The Long Grind

Here is another "day in the life of the Jerome Gambit" that turns into a long grind - and a win for White. The "Jerome pawns" prove strong - or at least easier to play.

ZahariSokolov - emranhamid 
FICS, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8. f4 Nc6 

Another solution for Black to the "Ups and Downs".

9.Qd5+ 

For the record, 9.e5+ shouldn't work, but did in Superpippo - MattMeister, FICS, 2002 (1-0, 60) and Ghandybh - ishahir, Chess.com 2009, (1-0, 17).

9...Ke7 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qg5+ 

Or 11.Qe3 as in  perrypawnpusher - trombose, blitz, FICS, 20013, (1-0, 31).

11...Kf8 12.Qxd8+ Nxd8 13.f5 Nf6 14.d3 h6 15.Nc3 a6 16.Be3 Nc6 17.O-O-O Kf7 18.h3 Re8 19.g4 Ne5 20.g5 hxg5 21.Bxg5 Nh7 22.h4 Bd7 23.Nd5 c6 

Black has been lulled into passivity - and error.

24.Nc7 Rac8 25.Nxe8 Rxe8 26.Bf4 Kf6 27.Rdg1 Kf7 28.Bxe5 dxe5 29.Rg6 Nf6 30.Rhg1 Rg8 31.Kd2 Nh5 32.R1g5 Nf4 33.Rd6 Ke7 34.Rxd7+ 

It was not necessary to return the exchange at this time.

34...Kxd7 35.f6 g6 36.Rxe5 Rf8 37.Re7+ Kd6 38.e5+ Kd5 39.c4+ Kd4 40.Rd7+ Kxe5 41.f7 Ke6 42.Rxb7 Rxf7 43.Rb6 Rd7 44.Rxc6+ Rd6 45.Rxd6+ Kxd6 46.d4 Kc6 

White has played his advantage into a position where he is worse - but that assessment is based upon Black's ability to show that his Knight is more than equal to three pawns. (The Black Knight should attack and win the h-pawn.)

47.b3 a5 48.a3 Ne6 49.Ke3 Kd6 50.Ke4 Nf8 51.b4 axb4 52.axb4 Nd7 53.b5 Nf6+ 54.Kf4 Ke6 55.Kg5 Kf7 56.b6 Ne4+ 57.Kf4 Nd6 58.c5 Nc8 59.b7 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Winning Strategy #1

The following game illustrates the Number One "winning strategy" for the Jerome Gambiteer, what I like to call "Lose Slowly"; to which my son Jon, no stranger to the Jerome added, "Give your opponent time to make a mistake."

perrypawnpusher - trombose
blitz, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Nc6

This is one of a number of ways for Black to return a piece (see "Chances", "Follow Your Friends", "No Need to Get a Big Head" and "Charlatan" for others), that, while not "best", still leaves him with an advantage.

9.Qd5+ 

This move is an improvement over 9.e5+,  which was seen in Superpippo - MattMeister, FICS, 2002 (1-0, 60) and Ghandybh - ishahir, Chess.com, 2009 (1-0, 17), the only precedents for 8...Nc6 in The Database.

9...Ke7 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qe3 

After the game, Houdini 3 suggested 11.Qf2 as another way of retreating the Queen.

11...Nf6 12.O-O Rf8 13.e5 

Probably premature.

13...Ng4 14.exd6+ Kxd6 

15.Qa3+ Kd7 16.Nc3 

I tend to get lost in these nebulous positions. After the game, Houdini 3 suggested 16.h3 Nf6 17.Rf3!? with the kind of attacking ideas your can find in Bill Wall's games.

16...Qe7 

A Queen exchange will blunt White's "attack", and there is little that I can do - so I try to ignore it. Curiously, for a while, so does my opponent.

17.Qa4 Qb4 18.h3 Nf6 19.b3 Qd4+ 20.Kh1 

As will be seen, 20.Kh2 was more prudent.

20...a6 21.Bb2 Qxa4 22.Nxa4 Nb4 

23.c4 

More to the point was the tactical skirmish, 23.Ba3 a5 24.c3 Ne4 25.Rfe1 Rxf4 26.cxb4 axb4 27.Bxb4 Nf2+ 28.Kg1 Nxh3+ 29.gxh3
Rxb4, when Black would have a slight edge.

23...b6 24 d4 Nd3 25.Bc3 Nh5 26.Bd2 

Focusing on trapping Black's Knight, I overlooked the loss of the exchange.

26...Ng3+ 27.Kg1 Nxf1 28.Rxf1 c5 

Instead, 28...Bb7, which must have been on Black's mind (perhaps he was spending too much time wondering what I was up to, or how he was going to retrieve his Knight), would have steadied his winning game - a Rook up.

29.Rf3

Correct was 29.Nxb6+, as White actually needs his Bishop to help his own Knight escape, when Black's edge would be minimal.

Both my opponent and I were suffering from "nerves" at this point.

29...Nb4 30.Bxb4 

Same criticism as above:  30.Nxb6+ was a better move, and winning.

30...cxb4 31.Nxb6+ Black resigned

Black must have been discouraged, seeing himself drop the exchange, as I had, earlier. The fact is, after 31...Kc6 32.Nxa8 Kb7 (or 32...Bf5) Black will gather in White's Knight, and, with a piece for three pawns, the game would be dynamically equal.

Teach / Learn

Welton Vaz ("Ghandybh" at Chess.com) shares a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game (for an earlier one, see "Xadrez, Ficção Cientifíca e Paz" or visit his "Chess, Science Fiction and Peace" blog).

Looking at the end of the game – a nice mate-in-7 – you can understand why people play the Jerome.

Ghandybh  - ishahir
Chess.com, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Nc6

Alarms should be going off inside the head of every Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member. If Black varies from one of the main line this early, there has to be a nasty surprise waiting for him. (For one such example, see "Lost".)

9.e5+

Welton is thinking "King!" A more routine (if safer) response would be picking up a piece with 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+.

9...Ke7

Black has the option of giving a piece back willingly: 9...Nxe5 10.Qxe5+ Kc6 11.d4 Qe7 12.d5+ Kb6 13.Nc3 Qxe5+ 14.fxe5 d6 15.Na4+ Kb5 16.b3 Bd4 17.c4+ Ka5 18.Bd2+ Ka6 19.b4 b6 20.Rb1 Bxe5 21.c5 dxc5 22.bxc5 Bf5 23.Rc1 Bd4 24.cxb6 axb6 25.Rf1 Re8+ 26.Kd1 Bg4+ 27.Kc2 Nf6 28.h3 Bh5 29.g4 Bg6+ 30.Kb3 Nxd5 31.Bc3 Nxc3 32.Nxc3 Bxc3 33.Rxc3 c5 34.Kb2 Rhf8 35.Ra3+ Kb7 36.Rd1 Rd8 37.Re1 Rf2+ 38.Kc1 Rd7 39.Rae3 Rff7 40.h4 h6 41.g5 hxg5 42.hxg5 Kc7 43.a4 Rd3 44.Re7+ Rxe7 45.Rxe7+ Kb8 46.Rxg7 Be4 47.g6 Rd6 48.Rg8+ Kc7 49.g7 Rg6 50.Re8 Rxg7 51.Rxe4 Rg1+ 52.Kd2 Rg2+ 53.Kc3 Ra2 54.Kc4 Kc6 55.Re6+ Kb7 56.Kb5 Rb2+ 57.Kc4 Rb4+ 58.Kc3 Rxa4 59.Re7+ Ka6 60.Re8 Black forfeited on time. Superpippo - MattMeister, FICS, 2002. This is one of the games whose end position was given in "Superpippo and the Third Player".

10.Qg5+ Ke6

It is fun to speculate – did Black play this move because he thought it was best (it's not; 10...Kf8 is better) or was he thinking of letting White off the hook by allowing him a draw through repetition, i.e. 11.Qg4+ Ke7 12.Qg5+ Ke6, etc.?

11.Qxg7

Of course, Welton is not thinking "Draw?!"

11...Nge7

There's a lesson to be learned here: don't be greedy. Giving back a piece – Black has two extra – with 11...Nf6 maintained the second player's advantage.

The game is over now.

12.Qf6+ Kd5 13.Nc3+ Kc4 14.Qf7+ d5 15.exd6+ Kd4 16.Nb5+ Ke4 17.d3 checkmate