Jerome Gambit: Smites

Cecil J. S. Purdy (1906 - 1979), world correspondence chess champion and author, editor, and chess teacher, suggested that when considering moves to play in a chess game, one ought to look at ones that "smite" the opponent.

It is quite possible that my opponent in the following blitz game was familiar with this suggestion. Clearly, he was not impressed with my Jerome Gambit, and countered with a series of smiting moves. Alas, not all of them were strong, and the first one - an old friend of mine - frittered away his advantage.

Notes to the moves in the game allow me to present several of my games that I have somehow overlooked and not previously posted, despite my commitment to share all of my Jerome Gambits, well-played and not-so-well-played. (Please, do not smite me.)

perrypawnpusher - havasiviktor
5 12 blitz, FICS, 2019

 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.O-O Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. I have played this line in 59 games, scoring 79%.

6...Kxf7

Of course Black should capture the Bishop, although The Database contains two examples where the defender declined: 6...Kf8 7.Bb3 Ng4 (7...d6 8.h3 Nd4 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.Nd5 Nxe4 11.Qf3+ Nf6 12.d3 Be6 13.Nxf6 Qxf6 14.Bxe6 Qxf3 15.gxf3 Ke7 16.Re1 g5 17.f4 Bb4 18.Re2 gxf4 19.Bxf4 Raf8 20.Bg3 Rhg8 21.Bxg8+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Duquesne, blitz, FICS, 2010) 8.d3 Nd4 9.Nxd4 d6 10.Ne6+ Bxe6 11.Bxe6 Bxf2+ 12.Rxf2+ Nxf2 13.Kxf2 Qf6+ 14.Qf3 Ke7 15.Qxf6+ gxf6 16.Bf5 Rhg8 17.Be3 c5 18.Nd5+ Kf7 19.Nc7 Rab8 20.Be6+ Ke7 21.Bxg8 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Duquesne, blitz, FICS, 2012 

7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 

Recapturing is best, but, curiously, I have lost the only games where I faced 7...Kf8 and 7...Kg8:

perrypawnpusher - ojot, blitz, FICS, 2012: 7....Kf8 8.Ng6+ Kg8 9.Nxh8 Kxh8 10.d3 d6 11.Be3 Bb4 12.f4 Ng4 13.Qf3? Nxe3 14.Qxe3 Bc5 15.d4 Bxd4 White resigned; and

perrypawnpusher - roccovargas, blitz, FICS, 2011: 7...Kg8 8.Nxc6 dxc6 9.d3 Bg4 10.Qe1 Bb4 11.f4 Kh7 12.h3 Bd7 13.g4 Rf8 14.g5 hxg5 15.fxg5 Nh5 16.Rxf8 Qxf8 17.Qh4 g6 18.Be3 Qf3 19.Qf2 Qxf2+ 20.Kxf2 Bxh3 21.Rh1 Rf8+ 22.Ke2 Ng3+ White resigned

8.d4 Bxd4 

I have faced 10 different moves in this position. I believe the text is best.

9.Qxd4 d6 

10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Nb4 

An old friend. I have faced a similar attack on the Queen six times in earlier games (somewhat different lines), and scored 5 - 0 - 1. That draw was a strange - and strangely familiar -one: perrypawnpusher - grunf, blitz, FICS, 2013:1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.O-O Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bxd4 (8...Bd6 was seen in perrypawnpusher - grunf, blitz, FICS, 2010 9.dxe5 Bxe5 10.f4 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Re8 12.e5 Nh7 13.Qd5+ Re6 14.f5 c6 15.fxe6+ Black resigned) 9.Qxd4 d6 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Re8 12.Bd2 Nb4 13.Qc4+ Be6 14.Qxb4 b6 15.Rae1 c5 16.Qb5 a6 17.Qd3 b5 18.b3 c4 19.Qf3 Bg4 20.Qg3 Qd7 21.Bc1 Nh5 22.Qf2 Kg8 23.h3 Be6 24.g4 Nf6 25.g5 hxg5 26.fxg5 Nh7 27.Qg3 Bxh3 28.Rf3 Qg4 29.Kh2 Nxg5 30.Qxg4 Bxg4 31.Rg3 Nf3+ 32.Rxf3 Bxf3 33.Kg3 Rf8 34.Bf4 Bh5 35.Rh1 Bg6 36.Bxd6 Rfe8 37.e5 Bxc2 38.bxc4 bxc4 39.Rh2 Bd3 40.Nd5 Rac8 41.Nf4 Bf5 42.Rh1 c3 43.Rc1 c2 44.Nd5 Re6 45.Ne3 Bh7 46.Kf2 Rf8+ 47.Ke2 Rfe8 48.Kd2 g5 49.Nxc2 Rd8 50.Rg1 Rexd6+ 51.exd6 Rxd6+ 52.Kc1 Bxc2 53.Kxc2 Rc6+ 54.Kd3 Rc5 55.Rg2 Kg7 56.Kd4 Ra5 57.Ke4 Kg6 58.Kf3 Rf5+ 59.Ke4 a5 60.Ke3 a4 61.Kd3 Rf4 62.Kc3 Kf5 63.Kd3 g4 64.Kc3 Re4 65.Kd3 Rf4 66.Kc3 Kg5 67.Kd3 Kf5 68.Kc3 Kg5 69.Kd3 Kf5 draw

12.Qc4+ Be6 13.Qxb4 b6 

Often the little things are what let White back into the game, or even allow him to forge ahead. Black would have done better with 12...d5, eventually getting in the move ...dxe4, snatching a pawn for the piece lost. Instead of the text - admittedly, protecting the b-pawn -13...Re8 was more active.

14.Qd4 

Rusty. I could have played 14.e5 Nd5 15.Nxd5 Bxd5 16.Qd4, instead, but I did not realize how much stronger that line of play was.

14...c5 

Smiting my impertinent Queen, who has made 1/3 of my moves in the game.

15.Qd3 c4 

And again!

16.Qf3 

This move is fine, but Her Majesty would have been a bit stronger if she returned to d4.

16...Bg4 

Yet, again!

17.Qg3 

Yes, my Queen has made almost 1/2 of my moves. But, has Black gained anything from all of this smiting?

17...h5 18.e5 dxe5

This allows the opening of the f-file, with White's Rook lined up with Black's King, but there was only temporary relief with 18...h4 19.Qe1 h3 20.exf6 hxg2, when 21.Kxg2 would be good enough, and 21.Rf2!? (intending Rxg2, covering the White King on the open g-file) would be even better.

19.fxe5 Qd4+ 20.Be3 Black resigned

Black can try 20...h4, but after 21.exf6 hxg3 22.fxg7+ Kxg7 23.Bxd4+ he is going to be a Rook down.

Nerve

I've been reading the book Nerve, Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool, by Taylor Clark, with the naive hope that it might help me in a number of ways, including my blitz chess. A quick look at my 12th and 15th moves in the game below show I have a ways to go...

perrypawnpusher - Duquesne
blitz, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kf8

Declined. I was surprised to find only one example in The Database.

7.Bb3 Ng4

Instead, 7...d6 8.h3 Nd4 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.Nd5 Nxe4 11.Qf3+ Nf6 12.d3 Be6 13.Nxf6 Qxf6 14.Bxe6 Qxf3 15.gxf3 Ke7 16.Re1 g5 17.f4 Bb4 18.Re2 gxf4 19.Bxf4 Raf8 20.Bg3 Rhg8 21.Bxg8+ Black resigned, was perrypawnpusher - Duquesne, blitz, FICS, 2010.

8.d3

A little better was to play for the "fork trick" with 8.h3 Nf6 and then 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.d4, etc.

8...Nd4

I think my opponent may have decided that his Knight on g4 was tactically protected, i.e. 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.Qxg4 dxc3, but this was short-sighted, as 11.Qf5+ would allow White to pick up the Black Bishop on c5. The calm 8...d6 was probably best.

9.Nxd4 d6 10.Ne6+ Bxe6 11.Bxe6 Bxf2+

12.Rxf2+

From his 7th move, I was sure that my opponent wanted to exchange his two pieces for my Rook and pawn. I was okay with that. What I missed here is that, with my Bishop on e6, attacking his Knight (which protects his Bishop), a better move was 12...Kh1, as both Black pieces remain hanging.

12...Nxf2 13.Kxf2 Qf6+ 14.Qf3 Ke7

15.Qxf6+

Okay, but 15.Nd5+ was Game Over. 

15...gxf6 16.Bf5 Rhg8 17.Be3 c5 18.Nd5+ Kf7

19.Nc7 Rab8 20.Be6+ Ke7 21.Bxg8 Black resigned

Stumbling Along

A new move in my not-so-favorite variation of the Jerome Gambit left me disoriented by the fact that I stood better after a half-dozen moves. Declining the gambit piece in the Jerome is usually done for psychological reasons, and this time it almost worked... But I stumbled along.

perrypawnpusher - Duquesne
blitz, FICS, 2010

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...Kf8

Declined. I'd not seen this before.

7.Bb3 d6 8.h3

A pawn ahead and playing against an uncastled King, I decided to keep things simple.

8...Nd4 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.Nd5

This is a decent offer of a pawn, which should be declined with 10...Nxd5.

10...Nxe4 11.Qf3+ Nf6 12.d3

After the game Stockfish suggested 12.Re1 as more effective, since after 12...c6 White's Knight can head toward the fork at g6 with 13.Nf4.

12...Be6

This costs a piece, and with it, any chance of rescuing the game. Better was 12...c6 although Black would remain worse.

13.Nxf6 Qxf6 14.Bxe6

This is what I mean by "stumbling". It makes much more sense for White to exchange Queens first, giving Black the weaker pawns.

14...Qxf3 15.gxf3 Ke7

16.Re1 g5 17.f4 Bb4 18.Re2 gxf4 19.Bxf4 Raf8 20.Bg3 Rhg8

A slip that ends the game.

21.Bxg8+ Black resigned