacrificed piece, but Fritz 8 is pretty stubborn about giving Black a slight edge.
The biggest challenge to White's 7th move Knight sac at g6, however, is 7...Bxf2+ – followed, in due course, by ...Nf6 and then the capture of the White Knight, e.g. 8.Kxf2 Nf6 (much better than the 8...Qf6+ of Hultgren,R - Harrow, Campbell, CA 1960 and Blackstone - Dommeyer, skittles game, California, USA 1960 [1-0, 13] ) 9.Qh4 Rg8. White's Knight cannot retreat and will be lost (10.Nf4 Nxe4+).
It may be that White should refrain from sacrificing his Knight, and meet 6...g6 with 7.Nxc6 (anyhow), although after 7...gxh5 8.Nxd8 Kxd8 he has to hope that he can gather in one (or both) of the h-pawns in order to reach equality.
Which is a long way of saying that while 6.Nxc6 leads to "only" an even game, that's still a better outcome than can be expected after 6.Qh5+.
By the way, the silly 6...Ke7 (in response to 6.Qh5+) got a workout in my games against a weak computer several years ago – see "One (or both) of us needs help" Part I and Part II.
7.Qf7 checkmate
I won the game, but I thought it would be fair to let my opponent "win" the analysis.
Like the proverbial bad penny, the 5...Ke8 variation of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) turns up here and there – most recently in two games played against Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Bill Wall.
Wall,B - Gebba
chess.com, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8
There are not a lot of positive things to say about this move, except perhaps that it has confused the chess computer program Rybka (see "Rybka deals with the Jerome Gambit") and that it takes White out of "book" – even that second point is of dubious value, as "book" favors Black, and therefore he should be playing "book" moves for as long as possible.
The move 5...Ke8 was championed (unsuccessfully) by the WeakDelphi program in a match I played against it a couple years ago: see "One (or both) of us need help (Part I)" and "(Part II)".
6.Nxc6
Both Hultgren - Harrow, California, 1960 and Blackstone - Dommeyer, skittles game, California, 1960, continued: 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Nf4+ Kd8 10.d3 d6 11.Rf1 Qd4+ 12.Be3 Qf6 13.c3 Black resigned. See "You, too, can add to Jerome Gambit theory!"
6...dxc6
Capturing with the d-pawn prevents White from playing d2-d4. The alternative capture was seen in Wall - Qwerty, Chess.com, 2010: 6...bxc6 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qxc5 Ne7 9.Qc3 Black resigned
Surprisingly, best for Black, keeping White's advantage to a minimum, was 6...Qh4
7.Qh5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+
8...Qd6 9.Qe3 Nf6
This hastens the end.
10.e5 Ng4 11.Qf4+ Black resigned
This is my 636th consecutive daily post. I would like to think that I remember everything on this Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) blog, but clearly I have forgotten some things.
The other day I was looking back at my earlier posts and I found an amusing thread that has worked its way forward.
Remember the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 from perrypawnpusher - johnde, blitz FICS, 2010?
In my post "Stinking up the Chessboard" I mentioned that I had covered this rare move earlier this year in "A Strange, But Intriguing, Path (Part 1)", "(Part 2)" and "(Part 3)".
This closer look came because I had done an Opening Report on the New Year's Database and concluded about 5...Ke6 that it "needs more analysis on behalf of White."
That was not my first encounter with the move, however. At the end of June, 2009, in analyzing the game blackburne - DREWBEAR 63, JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009 I had commented on it.
DREWBEAR 63's move [5...Ke6] comes as quite a shock – certainly it must have been played before, perhaps in the earliest days of the Jerome Gambit; but there are no games in my database with the move, no analysis, and not even a mention of it.
Of course, that was before I had access to the gazillion game database of FICS games, and before the advent of the New Year's Database.
Also, I hadn't looked in my own blog, where, about a year earlier, in a note to my analysis of Blackstone - Dommeyer skittles game, California, USA 1960, I had written
Of course, if you opponent springs the "Theoretical Novelty" 5...Ke6 on you, you'll be prepared with 6.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.d4+ Bxd4 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kf7 10.Bxd8 Nxd8 (or 10...Bxb2 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Bxc7 Bxa1 13.Nd2 – a mess, but Black's uncertain King gives White the edge) and although the position is roughly even Black may not recover from "losing" his Queen.
All is new that has been forgotten...
