Race to the Finish

With 80% (169 out of 210) of the games in the 15-player, double-round robin Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Thematic Tournament at ChessWorld completed, the Jerome Gambit has scored 37%.

Piratepaul (19 points out of 23 games completed) maintains his lead. DREWBEAR 63 (17 points out of 28 games), who had been first throughout most of the play, was the first to complete his games; and shares second place with Sir Osis of the Liver (17 points out of 26 games completed).

Sitting behind them are GladtoMateYou (14 points out of 24 games), then blackburne and eddie43 (13.5 points out of 26 games), and stampyshortlegs (13 points out of 17 games).

Only one player, because of the number of games he has yet to complete, has a statistical chance of topping Piratepaul's (current) 19 points: stampyshortlegs (maximum score possible - 24).

From a practical point of view, it looks like it will be a race between Piratepaul (maximum score possible - 24) and stampyshortlegs for top honors.

Diagnosis: Misplaced Knight

It has been said that if one piece sits poorly in a chess game, the entire position becomes poor for that player.

I think that remark usually refers to games played above the level of those involving the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), but it does appear true that in the following game, my opponent's Queen Knight (and to some extent, his King Knight) caused him a lot of difficulty.

Of course, I was cooperative: as Genrikh Chepukaitis said “You need not play well - just help your opponent to play badly”

perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka

blitz 6 5, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian.

4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Transposing to a Jerome Gambit, of course. I think the extra 0-0 helps White more than the extra ...h6 helps Black.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6

8.Qd5+

I continue to prefer Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's "nudge" here, instead of the direct capture of the Bishop.

An alternative, from the current Chessworld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, is 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc4+ Be6 10.Qe2 Nf4 TN 11.Qf3 g5 12.d3 Nf6 13.Bxf4 Bg4 14.Qe3 gxf4 15.Qxf4 Qd7 16.Nc3 c6 17.f3 Be6 18.Qe3 Rag8 19.Rf2 Rg6 20.f4 Ng4 21.Qf3 Ke8 22.f5 Rf6 23.fxe6 Qxe6 24.Qh3 Rxf2 25.Qh5+ Kd7 26.h3 Rxg2+ 27.Kxg2 Ne3+ 28.Kf2 Nxc2 29.Rc1 Rf8+ 30.Ke2 Nd4+ 31.Kd1 Rf1+ 32.Kd2 Nf3+ 33.Kc2 Rxc1+ 34.Kxc1 Ng5 35.h4 Qh3 36.Qxh6 Qf1+ 37.Kc2 Qf2+ 38.Kb3 Qb6+ 39.Kc2 Qf2+ 40.Kb3 Qb6+ 41.Kc2 Qf2+ 42.Kb3 Draw, Black Puma - TWODOGS, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009

8...Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6

Earlier this year I faced 9...Qe7 10.Qe3 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 b6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Ba6 15.dxe5 Qxe5 16.Re1 Kf7 17.Qf3 Rhe8 18.Bf4 Qc5+ 19.Be3 Qb5 20.Bd4 Qxb2 21.e5 Nd5 22.e6+ Kg8 23.Qg4 Nxc3 24.Qxg7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Cibola, FICS, 2009

10.Qe3 Ne5

I am sometimes surprised that my opponents think so little of the Jerome Gambit that they act as if anything can be played against it. White is close to having an equal game after this move.

11.d4 Ng4 12.Qg3 N8f6

This unnecessarily complicates things.

13.Nc3

The position is trickier than I thought when I was playing. For example, after 13.f3, Black's Knights prance around: 13...Nh5 14.Qe1 Ngf6 15.g4 Nxg4 16.fxg4 Bxg4 17.Nc3 Kd7 and the game is about even.

13...Be6

Fritz8 prefers 13...Nh5 14.Qd3 Ngf6 15.f4, giving White a small advantage.

14.h3 Bc4

Black needed to complicate things with something like 14...Nh5, for example 15.Qf3 (eye on the Knights!) Rf8 16.Qe2 (the same) Ngf6 17.e5 Kf7 (castling-by-hand!) 18.exf6 Nxf6 19.Re1 Qd7 20.Ne4 Kg8 and White is a pawn up, but things are still challenging: if 21.Nxd6 then 21...Bxh3.

15.Re1 Qd7 16.hxg4

Gathering in the wayward Knight.

16...Nxg4 17.f3 Nf6 18.e5 Nh5

19.exd6+

A bit better was 19.Qh4 Qf7 20.exd6+ Kf8 21.Re7 Qg6 22.d5, snaring the Black Bishop; but the text is sufficient.

19...Kf7 20.Qh2 g6 21.Re7+ Black resigned

More Tactics

For those who believe that chess is "99% tactics", and this is especially true for those who play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), very often one lives by the tactic, and dies by the tactic...

Here are three more examples (a bit more challenging) from the current Chessworld Jerome Gambit Thematic tournament.

DREWBEAR 63 - GladtoMateYou

JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009

Despite being the extra piece up that the Jerome Gambit defender often receives, Black finds that his King has wandered into a mating net. If he keeps his wits about him, though, he can still split the point.

Black had to try 30...Nxc4 31.Kxc4 Bd5+ 32.Rxd5 cxd5+ 33.Kxd5 Rxg7 when White, down the exchange, does best to force a draw by repetition: 34.Ra3+ Kxb5 35.Nd4+ Kb4 36.Nc2+ Kb5 37.Nd4+ draw

analysis diagram

Instead, Black walked right "into it"

30...Ka4 31.Ra3 checkmate

Black Puma - Haroldlee123

JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009

In this complicated position, Black holds the Jerome advantage of a piece for two pawns, but his development is a bit haphazard, and he needs to be careful. Troubling tactics lie right beneath the surface, and he should play 35...Nxg5 with a chance to settle things down a bit. Instead, he plays a very reasonable move, and receives a shock.

35...Rh8 36.g6 Kxg6 37.Nh4+ Kf6 38.Nf5 Qf7 39.Rh6+ Qg6 40.Rxg6+ Kf7 41.Rg7+ Black resigned



DREWBEAR 63 - TWODOGS

JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009

In this position, seeing that he was losing his Queen for a Rook, White resigned.

Instead, he could have tried 33.Nb5 Qxb2+ 34.Rxb2 Rxb7 35.Kxc4 a6 36.a4 axb5+ 37.axb5 with at least equal chances.












analysis diagram

Beware: The Sneak!

Black's biggest dangers in playing against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) are overconfidence, a dismissive attitude and inattention. If any of these plague the second player in the early moves of the game, an otherwise blatant maneuver called The Sneak might arise.

In its starkest form, The Sneak looks like this:

I know what you're thinking: nobody would fall for that, letting the Bishop get trapped.

It is true, not everybody does fall for it. Here are some warnings, though:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3

2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.d3 Nc6 5.c3 Bc5 6.a4 d6 7.Nf3 Ng4 8.0-0 Rf8 9.b4 Bxf2+ 10.Rxf2 Nxf2 11.Kxf2, Viejoasquerosos - BigJase, redhotpawn, 2006 (1-0, 40)

2...Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7

4...Kf8 5.Bxg8 Rxg8 6.c3 Qf6 7.d3 d6 8.a4 Ke8 9.Bg5 Qg6 10.h4 h6 11.h5 Qe6 12.Bd2 Bd7 13.b4 Bxf2+ 14.Kxf2, SIRMO - AAlekhine, chessworld, 2007 (1-0, 47)

5.d3

5.c3 d6 ( 5...Nf6 6.d3 h6 7.0-0 g5 8.Qb3+ Ke8 9.Kh1 g4 10.Ng1 h5 11.Bg5 Rh7 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Qg8+ Qf8 14.Qxh7 g3 15.Qg6+ Qf7 16.Qxg3 d6 17.a4 Be6 18.b4 Nxb4 19.cxb4 Bxb4 Piratepaul - DREWBEAR 63, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009 (1-0, 26)) 6.d3 Nf6 ( 6...Bg4 7.Ng5+ Kf8 8.Qxg4 Qe7 9.Ne6+ Ke8 10.Nxg7+ Kf7 11.Nf5 Qf6 12.Bg5 Qe6 13.a4 Nf6 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.b4 Bb6 16.a5 Bxf2+ 17.Kxf2, Piratepaul - metalwarrior1969, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009 (1-0, 36)) 7.Bg5 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.g4 Bg6 10.Nbd2 h6 11.Bh4 Qd7 12.a4 h5 13.b4 Bxf2+ 14.Bxf2, Piratepaul - blackburne, chessworld, 2008 (0-1, 22);

5.0-0 Nf6 6.d3 Rf8 7.Nc3 Kg8 8.Ne2 d6 9.a4 Be6 10.c3 h6 11.b4 Bxf2+ 12.Rxf2 Ng4 13.Rf1 Black Puma - Sir Osis of the Liver, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009 (1-0,35)

5...Nf6

[ 5...h6 6.c3 ( 6.0-0 g5 7.h3 Nf6 8.a4 d6 9.c3 g4 10.hxg4 Bxg4 11.b4 Bxf2+ 12.Rxf2 Black Puma - DREWBEAR 63, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009 (1-0, 21)) 6...d6 7.0-0 ( 7.a4 Bg4 ( 7...Qf6 8.b4 Bxf2+ 9.Kxf2, SIRMO - Ratscales, chessworld, 2008 (1-0, 36)) 8.b4 Bxf3 9.Qxf3+ Qf6 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6 11.bxc5 dxc5, braken - willitfw, chessworld, 2008 (1-0, 51)) 7...Nf6 8.a4 Na5 ( 8...Bg4 9.b4 Nxb4 ( 9...Bxb4 10.cxb4, Piratepaul - calchess10, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009 (1-0, 44)) 10.cxb4 Bd4 11.Ra2 a6 ( 11...Nh5 Piratepaul - TWODOGS, JGTourney4, ChessWorld 2009 (1-0, 32)) 12.Nbd2 Nh5, Piratepaul - eddie43, chessworld, 2008 (0-1, 56)) 9.b4 Bb6 10.bxa5 Bxa5, braken - eddie43, chessworld, 2008 (1-0, 23)

6.Bg5

6.a4 Rf8 7.c3 d6 8.0-0 Kg8 9.Ng5 ( 9.b4 Nxb4 10.cxb4 Bxb4 11.Qb3+ Kh8 12.Qxb4 0-1 Black Puma - stampyshortlegs, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009 (0-1, 24)) 9...Bg4 10.Qe1 Nh5 11.h3 Bxh3 12.Nxh3 Ng3 13.b4 Nxb4 14.cxb4 Bd4 15.Ra2 Nxf1 16.Kxf1, SIRMO - manago, chessworld, 2008 (1-0, 18)

6...Rf8 7.0-0 Kg8 8.c3 Qe8 9.Kh1 d6 10.a4 Bg4 11.b4 Qh5 12.Bd2 d5 13.bxc5 dxe4 14.dxe4 Nxe4 Piratepaul - delboy138, chessworld, 2008 (1-0,17)

Quickies

Here are a few more games from the current Chessworld Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Thematic Tournament – don't blink or they'll be over before you know it.

stampyshortlegs - GladtoMateYou

JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.d4 TN 7...Bxd4 8.c3 Bc5 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.f4 Qe7 11.fxe5+ Qxe5 [ 11...Kc6 12.b4 d6 -+ ] 12.Bf4 Black resigned

GladtoMateYou - Haroldlee123

JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Qe2 Qf6 6.Qc4+ TN 6...Ke8 7.Qxc5 d6 +/= 8.Qa3 Bg4 9.Nc3 Bxf3 10.gxf3 Qxf3 11.Rg1 Nd4 12.Rg3 Qh1+ White resigned

Luke Warm - stampyshortlegs

JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.d3 Rf8 7.Bg5 Kg8 8.h4 TN 8...d6 9.Qd2 Bg4 10.Nd5 Bxf3 11.gxf3 Nd4 12.Rg1 [ 12.0-0-0 -+ ] 12...Nxf3+ 13.Ke2 Nxd2 14.Bxd2 Nxd5 15.exd5 Qxh4 16.Be3 Bxe3 White resigned

TWODOGS - Crusader Rabbit

JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 Bxd4 6.0-0 TN 6...Ke8 7.Ng5 Bxb2 8.Qf3 Qf6 9.Bxb2 Qxg5 10.Na3 Nh6 11.Nc4 Rf8 12.Qc3 Nd4 13.Bc1 Qxc1 14.Qxd4 Qg5 15.Qc5 Kd8 [ 15...Rf4 -+ ] 16.Qxf8 checkmate

It's getting interesting...

With over half (112 out of 210) of the games in the 15-player, double-round robin Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Thematic Tournament at ChessWorld completed, White has so far scored a gloomy 33%, lagging behind other Jerome Gambit Tournaments.

DREWBEAR 63 remains the leader, with 16 points out of 26 games completed. He is still followed by Sir Osis of the Liver (12 points out of 17 games completed) and blackburne (10.5 points out of 20 games completed).

eddie43 (9.5 points out of 19 games) and Black Puma (9.5 points out of 20 games) have been surging lately, putting them ahead of Piratepaul (9 points out of 12 games completed) – but not by much.

Players to watch in the long run are those with the best winning percentages: stampyshortlegs (6 points out of 7 games), Piratepaul and TWO DOGS (5 points out of 7 games).

Not to be counted out are players like Haroldlee123 (5.5 points out of 10 games) and metalwarrior1969 (6 points out of 10 games) – and even Crusader Rabbit (1 point out of 5 games) – because they have so many more games to complete, and possibly win.

Oooooooops...

Playing – or defending against – the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) requires close attention to what is going on, so that every tactical opportunity can be caught. Take advantage of your chances, you could take the point. Overlook a chance or two, and ooooooops...

stampyshortlegs - eddie43

JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.c3 Nh6 9.Qf4 Rf8 10.Qg3 White resigned


TWODOGS - Black Puma

JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 Nxd4 6.Nxe5+ Kf8 7.0-0 Qf6 8.b4 Qxe5 9.bxc5 Qxc5 10.Ba3 Qxa3 11.Nxa3 Black resigned

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws