The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) creates a lot of unusual positions. Playing a "reversed" Jerome Gambit is no more usual.
GrimmauldPlace - croc_master
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5
This is known as the Busch-Gass Gambit. It resembles a reversed Jerome Gambit. See "Worth A Second Look" Part 1, 2, & 3 and "Danke!"
3.Bc4 Bxf2+
Here we go.
4.Kxf2 Nf6 5.Re1
Two alternatives:
5.d3 Ng4+ 6.Ke1 c6 7.h3 Nf6 8.Nc3 O-O 9.Nxe5 d5 10.Bb3
dxe4 11.Nxe4 Qe8 12.Bf4 Nh5 13.Qxh5 g6 14.Qh6 Be6 15.Ng5 Black resigned, jhovannycano - mérida máx, rapid, Chesstempo.com 2020
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke7 7.Qf3 d6 8.Ng4 Bxg4 9.Qxg4 Nxg4+ 10.Kg3 Ne5 11.d4 Nc4 12.Bg5+ Kd7 13.Bxd8 Rxd8 14.Rf1 Kc6 15.d5+ Kb6 16.a4 Nxb2 17.Ra2 Nc4 18.a5+ Kc5 Black won on time, rollingthunder - guest_7605, lichess.org, 2020
5...O-O 6.c3 d5 7.exd5 e4 8.Nd4
8...Ng4+ 9.Kg1 Qh4 10.h3 Nf2 11.Qe2 Nxh3+ 12.gxh3 Bxh3 13.Qf2 Qg5+ 14.Kh2 f5 15.Kxh3 Rf6
16.Rg1 Rh6+ 17.Qh4 Rxh4 checkmate
Henry Charlick was known for his gambit 1.d4 e5!?, (also known as the Englund Gambit). That was not his only sacrificial creation, however. One is reminiscent of a reversed Jerome Gambit.
From the Adelaide Observer, Saturday, June 14, 1884 (page 44) column CHESS, "Chess in Adelaide". Notes are from the column, changed from descriptive notation to algebraic notation. Diagrams have been added.
Appended are two [see previous post for Charlick - Cooke, Adelaide Chess Club, 1884, a Jerome Gambit - Rick] of a series of even games now being contested between Messrs. H. Charlick and W. Cooke, of the Adelaide Chess Club. The notes are by Mr. E. Govett, of the Semaphore Chess club.
Cooke, W. - Charlick, H.
Adelaide Chess Club, 1884
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5!
The Charlick Gambit. This move will probably not more surprise our readers than it did Mr. Cooke. No walnut shells are needed. Mr. Cooke humourously dabbed this "alarming sacrifice" the " Charlick Gambit."
[The line is also known by the modern name the Busch-Gass Gambit, although Salvio's analysis of the line, from Il Puttino, altramente detto, il Cavaliero Errante, del Salvio, sopra el gioco de Scacchi, dates back to 1604. After a further 3.Nxe5 Nc6 it is known as Chiodini's Gambit. The similarity to a reversed Jerome Gambit is noted. - Rick]
3.Nxe5 Bxf2+!!
"Let shining charity adorn your soul."
4.Kxf2 Qh4+ 5.g3 Qxe4 6.Nf3 Nf6
7.Qe2 d5 8.Qxe4+
This must have placed Black in the same uncomfortable position as the woman who -
Before her face her handkerchief she spread
To hide the flood of tears - she did not shed.
8...dxe4 9.Nd4 O-O
10.Bg2
He should stop the range of the N.
10...Ng4+ 11.Ke2 f5 12.h3
Somewhat weakening. He should develop his pieces quickly.
12...Ne5 13.d3 c5 14.Nb5 Nbc6 15.dxe4
The Black pawns have a sinister look, but there is nothing immediately dangerous about them if White's position is assisted by Be3, Nd2, and so on. Taking the P only opens out Black's game.
15...a6 16.Nc7 Nd4+ 17. Kd2 Ra7 18.Na3 b5 19.c3 Ndc6
20.Nd5 fxe4 21.Ke3 b4 22.Nc2 Nc4+ 23.Kxe4 Rb7!!
24.Nce3
Out of the frying-pan (...Bf5+) into the fire (an exquisite little mate in two). 24.Bf4 would have enabled him to hold out a little longer.
And Black mates in two moves. Time, 80 minutes.
Years ago I read a first person account by a small time boxer who managed to wrangle some sparring time with Muhammad Ali. After some warm up exchanges, The Champ was momentarily distracted by a loud noise - a slamming door, a falling chair - and the author landed a solid punch on him. I hit Ali! I hit Ali! the writer enthused. Of course, that was all he remembered, as Ali almost immediately returned a knockout punch...
Imagine my excitement when the Chess.com app on my phone indicated that Philidor1792 wanted to play a game. Sure! I thought. We took more time on our moves than some of the 3 0 games of his that I have posted here, but the result was still the same: a flurry of punches and a KO.
perrypawnpusher - Philidor1792
Chess.com, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5
The Busch-Gass Gambit, which can turn out similar to a reversed Jerome Gambit, a move down.
3.Nxe5 Nc6
Chiodini's Gambit.
4.Nc3
I don't know if this move is good or not, but there was no way that I was going to follow along with Black's offer of 4.Nxc6. which would lead to a kind of reversed Boden Kieseritzky Gambit.
Instead, I would prefer to see something calm now like 4...Nxe5 5.d4 Bd6 6.dxe5 Bxe5 7.Bd3 Nf6, a reversed Italian Four Knights.
No such luck. Philidor1792 came to complicate.
4...Nf6 5.Nf3 Nd4 6.e5
This risky pawn move is good, but I did not appreciate why.
6...Ng4 7.Bc4
I had anticipated Black's upcoming sacrifice, but I would have done better to prevent - not provoke - it with 7.Ne4, protecting f2.
7...Nxf2 8.Kxf2 d5
9.Bxd5 Nxf3+ 10.d4 Nxd4 11.Be3 O-O
Here it looked for a moment like the game might settle down, after exchanges on d4 and a pin-and-win on d5, to a positional advantage for Black.
Ha!
12.Bxd4 Qh4+ 13.g3
After the game Stockfish "reassured" me that 13.Ke3 would have led to an even game, or one where Black had only a slight advantage. I don't think it would have helped me much, though.
13...Bxd4+ 14.Kg2 Qh3+
White resigned
Philidor1792 sends a game with the heart of the Jerome Gambit, if not the moves...
NN - Philidor1792
2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5
The Busch-Gass Gambit. In some cases it envisions a reversed Jerome Gambit. See "Worth a Second Look... "Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 and "The Busch-Gass Gambit".
3.Nxe5 Nc6
Chiodini's Gambit. Black wishes to play a reversed Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit.
4.Nxf7
White sacrifices first!
4...Qh4
I referred to this move in an earlier post as "a light-hearted alternative" to 4...Qf6. For that move, see Ake - Evilone, ICC, 1998 (0-1, 24) and hitorkoal - Philidor1792, Chess.com, 2015 (0-1, 71).
5.d4
Not 5.Bc4 Qxf2 checkmate, Nguyen Bao Do - Dich Tai Khuu, VIE-ch, U07, 2014.
5...Qxe4+ 6.Be3 Nxd4 7.Nxh8 Nxc2+ 8.Kd2 Nxa1 9.Qh5+
Is this strange enough for you?
9...g6 10.Qxh7
White would do better to capture Black's Bishop at c5 rather than protect his Knight at h8. Bad things now happen.
10...Qc2+ 11.Ke1 Qxb1+ 12.Ke2 Qc2+ 13.Ke1 Bb4+ 14.Bd2 Qxd2 checkmate
Philidor1792 recently shared the following game, where his quest to play a sort of reversed Jerome Gambit led him to a situation where he faced a piece sacrifice and he had to deal with the onslaught of some very uncomfortable "Jerome-like pawns". It took a while to win this one.
hitorkoal - Philidor1792
Chess.com, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5
An old line, going back at least as far as Salvio's analysis in Il Puttino, altramente detto, il Cavaliero Errante, del Salvio, sopra el gioco de Scacchi, (1604), it is currently referred to as the Busch-Gass Gambit ( See "Worth A Second Look" Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3; as well as "Busch-Gass Gambit").
3.Nxe5 Nc6
Chiodini's Gambit. Chessville.com had a good article by Clyde Nakamura on the line. (Chessville is no longer functioning, but I was able to use the WayBackMachine to recover the article; the link should be good.)
4.Nxf7
Interestingly, Nakamura in his article on Chiodini's Gambit quotes analysis by Stefano Vezzani, an email friend of his, which gives this move a "??" and refers to it as "a common mistake".
4...Qf6
A light-hearted alternative: 4...Qh4 5.Bc4 Qxf2 checkmate, Nguyen Bao Do - Dich Tai Khuu, VIE-ch, U07, 2014.
5.Qe2
Or 5.d4 Bxd4 6.Be3 Bxe3 7.fxe3 Qxf7 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.Bd3 0-0 10.0-0 d6 11.Nd5 Ne5 12.Qe1 Be6 13.Nxf6+ gxf6 14.Be2 Kh8 15.Qh4 Qg6 16.Rf4 Qg5 17.Qf2 Ng6 18.h4 Qe5 19.Rf3 Bg4 20.Rf4 Bxe2 21.Rf5 Qxe4 22.Rxf6 Bg4 23.Rf1 Kg7 24.h5 Bxh5 White resigned, Ake - Evilonek, ICC, 1998.
5...Qxf7 6.c3
Here we have reached the end of Vezzani's analysis of the sub-variation, a position he evaluates as a winning advantage for Black ("-+").
Houdini 3 considers it simply advantageous for Black (by about a pawn).
As we will see - and as many have seen while facing "Jerome pawns", things are still not easy.
6...Nf6
From a strategic point of view, Houdini suggests retreating the Bishop to the Kingside with 6...Be7.
7.d4 Bb6 8.g3 0-0 9.Bg2 d5 10.e5 Ne8
Instead, Houdini suggests the cold-blooded madness of 10...Nxe5!? 11.dxe5 Ng4 12.f4 Bf2+ 13.Kf1 Bb6 14.Na3 Bf5 but I am not sure how appealing that is to human players.
11.0-0 Be6 12.f4 g6 13.Nd2 Qd7 14.Nf3 Bg4 15.Qe3 Ng7 16.Ng5 h6 17.Nf3 Bh3
18.Nh4 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 Nf5 20.Nxf5 Qxf5 21.Bd2 Ne7 22.Rac1 Rac8 23.h3 h5 24.Qf3 c5
25.g4 hxg4 26.hxg4 Qe4 27.Qxe4 dxe4 28.dxc5 Bxc5 29.Rce1 Rcd8 30.Bc1 e3 31.Bxe3 Bxe3 32.Rxe3 Rd2+ 33.Rf2 Rxf2+ 34.Kxf2 Rxf4+ 35.Kg3 Ra4
36.a3 Ra5 37.c4 Rc5 38.Re4 Kf7 39.b4 Rc6 40.Kf4 Ke6 41.Ke3 Ra6 42.Kd4 Rxa3 43.Rf4 Nc6+ 44.Ke4 Nxe5 45.g5 Nd7
With patience, Black has captured a couple of pawns.
46.Kd4 Rg3 47.Re4+ Kd6 48.c5+ Kc7 49.b5 Rxg5 50.c6 bxc6 51.bxc6 Kxc6 52.Re6+ Kc7 53.Ra6 Kb7 54.Ra3 a5
55.Ke4 Kb6 56.Rb3+ Rb5 57.Ra3 a4 58.Kf4 Ka5 59.Ra1 Nc5 60.Rg1 Rb6 61.Ke5 a3 62.Kd4 a2 63.Kxc5 Rb1 64.Rxg6 Rc1+ 65.Kd4 a1Q+ 66.Kd3 Qb1+ 67.Kd2 Qxg6 68.Kxc1 Qg2 69.Kd1 Kb4 70.Ke1 Kc3 71.Kd1 Qf1 checkmate
In my last post I mentioned that I have a Google "alert" set for "Jerome Gambit". I griped that it rarely returned anything, and when it did, it mostly gave a link to one of the posts on this blog (not always a current one).
However, once again it linked me to a game at lichess.org. The contest is a one-minute, "bullet" game featuring the Jerome Gambit!
dwcgc at lichess.org is a player from the Netherlands with a taste for unorthodox chess openings - played very quickly (in the following game, slightly slower than a second a move). Take a look.
dwcgc- MorgailenkoBULLET
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Ng6 8.0-0 Nf6 9.f4 d6 10.f5 Ne5 11.Bf4 Qe7 12.Bxe5 Qxe5 13.Qxe5 dxe5 14.Nc3 b6 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Bb7 17.Rae1 Rhe8 18.c4 e4 19.g4 Re7 20.Rf4 Rae8 21.Kf2 Kf6 22.Ke3 Kg5 23.Ref1 c5 24.Rh1 h6 25.h4+ Kf6 26.g5+ hxg5 27.hxg5+ Ke5 28.Rg1 Rf7 29.f6 Kd6 30.Rgf1 gxf6 31.gxf6 Rh8 32.Rf5 Rh3+ 33.Kd2 Rh2+ 34.R1f2 Rg2 35.Ke2 Rxf2+ 36.Kxf2 Bc8 37.Ke2 Bxf5 38.Ke3 Rxf6 39.Kf4 Bg6+ 40.Ke3 Rf3+ 41.Kd2 Bh5 42.Ke1 e3 43.Ke2 Rh3+ 44.Kd3 Rh2 45.Kc3 e2 46.Kb3 e1Q 47.Ka3 Qg3+ 48.b3 Black lost on time
I also found a recent game with dwcgc playing the Busch-Gass Gambit (see "Worth a Second Look... "Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3), a sort-of "reversed Jerome Gambit."
DanDan2016 - dwcgc
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Bc4 Bxf2+ 4.Kxf2 Nf6 5.Qe2 c6 6.Ng5 d5 7.exd5 cxd5 8.Bb3 Qb6+ 9.Qe3 Ng4+ 10.Ke2 Nxe3 11.dxe3 0-0 12.Rf1 Be6 13.Nc3 Nc6 14.Nxd5 Bxd5 15.Bxd5 Qb5+ 16.c4 Qc5 17.Nxf7 Rxf7 18.Bxf7+ Kh8 19.Bd5 Ne7 20.b3 Nxd5 21.cxd5 Qxd5 22.Ba3 h6 23.Rad1 Qb5+ 24.Ke1 Qa5+ 25.b4 Qxa3 26.Rd7 Qxb4+ 27.Ke2 Qb5+ 28.Kd2 Rd8 29.Rxd8+ Kh7 30.Rff8 Qb4+ 31.Kd1 Qa4+ 32.Ke2 Qg4+ 33.Kd3 Qxg2 34.Kc4 Qxh2 35.Kd5 Qg2+ 36.Kxe5 Qc6 37.Kf5 Qg6+ 38.Kf4 Qg5+ 39.Kf3 Qxd8 40.Kf2 h5 41.Rxd8 h4 42.Ra8 h3 43.Rxa7 h2 44.Kg2 h1Q+ 45.Kxh1 Black lost on time
Turn-around is fair play, they say, and the following game is a fun example. Philidor 1792 is off to a solid 3-minute game, when, suddenly...
Philidor 1792 - guest1416
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.a3
Here we have Gunsberg's Variation of the Four Knights Game, explored (among other places), along with other double e-pawn openings, in Hugh Myers' 1977 Reversed King Pawns, Mengarini's Opening.
White prepares to take the "black" side of the positions that
develop, hoping to be helped by his "extra" pawn move. Black prepares to play...
4...Bc5
...a reversed Italian game, and, after...
5.Bc4 Bxf2+
...he uncorks a Reversed Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit!
The only "reversed" Jerome Gambit that I can find in The Database at this point are lixuanxuan - Polone, blitz, FICS, 2012 (0-1, 27), which began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Bc4 Bxf2+ ; and Diophantos - khangaza, blitz, FICS, 2007 (0-1, 34), which began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.d3 Bxf2+.
Of course, that is not to overlook games like Krejcik, Josef - Baumgartner, Troppau, 1914 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 4.Kxf2 Qh4+ 5.g3 Qxe4 6.Qe2 Qxh1 7.Bg2 Black resigns. For a discussion of the Busch - Gass Gambit, see "Worth A Second Look" Parts 1, 2 and 3.
6.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7.Nxe4 d5 8.d4
Following along the lines of ideas for Black in the regular Jerome Gambit, White could play 8.Bd3 dxe4 9.Bxe4 or 8.Bxd5 Qxd5 9.d3, but, instead he plays the blow-it-up variation - see perrypawnpusher - Marcym, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 20) and perrypawnpusher - NimbusReign, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-0, 26). Why not, he's ahead a couple of pieces, right?
8...exd4
A better idea, according to Houdini, was 8...dxe4 9.Nxe5 Qf6+ 10.Ke1 Be6 11.Bxe6 Qxe6 12.Nxc6 Qxc6, although, despite White's King's central residence, the first player's extra piece still outweigh's Black's extra pawn.
9.Ng3
Solid, but missing 9.Bg5!? when 9...f6 allows a brutal attack 10.Nxf6+ gxf6 11.Re1+ Kf8 12.Bh6+ Kg8 13.Bxd5+ Qxd5 14.Re8+ Kf7 15.Rxh8, according to the computer. That would be a lot for a person to see in a 3-minute game.
9...dxc4 10.Re1+ Be6 11.Kg1 0-0
White has castled-by-hand and might actually believe that his extra piece is worth more than Black's extra three "Jerome pawns". The psychological reversal might have been difficult, with the Jerome-player facing the Jerome.
12.Ng5 Bd5 13.Nf5 Qf6 14.Qg4 Ne5
Instead, 14...Rad8 or 14...Rae8 would have probably kept the game even.
15.Qh3
White presses his counter-attack against the (reversed) Jerome. In a slower game, he might have risked 15.Rxe5!? Qxe5 16.Bf4 h5 (16...Qf6 17.Nxh7 Kxh7 18.Bg5 Qe6 19.Qh5+ Kg8 {19...Qh6 20.Bxh6 g6 21.Qh4 gxf5 22.Bg5+ Kg7 23.Qh6+ Kg8 24.Bf6 Bc6 25.Qg7#} 20.Ne7+ Qxe7) 17.Bxe5 hxg4 18.Ne7+ Kh8 19.Nxd5 with advantage.
15...h6 16.Ne4 Qe6 17.Kh1
Safety first - and an even game. Again, with time to burn, Philidor 1792 would certainly have found 17.Bxh6!? Ng6 (17...gxh6 18.Nxh6+ Kg7 19.Nf5+ Kg8 20.Ng5) 18.Neg3, etc.
17...Ng6 18.Nxd4 Qxh3 19.gxh3 Rae8
Black is now clearly better.
20.Kg1 Rxe4 21.Rxe4 Bxe4 22.Nb5 c6 23.Nd6 Bxc2 24.Nxc4 Rd8 25.Be3 b6 White lost on time
Another Jerome victory!
(Another Random Note: May, 2011, had been the month, so far, with the most page views for this blog since it started in June, 2008 . However, last month November, 2013, overtook it, becoming the month with the most views - until December 2013, which has surpassed both to become Number 1! My "Welcome!" and "Thank You! to everyone stopping by. - Rick)
