Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter XVII

At this point in the tournament I had two games left to complete, both against brain50. That made this game my last chance with the White pieces and the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)


perrypawnpusher - brain50
JG3 thematic www.chessworld.net, 2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Nf6

A move seen on this blog before in perrypawnpusher - MsD, FICS rated blitz game, 2007 (see "Les Femmes des Echecs...& the Jerome Gambit") and which I'd faced a few years earlier, perrypawnpusher - Alternative, FICS rated blitz game, 2005: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Nf6 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Re8 10.d3 Kg7 11.0-0 d5 12.Qh6+ Kg8 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Nc3 Nxc3 15.bxc3 Qf6 16.Bd2 Qg7 17.Rae1 Rxe1 18.Rxe1 Qxh6 19.Bxh6 Bf5 20.Re7 Rc8 21.Bf4 Kf8 22.Rxc7 Rxc7 23.Bxc7 Ke7 24.Kf1 Kd7 25.Be5 Kc6 26.Bd4 a6 27.c4 b5 28.cxb5+ axb5 29.a3 Be6 30.Ke2 Bd5 31.g3 Ba2 32.c3 Kd5 33.Ke3 Bb1 34.Bg7 Ba2 35.f4 Bb1 36.h3 Bc2 37.g4 Ke6 38.Ke4 Kf7 39.Bd4 h6 40.f5 g5 41.Kf3 Bxd3 42.Kg3 Be2 43.h4 Bd1 44.hxg5 hxg5 45.Be3 Kf6 46.Bb6 Ke5 47.Bd8 Ke4 48.Bxg5 Kd3 49.Bf6 Kc4 50.g5 Kb3 51.g6 Bh5 52.Kf4 Kxa3 53.Kg5 Bd1 54.Kh6 Bb3 55.Kg7 b4 56.cxb4 Kxb4 57.Kf8 Kc5 58.Be7+ Kd5 59.f6 Ke5 60.g7 Kf5 61.g8Q Bxg8 62.Kxg8 Kg6 63.f7 1-0

By playing 7...Nf6, Black gives back the sacrificed piece, leaving White a pawn up in a balanced position. That's more than I usually get with 1.e4 e5 and a whole lot more than what I usually get with the Jerome Gambit.

Black should have played 7...Qe7, Whistler's Defense, as I did against blackburne ("Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter VIII") and as my buddy A. B. Hailey faced ("Beware: Mad Dog!").

8.Qxc5 d6

Black could have tried 8...Nxe4 on this or the next move: the open e-file leading up to White's King makes this possible.

9.Qe3

Vazquez played 9.Qc3 in his match game against Carrington (see "Flaws (Part II)").

9...Be6 10.0-0 Rf8 11.Nc3 Kg7 12.d3


Brain 50 has castled-by-hand, and has an edge in development, while I have a couple of extra pawns. No need for me to do anything exciting, just slowly build my advantage.

12...c513.f4 Ng4 14.Qg3 Rc8
After the game Rybka suggested 14...h5 15.h3 h4 16.Qe1 Nh6 17.Bd2 Bd7 18.Qe3 Re8 19.Nd5. The waves are still going to break over the Black King's head.
15.f5 gxf5 16.h3


Better here was 16.exf5, as 16...Bxf5 would have been answered by 17.Rxf5 Rxf5 18.Qg4+. Black now went in for a series of exchanges.

16...f4 17.Bxf4 Rxf4 18.Rxf4 Qg5 19.Rxg4 Bxg4 20.Qxg4 Qxg4 21.hxg4



White's extra piece will prevail.

21...Kg6 22.Rf1 Rh8 23.Rf5 a6 24.Nd5 Black resigned

Les Femmes des Echecs...& the Jerome Gambit

I was emailing Chessville neighbor JanXena ("Les Femmes des Echecs" – news, games, and witty & urbane commentary) the other day when I got to wondering: did I know how many women were creative enough, courageous enough, carefree enough – or downright foolish, reckless, and bored enough – to play the Jerome Gambit?

That turns out to be a difficult question, in no small part due to to the fact that a large percentage of the Jerome Gambit games in my database (about 80%) are internet games, played pseudonymously.

We've already seen ("My Jerome Gambit Database") this brevity:

Brescak - Hefti
EU-ch U10 Girls, 1998

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

A few years ago Pete Banks ("blackburne") sent me a half dozen games from ChessWorld played by a creative and adventurous woman who explained her chess philosophy

Hello! Oh, I know that I make often the opening with these moves as you mentioned...but unfortunately I NEVER have read a book or any theoretic things about it or even about chess. That's because I'm just learning by doing, I play most of moves very fast and as you can see, I play very often. So with the time I have my favourite openings, but am always open to try new ones or "unconventional" moves.... For me the game is interesting just by doing and I realized that I will get better with many many losses... that takes probably more time than studying the theory, but if I should study it, it wouldn't be fun any more for me.

Here's a game example. White overcomes the disadvantage inherent in the opening, gains the distinctly better game after Black's King wanders too far afield, and had some fascinating checkmates available – before things unravelled.

Plejade - The Cunning Sly
www.ChessWorld.net, 2003

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d3 Ke8 6.Bg5 Nge7 7.Qd2 h6 8.Bxe7 Nxe7 9.d4 exd4 10.Nxd4 d6 11.Nc3 a6 12.0-0-0 Bb6 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 c5 15.Ne6 Bxe6 16.dxe6 Ke7 17.Rhe1 Bc7 18.f4 Re8 19.f5 Kf6 20.Rf1 Qe7 21.Qf4 d5 22.Qh4+ g5 23.Qxh6+ Ke5 24.Qh3 Rh8 25.Rfe1+ Kd6 26.Qd3 d4 27.g4 Rxh2 28.c3 Rah8 29.cxd4 Ba5 30.dxc5+ Kxc5 31.Re5+ Kb6 32.Qb3+ Ka7 33.Rxa5 Qc7+ 34.Kb1 Qxa5 35.e7 Re2 36.Rd5 Qxd5 37.Qxd5 Rxe7 38.f6 Rc7 39.f7 Rf8 40.Qf5 Rfxf7 41.Qxg5 Rf1+ 42.Qc1 Rcxc1 checkmate

In another game sent to me I will refer to the players as they were presented.

Yesterday and the day before, I tried to orchestrate some J. Gambits at gameknot's blitz program... I played 15-20 games and was only able to get in one Jerome Gambit, which I won, although I missed a quicker, and nicer, mate which I saw while reviewing the game just now before sending it.

My opponent may have been a stronger player than he appears in this game. His play seemed a little contemptuous at first and it's more likely he underestimated the power of the open lines against his exposed king. Protecting his knight rather than moving it, only to lose it, cost him the game.

Sarah - not Sarah
10 min.blitz http://www.gameknot.com/ 2006
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.f4 c5 9.Qc3 Qh4+ 10.g3 Qh6 11.Nd2 b5 12.fxe5 b4 13.0–0+ Ke6 14.Qc4+ Ke7 15.Qf7+ Kd8 16.Qf8+ Kc7 17.Nc4 Qe6 18.Rf7+ Bd7 19.Rxd7+ Qxd7 20.Qxa8 Qb5 21.exd6+ Kd7 22.Qxa7+ Kc6 23.d7 Nf6 24.Ne5+ Kd6 25.Nf7+ Ke7 26.Nxh8 (I missed 26. d8=Q+ Ke6 27. Qde7#) 26...Nxd7 27.Bg5+ Ke6 28.Qa8 Qc4 29.Qe8+ Kd6 30.Rd1+ Kc6 31.Qxd7+ Kb6 32.Bd8+ Ka6 33.Rd6 checkmate

Finally, a game of my own -- my first loss with the Gambit. ("The excuses are all there, waiting to be made" Tartakower could have said.)

perrypawnpusher - MsD
FICS rated blitz game 3 0 2007

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Nf6 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qe7 10.d3 Be6 11.0–0 b6 12.Nc3 Rae8 13.f4 Ng4 14.Qf3 h5 15.f5 gxf5 16.exf5 Bd7 17.Bd2 Nf6 18.Rae1 Qf8 19.Rxe8 Qxe8 20.Re1 Qd8 21.Bg5 Rg8 22.Bxf6 Qxf6 23.Qd5+ Kg7 24.Qf3 Rf8 25.Qg3+ Kh8 26.Qe3 Qxf5 27.Qd4+ Rf6 White forfeits on time 0–1