Jerome Gambit: Energetic, for A Refuted Opening

Why does Bill Wall continue to play the Jerome Gambit, an opening that has many refutations? Probably because of games like the following, that almost seem to play themselves...

Wall, Bill - Facundo
lichess.org, 2017

 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+ 

Black keeps playing this move, so White needs to keep aware.

7.c3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 Ng6 

The Knight went to c6 in Wall,B - Caynaboos, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 26) and Wall,B - ChessFlower, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 27). 

9.O-O d6 

Or 9...N8e7 as in Wall,B - NN, lichess.org 2016, (1-0, 18) and Wall,B - Jamato, lichess.org, 2017 (1-0, 55);

or 9...Nf6 as in Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 31) and Wall,B - FJBS, FICS, 2015 (1-0, 14). 

10.f4 Nh6

A novelty, keeping the Black Queen's diagonal open - but an error.

11.f5 Ne7 12.Qh5+ Kg8 13.f6

13...Ng6 14.Bxh6 gxh6 15.Qxh6 Kf7 16.Qg7+ Black resigned

The Jerome Gambit Treatment - Unbelieveable! (Addendum)

I was pleased to see that The Database contained more than a few games with the attacking (against the Semi-Italian / Philidor Defense) move 6.Bxf7+ mentioned by Max Euwe and Walter Meiden in their 1963 book Chess Master vs Chess Amateur, and covered in the previous post (see "The Jerome Gambit Treatment - Unbelieveable!"). 

When we look a bit further, at 6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Kf6 - the line with Black's best defense - it is reassuring to find two games with Euwe and Meiden's recommended 8.Nd3.

It is interesting that in the first of those games Black performed the prudent retreat of his King to h7 (an idea mentioned in the previous post); and then, from a better position, he benefitted from an oversight by White to score the point. 

fmarius - bougie
standard, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 d6 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Nxe5+ Kf6 8.Nd3 Nge7 9.Qf3+ Kg6 10.Nf4+ Kh7 11.0-0 Ne5 12.Qh5 Qd6 13.Rd1 g6 14.Qh4 Qxd1 checkmate

In the second game, clearly the clock played a factor in the blitz game, as both players tossed the advantage (for White, various checkmates) back and forth before splitting the point, as the notes show.

itscml - laudenor
blitz, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d4 d6 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Kf6 8.Nd3 Ne5 9.0-0 Nxd3 10.cxd3 Kf7 11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 Bc5+ 13.Kh1 Ne7 14.Qf3 [14.Qh5+ g6 15.Qxc5 Qxd3 White is better] 14...Kg8 15.f5 Bd4 16.Ne2 c5 17.Bf4 Qf8 18.e5 Nxf5 19.Ng3 Be6 20.Bg5 Nxg3+ 21.Qxg3 Bf7 22.e6 hxg5 23.exf7+ Kh7 24.Qh3+ Kg6 25.Qf3 [25.Qf5+ Kh6 26.Qh3+ , etc.,  draw] 25...Rh6 26.Qe4+ [26.Qf5+ Kh5 27.Rf3 Bf2 28.Rh3+ Bh4 29.g4#] 26...Kh5 27.g4+ Kh4 28.Qe1+ [28.Qg2 Bf2 29.Rxf2 Qd6 30.Rf3 Qxh2+ 31.Kxh2 Rf8 32.Qh3#] 28...Kxg4 29.Qg3+ Kh5 30.Rg1 [30.Qh3+ Kg6 31.Qf5+ Kh5 32.Rf3 Bf2 33.Rh3+ Bh4 34.Rg1 Rg6 35.Rxh4+ Kxh4 36.Qg4#] 30...Bf6 31.Qg4+ Kg6 32.Qe4+ Kh5 [32...Kxf7 and Black is better] 33.Qg4+ [33.Rg3 Qc8 34.f8Q g4 35.Qxc8 Rg6 36.Qcf5+ Kh4 37.Qfxg4+ Rxg4 38.Qxg4#] 33...Kg6 34.Qe4+ Kh5 [34...Kxf7 and Black is better] 35.Qg4+ [35.Rg3 mates, as above] 35...Kg6 36.Qe4+ Game drawn by repetition

There are also 3 games in The Database with Stockfish 6's choice, and perhaps the best move, 8.Qf3+!? Alas, none of the attackers were able to discover the recommended 8...Kxe5 9.Qf7!? and although they fought the good fight, only the experienced drumme (457 games in The Database) was able to score - and that was a time forfeit win from a worse position.

drumme - tufng
blitz, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d4 d6 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Kf6 8.Qf3+ Kxe5 9.Bf4+ Ke6 10.Qg4+ Ke7 11.Qh4+ Ke8 12.Qh5+ Kd7 13.Nc3 Nf6 14.0-0-0+ Bd6 15.Qf7+ Qe7 16.Qg6 Ne5 17.Bxe5 Re8 18.Bxf6 Qxf6 19.Qg4+ Kd8 20.Rxd6+ cxd6 21.Qe2 Black forfeited on time


jorgemlfranco  - shno
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 h6 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 d6 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Nxe5+ Kf6 8.Qf3+ Kxe5 9.Bf4+ Ke6 10.Qb3+ Ke7 11.Qa3+ Kf7 12.Qb3+ Kg6 13.Qg3+ Kh7 14.Bxc7 Qg5 15.Bf4 Qa5+ 16.c3 Nf6 17.0-0 g5 18.Bd2 Nxe4 19.Qe3 Bf5 20.c4 Qc5 21.Qc3 Nxc3 22.Nxc3 Bg7 23.Nd5 Rhd8 24.Be3 Qxc4 25.Nc7 Ne5 26.Rab1 Qxc7 White resigned


rabjr - DRES
standard, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 d6 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Nxe5+ Kf6 8.Qf3+ Kxe5 9.Qf4+ Ke6 10.0-0 Qf6 11.Qd2 Qd4 12.Qe2 Nf6 13.Be3 Qxe4 14.Nc3 Qg6 15.Bc5+ Kf7 16.Qg4 Qxg4 17.Nd5 Nxd5 18.f3 Bxc5+ 19.Kh1 Qd4 20.Rad1 Qc4 21.b3 Qb5 22.Rxd5 Qxf1 checkmate

Don't Try to Out-Think Me Redux

There is plenty of room in chess, at all levels, for a dash of "psychology", but it should only replace "good moves" in dire (or controlled) circumstances. Otherwise the outcome is likely to be something like the following.

(Here we have another example of the aphorism: in the Jerome Gambit, when White has equalized, he has the advantage.)

Wall,B - Igidius

PlayChess.com, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nc3 

This time Bill chooses to develop his Knight over castling in this "modern" Jerome Gambit - for alternatives, see "Winning With the Jerome Gambit: A Game Full of Lessons".

6...Bxf2+

There was nothing wrong with 6...d6.

In other games opponents have tried 6...Ng4 (Wall,B - Richard123, Chess.com, 2010 [1-0, 10]); and 6...Rf8 (Wall,B - BarAbbas, PlayChess.com, 2012 [1-0, 45]).

With the text Black returns the "favor" of a sacrificed piece to create a displaced (and possibly vulnerable) King. Of course, he also moves from an "objectively" won game to an even game, which is generous of him. Such "psychology" appears regularly in Jerome Gambit games, and White can always say "thank you".

As I have cautioned the defender before: Don't try to out-think me, just play the refutation. 

7.Kxf2 Ng4+ 8.Kf1

Black's attack goes nowhere, but it is fun to include a game to show how it might have gone - with a good bit of luck and cooperation - 8.Kg3 d6 9.Ng5+ Kg6 10.h3 h6 11.hxg4 hxg5 12.Rxh8 Qxh8 13.Nd5 Qh4+ 14.Kf3 Bxg4+ 15.Ke3 Bxd1 16.Bd2 Qg3 checkmate, RomanDurdis - varsa, FICS, 2005. 

8...Rf8 9.Bg5 Qe8

Bill suggests, instead, 9...Nf6 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.exd5 Ne7 with a roughly equal game. 

10.h3 h6 11.hxg4 hxg5 12.Qd2 Kg8 

Black gives up a pawn, perhaps thinking that it leaves White only a doubled, isolated pawn ahead; and, in the meantime, he safeguards his King. He puts his faith in his counter-attacking Knight.

13.Qxg5 Nd4

The piece hits the Knight at f3 and the pawn at c2. Surely this is compensation?!

14.Nd5 Nxf3 15.gxf3 Rxf3+ 

See, Black now has his pawn back.

Alas, White now has checkmate.

How did this happen??

16.Kg2 Qf7 17.Ne7+ Black resigned