Chessfriend Vlasta Fejfar sent a recent Jerome Gambit that he played. I am not sure if it is a correspondence game, like the previous three we have examined - see "Correspondence Play (Part 1)", "Correspondence Play (Part 2)" and "Correspondence Play (Part 3)" - but it is a long and difficult affair, showing the persistence and energy that sometimes is required of the gambiteer when his inital attack is warded off. His (expected) half-point is well-earned. I have added some game references to assist the next Jerome Gambiteer who embarks on the journey. Fejfar, Vlastimil - Goc, Pavel 2015 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6
Ah, yes, the "annoying defense". Black gives back a piece and snuffs out much of White's attacking play. Well, Vlasta has faced this before! 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Ke7
Interesting. Fejfar,V - Pressl, corr Czech Republic, 2015 (1/2-1/2, 15) and Fejfar,V - Kyzlink, corr Czech Republic, 2015 (1-0, 22) continued 9...Kd6. At 25 ply, Stockfish 6 shows the tiniest preference for 9...Ke7 over 9...Kd6, but likes 9...Kf7 best of all. 10.Qg3 Kf7 11.Qxe5 Also seen: 11.Rf1+ Nf6 12.Qxe5 Bb4 13.Qh5+ g6 14.Qf3 Re8 15.c3 Bf8 16.d4 Kg7 17.Bg5 Be7 18.e5 Ng4 19.Bxe7 Rxe7 20.h3 Nh6 21.Qf6+ Kg8 22.Qf4 Nf7 23.Nd2 c5 24.Ne4 cxd4 25.cxd4 Bf5 26.Nc3 Qb6 27.0-0-0 Rc8 28.g4 Bd7 29.Rd2 Qe6 30.Kb1 b5 31.Ne4 Kg7 32.Re2 Bc6 33.Nc5 drawn, Philidor1792 - NN, friendly match without time control, 2012. 11...Bd4
Aha! A human being improves upon14.Qg5 of Fritz 5.32 - Junior 7, The Jeroen Experience, 2003 (0-1, 32). Still, White has to be careful, with his King in the middle of the board, and with Black having much better piece development. 14...Be6 15.c3 Be5 16.g3 c5 17.d3 Qd6
18.Bf4 Bg4 19.Qe3 Bh3 20.Rf3 Bg4 21.Rf1 White is willing to repeat the position and agree on a draw. 21...Re8 22.Nd2 Bxf4 23.gxf4 b5
More worry for White. He holds on to the fact that Black's second Rook is still blocked out of play. 24.e5 Nd5 25.Qg3 Qg6 26.Ne4 c4 27.Kd2 Bf5 28.Nd6 Rd8
29.dxc4 Bold. I would have chosen the more solid 29.d4, but then Black would probably play 29...b4!? 29...bxc4 30.Rae1 Qxg3 31.hxg3 Ne7 32.Ke3 Bd3 33.Rg1 Nf5+ 34.Nxf5 Bxf5
The piece exchanges have reduced the danger to White's King (who is well-placed to support the "Jerome pawns") but Black still believes he can make something out of his piece vs 2 pawns advantage. 35.Rd1 Kf7 36.Rd4 h5 37.Rgd1 Rc8 38.Rh1 g6 39.Rh2 Ke7
The game has taken on an oddly closed nature. That does not last long, however. 40.a4 Rc6 41.Rd5 Be6 42.Rb5 Rc7 43.Rd2 h4 44.gxh4 Rxh4 45.Rd4 Rh3+ 46.Kf2 Rd3 47.a5 Rxd4 48.cxd4 Bd7 49.Rb8 Ke650.Ke3 Kd5
Black continues to push his small endgame advantage. 51.a6 c3 52.bxc3 Rxc3+ 53.Kf2 Bc8 54.Ra8 Rc7 55.Ke3 Rc3+ 56.Kf2 Kxd4 57.Rxa7 Ke4 58.Rg7 Kf5
Black does not want to trade off his last pawn (i.e. 58...Bxa6 59.Rxg6) but I think he misjudges the resulting reduced endgame. 59.a7 Ra3 60.Rf7+ Kg4 61.Rf8 Bb7 62.e6 Rxa7 63.e7 Bc6 64.e8Q Bxe8 65.Rxe8 Kxf4
At this point the game was turned over to a referee for ajudication. I am pretty sure that anyone familiar with Philidor's position will see that the game is drawn. Failing that, consulting the online Nalimov tablebases will also show that the point should be split. Excelsior!
Alonzo Wheeler Jerome developed and defended his gambit in both across-the-board and correspondence games in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He even arranged to play the Jerome Gambit against readers of the Literary Digest. In modern times, however, the Jerome is most likely to show up in internet games, often blitz; although the occasional face-to-face contest still can be found. Recently, I received an email from Vlastimil Fejfar, of the Czech Republic, who shared three of his Jerome Gambit correspondence games - a pleasant return to the days of AWJ. Fejfar,V - Pressl corr Czech Republic, 2015 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6
White faces what I have called "the annoying defense", where Black calmly gives back a piece and avoids any risky misadventures, remaining up a piece for a pawn. The idea is at least as old as D'Aumiller, A.D. - A.P., Livorno, 1878(1-0, 19). It is the choice of many computer programs in games in The Database, including Fritz, Hiarcs, Junior, Rybka, Shredder and Spike; so I have also referred to it as "the silicon defense". Also, 7...d6 isthe move recommended by many authorities, including IM Gary Lane in his The Greatest Ever Chess Tricks and Traps. Vlasta proceeds calmly against it. 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Kd6 10.Qd3+ Ke7 11.Qg3 Ke6 12.Qb3+ Ke7 13.Qg3 Ke6 14.Qb3+ Ke7 15.Qg3
Drawn It is not clear who came out "ahead" in this encounter, Black, who was able to split the point, or White, who was able to play a "refuted" opening and not lose. I am sympathetic. Thesecond roundof the Chess.com Italian Game Tournamenthas concluded for me, again (like in the first round) without being able to contest a single Jerome Gambit, which my opponents dodged. With White I scored two wins (one on time), four draws and no losses. Did more than half of my opponents "succeed" in "winning half a point" against me, or did they miss out on strolling to victory?
[This is blog post number 2,150, for those who might wonder. - Rick]
Concerning the following game, I have already written... If you play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ) long enough, you will eventually play the 6.d4 variation (4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4) and one day you will come face-to-face with the best in-your-face variation for Black since J.H. Blackburne offered his Rook... Sometimes, when you play the Jerome Gambit, you encounter an opponent who knows one of the refutations and who plays very well against you. It happens. Wall,B - Guest6296711 PlayChess.com, 2014 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
This is a small improvement over 10.Re1 Qxc5 11.Be3 Qc6 in Deep Sjeng 1.5 - Junior 7, The Jeroen Experience, 2003 (0-1, 46). Black's extra piece outweighs White's two extra pawns. 10...Re8 11.Bd4 d6 12.b3 Qa6 13.cxd6 Qxd6 14.Nb5 Qc6 15.Nxa7 Rxa7 16.Bxa7 b6
17.Qd4Ba6 18.c4 Nf3+
Black finishes off with sacrificial flair. 19.gxf3 Qxf3 20.Qd1 Re2 21.Qd8 Qg4+ 22.Kh1 Bb7+ White Resigned
I am sure that everyone who plays the Jerome Gambit has a particular defense that is the biggest pain to play against. For chessfriend Philidor1792, my guess is the 7...d6 defense (so far unnamed, but a great candidate is "The Annoying Defense") is the one. Philidor1792 has sent another batch of games, and since a good percentage of them are against "The Annoying Defense" I thought I would aggregate them, and a few others, and show them all. Philidor1792 - NN friendly match, 5-minutes blitz, 2012 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6
Black casually gives back a piece and his uncastled King (annoyingly) remains relatively safe. 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.Qg3 Kf7 11.Qxe5
Here is another Jerome Gambit exploration by Philidor1792, tackling an annoying defensive variation (for a game, and a discussion by MrJoker, see "Theory From the Thematic Tourney" Part 3 and Part 4), battling with his opponent and prevailing.
8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Ke7 9...Kd6 was seen inYace Paderborn - RevvedUp, 2006 (1-0, 48) and Morin,L-Dumont,F, Montreal, 2011 (0-1, 57). 10.Qg3 Kf7 11.Qxe5 Qh4+
Other choices by Black (all in The Database): 11...Qd6 in Wall,B, - Qi,H, Chess.com, 2011 (1-0, 14); 11...b6 in Wall,B - Redom,T, Chess.com, 2010 (½-½,59); 11...Bd4 in Fritz 5.32 - Junior 7, The Jeroen Experience, 2003 (0-1, 32) 12.g3 Qe7 13.Qxe7+ Or 13.Rf1+ in Colossus - Rybka v1.0 Beta.w32, USA, 2006 (0-1,42). 13...Nxe7 14.c3 Bb6 15.d4 Ke8
Here we have a typical Jerome Gambit Queenless middlegame/endgame, where Philidor1792 wants to make the most of his "Jerome pawns". 16.Be3 Nc617.Nd2 Ne5 18.Kd1 Ng4 19.Ke2 Be6 20.Bf4 Kd7 21.Raf1 Raf8 22.h3 Nf6 23.Kd3 Kc8 24.Re1 Nh5 25.Be5 Rf7 26.Rhf1 Nf6
White patiently maneuvers and improves the placement of his pieces. 27.g4 Nd7 28.Bg3 Rxf1 29.Rxf1 a6 30.Nc4 Ba7 31.b3 h5 32.Ne3 hxg4 33.hxg4 Bb6 34.Rf3 Nf6 35.g5 Nh5 36.Be5 Kd7
37.Nf5 Rf8 38.c4 Bxf5 39.exf5 c6 40.Ke4 Rf7 A slip, but the game remains drawish.. 41.Rh3 c5 42.Rxh5 cxd4 43.Bxd4 Bxd4 44.Kxd4Rxf5
Has White reached his goal of an endgame draw with the Jerome Gambit? 53.Kb2 No! White wants more. This seems to upset Black, who soon settles for less. 53...b5 54.Rb6+ Ke555.cxb5 axb5 56.Rxb5+ Kd457.Rc5 g5 58.a4 g4 59.a5 Rg2+ 60.Kb3 Rg3+ 61.Ka4 Rg1 62.Kb5 g3 63.a6 Ra1 64.Rg5 Ra3 65.Kb6 Black resigned
It was not long after I began looking into the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) that I noticed one chess match kept turning up in the databases: in 1993, between the human Micah Fischer-Kirshner and the chess-playing program KnightStalker, an early version of Fritz. As luck would have it, I was able to interview Micah about his experience for this blog.
The Jerome Gambit seemed a natural for matches, especially ones involving computers. Jeroen_61 of the Netherlands ran one with Hiarcs, Junior 7, Shredder Paderdorn (6.02) and Fritz 7.
I tried a few myself, notably a Fritz8 vs Fritz5 encounter and a Delphi vs Wealk Delphi contest. Each attempt had its shortcomings. (Perhaps you read about them here.)
The mysterious "perfesser" played an introductory 4-game match with the Talking LCD Chess Gadget. Like the Jerome Gambit itself, it was good for some chuckles.
Topping all efforts so far, "RevvedUp" and his trusted companions Hiarcs 8, Shredder 8, Yace Paderborn, Crafty 19.19 and Fritz 8 explored the Jerome Gambit in a 30-game encounter. It was simply war.
And then there is that as yet untold tale of two expert-to-master-level American players who played a Jerome Gambit match 5 years ago, but the games remain hidden from public view, pending the players' release of a monograph on the opening...
Perhaps that will show up on this blog one of these days.
Not too long ago I received an email from Stipe Drinovac who had noticed (from a post at Chessgames.com) that I was interested in Jerome Gambit games. He sent me a game that he had played last year at a club event. My eyes popped.
Drinovac - NN club game, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6
7.f4 Qf6 8.Rf1
I found only a couple dozen games in The Database with this move (White scored 54%), but the players were impressive: Jerome Gambit Gemeinde members mrjoker, Petasluk and Gary_Seven, as well as paladins Fritz 5.32, Fritz 8, Junior 7 and Zappa 1.1.
8...Nh69. Nc3 d6
10.Nd5 Qd8
And, just like that, White is winning, according to Rybka, which preferred the offer to exchange Queens with 10...Qf7.
11.d4 Bxd4 12. fxe5 dxe5
13.Bg5 Qg8 14.c3Bb615.Nxb6axb6
16.Qh3+ Kd6 17.Qd3+ Kc6 18.Rf8
If Black had not realized until this point that he was doomed, this probably delivered the message.
18..Qe6 19.Rxh8 b5 20.a4 bxa4 21.Re8
Another deflecting sacrifice, offering the Rook a second time.
21.Qxe8
Drinking the poison. Declining with something like 21...Qb3 left Black down the exchange, with his King still in danger. Rybka likes 22.Bd8, putting pressure on c7 and planning to sacrifice White's Bishop there, if nessary, as a response.
