My Turn to Blunder

When playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) I like to have a regular routine: I play the gambit, my opponent is surprised or shocked and plays a series of second-best moves, I gain the advantage – and then I either beat my opponent, or benefit from a timely error on his part.

You'll see most of that in the following game – except the part after "I gain the advantage", where I'm the one who comes up with the blunder. How awkward! 

perrypawnpusher - thehunterrjames blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009 

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

Here we go! 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

A safe and solid defense. 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

10.0-0 Kf7 11.f4

A bit better than 11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 Rf8 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qd3 Nb6 16.Bg5 Kg8 17.g4 Nbd7 18.Rae1 Qb6 19.Na4 Qb4 20.b3 Nxg4 21.Bd2 Qa3 22.Bc3 b5 23.Bb2 Qb4 24.Bc3 Qa3 25.Bb2 Qb4 26.Bc3 Qa3 27.Bb2 draw perrypawnpusher - joejox, blitz, FICS, 2009 11...Re8 12.d3 I thought the right move was to advance the f-pawn, but I couldn't remember (or figure out) why Black couldn't respond with 12...Rxe4. (Answer: White captures the Knight with check, then moves his Queen.) Better was 12.f5 Ne5 13.Nc3 (13.d4 Neg4 14.Qb3+ Kf8 15.h3 Rxe4 16.hxg4 Rxg4 17.Qf3 c6 18.Nc3 d5 19.Bf4 Kg8 20.Be5 h5 21.Rae1 Bd7 22.Re3 Qb6 23.b3 Rf8 24.Na4 Qb4 25.Nc5 Bc8 26.c3 Qb6 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Qh3 Rg5 29.Ne6 Bxe6 30.fxe6 Qc7 31.e7 Re8 32.Qe6+ Kh8 33.Qxf6+ Rg7 34.Qf8+ Black resigned Vazquez - Carrington, Mexico, 2nd match, 1876) 13...Nc4 14.Qd4 Ne5 15.d3 Kg8 16.Bg5 h6 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Qd5+ Be6 19.fxe6 c6 20.e7+ Kg7 21.exd8Q Raxd8 22.Qd4 c5 23.Qf2 Black resigned perrypawnpusher - DysonLin, blitz, FICS, 2009 12...c5 Two alternatives: 12...Kg8 13.Nd2 Ng4 14.Qe2 Qh4 15.Nf3 Qh5 16.h3 Nf6 17.Bd2 Bxh3 18.gxh3 Qxh3 19.Rf2 Ng4 20.Rg2 h5 21.Ng5 Qh4 22.Rf1 Nxf4 23.Bxf4 Rf8 24.Ne6 Rf7 25.Bg5 Rxf1+ 26.Kxf1 Qh1+ 27.Rg1 Qh3+ 28.Ke1 Nh2 29.Qg2 Nf3+ 30.Kd1 Nxg1 31.Qxg1 Qxe6 32.Kd2 Rf8 33.Be3 Qg4 34.Qe1 h4 35.Kc3 h3 36.Kb3 Qg2 37.Qc3 h2 38.Qxc7 h1Q 39.Qxd6 Qh5 40.Qe6+ Kh8 White resigned guest435 - guest1150, Internet Chess Club, 2002; 12...Ng4 13.Qe2 Qh4 14.h3 Nf6 15.Qf3 Kg8 16.Nc3 Nh5 17.Nd5 Rf8 18.g4 Ne5 19.Qg2 c6 20.Ne7+ Qxe7 21.gxh5 Qh4 22.fxe5 Bxh3 23.Rxf8+ Rxf8 24.Bg5 Qxh5 25.Qg3 Rf3 26.Qh4 Qxh4 27.Bxh4 dxe5 28.Kh2 Be6 29.Bg3 h5 30.Kg2 Rf6 31.Bxe5 Rg6+ 32.Kh2 Rg5 33.Bc3 Bg4 34.Rg1 Kf7 35.Rf1+ Ke6 36.Rf8 Bd1 37.Rf2 g6 38.Rd2 Bg4 39.Rg2 b5 40.Kg1 c5 41.Bd2 Re5 42.Bf4 Bf3 43.Rf2 Black resigned guest2660 - guest2731, Internet Chess Club, 2004 13.Nc3 Ng4 14.Qg3 h5 A strange echo of my second game against TJPOT. 15.f5 N6e5 16.h3 Nf6 17.Bf4 This is the wrong idea: the Bishop should pin at g5 and then the Knight should go to d5. 17...b5 18.Bxe5 I should have admitted my mistake and played 18.Bg5. (I almost did.) 18...Rxe5 19.Qg6+ 19...Kf8 20.g4 hxg4 21.hxg4 Nxg4

Okay, Black obliges me by giving back a piece, and I will have the advantage. 22.Qxg4 Qf6 23.Nd5 Qh6 24.f6 Simply losing the Queen. Unbelieveable. No excuse.

Was it too hard to find 24.Rf3? 24...Bxg4 25.fxg7+ Rybka 3 later said this led to a mate in 19. I'd had enough and resigned here.

Wild Horses

There seemed to be some "wild horses" in this Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game that kept trying to "drag me away." Or drag the game away from me.

Sorry, Podnah, good try, but not this time, either...

You can check out "Relax... Don't work so hard" for my first encounter with the creative TJPOT.

perrypawnpusher - TJPOT
blitz 3 12, FICS, 2009

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5

As old as Jerome - Brownson, USA, 1975, and as recent as perrypawnpusher - steelrfan44, Gameknot.com, 2009

8...Nf4



An idea similar to Fritz 8's seen in "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (13)". It seems to beg for 9.Qe5+ Ne6, but I thought I'd let the horse run wild and instead focus on my development.

9.0-0 Nf6 10.d3 d6 11.Qe3 Ne6 12.f4 Ng4

The first horse having returned, the other one now gets loose.

13.Qg3 Nc5

Can all this horsing around be good for Black? Neigh!

14.f5 h5 15.h3 Nf6 Already White now has a pawn breakthrough that would allow him to rustle one of the Knights: 16.e5 dxe5 17.Qxe5+ Qe7 18.Re1 Qxe5 19.Rxe5+ Kd8 20.Rxc5.

The move that I chose instead targets Black's King.

16.Qxg7 Rg8 17.Qh6 d5

Breaking in the center, attacking the pawn chain – but letting the e-pawn advance. Correct seems to be 17...Qe7 with defensive prospects.

18.e5 Nfd7
Black's position is suddenly so dire that Rybka 3, analyzing after the game was over, suggested that he should offer the return of a piece with 18...Ncd7 – but that White's attack was so strong that the first player could continue to develop without capturing immediately: 19.Bf4 c6 20.Nd2 Qb6+ 21.Kh1 c5 22.Rae1 Kd8 23.Nf3.

19.Qxh5+ Ke7 20.Bg5+

Winning the exchange, while 20.Qh7+ led to the win of a Rook. Regardless, the Black King is in serious trouble.

20...Rxg5 21.Qxg5+ Ke8 22.Qg6+ Kf8 23.f6 Nxe5 24.Qg7+ Ke8 25.f7+ Nxf7 26.Qxf7 checkmate

Relax... Don't work so hard

Facing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 Bxf7+) can be a bit of a shock: people don't really play this stuff, do they?

Relax: there are many refutations to the Jerome. Choose one. No need to invent something new. Really.

But it's surprising how many of my opponents use their creativity to come up with something really new and different!


perrypawnpusher - TJPOT
blitz 2 12, FICS, 2009

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qf6
Not the usual move (9...Nf6) but perhaps the word is getting around that ...Qf6 can be very useful in warding off the Jerome Gambit.

10.0-0

Or: 10.d4 Nh6 11.h3 Qh4 12.0-0 Bd7 13.Nc3 Bc6 14.Bd2 Rf8 15.f4 b6 16.f5 Ne7 17.Rf4 Qh5 18.Raf1 Kd7 19.Qg3 Rg8 20.d5 Bb7 21.Rh4 Qf7 22.Rf3 a6 23.Ne2 Qf6 24.Bc3 Qf7 25.Nd4 c5 26.Ne6 b5 27.Bxg7 Nhxf5 28.exf5 Bxd5 29.Rd3 Nxf5 30.Nxc5+ Kc6 31.Qe1 Rxg7 32.Rg4 Rxg4 33.hxg4 Kxc5 34.Qc3+ Kb6 35.gxf5 Qxf5 36.Qd4+ Kc6 37.Rc3+ Kd7 38.Qg7+ Bf7 39.Rf3 Qc5+ 40.Kh1 Qh5+ 41.Kg1 Qc5+ 42.Rf2 Re8 43.Qxf7+ Re7 44.Qf5+ Kc7 45.Qxc5+ dxc5 46.Rd2 c4 47.c3 Kc6 48.Kf2 h5 49.Kg3 Re4 50.Kf3 Rg4 51.g3 a5 52.Rh2 Rg5 53.Rh4 Kc5 54.Kf4 Rd5 55.Rh2 b4 56.Re2 bxc3 57.bxc3 a4 58.Re5 Kd6 59.Re4 Kc5 60.Re5 Kd6 61.Re4 Kc5 62.a3 Rd3 63.Re5+ Kb6 64.Rxh5 Rxc3 65.Rh6+ Kc5 66.Rh5+ Kb6 67.Rh6+ Kc5 68.Rh5+ Kd4 69.g4 Rxa3 70.g5 c3 71.g6 c2 72.Rh1 Rb3 73.g7 Rb8 74.Kf5 Kd3 75.Kf6 Kd2 76.Rh2+ Kd1 77.Rh1+ Kd2 78.Rh2+ Kc1 79.Rh8 Rg8 80.Rxg8 Kb2 81.Rb8+ Ka3 82.Rc8 Kb2 83.g8Q a3 84.Qc4 a2 85.Qxc2+ Ka3 86.Rc3+ Kb4 87.Qb3+ Ka5 Black resigns guest2199 - guest401, Internet Chess Club, 2004

10...Bh3

Wow! This came as a total surprise and set me down for a long think. I have to admit, I still can't figure it out.
11.Qxh3 Nf4 12.Qf3 Kd7 13.d3 Rf8

While this may look ominous at first glance, it allows me to transition to a technical, 2-pawn-up endgame.

14.Qxf4 Qxf4 15.Bxf4 Rxf4 16.Nc3 Nf6 17.Nd5


Sloppy (17.Ne2 was better) but it does succeed in getting another piece off of the board (at the cost of a doubled pawn).

17...Nxd5 18.exd5 h5

Hats off to my opponent, who does not want to treat the rest of the game as "a matter of technique" but attacks for all he's worth.

19.c4 h4 20.Rae1 h3 21.Re4


Resisting.

21...Rf6 22.Rfe1 c6

Attacking my advanced center pawn and forcing me to exchange it; but opening the 7th rank to my Rook. Safer first was 22...Rf7.

23.Re7+ Kc8 24.dxc6 bxc6 25.Rxg7 Rhf8

Still fighting.

26.Re2 R6f7 27.Rxf7 Rxf7 28.gxh3 Kd7

Things are looking dire for TJPOT, but he resolutely battles to get a passed pawn for himself.

29.Re3 d5 30.cxd5 cxd5 31.Kg2 Kd6 32.d4 Kc6 33.h4 Rf4 34.h5 Rg4+ 35.Rg3 Rxd4

This is a blitz game, otherwise known as "Anything Can Happen Day." I admire my opponent's will.

36.h6 Rh4 37.Rh3 Rg4+ 38.Kf3 Rg8 39.h7 Rh8 40.Ke3 Kd6 41.Kd4 Ke6


42.b4 Kf5 43.Kxd5 Kg4 44.Rg3+ Kh5 45.Rg7 Kh6 46.Rxa7 Rxh7 47.Rxh7+ Kxh7 48.b5 Black resigns