Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (11)

In this second round of games, chess detective RevvedUp and his computer companions exlore a defense to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) that simply returns one of the two pieces that White has sacrificed.


Play initially revolves around the e4-pawn and the e-file, but long term strategies will involve the familiar pawns-vs-piece struggle.

RevvedUp - Crafty 19.19
blitz 2 12, 2006

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

Seen as early as Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, U.S.A., 1875 (1-0, 28). I have over 110 examples in my database.

7.Qxc5 Nf6 8.Nc3


The alternative was seen: 8.0-0 Re8 9.Nc3 b6 10.Qc4+ Kf8 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.Qxd5 c6 13.Qd4 Bb7 14.b3 Nh4 15.Bb2 Qg5 16.g3 White resigns, Sidran - Thompson, email,1992

8...d6

Or 8...b6 9.Qc4+ Ke7 10.d3 h6 11.Nd5+ Nxd5 12.Qxd5 c6 13.Qh5 Qe8 14.b3 Nf8 15.Qxe8+ Kxe8 16.Bb2 Ne6 17.0-0 Rg8 18.f4 Bb7 19.f5 Nc5 20.f6 gxf6 21.Rxf6 h5 22.Rh6 Rg5 23.Bf6 Rg4 24.Rxh5 Kf7 25.Bd4 Ne6 26.Rf1+ Kg6 27.h3 Rxg2+ 28.Kxg2 Kxh5 29.Be3 Rg8+ 30.Kh2 Rf8 31.Rf5+ Kg6 32.Re5 c5 33.a3 Nf4 34.Re7 Bc6 35.Kg3 Nxh3 36.Kg4 Nf2+ 37.Kg3 Nd1 38.Bf4 Nc3 39.Be5 Ne2+ 40.Kg4 Rf7 41.Re8 d5 42.Rg8+ Kh6 43.Rg5 Bd7+ 44.Kh4 Nf4 45.exd5 Ng6+ 46.Rxg6+ Kxg6 47.d6 Rf2 48.c3 Rf3 49.d4 cxd4 50.Bxd4 Kf5 51.Kh5 Rh3 checkmate, Garrido - Garcia, http://www.chessat-krays.com;

8...Re8 9.d3 d6 10.Qe3 Ng4 11.Qf3+ Kg8 12.0-0 Rf8 13.Qg3 c6 14.Be3 d5 15.exd5 cxd5 16.Rfe1 d4 17.Bxd4 Qxd4 18.Re4 Qxf2+ 19.Qxf2 Nxf2 20.Re2 Ng4 21.Rae1 Bf5 22.h3 Nf6 23.g4 Bd7 24.g5 Nh5 25.Nd5 Bxh3 26.Ne7+ Nxe7 27.Rxe7 b6 28.Rc7 Rac8 29.Rxa7 Rxc2 30.b4 Rg2+ White resigns, blackburne - kelly, www.ChessWorld.net 2004

9.Qe3 d5

Other games: 9...Re8 10.d3 ( 10.0-0 d5 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.Qb3 Rxe4 White resigns, Bullit52 - SIRMO, www.chessworld.net 2007) 10...Kg8 11.0-0 Bd7 12.Qg3 a6 13.Bg5 Qc8 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Nd5 Kf7 16.f4 Bc6 17.Ne3 Rg8 18.f5 Ne5 19.Qh4 Rg7 20.Qh5+ Kg8 21.Rf4 Qd7 22.Rh4 Rg5 23.Qh6 Nf3+ 24.Kf2 Nxh4 25.Qxh4 d5 26.Ng4 Rg7 27.Nxf6+ Kh8 28.Nxd7 Bxd7 29.Qf6 dxe4 30.dxe4 Bc6 31.Kf3 Re8 32.Re1 Kg8 33.Qd4 Rf7 34.Kf4 h5 35.Re3 h4 36.g3 Rfe7 37.e5 h3 38.g4 Bg2 39.g5 Black resigns, blackburne - savage13, www.chessworld.net 2007

10.Qf3 dxe4 11.Nxe4 Re8 12.d3



A slip on unfamiliar ground. Necessary first was 12.Qb3+, as in 12...Kf8 13.d3 Nxe4 14.dxe4 Rxe4+ 15.Be3 b6, where Black's advantage is still very clear.

12...Bg4 13.Qe3 Rxe4 14.dxe4 Qd1 checkmate




Ouch!