My first win with the Jerome Gambit, in the second round of the "Italian Game Classic" tournament at Chess.com, was a bit of a journey through the opening's history.
An unfortunate slip by my opponent allowed me a tactical shot that brought the game to an early conclusion.
perrypawnpusher - PDX84
Italian Game Classic, Chess.com, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6
Black courageously thinks of holding onto both sacrificed pieces. The compter chess analysis at Chess.com, after the game, identified the move as "best".
7.Qf5+
Alonzo Wheeler Jerome first suggested this move in the April 4, 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal. He also played 7.f4 and 7.O-O in correspondence games against S.A. Charles, and suggested 7.b4 "for analysis"; this was covered in the October, 1881 issue of Brentano's Chess Monthly.
A check of The Database shows 507 games with 7.Qf5+, with White scoring 48%, as opposed to 517 games with 7.f4, with White scoring 61%. There are no games with 7.b4.
7...Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3
Not 10.Qxe5+ this time. That move has given me mixed results, and a loss most recently: perrypawnpusher - djdave28, Italian Game Tournament, Chess.com, 2014, (1-0, 22); perrypawnpusher - djdave28, Italian Game Tournament, Chess.com 2015, (1-0, 32); and perrypawnpusher - Altotemmi, Giuoco Piano Tournament, Chess.com, 2016, (0-1, 51).
The Queen exchange is at least as old as Jerome, A - Jaeger, D, correspondence, 1878 (0-1, 68).
10...Nf6
This move makes a lot of sense.
Jerome faced 10...Ne7 in a correspondence game against Jaeger in 1878 (0-1, 68).
Lowe,E - Cudmore,D, correspondence, 1881, continued 10...b5 (½-½, 48).
Keeble,J - Cubitt,J, Norwich 1886, continued 10...c6 (1-0, 17).
11.d3 Ke7
Black dodges the crudest of threats - 12.Bf4, pinning his Queen to his King. The idea is at least as old as Vazquez - Giraudy, Mexico, 1876 (remove White's Queen Rook) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Bxd4 9.c3 Bb6 10.f4 Qf6 11.fxe5+ Qxe5 12.Bf4 Qxf4 13.Qxf4+ Ke7 14.Rf1 Nh6 15.Qe5+ Kd8 16.Qxg7 Re8 17.Qg5+ Re7 18.Rf8 checkmate. Still, I've scored points from this "Optical Illusion" variation of the Jerome Gambit - see "Optical Illusion (1)", "Optical Illusion (2)" and "Disdainful Defender Defense".
Instead, 11...Kc6 was seen in Jerome, A - Colburn, correspondence 1879 (0-1, 34) and Jerome, A - Charles, S.A., correspondence, 1881 (unfinished).
12.Nc3 Bb4
Pinning the White Knight to keep it off of d5.
Instead:
12...g5 was seen in Jerome, A - Shinkman, W, Iowa, 1874 (0-1, 21);
12...d6 was seen in Jerome, A - Brownson, O, Iowa, 1875 (1-0, 43);
12...c6 was seen in Jerome, A - Amateur, off hand game, 1876 (1-0, 20); and
12...d5 was seen in Jerome, A - Pane, M, correspondence, 1878 (1-0, 41).
13.Bd2
I was amused to see that I had played 13.O-O here, years ago, in perrypawnpusher - PREMK, blitz, FICS, 2005. The idea was that 13...Bxc3 14.bxc3 Qxc3 15.Qg3!? would give White good play for the sacrificed pawn.
13...Rf8 14.O-O d6
Instead, in the post mortem, Komodo 10 recommended the brutal 14...Bd6, with the idea of forcing exchanges to eliminate White's attacking chances and highlight Black's piece-for-a-pawn advantage, e.g. 15.g3 c6 16.Bf4 Bc5+ 17.Kg2 Qh5 18.Na4 Qxf3+ 19.Rxf3 d6 20.Nxc5 dxc5 21.Raf1 Bg4 22.R3f2 Be6
15.Nd5+ Black resigned
White will recover his sacrificed piece. He will be a pawn up, with better development and King safety. Black decided not to play on.
Whew.
I just finished another Jerome Gambit game in the third round of the Giuoco Piano Thematic tournament at Chess.com, It was not pretty at all. You could say that I was losing - up until my opponent resigned. Of course, that is the "objective" evaluation of the Jerome, anyhow.
Yeah.
perrypawnpusher - IlToscano
Giuoco Piano Thematic, Chess.com, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6
This defense is solid and good. It also avoids the complexities of 8...Qh4+, which I faced in perrypawnpusher - constipatedguru, blitz, FICS, 2017 (1-0, 20).
9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3
Staying away from 10.Qxe5+ which has given me mixed results, and a loss most recently: perrypawnpusher - djdave28, Italian Game Tournament, Chess.com, 2014, (1-0, 22); perrypawnpusher - djdave28, Italian Game Tournament, Chess.com 2015, (1-0, 32); and perrypawnpusher - Altotemmi, Giuoco Piano Tournament, Chess.com, 2016, (0-1, 51)
10...Nf6
Easily an improvement over 10...Ke7, which I faced in perrypawnpusher - gtomlinson, blitz, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 28) and 10...h6, which I faced in perrypawnpusher - paulpee, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 71).
11.d3
About the same as 11.Nc3 as in perrypawnpusher - Dogyou, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 21).
11...Kc6
Black wishes to avoid the embarassment of getting his Queen pinned to his King - a trick that might work in blitz (see below) but this game was played at 3 days per move.
Or Black could play 11...Ke7 as in perrypawnpusher - PREMK, blitz, FICS, 2005, (1-0, 14); perrypawnpusher - karleinkarl, blitz, FICS, 2012 (0-1, 16); and perrypawnpusher - vz721, Italian Game thematic, Chess.com, 2013 (1-0, 29);
Or 11...Rf8 as in perrypawnpusher - BronxBoyII, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 18); perrypawnpusher - udofink, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 13); perrypawnpusher - mconst, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 42); and perrypawnpusher - recreation, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 13);
Or 11...Bb4+ as in perrypawnpusher - ViennaMike, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 19);
Or 11...Re8 as in perrypawnpusher - Estebang, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 28)
Or 11...Bd4 as in perrypawnpusher - Rossgil, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 26)
12.c3 Bb6 13.Bf4 Qh5 14.Nd2
I was not pleased to see the Queens leave the board, but I didn't have a better idea.
14...Qxf3 15.Nxf3 d6
I added all of the game links above to show that I was supposed to be familiar with this line, and therefore supposed to know what I was doing against IlToscano. Yet, he has done very well, and the one pawn that I have for my sacrificed Bishop is clearly inadequate compensation.
I decided that I should again do what far better players than me have done in similar Jerome Gambit situations - abandon the "attack at all costs" idea, and let my opponent, who has the advantage, do the attacking. If he was not going to slip up when defending, perhaps he might err when atacking? Psychology is always a part of Jerome play.
[to be continued]
The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) – truly a Shakespearean Gambit: full of sound and fury; signifying nothing...
But, like the thunder, it can catch players unawares, and cause a startle reflex.
Here is the game perrypawnpusher - PREMK, FICS 2005, a blitz game played at 6 12. White gives the illusion of being able to play 15.Nxb4 on his next move, regaining his piece and remaining a pawn ahead.
Black resigned.
In reality, of course, 15.Nxb4 is simply met by 15...Qd4+ and then 16.Be3 Qxb5 – when it will take some tricky play by White to keep the game even, if that: 17.c3 Qe7 18.e5 Qxe5 19.Rae1 Kd8 20.Bh6 Qxe1+ 21.Rxe1 gxh6 22.Qf4.
Better than that for White is 15.Bf4 Nxd5 16.Bxe5 Rxf3 17.Rxf3 Nf6 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Rxf6 when his Rook and two pawns will balance out Black's two Bishops.
nerdfish compliments Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws"
