Jerome Gambit: But Will It Matter?

The following Jerome Gambit is the kind of game that players either love or hate - depending on how you feel about the opening.

I suspect that, after the game, White could hardly suppress a bad case of the giggles, while Black was probably left sputtering "But... but... but..."

cndbrn79 - rohit0107 
blitz, 2019 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.c3

An unusual try (41 games in The Database), reminiscent of the Giuoco Piano proper, scoring 37%. White is displaying all the confidence of a world champion, while Black is trying to keep up.

8...Nd3+ 

Delightful. Of course Black is better, but will it matter?

9.Kf1 

White can't even protect his Bishop with 9.Kd1, as it would leave him open to the Knight fork at f2, winning a Rook.

9...Nxc1 10.d4 Bb6 

Hoping to catch his breath, and count all of his extra material. Not to worry, he will bet a break, momentarily.

11.Qe5+ Kc6 12.Qd5 checkmate

Oh, dear.

Jerome Gambit: Worse vs Best (Part 2)

While I tend to refer to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ as the Jerome Gambit, the name has been attached to other move orders, especially in earlier years. The issue often comes down to which aspect of the opening, the Bishop sacrifice at f7, or the Queen advance to h5 (after 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+), the annotator is looking at.

For example, Joseph Henry Blackburne, in his Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess (1899) refers to the Jerome Gambit a "the Kentucky Opening". He was clearly focused on the Queen move, as my posts on "The Kentucky Opening" Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and "The Kentucky/Danvers Opening" [1.e4 e5 2.Qh5] argue.

On the other hand, some writer focus upon the Bishop sacrifice. Gerald Abrahams is, perhaps, the most extreme example, coming out of the Bishop's Opening rather than the Giuoco Piano, labeling 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ as The Jerome Gambit, despite no analysis or games by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome focusing on that line. See "The Abrahams Jerome Gambit" Part 1 & 2.

(For that matter, Alessandro Salvio wrote, in the early 1600s, about 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qe2 Nc6/Nf6 4.Bxf7+, although White's Queen would subsequently go to c4, with check, instead of h5, to pick up the Bishop at c5.)

Similar is the Lewis Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.d4 exd4 4.Bxf7+, and the similar Von der Lasa Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4, 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+. Both, with their focus on the Bishop sacrifice, seem to have escaped the Jerome Gambit label, however, at least as I can tell.

Further extended are lines like 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+, arising from either the Scotch Opening or the Giuoco Piano. The earliest game that I have with it is Wright - Hunn, Arkansas, US, 1874, which in the Dubuque Chess Journal of November, 1874, was referred to as "an unsound variation of Jerome's double opening." It has also been referred to, later on, as "the Macbeth Attack". (Of course, the first 4 moves have been recently covered in The Italian Gambit and A Guiding Repertoire For White - E4! by Acers and Laven.)

Finally, we come to 1.e4 e5. 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+, which has been referred to, variously, as the Noa Gambit, the Monck Gambit - and, more recently, as the Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. A closer look will probably muddy thing further.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Jerome Pawns Run Riot

Often White gets "only" 2 pawns for a sacrificed piece in the Jerome Gambit. Yet, if the defender is not careful, those "Jerome pawns" can run riot all over his position.

This latest game from "Cliff Hardy" is a brutal example of such pawns.

By the way, it is also another lightning game - 1 minute to complete the game, no increment. In such situations, a quick appraisal of the position in front of you is essential, and experience in what to look for and value is an advantage. Cliff takes a critical look at his - and his opponent's - moves, but it is all in the service of sharpening his eye for his next Jerome Gambit encounter.

The following notes are his. I have added diagrams. - Rick 

Happy birthday yet again, now you've reached the age of ten! 

I liked the following game as the Jerome pawns were quite successful in it. If only you could force opponents to defend against the Jerome Gambit like you can in a Giuoco Piano themed tournament, like the one in which I played this game, where the first 3 moves for White and Black were obligatory.

I know I am a little critical of the moves sometimes, but when you are looking at the game afterwards with the help of the Stockfish chess engine, it can be easy to be critical 😉. 

Cliff Hardy (2184) - NN (2041), 
1 0 Giuoco Piano tournament, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6?! 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Be6?! =+ 

It appears my opponent is not used to defending against the Jerome Gambit as this bishop is running headlong into the pawn fork f2-f4-f5 - 9...Nf6 instead would have kept a clear advantage for Black.

10.0-0 N8e7?! +=

Surprisingly, this defensive move was a big error that allowed my Jerome pawns a bit too much latitude - 10...Nf6 11.f4 Ne7! would have restrained the white pawns and kept a slight advantage for Black.

11.f4 Bd7 12.d4 Rf8 13.f5 Nh8 

13...Nh4 moves in Jerome Gambit games often run into the pawn move g3, trapping the knight, so my opponent chose to retreat to the corner instead.

14.Nc3 Nf7!

Restraining the Jerome pawns.

15.Qg3 Rg8 16.Bf4?! +=

Even though it could be captured there by a knight, putting the bishop to g5 would have been much more incisive, with a clear advantage for White.

16...Nc6 17.Rad1 Qe7?

Black struggled to find a liberating move under the strain of the Jerome pawns - 17...g5!? would have been an interesting attempt to free himself.

18.Nd5 Qd8 19.c3 Ne7 20.Nxe7?! 

20. Ne3! would have kept Black cramped and left White with a clear advantage. 

 20...Qxe7 

21.e5

The Jerome pawns start going on a rampage.

21...dxe5 22.dxe5?

Too much rampaging! 23.Rde1!, keeping open the options of taking on e5 with either the pawn or bishop, would have kept a clear advantage for White.

22...Bc6?

Black missed a chance here - 22...Bxf5 would have turned the tables and left black with a slight advantage.

23.e6 Nd6 24.Bg5??

I was staggered to find out after the game that this was a big blunder - 24.Bxd6 cxd6 25.f6! ++- (intending fxe7 or f7+) would have been a fitting triumph for the Jerome pawns.

24...Qf8?? ++-

24...Ne4! 25.Bxe7 Nxg3 26.hxg3 Kxe7 -++ would have been much better, when the extra bishop for Black would likely have proven to have been decisive.

25.Qe5 g6

Now the Jerome pawns run riot completely though Black was totally lost anyway - he can hardly move a piece.

26.f6 h6 27.f7+ Nxf7 28.exf7 checkmate

Suitably, a Jerome pawn got to complete the mate.

Stumbling to the Top

My last comment about the Chess.com Giuoco Piano thematic tournament that I most recently played in (see "Unlinked") was a bit melancholy

And - I'm sitting on top of the standings in the Chess.com Giuoco Piano tournament, one point ahead of the field (thanks, in part, to the Jerome Gambit). However, IlToscano has two games left, so he can catch and pass me... 

Surprisingly, once again (see "An Unexpected Success") the competition was fierce enough amongst other players that it turns out that nobody will be able to catch me after all (there are a couple of games not yet finished).

Another inexplicable first place finish, assisted by a 7-2 record with the Jerome Gambit.  

Jerome Gambit Ending: It's Drawn, Unless It Isn't (Part 2)

[Continuing from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - keshavdmutkule
Giuoco Piano Thematic Tournament, Chess.com, 2016

16...Rf8 17.Qh4 Bd7 18.Bg5 Qf7

Black moves his heavy pieces to the f-file.

I was not too concerned. I had no plans to open either the e- or the f-file. I planned the usual pressure on f6 while I waited.

19.a3 c5 

Here comes some of the pressure against White's center. I think my opponent would do better to keep things dynamic, however, rather than exchange pawns, as he does on the next move.

20.Rad1 cxd4 21.Rxd4 Bc6

If Black is thinking about moving into an endgame with Bishops-of-opposite-colors, then he is probably not worried about dropping a pawn. Such endings are notoriously drawish, even with a difference of 1, 2, or even (sometimes) 3 pawns. Still, I thought I had learned enough about them to prevail.

22.Rxd6 Rad8

This move overlooks something. Stockfish 7, after the game, suggested that 22...Nd7 led to an equal game.

23.Rxd8 Rxd8 24.e5

Yes.

24...Re8 25.exf6 Rxe1+ 26.Qxe1 gxf6 27.Bh4 Qg6

28.Qg3 

Giving my opponent what he apparently wants - with Queens off of the board we will have a "safe" endgame.

I was getting dizzy trying to analyze the many things his Queen and my Queen could do in this position, so I finally decided to take them off of the board.

28...f5

A bit of humor here - who will be the one to swap Queens? I think the sharper choice was 28...Kf7, as 29.Qc7+ would have been too crazy for me, and 29. Qxg6+ hxg6 is one step closer to splitting the point. Also, advancing the pawn, this move and next, puts it at risk. The way things are, Black might be able to afford being 2 pawns down, but probably not 3.

29.b3 f4 30.Qxg6+

I can't remember why I didn't play 30.Qxf4, but I guess it was to avoid 30...Qb1+, etc. The f-pawn will fall, anyhow.

30...hxg6

White will soon be 3 pawns ahead. Will it be enough? I think so.

31.Bg5 Bd5 32.c4 Be6 33.Kf2 Kg7 34.Bxf4 Kf6 

Black's defense will be based upon putting his pawns on the same colored squares as his Bishop, and then constructing a blockade of White's advancing pawns.

35.Bc7 b5 36.cxb5 Bxb3 37.Ke3 Ke6

For now, Black's b-pawn will hold off White's two Queenside pawns. However, some time in the future - when White's pawns have advanced to a5 and b6 - he will have to guard against the sacrifice a5-a6 which will let the b-pawn advance toward promotion.

In the meantime, White will create two passed pawns on the Kingside. It will be difficult for Black's Bishop to guard against threats on both sides of the board.

38.Kf4 Kd5 

Going after White's a-pawn, but the King needed to stay and play defense on the Kingside.

39.h4 Kc5 40.b6 Bc4 41.Ke5 

Black's King will not be able to get back to the Kingside in time, now. White will create a passed pawn that will cost Black his Bishop - and then the game.

41...Bf1 42.g4 Be2 43.h5 gxh5 44.gxh5 Bd3 

45.h6 Kb5 46.Kf6 Bh7 47.Kg7 Bf5 48.h7 Bxh7 49.Kxh7 Ka4 50.f4 Kxa3 Black resigned

The extra pawn will promote.

Tournaments Update

The first round of the RedHotPawn Jerome Gambit thematic tournament is nearing completion - there is one game left, deep in a one-sided endgame - and it looks like SeinfeldFan91 (18 points) will advance from Group 1; procyk and rigidwithfear (each 12 points) will advance from Group 2; kristjan (15 points) will advance from Group 3; and junnujannu (15 points) will advance from Group 4. Good chess to all of you!

In the Chess.com Giuoco Piano thematic tournament, I am (temporarily) in first place, with 12 points out of 16 games. With one game (with the Black pieces) yet to start, I am currently playing a Jerome Gambit - and my record with the Jerome so far is an odd 3 wins, 3 wins on time, and 2 losses. 

The Jerome Gambit: "Somewhat Problematic For Black"

I recently enjoyed watching the short YouTube video by chessthisout on "italian game for black less popular lines" which covers 7 less popular lines in the Giuoco Piano ("for players of ratings up to 1600 in FICS") - including the Jerome Gambit (unnamed in the video), "which can be somewhat problematic for Black if he doesn't play it properly".

The two main Jerome lines covered are 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0 and 5.d4, but not 5.Nxe5+, which means the move might come as quite a surprise for the unprepared defender. For that matter, 5...Bxd4 is the recommended response to 5.d4; the more challenging 5...Qh4 is not mentioned, which means the move might come as quite a surprise for the unprepared attacker.

I was shocked to see that chessthisout covered the alternative 4.Nxe5, and I told myself that certainly there wouldn't be any game examples of that move in The Database. I was wrong, there are 22 games - almost all of them transposing to the main line Jerome Gambit after 4...Nxe5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7?! (better is 5...Nxf7). Whew!

Jerome Gambit: Even in the Most Dire of Circumstances

After a tough loss with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) in the ongoing Giuoco Piano thematic tournament at Chess.com - outplayed by an opponent 200 or 300 rating points above me (not the usual "Jerome Gambit odds") - I like to play through games like the following one, where White seems to always come up with something, even in the most dire of circumstances, and in a three minute game, too!

RobertoRufino - laumassambani
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.Ng5+ 

I never understand how people get away with Ng5+ in the Jerome. Probably I should find out.

6...Kf8 7. Qf3+ Qf6 8.Qg3 d6

9.Nd2 Nge7 10.O-O h6 11.Kh1 hxg5 12.f4 Ke8 13.Nc4 gxf4 14.Bxf4 Be6 

15.Bxd6 Qh6 16.Bxc5 Kd7 17.Ne5+ Nxe5 18.Qxe5 Nc6 

19.Qg3 b6 20.Bxd4 Rh7 21.Rad1 Ke7

And, just like that, White has a forced checkmate. Wonderful!

22.Be3 Qh5 23.Bg5+  Ke8 24.Qxc7 g6 25.Qxc6+ Bd7 26.Qxa8+ Bc8 27.Qxc8 checkmate

In Search of Eine Schach-Blindenhund...

I have won my first 4 Jerome Gambit games in the ongoing Chess.com Giuoco Piano tournament, and, frankly, I am worried.

There is no excitment in winning the following way: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Black forfeited on time. Nor is there in: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Black forfeited on time.

In my next game, while over-thinking in a deep theoretical battle, I overlooked a chance to fork my opponent's King and Queen with one of my "Jerome Pawns"! Luckily for me - unfortunately for my opponent - a half-dozen moves later I was able to fork his King and Queen with my Knight... I certainly could have benefitted from a chess seeing eye dog!

Finally, I reached the following dynamic position in another game, which ended simply, but which should have engulfed me in a forest of complexity:

Once the smoke of the game had cleared, Stockfish 7 recommended as best play here the committal 18...Nxf6 19.Rf4 d5 20.Raf1 Re6 21.c4 c6 22.Qg3 Qe7 23.Nf3 dxc4 24.Ne5 Ke8 25.Qf3 h5 26.Rxf6 Rxf6 27.Qxf6 Qxf6 28.Rxf6 Ke7 29.Rf7+ Kd6 30.Rxh7 Be6 31.Rxh5 c3 32.bxc3 Bxa2 where White would have an edge... I do not think that I could have seen my way clear to get to there.

Instead, my opponent was tempted by the Knight at d2, and after 18...Nxd2 19.Qg3 things looked desperate for Black, although Stockfish 7, again in the post mortem, found a tricky way for Black's King to escape most of the danger: 19...Kf7 20.Qg7+ Ke6 21.Rae1+ Kd5 22.Qf7+ Be6 23.Rf5+ Kc6 24.d5+ Bxd5 25.Qxd5+ Kd7 26.Rd1 Re6 27.f7 c6 28.f8N+ Qxf8 29.Rxf8 cxd5 30.Rxa8 Nc4 31.b3 Ne3 32.Rd2 a6

Easy win for White, right? That's what the computer thinks. I can't see it.

Give the Jerome Gambit A Little Respect

I feel kind of bad about the following game. In our earlier matchup in the Chess.com Giuoco Piano tournament, I had ground out a 2-pawn endgame victory. I had cheerfully said to my opponent of our next game, "I expect you to destroy me utterly and enjoy it thoroughly. :-)"

Alas, it was not to be.

perrypawnpusher - iceland2010
Giuoco Piano Tournament Chess.com, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6 

Ahead by two pieces, Black is too casual in his reply. (He can protect his Knight with 6...Ke6; or dodge the check with 6...Kf8; or block the check with 6...g6 or 6...Ng6; in each case with good prospects.)

The Jerome Gambit has a number of refutations, and while it does not command a lot of respect, it should receive at least a little.

7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+

I have been in this position 6 times before this game, and won 5. The Black Bishop will fall in the next move or two, and White will be up a couple of pawns.

Black resigned

Jerome Gambit. "Swindle". But I Repeat Myself.

The following game is my first completed Jerome Gambit from the ongoing Chess.com "Giuoco Piano Tournament" (3 days/move). I got rattled by early comments by my opponent, veered off into a variation I was unfamiliar with, and was only able to survive because of a "swindle" - which sounds like the standard tale when White wins in this opening, anyhow.

perrypawnpusher - shalloworange
"Giuoco Piano Tournament", Chess.com, 2016

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

At this point I received a message from my opponent

Hello Rick, I think you just taught me a lesson about how to handle games with weaker opponents (just give them 'material odds' by choosing play accordingly). So thank you for the lesson, let's have fun. (Unless I am completely misreading things, in which case at least you will be having fun about this comment  :-)  )

My response was pretty straight-forward, but I suspected that someone who understood my giving "Jerome Gambit odds" might be prepared for a fight. 

I don't think I know enough chess to teach anyone a lesson. I just finished a tournament with lots of serious chess and I would like to have some fun in this one.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+Kd6 8.Nc3

I usually play f2-f4 here, but, like I said above, I was a bit spooked, so I decided to play something even further off of the beaten path.

8...c6 9.d4 Bxd4 10.Bf4

Here I have to admit, as I have in the past, that I do not always share everything that I have discovered about the Jerome Gambit.

Some of it is out of respect: go back to earlier blog posts to some of the games played by the top Jerome Gambiteers, and you will see that frequently they are thinly annotated by me. Who am I to publicly judge MrJoker, Philidor 1792, Bill Wall - and a host of other brighter (than me) lights?

Including Geoff Chandler ("greenpawn34"), who once played 10.Be3 here greenpawn34 - Homedepotov, redhotpawn.com, 2008 (1/2-1/2, 22)

10...Qf6 11.O-O-O Qxf5 12.Rxd4+ Kc5

I again exchanged messages with my opponent.

Er, um... I did not expect you to go after the rook. This will take some thought (auto complete [on my phone] suggested "meds"?!).

His response

Quite openly: I was entertaining also Ke6, and that is probably what I would have played against an equal opponent because I thought that Ke6 would probably be a relatively safe way to keep some material advantage. But hey, you said you wanted to have fun and I am all for having fun, too :-)

I was surprised by my opponent's move because it seemed dangerous for Black to advance his King like that.

13.Be3

Wow! A Queen sac!?

No, no, no, no, no.

Merely a swindle.

Once I found the move, I worked through every move by Black's Queen in response, and eventually was convinced that they would all lead to checkmate.

13...Qe6 14.Rd5+ Kc4 15.Rc5+ Black resigned

It is checkmate the next move.

I am just the kind of guy who looks like he would protect a Rook, overlooking the fact that he should complete the exchange of Queens instead.

Just the kind of guy who would play the Jerome Gambit.

But, let's be fair. If Black had played 13...Kb6 instead of moving Her Majesty, I would have had nothing better to play than 14.exf5, recapturing the Queen, after all.

We would then have been back to debating if the two extra White "Jerome pawns" balanced out the extra Black piece.

But, I appreciate shalloworange's willingness to contribute to a fun game. Well, at least it was fun for me.