I wonder if White's opponent in the following game expected to catch him by surprise by playing a wild counter gambit? If so, then perhaps he was taken aback by the "Jerome treatment" of the opening. We have seen this kind of thing before. As the notes show, Bill Wall plays what he knows.
Wall, Bill - Takra
lichess.org, 2016
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nd4
The Backburne Shilling Gambit.
4. Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6
7.Nxg6
hxg6
Previously:
7...Nf6 8.Qe5+ Ne6 9.Nxh8 Bg7 10.O-O Qe7 11.f4 Ng4 12.Qh5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - DSLC, FICS, 2013;
7...Qf6 8.Nxh8+ Kd8 9.Nf7+ Ke7 10.d3
Nxc2+ 11.Kd1 Qxf2 12.Bg5+ Nf6 13.Nd2 Nxa1 14.e5 Bg7 15.Bxf6+ Bxf6 16.exf6+ Qxf6 17.Re1+ Kf8 18.Ng5 d6 19.Re8+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Sharkia,A. Chess.com, 2010;
7...Nxc2+ 8.Kd1 Nf6 (8...Nxa1 9.Nxh8+ Ke7 10.Qe5 checkmate, Wall,B - Apple69, Chess.com, 2010)
9.Qe5+ Be7 10.Nxe7 Qxe7 11.Qxe7+ Kxe7 12.Kxc2 Nxe4 13.Re1 d5 14.d3 Bf5
15.f3 Black resigned, Wall,B - Schlier,A, Chess.com, 2010.
8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+ Ke8
9...Nf6 10.Qc5+ Kf7 (10...d6 11.Qxd4 d5 12.e5 Ne4 13.d3 b6 14.dxe4 c6 15.Bg5+ Black resigned, Wall, Bill - Guest5170841, PlayChess.com, 2015) 11.Qxd4 Qe8 12.Nc3 c5 13.Qe3 Qe5 14.h3 Bh6 15.Qf3 Qf4 16.Qe2 d6 17.d4 Qh4 18.Bxh6 Qxh6
19.dxc5 dxc5 20.e5 Nh5 21.Qc4+ Be6 22.Qxc5 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016.
10.Qe5+ Be7
10...Ne6 11.Qxh8 Qg5 12.O-O Nf4 13.g3 d6 (13...Ne2+ 14.Kg2 Nf4+ 15.Kh1 Qg4 16.f3 Black resigned, Wall,B - Creel,A, Chess.com, 2010) 14.Nc3 Nh6 15.d3 Ne2+ 16.Nxe2 Black resigned, Wall,B - Amoex, PlayChess.com, 2013.
11.Qxh8 Black resigned
It seems so unfair. Bill Wall's Queen gets to run abound the board, seemingly without consequence. His opponent's Queen, however, winds up tangled up in enemy pieces.
Here's Bill's latest Jerome Gambit, with some of his ideas and some of mine.
Wall,B - Guest7556673
PlayChess.com, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qb5+
More frequently seen is 9.Qe3, but Bill likes to be creative.
9...c6
Instead, 9...Qd7 was seen in Wall,B - Guest327668, PlayChess.com 2012 (1-0, 22).
10.Qb3 Qe7
Black also has 10...Nf6 as seen in Wall,B - Zhu,Y, Chess.com, 2011 (1-0, 19). Bill mentions the alternative 10...Qg5 11.g3
11.d3 Be6 12.c4 Nf6
Black has an extra piece and is better developed. His biggest challenge is to figure out how to further conduct the game.
13.0-0 Kf7
Bill points out Black's blow-up-the-center strategy: 13...d5 14.exd5 cxd5 15.Nc3
14.f4
Threatening 15.f5. Not wanting to let his b-pawn hang, Black fully retreats his light-square Bishop.
14...Bc8 15.f5 Ne5 16.c5+
This looks sharper than 16.d4 Ned7.
16...d5
Bill points out that 16...Ke8 and 16...Kf8 might be a little bit better.
17.d4 Ned7 18.e5
Threatening 19.e6. You have to love those "Jerome pawns".
Black decides to give back the extra piece.
18...Nxe5 19.dxe5 Qxe5 20.Nc3
Bill also mentions the pawn sac 20.Bf4 Qxf5 21.Be3.
20...Rb8?!
Bill sees as better: 20...Re8
21.Bf4
Or 21.Qa4 a6? (Black should retreat with 21...Ra8 22.Bd2) 22.Bf4.
21...Qd4+ 22.Kh1 Ra8
So far Black is holding things together, but the stress eventually shows.
23.Bd6 Ne8? 24.Rf4 Qe3
Or 24...Qd3 25.Rd1 Qe3 26.Rf3.
25.Re4 Qd3 26.Rd1 Black resigned.
Black must surrender his Queen, as the one escape - 26...Qa6 - allows White to play 27.Nxd5! when Black's only way of avoiding checkmate is 27...Nxd6, which would allow 28.Nc7+, and White will win the enemy Queen after all.
The 6...Ng6 defense to the Jerome Gambit, setting up (after the capture of Black's dark-squared Bishop) the piece vs two pawns conflict, gives White a lot of chance for dynamic play.
Bill Wall's latest Jerome shows Whites game developing into a chessic hurricane.
Wall,B - Guest392045
PlayChess.com, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
10.d3 Qe7 11.0-0 Bd7 12.f4 Kg8 13.Nc3 h6
Black plans to castle-by-hand, putting his King on h7. This will link his Rooks and help complete his development, but the time spent will help White advance his plans, too.
14.f5
Bill pointed out that 14.d4 was also possible, and maybe the tiniest bit better than the text. White's advance is pure Jerome, however.
14...Ne5 15.h3 Kh7 16.g4
Or 16.b3 with 17.Bb2 to follow. Black is still better.
16...Rhf8 17.b3 Bc6 18.Bb2 Rae8 19.Rae1 b6 20.Ne2 Bb7 21.Nf4
Both sides have focused on development. White is now threatening 22.Bxe5 and 23.Ng6, forking his opponent's Queen and Rook .
21...Qd7 22.Ne6
White's Knight is powerful enough that Black cannot let it stand.
22...Rxe6 23.fxe6 Qxe6 24.Rf5 Re8
Black's edge is small. White will continue to focus on the enemy King's position.
25.Ref1 Nfd7 26.g5 Qg6 27.Kh2 Bc8 28.gxh6
28...gxh6
A slip. Bill gives the tactical line to maintain equality: 28...Nf6 29.Bxe5 Bxf5 30.Bxf6 Qxf6 31.Qg3 g6 32.exf5 Re2+ 33.Rf2 Rxf2+ 34.Qxf2 gxf5.
White has a Rook for two Knights. He has time to put the Rook on the g-file.
29.Rg1 Qe6
Black threatens 30... Qxf5 31.exf5 Ng4+ and 32...Rxe3
30.Bc1 Rf8
Missing the threat. He should, instead, as Bill points out, play 30...Rg8 31.Rxg8 Kxg8 32.Qxh6 Qxh6 33.Bxh6. Black would have two pieces vs a Rook and two pawns, but his situation would be better than after the text.
31.Rgf1
Even stronger, according to Bill, is 31.d4, e.g. 31...Nc6 (31...Nf7 32.Qg3; 31...Ng6 32.Qxh6+ Kg8 33.Rxg6+) 32.d5 when Black's need to protect h6 cripples his play.
31...Rg8
32.Rf6!
Black resigned.
In the following game Bill Wall changes up his Jerome Gambit attack, playing 6.d4, the favorite move, at first, of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome. Can his opponent follow him through the maze?
Wall,B - Guest4060198
PlayChess.com, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4
6...Qf6
The more straight-forward 6...Bxd4 was seen in Wall,B - berserkergang, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 21) and Wall,B - Guest903719, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 47), as well as the seminal Jerome,A - Shinkman,W, 1876, (½-½, 42).
The trickier 6...Bb4+ was seen in Wall,B - ChrSav, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11); Wall,B - Caynaboos, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 26); Wall,B - ChessFlower, PlayChess.com, 2012 (27); and Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 31).
The questionable 6...Nf3+ was seen in Wall,B - Guest151963, PlayChess.com, 2011 (1-0,17).
6...Qh4, probably Black's strongest reply, was seen in Wall,B - Rajiv, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 33); Wall,B - Gorodetsky,D, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 18); and Wall,B - felineMMXI, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0,18).
7.dxc5 Ne7 8.0-0 Rf8 9.Nc3 c6
Black would do better to follow through on his plan to castle-by-hand: 9...Kg8 10.f4 Nf7. The problem seems to be that he is trying to do too many good things at once - play ...Qf6, safeguard his King, hit back in the center with ...d5.
10.f4 N5g6 11.Be3 d5? 12.cxd6 Ng8
The "Jerome Pawns" are a scary sight.
13.d7 Rd8
A bit better (but not much) was 13...Bxd7 14.Qxd7+ N6e7.
14.dxc8/Q Raxc8 15.Qh5
Threatening 16.f5. White is up two pawns, with the initiative.
15...Kf8 16.e5 Qf7 17.f5 Nxe5 18.Bc5+ Ne7 19.Qxh7 Qf6 20.Ne4 Qh6 21.Qxh6 gxh6 22.f6 Black resigned
No matter how he struggles, Black is going to lose a piece and a Rook. Amazing.
Bill Wall passes along another Jerome Gambit endgame. I merely touched upon this battle 3 years ago in "A Working Class, Impatient Move" - it is time to give it a closer look.
Wall,B - Firewine
Chess.com, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8
7.Qxe5 Bd6
As I wrote in "The Gentleman or the Tireder?" two and a half years ago, "This move is better than it looks at first glance, and forces White's Queen to abandon the center or abandon the board."
8.Qa5
This was new at the time, although Bill played it later in Wall,B - Guest2591977, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 22).
8...Qf6
Guest2591977 continued with 8...Ne7.
9.Nc3 Ne7 10.d3 h6 11.0-0 b6 12.Qa4 c6
Bill suggests 12...Be5 13.Bd2 Qc6 as an alternative.
13.Be3 Bc5
It is not clear that opposing White's Bishop in this way is helpful, for as long as Black's King and Queen are on the same file, initiating and exchange is out of the question.
14.e5 Qg6 15.Ne4 d6 16.Nxd6
Bill now prefers 16.exd6 Bxd6 17.Bxb6.
16...Bh3
Threatening 17...Qxg2 mate, but this is readily met.
17.Qe4 Qxe4 18.dxe4 Be6 19.Bxc5 bxc5
Here we have an interesting Jerome Gambit endgame. White, still with all his original pawns, has compensation for his sacrificed piece. In fact, with his Rook on the same file as Black's King, he has a bit of initiative.
20.f4 Nc8 21.f5 Bd7
Bill points out that the Bishop belongs on the other diagonal, as in 21...Bf7 22.e6? Nxd6 23.exf7 Nxe4 24.Rae1 Nf6 25.Re5 Kxf7 26.Rxc5 Rac8 when Black is looking a bit better (at least White's pawns are not a dynamic threat).
22.Nb7 Ke7
Giving up a pawn. It might not have seemed as important as activating his pieces.
23.Nxc5
23...Rf8
This loses the bishop.
24.f6+ gxf6 25.exf6+ Rxf6 26.Rxf6 Kxf6 27.Nxd7+
White is now 3 pawns up.
27...Ke6 28.Nc5+ Ke5 29.Re1 Nd6 30.Nd3+ Kd4
Or 30...Ke6 31.e5 Nf5 32.g4 Nd4 33.Rf1 Nxc2 34.Rf6+ Kd5 35.Rxh6
31.e5 Ne4 32.e6 Re8 33.e7
Better, notes Bill, is 33.Nf4 Ke5 34.g3
33...Rxe7 34.Nf2 Re5 35.Nxe4
As planned, but Bill points out that better was 35.c3+! Kd5 36.c4+ Kd4 37.Rd1+ Kxc4 38.b3+ Kc3 39.Rd3+ Kb2 40.Re3 Kxa2 41.Nxe4
35...Rxe4 36.Rxe4+ Kxe4 37.Kf2 Kd4
Black should go for opposition of kings, but White has the extra tempo to win.
38.g4 c5 39.Kf3 Ke5 40.h4 a5
Better was 40...a6. Black's problem is that his King can't cover both sides of the board.
41.a4 c4 42.c3 Kf6 43.Ke4 Ke6 44.Kd4 Kf6 45.Kxc4 Ke5 46.b4 axb4 47.cxb4 Kf4 48.b5 Kxg4 49.a5 Kxh4 50.a6 Black resigned
It is said that "variety is the spice of life."
While a defender may know that Bill Wall is going to play the Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, he certainly will not know what variation Bill is going to spring upon him.
Wall,B - Guest2360621
PlayChess.com, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qa3
This is the 6th different Queen move that Bill has played in this position. As he notes, " I try to make a new move every time when I can, to see what happens. The Queen can probably go anywhere as long as it is not taken or trapped."
Previously,
9.Qe3 - Wall,B - Parsom, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 25); Wall,B - HeHe, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 19); Wall,B - Reza,A, Chess.com, 2011 (1-0, 43); Wall,B - G3LC, PlayChess.com, 2011 (1-0, 22); Wall,B - Guest3312852, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 26);
9.Qh5 - Wall,B - Guest1475978, Sofia, 2013 (1-0, 28);
9.Qb5+ - Wall,B - Zhu,Y, Chess.com, 2011 (1-0, 19); Wall,B - Guest327668, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 22);
9.Qc4 - Wall,B - Royercordova, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0,18);
9.Qc3 - Wall,B - NFTM, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 22); Wall,B - Jaar,J, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 19).
For the record, Houdini 3, given 10 minutes "thought" for "infinite analysis", prefers 9.Qe3 (-.92), followed by 9.Qc3 (-1.17) and 9.Qb5+ (-1.29).
9...Nf6
The current game is the only one in The Database with this line. Bill suggests as an alternative 9...Qh4.
10.0-0 Be6
Not 10...Nxe4? because of 11.Qa4+.
11.f4 Bf7 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc6 14.d5
Bill suggests as well the alternative 14.Qd3
14...Ne5
15.Re1 Qd7 16.Bf4 Nc4 17.Qc3 b5 18.b3 Nb6 19.e5 dxe5 20.Bxe5
Threatening 21.Bxf6+, winning the knight. Now Black could keep things in balance with 20...Nxd5, but the threatened discovered check is too uncomfortable.
20...Kd8 21.Bxf6+ Kc8 22.Bxg7
A little stronger might be Bill's suggestion 22.Re7
22...Rg8 23.f6
Threatening Re7
23...Nxd5 24.Qd4 Qd6 25.c4 bxc4 26.bxc4 Nb6
A bit better was 26...Nb4, threatening ...Nc2, winning the Rook, although White is still better after 27.Qxd6 cxd6 28.Nc3.
27.Qxd6 cxd6 28.Re7
28...Bxc4 29.f7 Bxf7 30.Rxf7 Nd7
The advanced "Jerome pawn" has cost Black a piece.
31.a4 Kc7 32.a5 Kc6 33.Na3 Nc5 34.Nc2 Rab8 35.Nd4+ Kd5
Black threatens 36...Rxg7 37.Rxg7 Kxd4
36.Nf5 Ne4 37.Rxa7
Threatening Ne7+, forking King and Rook, but Black had enough here and resigned.
