I have always found the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit to be one of the more difficult variations in the Jerome. This is probably due to the additional development which, among other things, restricts my Queen from making wild advances.
Even Bill Wall has experienced relative "difficulty", scoring only 91% in his games with the line. The following game is quite a rarity. Wall, Bill - Guest343560 PlayChess.com, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
Black is developing, while White struggles to get his pieces coordinated. An attack on White's King combined with an attack on his Queen brings the game to a quick conclusion. 13.a3 Ng4 14.g3 Nxh2 15.Kxh2 b5 White resigned
Lately, not a lot of opponents have answered 3...Bc5, which would give Bill Wall a chance to play the Jerome Gambit. In the following game he shows some patience, and it turns out that he is okay with the delay. Wall,B - Marz PlayChess.com, 31.08.2014 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
This kind of retreat is seen by White in response to the "fork trick" in the Italian Four Knights Game. Here 7...d6 improves. 8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.f4 Nxe4
Looking for more trouble. Instead, 9...Bd6 10.e5 Bc5+ 11.Kh1 d5 12.exf6 gxf6 when White has an edge. 10.fxe5+ Nf6
Defense with 10...Ke8 is best, but after 11.Qg4 Qe7 12.Qxe4 White is a piece up. 11.exf6 g6
Now the Jerome Gambiteer finishes with style. 12.Qd5+ Kf8 13.Bh6+ Ke8 14.f7+ Ke7 15.Qe5 checkmate
I know, I know, it baffles me, too, but some players continue to underestimate the Jerome Gambit - to their own discomfort and demise. While some people would never play the Jerome Gambit, they can be at risk against someone who plays it, and plays it, and plays it...
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, which can also be reached from the regular Jerome move order: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nc3 Nf6. 6.Qe2 A favorite move of Bill, and an idea as old as Ruy Lopez, who proposed it in the Bishop's Opening - 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qe2 - in 1561. Black overlooks the move's intention, and suddenly White is OK. 6...Rf8?! More solid for Black was 6...d6 7.Qc4+ (7.0-0, Wall,B - Darkmoonstone, Chess.com, 2011, [1-0, 29]) as in Wall,B - Guest1459913, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 38); or 6...h6 7.Qc4+ as in Wall,B - DarkKnight, Cocoa Beach, FL 2012(1-0, 23); or the direct 6...d5 as in Wall,B - Samvazpr, Chess.com, 2010 (0-1, 25). 7.Qc4+ d5 Black tried 7...Ke8 in Wall,B - Roberts,C, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0,17) and Wall,B - Hamilton,E, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22). 8.Qxc5 dxe4 Or 8...d4 as in Wall,B - NFNZ, FICS, 2011(1-0, 15). 9.Nxe5+ Nxe5 10.Qxe5 Re8 11.Qf4 Kg8 12.0-0 c6
13.b3 Bg4 An aggressive and thought-out move, but Bill suggests instead 13...Be6. 14.Bb2 Bh5 15.Rae1 Threatening 16.Nxe4. 15...Bg6 16.Qg5 Nd5 17.Qg3 Rc8?
Alternatives: 17...Nb4 18.Nxe4 Nxc2 19.Qc3 Qd4; or 17...Qd7. 18.Nxe4 Qd7 Not 18...Bxe4?? 19.Qxg7#. 19.Nd6 Rxe1 20.Rxe1 Rf821.d3 Nb4 22.a3 Nxc2?
Black cuts his material imbalance to one pawn, at the risk of trapping his Knight. More solid was 22...Nd5. 23.Re2 Bxd3? Black might have tried 23...Rd8 as after 24.Rxc2? (correct would be 24.Qe5) 24...Qxd6 25.Qxd6 Rxd6 26.Rd2 Rxd3 the game would be even. 24.Qxd3 Rd8 25.Qc4+ Kh8 26.Rd2 An alternative was 26.Qf7 Qxf7 27.Nxf7+ Kg8 28.Nxd8. 26...Qe7 27.Nf7+ Kg8 28.Rxd8+ Qxd8 29.Nxd8+ Kh8 30.Qf7 Black resigned
As a therapist in my "day job" I often have the opportunity to help my clients expand their understanding of consequences of behaviors by asking them to look further: "And then what...?"
In the following game Black does a good job of defusing the primar threat behind White's 6th move, but he then becomes lax at just about the time he should have asked himself "And then what...?" Wall,B - Guest1459913 Playchess.com, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
5...Kxf7 6.Qe2
A quiet move that you can find in a number of Bill's Jerome Gambit games. 6...d6
Dodging the misfortunes of 6...h6 7.Qc4+ in Wall,B - DarkKnight, Cocoa Beach, FL 2012 (1-0, 23);6...Rf8 7.Qc4+ in Wall,B - Roberts,C, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 17), Wall,B - Hamilton,E, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22) and Wall,B - NFNZ, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 15).
An alternate was 6...d5 as in the rare Wall,B - Samvazpr, Chess.com, 2010 (0-1, 25) 7.Qc4+ Be6?
You can almost read Black's mind: I took care of that move with 6...d6. Now I strike back by attacking the Queen with my Bishop! 8.Ng5+
Oh, well, yes, there is that... 8...Kg6 9.Nxe6 Qd7
Players like myself (and perhaps Guest1459913) are often relieved, if not downright hopeful, when we find ourselves facing a strong player like Bill, being "only" a pawn down - with Queens off of the board, to boot.
This is usually an error in thinking: strong players can wield that extra pawn the way ordinary players wield an extra piece. 16.h4 Rhf8 17.Bd2 Kh5 18.Ne2 Kxh4 19.Nd4 g5 20.Nf5+ Kh5 21.Nxd6 b6
In case anyone is paying attention, White now has a protected passed pawn. 22.d4 Ng4 23.Nf5 Kg6? 24.Ne7+ Kh5
25.Nxc6
This wins another pawn, although Bill points out that 25.Rf3! was stronger. 25...Ndf6 26.Bb4 Rfc8 27.Ne7 Rxc2? 28.Rf3
This past week was a good one for receiving Jerome Gambit games in the email. First Argentina, then the United Kingdom, and now from the United States, thanks to Bill Wall.
Rick,
Here is my latest game, a Four Knights Jerome Gambit, played at 15
minutes per game. He got his queen and king pinned on move 23. He gave up
another pawn after 12...Rf8, trying to makle a discovered attack on my queen.
After 18...Rf5, I had to watch out for Rg5. After 20.Rae1, he can't play
20...Qxa2 due to Qxg7 mate.
Here is another short Jerome Gambit game from Bill Wall. It contains a motif that has showed up in recent posts – that of Ng5+ with an attack on Black's King as well as on a piece at e6 (see "Sunday Tournament Update" and "Ng5+") – and comes with a reminder that snap defensive moves can have long term consequences.
Bill has utilized the Qe2 attack before ("No Getting Around This Wall" is particularly interesting), so, for study purposes, I have included earlier games of his, even when he has played the move sooner than in the text. I have also included a number of games by hinders, of FICS, who played the line (with mixed success) a while back.
The following game from Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Bill Wall arrived with a note: "For your database. I got lucky in the end. I just had to play aggressive, keep the threats open and something had to happen."
White works with the tools that he has: he will get rid of the pesky Black Bishop (allowing f2-f4) and replaces it with a doubled pawn.
12.Nxd4 exd4 13.f4 Kg8 14.Qe1 Qe7 15.Qb4 Bc6
Black focuses on developing his pieces and improving his position, rather than protect the pawn at d4 with the "ugly" (but stronger) 15...c5. White accepts the gift.
Returning the pawn to develop play against Black's Queen and King. While Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgames tend to be drawish, their middlegames favor the attacking player.
24...Rxf6 25.Rxf6 Qxf6 26.d4
26...Nc4 27.d5
A tricky move that does Black in.
27...Qh4
After the exchanges 27...Nxe3 28.Bxf6 gxf6 29.dxc6 Nc4 30.cxb7 Rb8 31.Rc3 Na5 32.b4 Nxb7 33.Rxc7 White can probably hold the draw, as Black's extra Knight will not easily protect his isolated pawns.
28.Bxg7+ Kh7 29.Qd3
Black resigned.
After 29...Ne5 30.Bxe5 dxe5 31.dxc6 White would clearly be winning.
Bill Wall plays a cat-and-mouse game with his opponent's King as it tries to escape to its hole in the wall–er, castle-by-hand.
Wall - Hamilton Chess.com, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game.
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Qe2
An interesting idea. The Database has over 30 games by "hinders" at FICS with this move, winning over 50% of the time, in the years 2000-2002.
6...Rf8
The theme of the game: Black would like to move his King to safer quarters. White does not allow this.
7.Qc4+ Ke8
Black's King is spooked. Otherwise he would have played the thematic 7...d5. After 8.Qxc5 Nxe4 9.Nxe4 dxe4 10.Nxe5+ Nxe5 11.Qxe5 Kg8 a lot of attacking pieces have been exchanged, and Black's pawn at e4 is remarkably resilient. White would be up a pawn, but it will be a while before it means anything – and there is always the notorious Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame for Black to aim for.
8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Be6
White has an extra pawn and a safer King.
10.d3 Kf7 11.Ng5+
Meow!
11...Ke712.Bd2 Qd7 13.0-0 h6 14.Nxe6 Qxe6
It's the same story: development is even (maybe better for Black, if you count his King as developed), while White has an extra pawn. Open lines will show which monarch is safer.
