I just completed my 3rd Jerome Gambit game in the first round of the "Italian Battleground" tournament at Chess.com. The win, making me 2 - 0 - 1 with my favorite opening, so far, should be enough to earn me first place in my group, and allow me to eventually move on to the second round.
perrypawnpusher - zmarian
"Italian Battleground" tournament, Chess.com, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+
Despite Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's early preference, and that of Bill Wall and others, I have only played 6.d4 once, and that game took a bit of a swindle for me to get a draw. To each one's own.
6...g6
This move was not a surprise. The best known Jerome Gambit game, Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884 (see "Nobody expects the Jerome Gambit!" and "Jerome Gambit: Dr. Harding Checks In") features this move, and if my opponent was likely to know anything about the opening, this would be it.
7.Qxe5 Bxf2+
A bit of a surprise - but not really.
Instead of offering a Rook with the Blackburne Defense, 7...d6!?, or preparing a wicked counterattack with Whistler's Defense, 7...Qe7!?, my opponent plays what I have elsewhere referred to as an "inoffensive defense" (see "An Inoffensive Defense") and a "calming defense" (see "Nothing Happened").
The Database has a surprising 1,375 games with this position, with White scoring 53%, which compares favorably with ther 46% produced by 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+. (Nine games are mine, with White scoring 89%).
In our first game in this tournament, we quickly moved to an endgame where I was a pawn up - but it took some fancy calculating to win the game. My opponent currently has fashioned a very interesting blockading position in one of his other games (he is a pawn down) and should soon split the point. So, to see our game move quickly to a Queenless middlegame, with the promise of an endgame, was understandable - zmarian likes endgames.
8.Kxf2
ZahariSokolov of FICS has played 8.Ke2?!, but I can't recommend the move: 8...d6? 9.Qxh8? Qf6? 10.Qxh7+Kf8 11.h3 b6 12.Rf1 Ba6+ 13.d3 Re8 14.Rxf2 Rxe4+ 15.Be3 Qxf2+ 16.Kxf2 Black resigned, ZahariSokolov - Posapiano, standard, FICS, 2015.
8...Qf6+
Black did not improve things by playing 8...Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6+ 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6 11.Nc3 Re8 12.d3 c6 13.Kg2 Kg7 14.Bg5 Ng4 15.h3 Nh6 16.Rhf1 d6 17.Rf2 Be6 18.Raf1 Rf8 19.Bxh6+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Hensel, blitz, FICS, 2014.
9.Qxf6+ Nxf6
The curious game perrypawnpusher - ronn, blitz, FICS, 2009, continued 9...Kxf6 Black resigned.
10.Nc3
I have played 10.d3 a couple of times, in perrypawnpusher - Edvardinho, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 42) and perrypawnpusher - Dubnobase, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 49).
10...d6
Black has a number of replies. I have faced 10...Re8 a couple of times: perrypawnpusher - Conspicuous, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22) and perrypawnpusher - BEEB, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1/2-1/2, 63).
(Oddly enough, I don't seem to have posted either of these games on this blog. I will have to remedy that.)
11.d4
Playable is 11.d3, which I have tried a couple of times: AlonzoJerome - adroit, blitz, ICC, 2011 (1-0, 25) and perrypawnpusher - HelloGoodbye, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1/2-1/2, 34).
(You wouldn't have known it by this blog, though: two more games to find and post. What was going on in 2011 and 2012, I wonder.)
11...Bd7
Interesting. Understandable was 11...Rf8, which I have also faced in perrypawnpusher - Mences, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 48).
(Also not posted here. Very odd. My "to do list" is growing.)
[To be continued]
One of the goals of this blog, beyond providing entertainment, is to add to the store of knowledge of the Jerome Gambit, and to help Readers improve their own play with the opening. It is also to highlight those who have made such improvements - and benefitted from them.
The following game is light and airy, but it is still possible to see improvement over past games.
Wall, Bill - Guest670135
PlayChess.com, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb6
7.dxe5 Bxf2+
This is not a frequently played move, but, curiously enough, it was covered in a recent post here. It will be interesting to see what improvements have been made in Black and White's play..
Certainly 7...Qh4 and 7...Qe7 were playable alternatives.
8.Kxf2 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qxe4
This is stronger than 9...Qe7 10.Rf1 Qxe5 11.Kg1+ Nf6 12.Nc3 d6 13.Nd5 c6 14.Nxf6 gxf6 15.Bf4 Qc5+ 16.Kg2 Be6 17.Qxd6 Qxd6 18.Bxd6 Rad8 19.e5 Bd5+ 20.Kg1 Ke6 21.Rxf6+ Black resigned, HauntedKnight - Wxbas, FICS, 2014.
10.Re1
This, in turn, is a little bit better than 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qf3+ Qxf3+ 12.Kxf3 Ne7 13.Rf1 Kg7 14.Bg5 Nf5 15.Bf6+ Kg8 16.Bxh8 Kxh8 17.Nc3 Nd4+ 18.Kg2 Nxc2 19.Rf8+ Kg7 20.Rc1 Ne3+ 21.Kf3 Kxf8 22.Kxe3 d6 23.exd6 cxd6 24.Nd5 Be6 25.Nf6 Kg7 26.Ne4 Bxa2 27.Nxd6 b6 28.Rc7+ Kh6 29.h4 Rd8 30.Nf7+ Bxf7 31.Rxf7 a5 32.Rb7 Rd6 33.g4 g5 34.h5 Re6+ 35.Kf3 Rf6+ 36.Kg3 Rd6 37.Ra7 Rd3+ 38.Kf2 Rd2+ 39.Ke3 Rxb2 40.Ra6 Kg7 41.Ra7+ Kg8 42.h6 Rc2 43.Rg7+ Kh8 44.Rxg5 a4 45.Rf5 Kg8 46.Rb5 Rc6 47.g5 Kf7 48.Rf5+ Kg6 49.Kf4 Rc4+ 50.Ke5 Rc5+ White resigned, HauntedKnight - ravenga, FICS, 2014.
10...Qf5+
Black cannot resist the opportunity to swipe at the enemy King, but this move is not well-considered. The Queen would be much safer after 10...Qc6.
11.Kg1
For the record, this is an improvement over 11.Kg2 b6 12.Rf1 Bb7+ 13.Kg1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest2613563, PlayChess.com, 2017.
11...Nh6
This is not an improvement over 11...Ne7 12.Rf1 Qxf1+ 13.Qxf1+ Ke8 14.Bg5 Rf8 15.Qc4 c6 16.Bxe7 Kxe7 17.Nc3 b5 18.Qc5+ Ke8 19.e6 dxe6 20.Qxc6+ Black resigned, bemillsy - Dubnobase, FICS, 2012.
12.Rf1 Black resigned
Working through the latest selection of Bill Wall's Jerome Gambits, I think the next criterion I use for chosing games is when Black invents his own defensive ideas to counter White's attack. I could have chosen "short games" as a criterion, although in the case of the following game, both would apply.
Wall, Bill - Guest2613563
PlayChess.com, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb6
7.dxe5 Bxf2+
As covered in the previous post, 7...Qh4 was the sharpest response.
Instead, Black decides that if White's sacrifice of his Bishop was strong, then maybe Black should do the same thing.
8.Kxf2 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qxe4
Previously seen was 9...Qe7 10.Rf1 Qxe5 11.Kg1+ Nf6 12.Nc3 d6 13.Nd5 c6 14.Nxf6 gxf6 15.Bf4 Qc5+ 16.Kg2 Be6 17.Qxd6 Qxd6 18.Bxd6 Rad8 19.e5 Bd5+ 20.Kg1 Ke6 21.Rxf6+ Black resigned, HauntedKnight - Wxbas, FICS, 2014.
10.Re1
Instead, 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qf3+ Qxf3+ 12.Kxf3 was okay, although White was eventually out-played: 12...Ne7 13.Rf1 Kg7 14.Bg5 Nf5 15.Bf6+ Kg8 16.Bxh8 Kxh8 17.Nc3 Nd4+ 18.Kg2 Nxc2 19.Rf8+ Kg7 20.Rc1 Ne3+ 21.Kf3 Kxf8 22.Kxe3 d6 23.exd6 cxd6 24.Nd5 Be6 25.Nf6 Kg7 26.Ne4 Bxa2 27.Nxd6 b6 28.Rc7+ Kh6 29.h4 Rd8 30.Nf7+ Bxf7 31.Rxf7 a5 32.Rb7 Rd6 33.g4 g5 34.h5 Re6+ 35.Kf3 Rf6+ 36.Kg3 Rd6 37.Ra7 Rd3+ 38.Kf2 Rd2+ 39.Ke3 Rxb2 40.Ra6 Kg7 41.Ra7+ Kg8 42.h6 Rc2 43.Rg7+ Kh8 44.Rxg5 a4 45.Rf5 Kg8 46.Rb5 Rc6 47.g5 Kf7 48.Rf5+ Kg6 49.Kf4 Rc4+ 50.Ke5 Rc5+ White resigned, HauntedKnight - ravenga, FICS, 2014.
10...Qf5+
This move looks like it accomplishes two things at once, removing Her Majesty from the attack by the Rook, and attacking the endmy King. Still, the open f-file is full of danger, and putting both the Queen and King on it is asking for trouble. Safer was 10...Qc6.
11.Kg2
Or 11.Kg1 Ne7 12.Rf1 Qxf1+ 13.Qxf1+ Ke8 14.Bg5 Rf8 15.Qc4 c6 16.Bxe7 Kxe7 17.Nc3 b5 18.Qc5+ Ke8 19.e6 dxe6 20.Qxc6+ Black resigned, bemillsy - Dubnobase, FICS, 2012.
11...b6
Planning to put the Bishop on the long diagonal and harass the enemy King. Black is caught up in his counter-attack. A little disrespect is involved, as well.
12.Rf1 Bb7+ 13.Kg1 Black resigned
So far, in this and the previous post, we have yet to consider a tense, theoretical battle over the Jerome Gambit - but that is an important point. Black is often so underwhelmed by his opponent's opening that he fails to bring his A Game, or his B Game, or sometimes even his C Game... And White must and can take advantage of that.
Why turn down a gift? Why choose a line of play in an unsound gambit that gives away the advantage? Black's defensive strategy in the following game might be due for some reconsideration.
perrypawnpusher - Hensel
blitz, FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+
I have been skeptical about this approach to defending the Jerome Gambit, having written before
Just about everyone who plays the Jerome Gambit faces this "bail out" variation at one point or another. Black manages to exchange Queens at the cost of returning a piece, and with the prospect of playing on, a pawn down. White can no longer play "his" attack; but he also no longer has an "objectively" lost game.
As the following game shows, it will take a long time for White to turn his advantage into a winning game; so perhaps there is more to say in favor of Black's strategy than I have previously admitted.
8.Kxf2 Qh4+
The direct 8...Qf6+ has been seen in many games, in this blog and in The Database.
9.g3
9.Kf1!? was tried in Wall,B - Guest1443273, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 36).
9...Qf6+ 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6 11.Nc3 Re8 12.d3
12...c6
Or 12...d6 as in Wall,B - Guest2115687, PlayChess.com, 2014, (1-0, 21).
13.Kg2 Kg7 14.Bg5 Ng4 15.h3 Nh6 16.Rhf1 d6 17.Rf2 Be6 18.Raf1
White is a clear pawn up, but Black can continue here with 18...Nf7 19.Be3 b6 and the game is far from over, with the prospect of a Bishops-of-Opposite-Colors endgame.
18...Rf8
A slip. Oddly, in response I remembered a tactic from perrypawnpusher - Dubnobase, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 49), and double-checked things before playing...
19.Bxh6+
Black resigned, as he will lose a Rook.
In the following Jerome Gambit game, my client responded with a defense that is usually handled well by White (68% across 75 games in The Database; 86% for me in 7 games), although the attacker has the slimmest of margins to play with.
I took up the challenge and ground my opponent down, although the game ended in severe time trouble for both of us.
perrypawnpusher - Dubnobase
blitz, FICS, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6
7.Qxe5 Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6
In a bit of psychological judo, Black has returned the sacrificed material, with interest. True, he no longer has a "won game," but he puts forth to White the proposition: win with the extra pawn, not a bashi-bazouk attack.
Fair enough.
10.Nc3 Rf8 11.Rf1 Kg7 12.Kg1 d6 13.d3 Bd7
14.Bg5 Ng4 15.h3 Ne5 16.Rxf8 Rxf8 17.Rf1 a5
Black takes it too easy, and drops the exchange.
18.Bh6+ Kxh6 19.Rxf8 Nc6 20.Nb5 Nb4 21.Nxc7 Nxc2 22.Nd5 Ne1 23.d4 Nc2 24.e5 dxe5 25.dxe5 Be6
26.Nf6 Bxa2 27.Rh8 Nd4 28.Rxh7+ Kg5 29.Rxb7 Nc6 30.Ng4 a4 31.Kf2 Bb3
Absent the clock, the position is promising for White.
32.Ke3 Kf5 33.Rb5 Ke6 34.g3 Ne7 35.h4 Nf5+ 36.Kf4 Nd4 37.Rb6+ Kf7 38.Ke4 Ne6
39.Ne3 Nc5+ 40.Kd4 Ne6+ 41.Kd3 Nc5+ 42.Ke2 Ne4 43.Kf3 Nc5 44.g4 Nd3 45.e6+ Ke7
Both my opponent and I missed the fact that the e-pawn could be captured. We did not have much time to move, less time to think. I concentrated on avoiding blunders.
46.h5 gxh5 47.gxh5 Nxb2 48.Kf4 Nd3+ 49.Kg5 Black forfeited on time
With enough time, Black could play 49...Bxe6, but after 50.h6 the Rook pawn will not be stopped: a) 50...Bg8 51.Rb7+ Ke8 52.Rg7 chasing the Bishop away and allowing the pawn to Queen; b) 50...Ne5 51.Nf5+ Kd7 52.h7 Nf7+ 53.Kf6 and Black's Knight can not hold up the pawn for long; or c) 50...Ne5 51.Nf5+ Bxf5 52.Kxf5 Nf7 53.h7 and again the pawn will get through.
