Some evenings I work late into the night, researching and analyzing, trying to find the elusive path to bringing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) a step or two further away from "just another refuted opening" and a step or two closer to being a "real" opening. (See "Jerome Gambit: Pinocchio" and "Jerome Gambit: Velveteen Rabit Part 1".)
Then, in the next morning's email, I get another handful of games with notes like "This is my first Jerome Gambit, ever, and I totally crushed the guy!" and I realize that the Jerome is not about finally becoming a boring, normal opening.
The Jerome Gambit is about playing chess and having fun.
So - here are some more quick hits that recently arrived.
The checkmate in the following game never gets old. We have seen this kind of thing before, and we will, no doubt, see it again.
GraysonTheHoff - tengodosperras
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6 7.e5 Nd5 8.Qf3+ Kg8 9.Qxd5#
The Jerome Gambit can inspire the sacrificial tendency in other openings, too. Jerome Sicilian, anyone?
UnitedN51 - Usern4me
3 2 blitz, Chess.com, 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 a6 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ne5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6 7.Qf5#
Here, the Petroff Defense, by transposition, meets the Jerome Gambit. Any guess which wins?
Hipernight - newguy587
3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nxe4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kg8 6.Qh5 Nf6 7.Qf7#
I don't know a lot about playing the Jerome against the Hungarian Defense, but players are kind enough to teach me.
EN93 - AreaPedonale
10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.d4 d6 8.Qf5#
My daughter bought me Murray Chandler's How to Beat Your Dad at Chess. I am sure she meant no harm. The following game could have wound up in that book. I hope the son didn't get grounded.
Son - Dad
friendly blitz, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Nc6 9.Qd5#
Finally, a Jerome Gambit that ended when the defender realized that his defense hadn't really defended.
Leicand - joskyano
3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Qh5+ Black resigned
The title of today's post was laid out, previously
Like Pinocchio or the Velveteen Rabbit, the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) longs to become a "real" chess opening, or at least a "normal" one.
Of course, that is a bit of a stretch for something so often refuted.
Yet, occasionally, I experience a sense of "normality", as I noted a while back in my post "Still More Errors in Thinking 4.0"
I mean, I play a game, I publish it on this blog, someone takes that information and uses it in another one of my Jerome Gambits. I publish that game in this blog, someone elses uses that information in another of my Jerome Gambits...
Just like a real opening.
perrypawnpusher - warwar
"Italian Battleground", Chess.com, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
This variation does not have a name, but it could well be titled the Brownson Defense, after O.A. Brownson, who played it in Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1-0, 28), shortly after the Jerome Gambit's debut.
The defense was subsequently played by William Carrington in the first game of his second match against the Mexican champion, Andres Clemente Vazquez, in 1876 (1-0, 34).
It should be noted that Vazquez played a match against Steinitz in 1888, and one against Blackburne in 1891. The latter match included two Giuoco Piano openings played by Vazquez, and it would have been fascinating - if downright risky for the first player - if one of the strongest players of the Jerome Gambit at that time had used it against the player whose crush of it against "Amateur" a few years earlier had covered the attack in ignomy. Alas, Vazquez opted for 4.0-0 both times.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
There are 186 games with this position in The Database, with White scoring a surprising 71%. This more likely reflects the comfort, knowledge and experience of the player with the White pieces, rather than an "objective" evaluation of the state of affairs.
10.O-O Kf7
Black will castle-by-hand, bringing his Rook to the e-file.
White will urge his "Jerome pawns forward."
11.f4 Re8 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4
13...Neg4
After enticing White's pawns forward, Black takes a swipe at his Queen.
14.Qb3+ Kf8 15.h3 Nh6
16.Bxh6 gxh6 17.Nd2
Here we have a strange looking position, quite possibly even, with White's extra (and healthy) pawns and development balancing Black's extra piece and unsafe King.
[to be continued]
Like Pinocchio or the Velveteen Rabbit, the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) longs to become a "real" chess opening, or at least a "normal" one.
Of course, that is a bit of a stretch for something so often refuted.
Yet, occasionally, I experience a sense of "normality", as I noted a while back in my post "Still More Errors in Thinking 4.0"
I mean, I play a game, I publish it on this blog, someone takes that information and uses it in another one of my Jerome Gambits. I publish that game in this blog, someone else uses that information in another of my Jerome Gambits...
Not long ago, in "Jerome Gambit: Too Fast, Too Furious", I published a recent Jerome Gambit game of mine which featured an interesting 18th move. I had played the move a couple of years earlier, based on analysis of a game Bill Wall played 8 years ago. I found it curious that a third game was chugging along the same old tracks... (all wins for White, mind you)
I am currently playing an online game that follows all 3 of the earlier games, 17 moves deep, so far. I suppose that it is possible that my opponent is simply reflecting what I posted on this blog - in which case, it will be interesting to see which one of us unveils his "improvement" on the play first. (Especially since it is my only Jerome Gambit of this round in the tournament, and I am not likely to progress to the next round, for more opportunities.)
