Jerome Gambit: Searching for A Few Answers (Part 2)

[continued from previous post]

We are following a Jerome Gambit game by angelcamina, who has allowed himself the "luxury" of a full 5 minutes to play his game, instead of his usual 1 minute bullet (no increment in either case).

Some of the tactics that follow are both beautiful and mind-boggling.

angelcamina - nanangtisna

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

Black's Rook is attacked, and there are two moves that allow his Queen to protect it.

In the meantime, White's Queen is menacing the enemy King, but the defense has adequate resources.

10...Qf6 

Often f6 is the square for Black's Queen, and in some lines (in the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit) even White finds the need to protect his Rook by putting his Queen on f3 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Qg5 7.cxd4 Qxg2 8.Qf3 - but not here. In the game, after 10...Nf6 11.Qxg5+ Ke6, Black's King would be shaky, but he would be better.


11.Qxc7+ Bd6

One of the funniest things about computer chess programs, including Komodo 10, is that they seem to have a reasonable, innate distrust of the Jerome Gambit, and, therefore, consider a draw to be an acceptable, even desirable, outcome. So, instead of the text, the recommendation is 11...Qd6 12.Qg7+ Qf6 13.Qc7+ Qd6, etc. with a draw by repetition.

Again, nanangtisna makes a reasonable move - but it is met by an unreasonable response.

12.d4+ 

When you sharpen your tactics in bullet play, this kind of a shot comes naturally.

12...Kxe4 

The best reply. It is fascinating to look at 12...Kxd4, which is met by the unassuming 13.Qa5. The more you look at White's move, the scarier it gets. Sure, White remains under-developed and a piece down, but he is threatening checkmate, and the enemy King is under fire, such as 13...Kxe4 14.Nc3+ Kf5 (sad, but all others are worse) 15.0-0+ Kg6 (15...Bf4 16.Nxd5) 16.Rxf6+ Nxf6 when White's Queen and pawn outweigh Black's Rook and Bishop.

13.Nc3+

But the clock still ticks! With 13.Qc3, White would have forced  13...Kf5, giving him 14.O-O+ again, when 14...Kg6 would lose the Queen, as in the above note, and 14...Bf4 would be met by the wonderful 15.Qg3 Qxd4+ 16.Be3.

13...Kxd4  

Incredibly, Stockfish 11 recommends, instead, 13...Kf5 14.O-O+ Kg4!? and exchanging Queens with 15.Rxf6 Bxc7 seems to lead to an edge for Black. Bumping Black's King first, with 15.h3+, and then exchanging Queens is supposed to lead to an even position - but I do not know how to reconcile these two evaluations.

I can't imagine working out these lines while avoiding a time forfeit.

14.Qa5 

A solid move. If angelcamina had started out with, say, 10 minutes on his clock, he might have found the creative 14.Be3+ which continues the tactics fest: 14...Ke5 (14...Kxe3 15.Nxd5+ Kd4 16.0-0-0+ Ke5 17.Qc3+ and Black will lose his Queen) 15.Qa5 (again threatening mate as in the note, above, to Black's 12th move) Kf5 16.O-O+ and again the Black Queen is a goner.

14...Bg4  

The clock ticks for Black, too.

Instead, 14...Qe7+ 15.Ne2+ Ke5 seems to give Black (a piece up) hope, but the skewer with 16.Qc3+ would then win a Rook. White would also have the safer 16.Bd2 Bg4 17.0-0-0 - of course, offering a piece that cannot be taken, i.e. 17...Bxe2 18.Bc3+ Kf4 19.Qxd5 - when, after 17...Kf5 18.Qxd5+ Kg6 19.Rhf1 White still offers that piece on e2, and with 19...Bxe2 20.Qf5+ Kh5 21.Qh3+, etc., the game would settle into a draw by repetition of position.

As once Geoff Chandler wryly suggested, maybe the Jerome Gambit is a draw, after all.

15.Qxd5 checkmate

Once again, fortune has favored the bold.

Now, please give me a few minutes to catch my breath...

Jerome Gambit: Searching for A Few Answers (Part 1)

I am used to playing over 1-minute (no increment) Jerome Gambit games by angelcamina. Occasionally I have wondered, what would happen if he had more time to work his magic?

Recently I found out - he sent me a 5-minute game that got weird, fast, and that's saying something for a Jerome Gambit.

For some enlightenment, I did what I usually do: turning to The Database I looked at some of the games with that line that had been played previously. There were only 5, I'm not sure how many of those games had a grip on the line, either.

So, I turned to my trusted Komodo 10 for insight - you can probably guess how that turned out.

Finally, I reviewed my blog, and, although I had peeked at the line, before - see "Boris isn't so hot..." and ''Jerome Gambit Hammer" - there was still more to be said.

Here's how it all came down...

angelcamina - nanangtisna
5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 g5 

Here's a position you don't see very often. What is it all about? What is Black getting at?

It is possible to get a hint by looking at a Bill Wall game that continued 8.fxe5 Qf8, as if Black were offering a counter-gambit followed by a threatened Queen check at f2. Bill wasn't impressed, however, and quickly found a solution after 9.Rf1 Qe7 10.Qg4+ Kxe5 11.Qf5+, Black resigned, facing a mate in 1, Wall,B - Lisandru, Chess.com, 2012. The defender's Queen should have gone to g7 instead of e7, but 10.d4 would have then cemented White's avantage. 

8.fxe5 Kxe5 

After a long think (26 ply), Komodo 10 passes up this move, as well as 8...d5 and 8...Ne7, and chooses Stockfish 7's suggestion from 4 years ago, 8...Nf6 9.exf6 Qxf6 10.Rf1 Qg6 11.Qe2 Ke7, with White up about a pawn and a half.

But nanangtisna's choice of move is reasonable.

9.Qf7 

Setting up a mating net.

Previously, 9.Rf1 was seen in GuestCRJQ - Despistado, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 26),  Wall,B - Boris, sparkchess.com, 2012 (1-0, 16) and Vlastous - PornobeshKumar , internet, 2016 (1-0, 13).

Also successful was 9.c3 Be7 10.d4+ in Black,D - Boris, sparkchess.com, 2012 (1-0, 18). 

Probably best is Komodo 10's (and Stockfish 7's!) 9.d4+, as 9...Bxd4 10.Bxg5 Nf6 11.Bxf6+ Kxf6 12.Rf1+ Kg7 13.Rf7+ Kg8 14.Rf3 Bf6 15.Nc3 Kg7 remains, as I noted

a line worth looking at in detail as an example of building an attack.

9...d5

Often this strike at the center, opening up lines for development, serves Black well in the Jerome Gambit. Here, though, 9...Nf6 might have been better, although White could meet it with 10.d4+, with play similar to that in Vlastous - PornobeshKumar, Internet, 2016.

It is worth pointing out, again, that this is a 5-minute blitz game, and it is always easier to come up with improvements after the fact.

10.Qg7+

Out of the blue, Komodo 10 prefers 10.b4. It takes a moment to realize that it has not just found a way for White to castle - 10...Bxb4 11.0-0 - as it further recommends that Black answer with 10...Nf6, giving up a piece to 11.bxc5. No, the b-pawn advances to allow White to subsequently fianchetto his dark squared Bishop.

The idea 10.b4 Bd4 11.c3 Bb6 12.d4 reminds me of a suggestion that Stefan Bücker made to me in a similar line, back in 2004, when I still hoped to have my Jerome Gambit article published in his fantastic chess magazine, Kaissiber. See, fittingly, "Delusions of Grandeur".

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: The Face Palm Variation

I need to spend a moment or two on a Jerome Gambit variation that has been bothering me for almost 20 years. (See "Another Way to Sacrifice the Knight" and "PSA 2.0" for a couple of rants.) A disreputable line in a disreputable opening, it keeps showing up in games. I would like to call it the Face Palm Variation.

SPOKLECHAT - anzali
5 0 blitz, FICS, 2020

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

 4...Kxf7 5.Ng5+

This line does not have a name that I am aware of. It is based on a tactical shot that may be clever, but not convincing. (I gave a warning about a decade ago in the post "Public Service Announcment".)

The Database has 568 games with the line, with White scoring 23%. The earliest games that I have (6 losses) feature TiFoZi, at FICS, in 1999. I will try to message him there, but, according to the site, the last time he visited was October 22, 2001.

I can understand that a Jerome Gambit player might try the line on a lark, especially at blitz or lightning time controls; I noticed Jerome regulars such as COMTIBoy, DragonTail, drumme, HauntedKnight, JKELSEY, majorminor, MyGameUMove, Petasluk, snthor, sTpny, superpippo, Teterow, thmavz, ZahariSokolov, and yorgos, have given it a try.

5...Qxg5 

Of course.

The Database shows that this capture occurred 415 times, that is, in 73% of the games. (White scored 16%.)

6.d4 

The idea: the pawn attacks Black's Bishop, while uncovering an attack on Black's Queen.

One of the reasons that White fares so poorly in this line is that White played this thematic move in less than half of the games where Black had grabbed the Knight. But, why offer the piece unless you had this surprise in store? Another way of offering "Jerome Gambit odds"? Inattention?

One downside of the whole idea is that Stockfish 11 now rates Black's advantage to be about the equivalent of two Rooks and a piece...

6...Bxd4 

Out of 195 games, 16 times Black fell for this "trap". That is not very often (8% of the time after 6.d4; 3% of the games where White plays 5.Ng5+), although, when it did happen, White scored 69%.

In 147 of the games, Black played 6...Qxg2, and White still scored 11%, which is kind of amazing.

For the record, 6...Qxg2 crushes. After 7.Rf1 (best) Qxe4+ (capturing on d4 is fine, too) 8.Be3 (8.Qe2 does not provide any relief: 8...Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Nxd4+ 10.Kd1 d6 11.Be3 Bf5 11.Na3 Nf6 is gruesome) Nxd4 9.Nc3 Bb4 10.Qd3 (Stockfish 10 prefers castling-by-hand with 10.Kd2 and 11.Kc1, but, really) Bxc3+ 11.Qxc3 Nxc2+ and that should be convincing enough.

But, in the game we are looking at, Black fell down the well...

7.Bxg5 h6 

Black has 2 pieces for his Queen, and might as well try his luck with 7...Bxb2, going after the enemy Rook. Things can get a little complicated after 8.Na3 Nd4, but 9.0-0 Bxa3 10.f4 puts the heat back on the Black King.

After 7...Bxb2, there is also 8.Qh5+ g6 (8...Kf8 9.Na3 Bxa3 [9...Bxa1 10.Nb5] 10.Qf3+ Ke8 11.Qxa3) 9.Qf3+ Kg7 10.Nc3 Bxa1 11.Nd5 and Black will not be able to hold onto his Rook and two piece compensation for his Queen, e.g. 11...d6 12.Bf6+ Nxf7 13.Qxf6+Kg8 14.Nxc7 and White is not only threatening to win the Rook, he threatens to move the Knight to e8 to aid in checkmate.

Again, back to the game.

8.Qf3+ Nf6 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Qh5+ Kg7 

11.Nd2 Bxb2 12.Rb1 Bd4 13.Nf3 Bb6 

Black has secured most of his pieces, but he has left one at risk - his King.   

14.Nh4 d6 

Defense is hopeless. For example, 14...Ne7, 15.Rb3 with the idea of moving over to g3.

15.Qg6+ Kf8 16.Qxf6+ Kg8 17.Ng6 Black resigned

The Rook at h8, and possibly the one at a8 as well, will soon be leaving the board.

Hats off to SPOKLECHAT, who took great risks, but also took advantage of his opportunities.

Jerome Gambit: Risk Upon risk

If it is risky to play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), it is even more so to play it at the time control of one minute, no increment. And, to do so - blindfold?

If risky, also exciting, as the latest game from private eye Cliff Hardy shows us. He even shares one of his "secret weapons" in bullet play. Enjoy! [I have added diagrams, but the commentary is by Cliff. - Rick]

Hi Rick!

OK, I'm sorry to inflict this on you again but I like to try playing the Jerome Gambit under different conditions and against different opponents and have included a blindfold bullet Jerome Gambit game I played. Naturally, my opponent would not have played the game blindfolded (well, actually, I guess you never know, but there aren't many of us who are crazy enough to do it, so I rather doubt it 😉). 

Cliff Hardy - NN
1 0 bullet, Lichess, 2020

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 Qf6 

10.0-0 N8e7?! =+

Stockfish gives best as 10...Nf4! 11.d3 g5, grabbing space, with a clear advantage for Black, but I admit that it doesn't seem quite so clear an advantage to me.

11.Nc3?! -++

And better here would have been 11.d3!, to stop the ...Nf4! move from being playable again.

11...c6? +=

11...Nf4!

12.d4 Kf7 13.f4 Rf8 14.f5 Nh4?! +-

14...Kg8! += would have left the knight on g6 immune from capture, due to mate on f1.

15.Qd3 

I missed that I could have trapped the knight here with 15.g3?, though Stockfish says that after that, Black could then have given back the piece advantageously with 15...Nhxf5! 16.exf5 Nxf5, upon which he then would have had a slight edge.

15...Kg8 16.g3? -+

Surprisingly a mistake, for reasons along the line of those given on the previous move. Better would have been to have grabbed space with 16.g4! +-.

16...Nhxf5! 17.exf5 Nxf5? =

17...Bxf5! -++ would have been a more forcing and better way to capture here, as it would have attacked the queen and forced White to have wasted a tempo to save it.

18.Ne4 Qg6?! =

18...Qxd4+! 19.Qxd4 Nxd4 20.Rxf8+ Kxf8 21.Nxd6 Nxc2 -++ was a bit too hard to see under the conditions of a bullet game.

19.Be3 d5 20.Nf2? 

20.Ng5 =+ would have been less defensive.

20...h5?! =+

20...Nxe3 21.Qxe3 Qxc2 -++ would have won a pawn.

21.Rae1 h4 22.Bf4 hxg3 23.Bxg3 

23...Nxg3?? 24.hxg3??

Oops? OK, taking the free queen with 24.Qxg6 would have been rather better. Hopefully if I'd been playing sighted I might have seen that! But hey, at least missing it made it more of an even game! 😉

24...Qxd3? = 

24...Bf5! 25.Qc3 Bxc2 -++ would have won another pawn.

25. cxd3?! =+ 

25.Nxd3 = would have kept a better pawn structure.

25...Bh3?? ++- 

Another oops!

26.Nxh3 Rxf1+ 27.Rxf1 Rf8 28.Rf2 Rxf2 29.Kxf2 Kf7 

30.Ke2 g6 31.Kd2 Kf6 32.Kc1 

I admit that my blindfold bullet games often deteriorate into this sort of thing. I'd forgotten where the pieces were and was just shuffling my king back and forth, aiming for the win on time! Sorry, but that's the advantage of having no shame!

32...Kf5 33.Kd1 Kg4 34.Kd2?? Kxh3 -++

Black's position was now totally winning as his g-pawn was unstoppable, though he now had less than 0.1 of a second left on his clock.

35.Ke1 Kxg3 36.Kd2 Kg2 37.Ke2 and White won on time, still with a good 22.1 seconds left on the clock 😉.

Bye,

Me 

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Huh?

On the surface, the following Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit is clear enough: White plays a recommended 8th move and checkmates his opponent on move 13. Yet, a peek at the notes - at what could have been played - is a bit head-spinning. The game turns out to have been a suspension bridge over churning, raging waters. 

foko - borodin
FICS, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 

Probably the strongest continuation for White.

6...Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxd4 

Black's pawn capture is risky; he would do better to head to safety with 7...Ke6. Still, with the move Black throws down the gauntlet: Can you punish me for this pawn grab?

8.Qb3

White has tried 8.d3 (see here, here, here and here), as well as 8.Nc3. I have recommended 8.Qb3, but it had remained unplayed - until it was seen 3 times in The Database in 2019.

Although Black's King looks vulnerable, play can become complicated, and White needs to realize that often his Queen has to go to f7 to help tighten a checkmating net. Earlier in the year, foko had played 8.Qb3 against sabishii in a standard FICS game, and after many changes of fortune, Black finally won in 55 moves.

I have to admit, I would probably play 8.d3 the next time I faced this line.

8...Ke5 9.Qd5+ 

Stockfish 10 likes 9.Qf7, while Komodo 10 likes 9.d4+ Kf6 (9...Kxd4 10.Qd5#; 9...Kxe4 10.Qf3+ Kxd4 11.Qf5 d5 12.Be3+ Kc4 13.Na3+ Kb4 14.Qd3 Qe8 15.Qc3+ Ka4 16.b3+ Kxa3 17.Qa5+ Kb2 18.Rb1+ Kxb1 19.Kd2+ Kb2 20.Bd4#) 10.Qf3+. Both agree that the text gives Black a slight edge.

9...Kf6 

10.d4 

More solid was 10.d3.

Leading to wacky complications - not a quick draw by repetition - is 10.Qf5+, e.g. 10...Ke7 11.Qe5+ Kf7 12.Qd5+ Ke8 13.Qh5+ g6 14.Qe5+ Qe7 15.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 16.Kd1 Qxg2 17.Re1+ Kf7 18.Qxh7+ Bg7 19.Qh4 Qf3+ 20.Kc2 Qc6+ 21.Nc3 d5 22.Qb4 Be6 and perhaps Black has an edge...

10...Qe8 

This clears things up. Black could have lurched ahead with 10...Ne7.

11.Bg5+ Kg6 12.Qf5+ Kh5 13.g4 checkmate