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
A number of games where Philidor1792 faced 11...Qh4+ can be found in the "Philidor1792 vs The Annoying Defense (Part 2)" post.
For 11...Qd6 see Wall,B - Qi,H, Chess.com, 2011 (1-0, 14); for 11...b6 see Wall,B - Redom,T, Chess.com, 2010, (1/2-1/2, 59).
12.Rf1+
An alternate is 12.Qh5+: 12...g6 13.Qf3+ Nf6 14.d3 Bg4 15.Qf4 Qd6 16.Qxd6 cxd6 17.Nd2 (17.c3 Bc5 18.Rf1 h6 19.d4 Bb6 20.h3 Be6 21.e5 dxe5 22.dxe5 Bf5 23.g4 Rae8 24.Kd1 Rxe5 25.gxf5 Rxf5 26.Rxf5 gxf5 27.Kc2 Kg6 28.Nd2 Re8 29.Nf3 Re4 30.Bd2 a6 31.Rf1 Bc5 32.b4 Ba7 33.Kd3 b5 34.a4 bxa4 35.c4 Nh5 36.Ra1 Nf4+ 37.Bxf4 Rxf4 38.Nd2 Bf2 39.Rxa4 Be1 40.Rxa6+ Kg5 41.c5 Bxd2 42.b5 Bb4 43.c6 Rh4 44.c7 Rxh3+ 45.Kd4 Bc3+ 46.Kd5 Rd3+ 47.Ke6 Re3+ 48.Kf7 Bf6 49.Rxf6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Harshini,A, chess-db, 2015) 17...Rac8 18.c3 Bb6 19.Rf1 Rhe8 20.h3 Bd7 21.Nc4 Rxc4 22.dxc4 Rxe4+ 23.Kd1 Rxc4 24.Bg5 Bd8 25.g4 h5 26.Bxf6 Bxf6 27.g5 Bf5 28.gxf6 Bxh3 29.Rf2 Bf5 30.Rd2 Rc6 31.Ke2 Kxf6 32.Ke3 Ke7 33.Re1 Rc5 34.Kf4+ Be6 35.Rde2 Rf5+ 36.Kg3 Rf6 37.Kh4 Kf7 38.Re4 a5 39.b3 Ke7 40.c4 b6 41.Kg5 Kf7 42.R1e2 Rf5+ 43.Kh6 Rf6 44.R2e3 Ke7 45.a3 Kf7 46.a4 Ke7 47.Rd4 Kd7 48.Kg7 Ke7 49.Rh4 g5 50.Rxh5 Rf7+ 51.Kg6 g4 52.Rh4 Rf6+ 53.Kg5 Rf7 54.Rh6 Rf5+ 55.Kxg4 Rf6+ 56.Kg5 Rf5+ 57.Kh4 Rf4+ 58.Kg3 Rf6 59.Rxf6 Kxf6 60.Kf4 Bd7 61.Ke4 Bc6+ 62.Kd4 Kf7 63.Rh3 Kg6 64.Rh8 Kf7 65.Rb8 b5 66.axb5 Bf3 67.b6 Ke6 68.b7 Kd7 69.Rd8+ Kxd8 70.b8Q+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Alibak, chess-db, 2015.
12...Nf6 13.Qh5+ Kg8 14.Qe2
Aha! A human being improves upon 14.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 Ke6 50.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
66.Rf8+ Kg4 67.Rc8 g5 68.Rc3 Kh4 69.Kg1 Ra2 70.Rb3 g4
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 is the 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. The second round of the Chess.com Italian Game Tournament has 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+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4
This line doesn't have a name attached to it, but I have referred to it in earlier posts as "A Pie-in-the-Face Variation". The earliest example that I have of it in The Database is Sorensen - Anonymous, Denmark, 1888 (1-0, 27).
It is interesting to note that The Database has 1213 games reaching the position after 6.d4, with White scoring 50%. Of those games, only 17% of the time does Black continue with 6...Qh4 - but he scores 70% with it.
7.0-0 Qxe4
The weaker alternative, 7...Ng4, was seen in Sorensen,S - X, Denmark, 1888 (1-0, 27), Sir Osis of the Liver - perrypawnpusher, JG3 thematic, ChessWorld.net, 2008 (0-1, 38) and Wall,B - Rajiv, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 33).
8.dxc5 Nf6 9.Nc3 Qc4
Instead, Black played 9...Qc6 in Wall,B - Gorodetsky,D, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 18) and Wall,B - felineMMXI, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 18).
10.Be3
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.Qd4 Ba6 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 Black has several alternatives:
11...Qd6 12.Qh5+ Ke7 13.Qg5+ Kd7 14.Qxg7+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Qi,H, Chess.com, 2011;
11...b6 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qf3+ Nf6 14.d3 Bg4 15.Qf4 Bd6 16.Qf2 Be5 17.h3 Qd6 18.0-0 Bd4 19.Be3 Bxb2 20.hxg4 Bxa1 21.g5 Ke7 22.Bf4 Qe6 23.gxf6+ Bxf6 24.e5 Bg7 25.Nc3 Raf8 26.Qd4 Qc6 27.Bg5+ Ke6 28.Bf6 Bxf6 29.exf6 Kf7 30.Ne4 h6 31.Rf3 Rd8 32.Qe3 Rde8 33.c3 Qe6 34.Qf4 Qe5 35.Qh4 c5 36.Qh3 Qd5 37.Qg3 Rd8 38.Qf4 Rh7 39.Qc7+ Qd7 40.Qg3 g5 41.Qf2 Kg8 42.Rh3 Qe6 43.Qe2 Qf7 44.a4 Qg6 45.Qa2+ Kh8 46.a5 g4 47.Re3 Rhd7 48.axb6 axb6 49.Qb1 Rb7 50.Re1 Qh5 51.Rf1 Qf7 52.Qc1 Kh7 53.Rf4 Qg6 54.Qf1 Ra7 55.Qe2 g3 56.Rf1 Kh8 57.c4 Kg8 58.Qe3 Kh7 59.Qf3 Rf7 Draw, Wall,B - Redom,T, Chess.com, 2010;
11...Bd4 12.Rf1+ Nf6 13.Qh5+ Kg8 14.Qg5 h6 15.Qf4 Qe7 16.d3 Bg4 17.Nd2 Rf8 18.h3 Bh5 19.c3 g5 20.Qg3 Be5 21.Qe3 Bf4 22.Rxf4 gxf4 23.Qxa7 Qg7 24.Qf2 Nd7 25.d4 Kh7 26.e5 Rhg8 27.Kf1 Qg6 28.Kg1 f3 29.g3 Qxg3+ 30.Qxg3 Rxg3+ 31.Kf2 Rg2+ 32.Kf1 Bg6 White resigned, Fritz 5.32 - Junior 7, The Jeroen Experience, 2003.
11...Qh4+ 12.g3 Qe7 13.Qxe7+
The Queen exchange has been Philidor1792's choice, but, years ago, a computer had a different idea: 13.Rf1+ Kg6 14.Qxe7 Nxe7 15.c3 Bh3 16.Rf4 Bd6 17.Rh4 Bd7 18.d4 Rae8 19.e5 Nd5 20.a3 Be7 21.Re4 Bf5 22.Re2 Bd3 23.Rg2 Rhf8 24.Bf4 c5 25.Nd2 Kh5 26.Rc1 Nxf4 27.gxf4 Rxf4 28.Kd1 Rg4 29.Rxg4 Kxg4 30.b4 Rf8 31.bxc5 Rf2 32.h3+ Kxh3 33.Rb1 Bxb1 34.Nxb1 Rf1+ 35.Kc2 Rxb1 36.Kxb1 h5 37.d5 Bxc5 38.d6 Kg4 39.Kc2 h4 40.Kd3 h3 41.Kc4 b6 42.d7 Be7 White resigned, Colossus - Rybka v1.0 Beta.w32, USA, 2006
[to be continued]
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.
Philidor1792 - NN
Casual game, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6
8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Ke7
9...Kd6 was seen in Yace 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 Nc6 17.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.Kxd4 Rxf5
45.Ke4 Ke6 46.b4 Re5+ 47.Kd4 b6 48.Rh8 Rxg5 49.Rb8 Rg4+ 50.Kc3 Rg3+ 51.Kd4 Rg4+ 52.Kc3 Rg3+
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+ Ke5 55.cxb5 axb5 56.Rxb5+ Kd4 57.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.
http://jeromegambit.blogspot.com/2008/11/jerome-gambit-and-perfesser-part-i.html
iv
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...Nh6 9. 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.c3 Bb6 15.Nxb6 axb6
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.
22.Qc4+ Kd6 23.O-O-O checkmate
Q.E.D.
