Jerome Gambit: Refutation - Just Like That

It is often fun to see how Black works to dispose of the Jerome Gambit - an opening that appears so bad that it can be vanquished on-the-spot by a quickly assembled-at-home response.

I got to play an online blitz game the other day, and it was reassuring to see that tradition is still respected.

perrypawnpusher - SSGSSGSSG
5 5 blitz, FICS, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 

The Two Knights defense. I have to try for a Jerome, anyhow.

4.Nc3 Bc5 

Now I can get a Jerome out of this.

For some reason I am always uneasy playing this line. Hmmm. Let me check The Database...

I thought so. I have played 60 games with the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit line, and have scored only 74%.

That compares to the regular Jerome Gambit move order, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, which I have played 319 times and have scored 82%.

Or the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+, which I have played 58 times, and have scored 88%.

Even with the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7, which I have played 58 times, I have scored 78%.

(It has to be me. I just checked Bill Wall's statistics, and he scores "only" 92% with the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, vs 93% with the regular Jerome.)    

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4

There you have it. Problem solved. Stockfish 9 even gives Black a 1/3 of a pawn advantage here. Now to finish White off.

8.dxe5 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4

10.Qd5+ 

How rude.

This kind of thing happens in blitz games all the time. Three of my past games ended at this point: perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010; perrypawnpusher - KnightIsHorse, blitz, FICS, 2011; and perrypawnpusher - Sonndaze, blitz, FICS, 2011. 

10...Kf8 

Or 10...Ke8, as in perrypawnpusher - Aerandir, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 15). 

11.Qxe4 d6 

12.O-O Qe7 

I had seen 12...dxe5 13.Qxe5 Qe7  before (but, of course, did not remember it) in perrypawnpusher - obmanovichhh, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 39).

The text has a weakness (putting the Queen on a dangerous diagonal) that 12...Qe8 might have avoided. 

13.Ba3 Be6 

Probably stronger than 13...c5, which was seen in perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 17); but Stockfish 9 prefers 13...Kf7.

14.exd6 cxd6

Okay. Time to take stock. White has recovered his sacrificed piece, with better development and a safer King. His extra pawn is not a big deal, as it is doubled and isolated - a fair reminder that lazy play could lead to a Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame that Black could draw easily.

So - What weakness in Black's position should White focus on?

15.Rae1 

I decided to pin the Bishop and put pressure on it.

If you thought, instead, that White should go after the d-pawn with 15.Rad1, threatening Black's Queen and King along the a3-f8, Stockfish 9 agrees with you.

15...Kf7 16.f4 g6 

17.f5 gxf5 18.Rxf5+ Kg7 

19.Qxe6 

Sure, this works, but so does 19.Qg4+ Kh6 20.Rh5 checkmate. Ooops.

Now Black has to exchange Queens and go into a lost endgame - or face checkmate.

19...Qc7 20.Qf6+ Black resigned

Thought, Emotion and Error

Today's game is an interesting example of chess thought, emotion and error in defending against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).





perrypawnpusher - Sonndaze
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6

Black offers to play the Two Knights Defense, a very reasonable sidestep of the Jerome Gambit. This is not a strategic error like the Jerome Gambit Declined, but it does require the second player to be ready to sacrifice a pawn for counterplay (especially after 4.Ng5).

4.Nc3

White is not interested in the Two Knights, and he is willing to risk playing against the "fork trick" or entering the Italian Four Knights Game, which has a reputation for being very dull.

4...Bc5

Black opts for "dull" himself. Maybe he was having 2nd thoughts about the 2Ns. Maybe he was taking a relaxed approach to the opening.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. Relaxation time is over.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

7...Bb4

This is one of several responses that Black has at his disposal. (You have choices when you are a piece ahead.) It is not the strongest (7...Bd6) or the most common (7...Bxd4) but it is playable, provided that Black keeps his wits about himself.

8.dxe5 Nxe4

This follows through on Black's previous move, attacking the pinned White Knight on c3, but it overlooks something.

After 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 and then a retreat by the Knight, or even 9...Re8, Black would retain a small edge. 

9.Qd5+ Black resigned

Black's disappointment at missing White's win of his Knight no doubt fed into his decision to resign.

Still, if the game were an important one, Sonndaze might have tried continuing with 9...Kf8 10.Qxe4 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 d5 12.exd5 e.p. Qxd6 when White's pawn weaknesses in the middle game or the Bishops-of-opposite-colors in the end game would have given him chances to fight for the draw.