Jerome Gambit: More GMs? (Part 2)

[continued from previous post]

Next, I decided to check out the 19 Jerome Gambit games (all from online play) in The Database where the player of the black pieces was rated 2500+, looking, again, for another GM "in real life".

I quickly tossed Hera, MaxBot, GriffySr, Sly, Dampfwalze, wkw, birdcostello, Singularity, BlackDemon, and AnderssenA at FICS, as they were all computers. They were strong - Singularity and BlackDemon were rated over 2700 on the site - but they were not human.

That left me with Topper76, at at redhotpawn.com, who I had already tried to track down (see "Jerome Gambit: More GMs? Part 1"). There were also psv2398 (account closed), amaidel (St. Petersburg, Russia, FIDE 2347), RL12 (San Juan de los Morros, Cuba, FIDE 2333), Sveti14 (FIDE 2428 with the note "This player uses chess computer assistance"), Enialios (an open account but no FIDE rating listed) and PArnaudov, at lichess.org (the last one had already been looked at by Cliff).

Whew!

So, my search to find another human grandmaster who had faced the Jerome Gambit, even in online play, did not progress beyond the original investigation by "Cliff Hardy". No surprise there; after all, he is the private investigator, not me.

But I will still keep my (private) eyes open!

Jerome Gambit: My Opponent Knows What He Is Doing (Part 2)

[continued from previous post]

perrypawnpusher - warwar

"Italian Battleground", Chess.com, 2019

10.O-O Re8 11.d3 Kg8 12.Na4

My dad used the expression "fat, dumb, and happy" to describe someone who was content and clueless. All of that is reflected in my 12th move.

Black has castled-by-hand, he is at least even in development, and he still has his annoying dark squared Bishop. What would be more reasonable for White than to swap his Knight for that Bishop? After all, in many "quiet" Jerome Gambit games, Bill Wall has gone after the "minor exchange", hasn't he?

As the game unfolds, it will be clear that I should have tried the thematic move 12.Bg5.

By the way, the after-game computer analysis from Chess.com passed by this move without comment. It is interesting to note that the computer analysis at lichess.org, looking at the game Chess-for-All - Sveti14, blitz, lichess, 2017 (0-1, 30), had criticized its 12.h3?! as an "inaccuracy", and recommended 12.Na4. (I wish I could blame my move choice on this - but, no.)

12...Bd4

As I mentioned in the previous post, this current game and my Round 3 game against Abhishek29 had started out with the same 8 moves. Curiously, though, I had also tried the Knight-for-Bishop swap in that game, after my opponent had similarly advanced his Bishop to d4 before retreating it to b6: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.Nc3 Be6 10.O-O Kf7 11.d3 Rf8 12.Na4 Bd4 (a novelty, according to The Database) 13.c3 Bb6 14.Nxb6 axb6, etc. 


13.c3 Be5

I had expected, as a matter of course, 13...Bb6 14.Nxb6 axb6, again being happy that my opponent had wasted a move advancing his Bishop. I was now even happier that my opponent had trapped his own Bishop.

14.f4 Nh5

An unpleasant surprise - possibly prepared beforehand.

15.Qf3 Nxf4 16.Bxf4 Rf8 

I was not expecting this, either. Clearly, things were getting out of hand. (There was also nothing wrong with the simple 16...Bxf4.)

After some consideration, I decided my best chance was to give up any thought of "attack" and enter an endgame where Black would be objectively better, but, at club level, where my extra pawns would give White chances against the extra piece. 

17.Bg5 Rxf3 18.Bxd8 Rxf1+ 

Sensible and consistent, but he might have tried 18... Rxd3.

19.Rxf1 b5 20.Bxc7 bxa4 

It turns out that Black's dark square Bishop was safe, after all. My Knight was the piece in danger.

21.d4 Bf6 22.Bxd6 Ba6 23.Re1 Re8 

Black's Bishops are scary, but White's pawns should be able to cause some trouble, as well. Things unfold in an orderly manner.

After the game, Stockfish 10 still gave Black an edge, although it preferred 23...Bc4 to the text.

24.b3 Kf7

Moving the King toward the center of action. There was nothing wrong with throwing in 24...axb3 25.axb3, and then choosing 25...Bd3 instead.

25.e5 Bg5 26.c4 Bd2 27.Rf1+ Kg6 28.d5 Be3+ 29.Kh1 Bd4 30.e6 Bf6 

What gives the advantage, the piece or the pawns?

I started to breathe easier when I realized that Black's light square Bishop was blocked in by my pawns, balancing things out. Drawish? I hoped so.

After the game, Stockfish 10 suggested that by this point I had actually gained the advantage. I'm still a bit skeptical. There is no question, however, that in club play, the chances of the pawns have to be better.

[to be continued] 

Jerome Gambit: A Day in the Life

I have shared many games where White plays the notorious Jerome Gambit, patiently musters his forces, waits for the defender to make a mistake - and then pounces. After all, I like the Jerome Gambit, and it is fun to watch players use it and succeed.

Yet, I have not been shy about sharing the many refutations of the opening, as well. A line of play can be both exciting and dangerous for the user.

So, as a bit of balance, here is a three minute game that shows Black has chances, too. ☺ (He should: he is rated +200 above White.)

Readers should follow the links to see more alternative ideas for White.

Chess-For-All - Sveti14
3 0 blitz, lichess.org 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

The Jerome Variation of the Jerome Gambit, played by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome against David Jaeger in correspondence, 1880.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.Nc3

I was surprised to find only 13 games in The Database with this move, with White scoring only 46%. (Still, that is a bit of a step up from the 42% score for White after his 7th move.)

9...Kf7

Also seen: 9...Nh5 in Wall,B - Ahmadi,S, Chess.com, 2010 (0-1, 59) and 9...Ng4 in perrypawnpusher - klixar, blitz, FICS, 2007  (1-0, 33). 

10.O-O Re8

Black has also done well with 10...Rf8 as in perrypawnpusher - truuf, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 32) and Wall,B - Guest874250, PlayChess.com, 2014 (0-1, 32). 

11.d3 Kg8

Taking care of business by castling-by-hand.

Also seen: 11...Qe7 as in mrjoker - creeredes, Internet Chess Club,
2008 (0-1, 26) 

12.h3 

Adopting the come-and-get-me strategy that puts the onus on Black to make something out of his material advantage. Sometimes this can be a part of a psychological push by White that unsettles his opponent - but, not today. Perhaps he should have ignored the move and gone ahead with winning the "minor exhange" with 12.Na4.

12...Qe7 13.Kh1 

This reminds me of the quote by the Joker in "The Dark Knight" movie: "Come on. I want you to do it. I want you to do it. Hit me. Hit me! I want you to hit me!"

13...Qf7 14.Be3 Nh5 15.Qh4 Bb6 

16.Nd5 Nf6 17.Nxb6 axb6 18.a3 d5 19.f3 Be6

20.g4 

Time to try to stir things up a bit.

20...Nd7 21.Bd4 

A move that is easy to understand, but repositioning the Bishop might have been better done by playing 21.Rae1 first, and if  21...c5, then  22.Bd2, eventually coming to c3. This subtle idea is brought to you by Stockfish 8.

21...Rf8 

22.f4 

Impatient - but, remember this is a 3 0 game.

The recommended line by Stockfish 8 would have been hard to work out, even in a slower game, with White finally developing pressure on the Kingside to offset Black's gains on the Queenside: 22.Qg3 c5 23.Bc3 d4 24.Be1 c4 25.f4 Nc5 26.f5 Bd7 27.Rd1 Bb5 28.Rf3 Rac8 29.Bb4 cxd3 30.cxd3 Rfe8 31.Rd2 Qb3 32.Kg2 Nd7 33.Rff2 Rc1 34.Kh2 Ne5 35.f6 Qf7 36.Rf5 gxf6 37.g5 Qg7 and Black would still be better. 

22...dxe4 23.dxe4 Bc4 24.Rf2 Rae8 25.Re1 Rxe4 26.Rxe4 Bd5

The a8-h1 diagonal is deadly.

27.Rfe2 Re8 28.Be5 Bxe4+ 29.Rxe4 Qd5 

Again.

30.Qe1 Nc5 White resigned

Ouch.