For the record

I include this game "for the record" because it is technically a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, by transposition, and because I'm one of the two players tossing the pieces around.

However, it is one of those devilish 3 0 games which rapidly became a comedy of errors as my opponent (rated 125 higher than me), behind in material, kept throwing things at me, while I – for once, ahead on the clock – picked my moves quickly, knowing the game wouldn't end with a checkmate, but with a flag.

I have identified a few relevant points in the game, but it is best just played over with the Chess Publisher feature – chuckling (or covering your eyes) the whole way.

ncis  - perrypawnpusher
blitz 3 0, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4

The Italian Gambit.

4...exd4 5.Bxf7+

From the Dubuque Chess Journal, November 1874

An unsound variation of Jerome's double opening. Note that it is the P at Q5 that gives the second player such a wonderfully harassing position later in the game.

5...Kxf7 6.e5

My database has 26 games with this position, 18 of them played by DragonTail (White) with limited success: 5-13-0.

An alternative was seen in Wright - Hunn, Arkansas, USA, 1874 – the game referred to, above, in the Dubuque Chess Journal – 6.Ng5+ Kf8 7.Qf3+ Qf6 8.0-0 Ne5 9.Qh5 Qg6 10.Qe2 Nf6 11.Kh1 h6 12.f4 Neg4 13.f5 hxg5 14.Qxg4 Rxh2+ 15.Kxh2 Nxg4+ 16.Kg3 Qh5 17.Nd2 Qh4+ 18.Kf3 Nh2+ and won.

6...d6 7.Ng5+ Ke8 8.Qf3 Nh6

Better was 8...Nxe5, but the text, while new, is adequate. 

9.e6 Rf8

Or 9...Qf6.

10.Nf7 Nxf7 11.exf7+ Rxf7 12.Qh5 Qe7+ 13.Kd2 Bb4+ 14.c3 dxc3+ 15.Nxc3 Bxc3+ 16.bxc3 g6 17.Qb5 Kf8

Black is safely a piece and a pawn up, and actually overlooked a mate here: 17...Rxf2+ 18.Kd1 Bg4+ 19.Qe2 Qxe2. I'll stop annotating; there is little educational about my win.

18.Re1 Rxf2+ 19.Kd1 Qf6 20.Bh6+ Kf7 21.Qd5+ Be6 22.Rxe6 Qxe6 23.Qb3 Qxb3+ 24.axb3 Re8 25.Ra4 Ree2 26.Rh4 Rxg2 27.Rf4+ Ke7 28.Bf8+ Kd7 29.Rf7+ Ke6 30.Rxh7 Ref2 31.Ke1 Re2+ 32.Kf1 Ref2+ White forfeited on time

Faster Than The Speed of Thought

Those who play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) have become comfortable, out of necessity, with a certain level of chaos all over the chess board.

The same is true for those who play Jerome-like (or Jerome-ized) openings – and doubly so for those who play them at blitz or lightning speed.

I was working through some fast games by DragonTail at FICS (Free Internet Chess Server), making some quick assessments and decided that the particular variation that I was looking at was too wild for me. Add the fact that the players were not at their tip-top best (no offense intended), and the whole series seems to have taken place faster than the speed of thought... 

DragonTail - chingching 

blitz, FICS, 2009 

 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4

Now, after 4...exd4 we will have a variation of the Scotch Gambit; and after 4...Bxd4 we will have George Laven's Miami Variation, as presented in Acers and Laven's The Italian Gambit (2004). 

4...Bxd4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Kg6 -+

Yes, after this move Black has a significant advantage, as he would after 6...Ke8, 6...Kf8 or 6...Ke7.

On the other hand, after the careless 6...Kf6, White would have the advantage: 7.Qf3+ Ke7 (7...Kg6 8.Qf5+ Kh5 9.Ne6+ g5 10.Bxg5 Bxf2+ 11.Kxf2 dxe6 12.g4#) 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Na3 Nf6 10.c3 Qg8 11.cxd4 Nxd4 12.Be3 h6 13.Nc4+ Kc6 14.Nxe5+ Kb5 15.Bxd4 hxg5 16.Qg6 Qh7± 

7.Qg4 Nf6?

A stronger move is 7...Nh6 -+ , but it has to be followed up properly: 8.Qg3 Bxf2+? 9.Kxf2 ± Rf8+ +- 10.Nf7+? -+ Kxf7 DragonTail - Patrick, FICS 2008 (0-1, 21); Not so good is 7...d5 8.Qg3 (but 8.Ne6+ +-) 8...Bxf2+ (8...Qf6) 9.Kxf2 Qf6+ ± 10.Kg1 = Kh5? +- 11.Nd2? -+ Qxg5 DragonTail - freesok, FICS 2007 (0-1, 23); 7...Qf6 -+ is the computer's choice;

Not 7...d6? giving White the advantage, but wait: 8.Qg3? (8.Ne6+ Kf7 9.Nxd8+ Nxd8 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qf3+ +-) 8...Kf6? 9.Nf3? (9.Qf3+ Kg6 10.Qf7+ Kh6 11.Ne6+ g5 12.h4 Bc3+ 13.Kf1 Bxe6 14.hxg5#) 9...Kf7 10.Ng5+ Ke7 11.Nf3 Be6? 12.Nxd4? (12.Qxg7+ Ke8 13.Qxh8 +-) 12...Nxd4 DragonTail - chingching, FICS 2009 (0-1,43) 

8.Qg3?

There was the opportunity for 8.Qf5+ Kh5 9.Nf3+ g5 10.Qxg5 checkmate 

8...Nh5 9.Qg4 d5? Instead, 9...Nf6 equalizes. 

10.Ne6+ Kf6 11.Bg5+ Black resigned

Coffee house

Comment 2004[Chess_Improvement - Tyrin Price]http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Chess_Improvement/message/2043

From: "Tyrin Price"

Date: Sat Jun 26, 2004 5:41 pm

Subject: Starbucks 8x8, Anyone?

Coffee house chess has a lot of interesting ideas; more often than not unsound, but invariably interesting. I don't know if you could label the Italian Gambit unsound, though or even legitimately hang the "coffee house" label on it.

The Jerome Gambit ... now *that* is coffee house ... fully caffeinated - extra strength (use only as directed for prompt temporary relief of quiet games [if conditions persist seek professional guidance]). :-) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 .Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ *

"Brilliant but not sound"

"The past isn't dead," they like to say in my field.
"It isn't even past."

Wright - Hunn
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 1874
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4

According to the November 1874 Dubuque Chess Journal: "Brilliant but not sound."

One hundred and thirty years later, a book by Jude Acers and George S. Laven, The Italian Gambit and A Guiding Repertoire for White - 1.e4, showed that the move, properly followed up, was quite playable.

I couldn't resist asking one of the authors about the Jerome. Replied Laven,

The Jerome Gambit was looked into only briefly during The Italian Gambit study. This was done by me and the editor Robert Snow who is a strong expert (elo 2172 - at that time) and was rejected. We felt Black was better in every reasonable line. Jude, totally rejected it and it is nowhere to be found in the book.

Oh, well.

4...exd4

DCJ: "The German Handbuch gives as best variation 4...Bxd4 5.c3 Bb6 6.Ng5 Nh6 7.Qh5 0–0 8.f4 exf4 9.Bxf4 d6 10.Rf1 Qe7 and Black should win."

The Italian Gambit focuses instead on the Miami Variation 4...Bxd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd4 6.Be3 and the Koltanowski gambit 6.0-0 Nf6.

FIDE Master and ICCF International Master Allan Savage remarked in his review that 4...exd4 "opens Pandora's box via transpositions to the Max Lange, Rossolimo System, Moller Attack, Steinitz-Sveshnikov (!) or Scotch-Goring Gambit!"

5.Bxf7+
DCJ: "An unsound variation of Jerome's double opening. Note that it is the P at Q5 that gives the second player such a wonderfully harassing position later in the game."

5...Kxf7

I have about 40 games with this line in my database, out of the opening move order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 exd4. I have not played the line, but I have beaten it the two times I have faced it.

This notion of a "Delayed Jerome Gambit" will be explored in later posts.

6.Ng5+

DCJ: "SK5 à la Jerome is better than SS5." [The Dubuque Chess Journal here uses descriptive notation with "S" for "Springer" instead of "N" or "Kt" for "Knight."]

6...Kf8 7.Qf3+ Qf6 8.0–0 Ne5

DCJ: "Why not Q takes Q, making his relative strength still greater?"

9.Qh5

DCJ: "Well meant, since SxRP would win a Pawn and the Exchange, if not attended to."

9...Qg6 10.Qe2 Nf6
DCJ: "The beginning of a splendid combination, that might, however, have been frustrated by SKB3."

Of course, Black would still have a winning game.

11.Kh1 h6 12.f4 Neg4

DCJ: "The coolness exhibited by Mr. H and his indifference to his opponent's attacks, are accounted for when his farsightedness is appreciated, the evident reply PB5 does not disturb him in the least."

13.f5 hxg5

14.Qxg4

DCJ: "Evidently the Queen cannot be taken with safety. PKR3 is better than taking the Springer."

Objectively, taking the Queen is White's "best" of many losing options: 14.fxg6 Rxh2+ 15.Kg1 d3+ etc.

"Safest" might be "Resigns".

14...Rxh2+ 15.Kxh2 Nxg4+ 16.Kg3 Qh5 17.Nd2 Qh4+ 18.Kf3 Nh2+ 0–1