Jerome Gambit: Countering the Counter-Attack

Here is another look at the 6...Qh4 defense in the Jerome Gambit, discussed in the previous blog post. Again, Bill Wall has the White pieces. This is pretty heavy going, and there is plenty to study in the notes, too. Or, you can just enjoy the main game, as, after a dozen moves, Bill decides enough is enough and goes after the enemy monarch.

Wall, Bill - IraHaru
lichess.org, 2016

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4

7.O-O Qxe4

The text can be contrasted with 7...Ng4 8.h3 Bb6 (8...Bd6 9.e5 Bxe5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Qd5+ Kf6 12.f4 Ng6 13.Nc3 d6 14.Be3 Ke7 15.Rae1 Kd8 16.Nb5 Nf6 17.Qc4 Ne8 18.Bf2 Qf6 19.Bd4 Qh4 20.Rxe8+ Kxe8 21.Nxc7+ Kf8 22.f5 Ne5 23.f6 gxf6 24.Qd5 Kg7 25.Qxd6 Rg8 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 27.Bxe5, and White won, Sorensen,S - X, Denmark, 1888) 9.hxg4 (9.Qf3+ N4f6 10.e5 Bxd4 11.exf6 Nxf6 12.c3 Bb6 13.Nd2 Rf8 14.Ne4 Qxe4 15.Qd1 d5 16.Re1 Qf5 17.Be3 Bxe3 18.Rxe3 Bd7 19.Rf3 Qe5 20.Qd2 Rae8 21.Re3 Qd6 22.Rxe8 Rxe8 23.b3 Qe5 24.Rf1 Bc6 25.Kh1 Qe2 26.Qc1 d4 27.cxd4 Qe4 28.d5 Qxd5 29.f3 Kg8 30.Rd1 Qe6 31.Qf4 Nd5 32.Qd4 Ne3 33.Rc1 Bxf3 34.Kg1 Nxg2 35.Rxc7 Qe3+ 36.Qxe3 Nxe3 37.Kf2 Bc6 38.b4 Nd5 White resigned, Sir Osis of the Liver - perrypawnpusher, JG3 thematic, ChessWorld.net 2008) 9...d6 10.f3 Be6 11.Be3 Bc4 12.Re1 Ne7 13.f4 Rhe8 14.Nd2 Ba6 15.Nf3 Qg3 16.a4 Ba5 17.c3 Kf8 18.b4 Ng6 19.f5 Nf4 20.Bxf4 Qxf4 21.Qc2 c5 22.bxa5 Qxg4 23.Rad1 cxd4 24.Rxd4 Qg3 25.Qb3 Qf4 26.Qb1 Qg3 27.e5 g6 28.Rxd6 Re7 29.f6 Ree8 30.Qb4 Bb5 31.Rd8+ Kf7 32.e6+ Kxf6 33.Qd4+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Rajiv, Chess.com, 2010.

8.dxc5 Nf6

8...Qg6 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.Qxd5+ Qe6 12.Qe4 d5 13.cxd6 cxd6 14.Bd2 Qg6 15.Qd5+ Qe6 16.Qe4 Rf8 17.Bc3 Kg8 18.Rae1 Qg6 19.Qd5+ Be6 20.Qxb7 Nf3+ 21.Kh1 Nxe1 22.Rxe1 Rab8 23.Qe4 Qxe4 24.Rxe4 Bd5 25.Rd4 Rxf2 26.Rd1 Rbf8 27.h3 Bxg2+ 28.Kg1 Bxh3 29.Rxd6 Rxc2 30.Ra6 Rf1 checkmate, Petasluk - ElFuriozo, FICS, 2011

9.Nc3

Bill likes this move. An alternative is 9.Re1 Qf5 10.Qd4 (10.f4 Nc6 11.Be3 Re8 12.Nc3 b6 13.Nb5 Nd5 14.Qd2 a6 15.Nd4 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Rxe1+ 17.Rxe1 bxc5 18.Bxc5 d6 19.c4 Nxf4 20.Bxd6 cxd6 21.Rf1 g5 22.g3 Qc5+ 23.Kh1 Bb7+ White resigned, Proudfoot - JLeee, FICS, 2008; 10.Nd2 Rf8 11.Nf1 Nc6 12.Be3 b6 13.Ng3 Qd5 14.Qe2 Kg8 15.c4 Qf7 16.b3 Bb7 17.a4 Rae8 18.cxb6 axb6 19.f3 Nh5 20.Qc2 Ne5 21.Bd4 Nxf3+ 22.gxf3 Nxg3 23.hxg3 Qxf3 24.Qh2 Rxe1+ 25.Rxe1 Rf5 26.Qh3 c5 27.Rf1 Qxf1+ 28.Qxf1 Rxf1+ 29.Kxf1 cxd4 30.g4 g5 31.b4 h5 White resigned, 10 0, Gambit Fruit1 Beta4bx - Deep Fritz 8, 2006) 10...Re8 11.Kh1 Qxc2 12.Na3 Nf3 13.Qxf6+ gxf6 14.Nxc2 Nxe1 15.Nxe1 Rxe1 checkmate, wolfpack123 - blackscorpion, GameKnot.com, 2009

9...Qc4

Also seen: 9...Qc6 10.Qd4 (10.Re1 d6 11.cxd6 Qxd6 [11...cxd6 12.Bg5 Bg4 13.Qd2 Bh3 14.f3 Bxg2 15.Rxe5 dxe5 16.Kxg2 h6 17.Be3 Rhd8 18.Qe2 Rac8 19.Bxa7 b6 20.Qe3 Rd7 21.Bxb6 Rb7 22.Ba5 Rxb2 23.Rc1 Qc5 24.Nd1 Rxc2+ 25.Rxc2 Qxc2+ 26.Nf2 Qxa2 27.Qxe5 Re8 28.Qb5 Re2 29.Bb6 h5 30.Bd4 Qd2 31.h3 Kg6 32.Qb6 Kh7 33.Bxf6 gxf6 34.h4 Qe1 35.Qc5 Kg7 36.f4 Ra2 37.Qc7+ Kh6 38.Qc5 Qe8 39.Kf3 Qa8+ 40.Ne4 Ra3+ 41.Kf2 Rh3 42.Qd4 Qa2+ 43.Nd2 Rh2+ 44.Kg3 Rxd2 45.Qxf6+ Kh7 46.Qf5+ Kg8 47.Qg5+ Kf8 48.Qc5+ Ke8 49.Qe5+ Kd7 50.Qb5+ Kd6 51.Qb6+ Kd5 52.Qb5+ Kd4 53.Qe5+ Kc4 54.Qe4+ Kc3 55.Qe5+ Kc2 56.Qc5+ Kd1 57.Qxh5+ Ke1 58.Qe5+ Re2 59.Qc3+ Kf1 60.Qf3+ Kg1 61.Kh3 Rh2+ White resigned, Shredder Paderborn - Junior 7, Utrecht, 2002] 12.Bf4 Nf3+ 13.Qxf3 Qb6 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Bxc7+ Qf6 16.Qxd5+ Be6 17.Qxb7 Rhe8 18.Bd8+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Gorodetsky,D, Chess.com, 2010; or 10.Bg5 Qxc5 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.Ne4 Qb6 13.a4 Qxb2 14.Rb1 Qa3 15.Rb3 Qe7 16.f4 Ng6 17.Re3 Kg7 18.Rfe1 d6 19.Ng3 Qd7 20.Nh5+ Kh6 21.Nxf6 Qd8 22.Qh5+ Kg7 23.Ne8+ Rxe8 24.Rxe8 Qf6 25.f5 Ne5 26.Re3 Bxf5 27.Rg3+ Ng6 28.Rxa8 Qd4+ 29.Kf1 Qf4+ 30.Ke1 Bxc2 31.Qd5 c6 32.Qg8+ Kh6 33.Rh3+ Kg5 34.Rg3+ Kh6 35.Rh3+ Kg5 36.Re8 Bf5 37.Rg3+ Bg4 38.Ree3 Kh6 39.h3 Bh5 40.Qb8 Qb4+ 41.Kf1 a5 42.Qd8 Qf4+ 43.Kg1 d5 44.Kh2 Bd1 45.Re6 Kg7 46.Re7+ Kh6 47.Rxb7 Bc2 48.Qg8 Nh4 49.Rxh7+ Bxh7 50.Qg7+ Kh5 51.Qxh7+ Qh6 52.Qe7 Qg6 53.Qe2+ Kh6 54.Qe3+ Kh5 55.Qe2+ Kh6 56.Qe3+ Kh5 57.Rxg6 Kxg6 58.Qg3+ Kf5 59.Qxh4 Ke5 60.Qe7+ Kf5 61.g4+ Kg6 62.Qe6+ Kg7 63.g5 c5 64.Qf6+ Kh7 65.Qf7+ Kh8 66.g6 d4 67.Qf8 checkmate, Deep Shredder 10 UCI-HIARCS 11.1 UCI, jeromegambit, 2008) 10...Ng6 (10...Re8 11.f4 Ng6 12.f5 Ne5 13.Bf4 d6 14.cxd6 cxd6 15.Bg5 Qc5 16.Qxc5 dxc5 17.Nb5 Re7 18.Rae1 a6 19.Nd6+ Kf8 20.Bf4 Nc6 21.Nxc8 Rxe1 22.Bd6+ Kf7 23.Rxe1 Rxc8 24.Bxc5 Re8 25.Rxe8 Nxe8 26.Kf2 Kf6 27.g4 Ne5 28.Kg3 Nf7 29.Kf4 Ned6 30.Bd4+ Ke7 31.Bxg7 Nc4 32.g5 Nfd6 33.g6 hxg6 34.fxg6 Ne8 35.Bc3 Ncd6 36.h4 Kf8 37.h5 Ng7 38.Kg5 Ne4+ 39.Kh6 Nxc3 40.bxc3 Black resigned, iconsisonline - IgorBohar, FICS, 2010) 11.f3 Re8 12.Be3 b6 13.b4 bxc5 14.bxc5 Nf8 15.a4 Ne6 16.Qc4 d6 17.Rfd1 dxc5 18.Bg5 Black forfeited by disconnection, Wall,B - felineMMXI, blitz FICS, 2011; and

9...Qb4 10.Be3 d6 11.Bd4 Re8 12.a3 Qc4 13.cxd6 cxd6 14.f4 Nc6 15.Bxf6 Qc5+ 16.Rf2 Black resigned, GazzaT - Yigor, Chess.com, 2011.

10.Be3

An improvement over 10.Re1 Qxc5 11.Be3 Qc6 12.Bxa7 d6 13.Bd4 Re8 14.Bxe5 Rxe5 15.Rxe5 dxe5 16.Qe2 a5 17.Re1 b6 18.Qd3 Bb7 19.Qg3 Nh5 20.Qg5 Nf4 21.f3 Qc5+ 22.Kh1 Qf2 23.Rd1 Bc8 24.Rc1 h6 25.Qg3 Qd2 26.Rf1 Qxc2 27.Qf2 Qxf2 28.Rxf2 Nd5 29.Nxd5 Rxd5 30.Kg1 Rd1+ 31.Rf1 Rxf1+ 32.Kxf1 g5 33.a3 Ke6 34.Ke2 e4 35.fxe4 Ke5 36.Kd3 Ba6+ 37.Ke3 Bb5 38.h3 Bc6 39.g3 h5 40.h4 gxh4 41.gxh4 Bxe4 42.b3 Bc2 43.b4 Ba4 44.Kf3 Kf5 45.Kg3 Bc6 46.Kf2 Kg4 White resigned, Deep Sjeng 1.5 -Junior 7, The Jeroen Experience, 2003.

10...b6

Or 10...Re8 11.Bd4 d6 12.b3 Qa6 13.cxd6 Qxd6 14.Nb5 Qc6 15.Nxa7 Rxa7 16.Bxa7 b6 17.Qd4 Ba6 18.c4 Nf3+ 19.gxf3 Qxf3 20.Qd1 Re2 21.Qd8 Qg4+ 22.Kh1 Bb7+ White resigned, Wall,B - Guest6296711, PlayChess.com, 2014.

Or 10...Rd8 11.Qd2 Qb4 12.b3 c6 13.a3 Qg4 14.Rae1 d5 15.Kh1 Bf5 16.Bf4 Ng6 17.Bd6 Ne4 18.Nxe4 Black forfeited on time, Bholashankar - HellDenied, FICS, 2014.

11.Bd4 Nc6 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Qh5+

It is time for White to start putting the pressure on.

Curiously, Stockfish 8 prefers 13.Nd5 and recommends that Black sacrifice the exchange to keep an edge in the game: 13...Rg8!? 14.Nxc7 Ne5 15.Nxa8 Bb7 16.f3 Qxc5+ 17.Kh1 Bxa8.

Going after the King makes more sense to me.

13...Ke7

Now it's time for the Knight to step in.

14.Nd5+ Kd8 15.cxb6 axb6 16 Qf7 Qd4

Centralizing the Queen, stepping out of the possible exposed attacks by White's Queen (after the Knight moves), and protecting the f6 pawn. Alas, it leads to disaster.

17.Rad1 Qxb2 18.Rfe1 Ne5 19.Qe7 checkmate

Waiting

I enjoy playing over the games of axykk (see "La la la la la...", "Say, what...?" and "Making It"), a player at FICS apparently new to the Jerome Gambit. He shows a lot of cool patience while playing down material, waiting for an opportunity for success to come his way. (With a little more endgame knowledge, his opponent could have foiled his plans.)

axykk - ElFuriozo
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qxe7+

Confidently going into the Queenless middlegame.

8...Nxe7 9.d3 d6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.fxe3 g6

Black really hasn't done anything wrong yet, and still holds the extra piece for White's two (doubled) "Jerome pawns".

As far as White is concerned, the game is barely started.

12.0-0+ Kg7 13.Nd2 Be6 14.Nf3 Rhf8 15.Nd4 Rxf1+ 16.Rxf1 Bd7

17.Rf4 a6 18.c4 Nc6 19.Nxc6 bxc6 20.Kf1 Rb8 21.b3 a5

The game continues. White simply "plays chess" and waits for the "time bomb" (inevitiable blunder) to go off in his opponent's camp.

22.Rf2 Be6 23.Ke2 d5 24.exd5 cxd5 25.cxd5 Bxd5 26.e4 Be6

White's pawns are looking healthier, and one of them is protected and passed.

27.d4 c6 28.Kd3 a4 29.bxa4 Ra8 30.Rc2 Rxa4 31.Rxc6 Ra3+ 32.Ke2 Bg4+ 33.Kf2 Rxa2+ 34.Kg3 h5

The game is beginning to look even, with White's "Jerome pawn" passers balancing out Black's Bishop; but, as the game shows, the first player has practical winning chances.

35.h3 Ra3+ 36.Kf4 Be2 37.Rc7+ Kf6 38.h4 Ra6 39.e5+ Ke6 40.Ke4 Ra4 41.Rg7 Bg4 42.Rxg6+ Kf7 43.Rf6+ Ke7 44.Rh6 Ra2

45.Rh7+ Kf8 46.g3 Rg2 47.d5 Rxg3 48.e6

Now it is time for Black to return the Bishop and secure the draw with 48...Bxe6 49.dxe6 Rg4+ 50.Kf5 Rxh4. White will be unable to deal both with the checks to his King and Black's h-pawn at the same time; he will need to split the point.

48...Rf3 49.d6

All is not lost yet for Black. If he exchanges Rooks now, he can still sacrifice his Bishop and then take advantage of the unique defensive chance given to those who fight against a Rook pawn.

Thus, 49...Bf5+ 50.Kxf3 Bxh7 would accomplish the first step, and after 51.Kf4, then 51...Bg8 52.Ke5 Bxe6 53.Kxe6 Ke8 would accomplish the second.

White would then discover, to his dismay, that, abandoning his d-pawn to use as a distraction while he goes to free up his h-pawn, is not enough: 54.Kf6 Kd7 55.Kg5 Kxd6 56.Kxh5 Ke7 57.Kg6 Kf8 58.h5 Kg8 and Black's King will get to h8 to stop the pawn. 

If, instead, White decides to hold onto his d-pawn with 55.Ke5 (instead of 55.Kg5) and not run to the Kingside, Black can cooly play 55...Kd8, staying in front of the passer. It looks then like White has gained something, as his King can now beat the enemy King to the defensive square h8, but this, still, is not enough to win, as there is another oddity related to the h-pawn. Thus: 56.Kf6 Kd7 57.Kg6 Kxd6 58.Kxh5 Ke7 59.Kg6 Kf8 60.Kh7 ("Ha!") Kf7 ("Ha! Ha!") and White's King, himself, is in the way of his advancing pawn. If it moves out of the way, Black's King moves in to defend. If White only moves his pawn, Black will tempo his King back and forth from f7 to f8, and stalemate will be reached.

49... Rf6

Alas, this will not do.

50.e7+ Ke8 and Black resigned.
 

Making It

While it often seems the case that "Good players are lucky," it would be more fair to say, instead, that "Good players make their own luck."

Take the following Jerome Gambit game, where White is able to fashion a whole point out of absolutely nothing.

axykk  - ElFuriozo
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

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

7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qd5+ Be6

White threatens a pawn grab, and Black decides to let him have it.

9.Qxb7

A calculated risk. Given that Rybka 3 says that the best move for Black now is 9...Nh4!? I think that axykk has guessed right that his opponent won't find or play the kind of move that this position requires.

9...Nf6 10.d3 Rf8

Consolidating by castling-by-hand.

This is very prudent, but, again, to squeeze the most out of the position, Black needed to try 10...Nh4. As it is, the game is moving toward "even".

11.f4 Nh5 12.f5

This can, however, be considered pushing his luck too far. For White there is a piece to be won, but also a King to be lost. (Castling first keeps the game about even.)

12...Qh4+

Of course. These kinds of things happen occasionally when you give "Jerome Gambit odds". There's nothing to do but ride them out and keep your eyes open for opportunities...

13.Kd2 Qf2+ 14.Kc3

If you sacrifice a piece in the opening for an attack and it is your opponent who ends up threatening checkmate within ten moves, then something has gone wrong. - IM Gary Lane

14...Qc5+ 15.Kd2 Kg8 16.fxe6

Brazen.

On the other hand, if White's King survives, he will have a surplus of material.

16...Rf2+ 17.Ke1 Raf8

 18.Qb3 Kh8 19.Qc3 Rxg2

Let him double Rooks on the 2nd rank, or get his Queen there, and Black will finish up with gusto.

20.Qxc5 dxc5

Getting the Queens off the board, however, was a major coup for White. Now, despite his horrible lack of development, the two extra pawns give him the better game!

21.Na3 Nhf4 22.Bxf4 Nxf4 23.e7 Re8 24.Rf1 g5 25.h4 h6

This is all so very troubling for Black. There is no win any more, just the worry: how will his fractured and outnumbered pawns hold up against White's connected, healthy ones?

He will simply be ground down.

26.Rc1 Rxe7 27.hxg5 hxg5 28.Rf2 Rg1+ 29.Kd2 Rxc1 30.Kxc1 Kg7

After all the excitement, it looks as if White had simply castled Queenside.

31.Nc4 Nh3 32.Rf5 Kg6 33.Rxc5 g4 34.Ne3 g3 35.Nf5 Re5 36.Rc6+  Black resigned