If you want them to stop laughing, as I've said before, first you have to stop telling jokes...
It can be hard enough to get an opponent to take you seriously when you play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), but further inaccurate play only encourages further resistance: if you've played like a clown in the opening, who's to say that you won't play like a clown in the middle or end game as well...?
I have nobody to blame except myself for what felt like an over-due resignation by my opponent in the following game.
perrypawnpusher - amirelattar
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.
6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4
8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 d6
The updated New Year's Database has 9 games with this, position, with White scoring 67%. This statistic is doubly misleading: first, in 6 of those games I played White and scored only 40%; and second, despite the outcome of the games, Black is clearly better in this position.
10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Re8 12.Bd2 Kg8
White has two of his "Jerome pawns" watching the center and his Rooks are connected. On the other hand, Black has castled-by-hand and has an extra piece.
13.Rae1 Nb4
An odd oversight, this Knight harassing the Queen.
Previously there was: 13...Kh8 14.h3 Nb4 15.Qe2 Bd7 16.Bc1 Nfd5 17.Nxd5 Nxd5 18.Qh5 Nf6 19.Qg6 Re6 20.e5 Ng8 21.Qg3 Qe7 22.exd6 cxd6 23.b3 Rxe1 24.Rxe1 Qf7 25.Bb2 Re8 26.Rf1 Nf6 27.Qd3 d5 28.g4 Ne4 29.f5 Qe7 30.Qxd5 Ng5 31.Kg2 Bc6 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - JohnBr, blitz, FICS, 2010.
14.Qc4+ Be6 15.Qxb4
15...Bxa2
Another strange move.
16.Nxa2 c6
Suddenly, White is winning. I don't know why.
17.Nc3 a5 18.Qc4+ Kh8 19.Qd3 Qb6+ 20.Kh1 Qxb2
Black and White have reversed roles: White has the extra piece for a pawn, while Black is going to try to make something out of his "anti-Jerome pawns."
21.e5 dxe5 22.fxe5 Ng4 23.e6 Qb6
24.Be3
More to the point was 24.Qf5
24...Nxe3 25.Qxe3
Now 25.Rxe3 was the stronger recapture.
25...Qb2
In turn, Black probably did better to exchange Queens.
26.Rf7 a4
This is the theme for the rest of the game: Black's Queenside pawns vs White's Kingside attack.
27.Qg3 Rg8 28.e7 Rae8 29.Ref1 a3
30.Qf3
This is really not the best time to fiddle faddle. Instead, 30.Qd3, with an eye on d4 and the a1-h8 diagonal was the key. Black can try 30...c5 as a response (if 30...a2 then White mates with 31.Rxg7 Rxg7 32.Rf8+ Rg8 33.Qd4+ Kh7 34.Rf7+ Kg6 35.Qf6+ Kh5 36.Qf3+ Rg4 37.Rf5+ Kg6 38.Qxg4+ Kh7 39.Rf7+ Kh8 40.Qg7) but then 31.Qc4 both helps lock up the Queenside and pursue the attack on the Kingside.
30...a2 31.Nxa2 Qxa2
Black now has material equality. He hopes for more. White's inaccuracies has given him hope.
32.Rf8
This should simply lose the e-pawn, something that could be prevented by the proper 32.Qe4, when White would still have the advantage.
32...Rxe7 33.Rxg8+ Kxg8
This is Black's fatal slip, unfortunate after his struggles. After the recapture with the Queen, 33...Qxg8, White would have an uphill fight a pawn down.
34.Qf8+ Kh7 35.Qxe7
Under normal circumstances, I am sure that my opponent would resign here, but my play in this game has been unsteady enough that he is encouraged to continue on and hope for further good fortune.
35...Qxc2 36.Qxb7 Qe2 37.Qf7 c5 38.Qf5+ Kh8 39.Ra1 Qe8
40.Qxc5 Qe4 41.Rc1 Kh7 42.Qc2 Qxc2 43.Rxc2 Kg6
44.Kg1 Kf6 45.Kf2 g6 46.Kf3 h5 47.Kf4 g5+
48.Ke4 h4 49.Rc6+ Kg7 50.Kf5 Black resigned
A career criminal knows that he will be arrested. He sees that as a "business expense" that has to be paid as part of his life as a crook.
Those of us who play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) will also be subject to periodic ugly games and losses. It's part of the "job".
perrypawnpusher - JohnBr
blitz FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.
6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
For some reason I have issues with this particular line (see "...sometimes the bear gets you", "Bloodied but Unbowed" and "What an idea" for examples). Including this game, I have scored only 50% with it – that's about 35% less than my success with the Jerome Gambit and its other variants.
8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 d6 10.f4
This is what White has to work with in the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit: a pawn for his sacrificed piece, a slight lead in development, two "Jerome pawns" in the center, a Rook on the same file as the enemy King, and the chance to bring a second Rook into play faster than Black.
With any luck, what Black has to work with includes: surprise, inattention, over-confidence, shallow analysis and a well-timed unfortunate blunder...
An alternate plan, 10.Nd5, was tried by Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member yorgos, whose game continued: 10...Nxd5 11.Qxd5+ Be6 12.Qxb7 Re8 13.f4 Ng4 14.f5 Bd7 15.Qd5+ Kf8 16.f6 Nxf6 17.Qc4 Be6 18.Qb4 Kg8 19.Qc3 Nxe4 20.Qe3 Nf6 21.Qg3 g5 22.b3 Kh7 23.Bb2 Ne4 24.Qd3 d5 25.c4 c6 26.Qd4 Re7 27.Ba3 Rf7 28.Rxf7+ Bxf7 29.Bb2 Qg8 30.Rf1 Rf8 31.h4 dxc4 32.Qe5 Ng3 33.Rf6 cxb3 34.a3 Nh5 35.Qe4+ Bg6 36.Qe7+ Rf7 37.Qd6 Nxf6 38.Bxf6 Rxf6 39.Qxf6 Qg7 40.Qxc6 Qa1+ 41.Kh2 gxh4 42.Qb7+ Qg7 43.Qxb3 h3 44.Kxh3 Qe5 45.a4 Bf5+ 46.g4 Bxg4+ 47.Kxg4 Qg7+ 48.Kf3 Qg6 49.Ke3 Black resigned, yorgos - ambaradann, FICS, 2009.
In future games I might try placing my Bishop on the long diagonal with 10.b3 Re8 11.Bb2 Kg8.
10...Nc6 11.Qd3
Fritz8 slightly prefers this over 11.Qc4+ Be6 12.Qa4, but I think that takes the Queen away from a hoped-for attack on the King.
Another idea is the full retreat 11.Qd1, although it did not get a full test in ontocaustic - defjavid, FICS, 2009: 11...Bg4 12.Qd3 Nb4 13.Qc4+ Kf8 14.Qxb4 Qe7 15.e5 Nh5 16.f5 Qe6 17.fxe6+ Black resigned.
11...Re8
Two other of my games continued: 11...Be6 12.Bd2 Nb4 13.Qg3 Nxc2 14.Rac1 Nd4 15.f5 Bd7 16.Qg6+ Kg8 17.Be3 Be8 18.Qg3 Nc6 19.Bf4 Nh5 20.Qe3 Nxf4 21.Rxf4 Qg5 22.Qf2 Ne5 23.h4 Qh5 24.Rd1 a5 25.f6 Ng4 26.Qg3 Qc5+ 27.Kh1 h5 28.Rxg4 hxg4 29.Qxg4 Rh7 30.Rd5 Qf2 31.h5 Qf1+ 32.Kh2 Qxf6 33.Rf5 Qd4 34.Qf3 Bd7 35.Rd5 Qf6 36.Qxf6 gxf6 37.Kg3 Rg7+ 38.Kf3 Bg4+ 39.Kf4 Be6 40.Rd2 Rg5 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - HRoark, blitz FICS, 2010; and
11...Rf8 12.Bd2 Kg8 13.Rae1 Nb4 14.Qc4+ d5 15.Qxb4 Ng4 16.Nxd5 Qh4 17.h3 Nf6 18.Nxf6+ Rxf6 19.e5 Rg6 20.Qb3+ Be6 21.Qf3 Bxh3 22.Rf2 Rg3 23.Qxb7 Rf8 24.e6 Rf6 25.e7 Bd7 26.e8Q+ Bxe8 27.Rxe8+ Kh7 28.Qe4+ Rgg6 29.Qd3 Qg4 30.Ree2 h5 31.f5 Rd6 32.fxg6+ Rxg6 33.Qf5 Qd4 34.Qxh5+ Rh6 35.Bxh6 gxh6 36.Re7+ Kg8 37.Qg6+ Kh8 38.Re8 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - pwr, blitz FICS, 2010.
12.Bd2 Kg8 13.Rae1 Kh8 14.h3
White's last move was to prepare g2-g4.
I gave a look at 14.Nd5, instead, but didn't like my position after 14...Nxd5 15.exd5 Ne7. That is what Rybka recommended after the game, however, with White aiming his Bishop at the Kingside with 16.Bc3 and then patiently advancing his pawns. Even so, Rybka saw Black as better.
14...Nb4 15.Qe2 Bd7
Of course 15...Nxc2 was possible.
16.Bc1 Nfd5 17.Nxd5 Nxd5
18.Qh5 Nf6 19.Qg6 Re6 20.e5 Ng8 21.Qg3 Qe7
22.exd6 cxd6 23.b3 Rxe1 24.Rxe1 Qf7 25.Bb2 Re8 26.Rf1 Nf6 27.Qd3 d5
Still pushing, but Black has resisted at every turn. His King is safe, and the pawn at d5 only appears weak.
28.g4 Ne4 29.f5 Qe7 30.Qxd5
Tempting, but deadly. Now my game collapsed, ending with a blunder.
30...Ng5 31.Kg2 Bc6 White resigned
