Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense (Part 3)

Another way for the Jerome Gambiteer to face the Two Knights Defense (see "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense Part 1" and "Part 2"), besides playing the main lines or opting for 4.Qe2 is to play for a transition to the Italian Four Knights Game, and, thus, the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

So: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 (hoping for 4...Bc5).

The updated New Year's Database has over 900 games with this position, with White scoring 41%. (By contrast, the Database includes 21 of my games and 21 of Bill Wall's games. We each scored 90%. As they say: your mileage may vary.)

Of course, Black does not have to play 4...Bc5; in fact, the recommended move is 4...Nxe4, planning what Hans Kmoch called "the Fork Trick": 5.Nxe4 d5, winning back a piece.

By the way, after 4...Nxe4 White does not have to recapture immediately, but instead can try the Jerome-ish 4.Bxf7+, although after 5.Kxf7 Nxe4 6.d5 Neg5+ 7.Kg8 Black's King has found safety (and he has the intimidating pawns).

The problem for White here is not so much that his position is worse than in regular Jerome Gambit lines – objectively, it is far better – but that the Fork Trick is standard fare for players learning about openings, whereas the Jerome Gambit is far less known or understood. The chance of surprising Black is less. (Still, this line remains a "project" for further analysis.)

Recommended for White after 4...Nxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 is 6.Bd3 dxe4 7.Bxe4 Bd6.

It is worth examining Y. Bukayev's article on this line, as he sees White as standing slightly better after 8.Bxc6+.

None of this seems as much fun as the Jerome Gambit proper, though, does it?

Tomorrow's post takes a look at 4.0-0, and in the process shows one way to redeem 4.Nc3 as well.

Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense (Part 2)

Readers of this blog may remember that in the 2009 ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, GladToMateYou played 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Qe2 fourteen times, winning eight of those games (see "Home Cooking").

Five of those games (GladToMateYou won four of them) continued with 5...Nf6, transposing to a Jerome Gambit / Two Knights Defense line that can arise from the play mentioned in yesterday's post: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qe2, which can be followed by 4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Qc4+ and 7.Qxc5. 

The earliest game that I have in my database with 4.Qe2 meeting the Two Knights is Bird - Chigorin, Sixth American Chess Congress, New York, 1889 (although the related 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qe2 probably goes all the way back to Ruy Lopez), about which Wilhelm Steinitz briefly wrote, in the tournament book, "Not as strong as the authorized move Ng5".

The earliest game in my database with 4.Qe2 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ as mentioned previously (see "Adolf Albin Plays the Jerome Gambit (Part 1)" and "(Part 2)"), is Albin - Schlechter, Trebitsch Memorial Tournament, Vienna, 1914.

The line has surprise value, and, as NiceToMateYou showed, some practical use in club play, but Black has resources (if he can find them) in 6...Kxf7 7.Qc4+ d5! 8.Qxc5 Nxe4! when after 9.Qe3 Re8 Black is somewhat better, and White is scrambling for playable ideas.

Still, none of this dissuaded Bill Wall from playing and winning with the opening this year:

Wall,B - Asesino
Chess.com, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Qe2 Nf6 6.Qc4+ d5 7.Qxc5 dxe4

8.Nxe5+ Nxe5 9.Qxe5 Re8 10.Qb5 Qd4 11.0-0 c6 12.Qb3+ Nd5

White has already achieved an edge in the game.

13.Nc3 Be6 14.Qxb7+ Ne7 15.Re1 Bd5 16.b3 Kg8 17.Bb2 Rf8

For the illusion of an attack, Black surrenders a piece.

18.Qxe7 Qxf2+ 19.Kh1 Rae8 20.Qg5 e3 21.Nxd5 exd2 22.Qxg7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense (Part 1)

What to do? What to do?

You're looking forward to a nice Jerome Gambit, but after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 you wily opponent plays 3...Nf6, signalling the Two Knights Defense.

Well, if you have a favorite attack against the Two Knights (e.g 4.Ng5 or 4.d4) you could simply play that.

Or, you could try 4.Qe2!?, as explored in "Adolf Albin Plays the Jerome Gambit (Part 1)" & "(Part 2)" and "Back to the Wall".

There are over 900 examples of 4.Nc3 (my current favorite, heading for a chance at the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit ) in the updated New Year's Database and 46 examples of the interesting 4.0-0!?.

The next few posts will explore the possibilities open to the prospective Jerome Gambiteer.

What an Idea

Gerald Abrahams wrote in his book, The Chess Mind, that the smallest unit in a chess game was not the move, but the idea. I've always believed that he was onto something, although I'm sure that he still divided ideas into good and bad ones, just as he divided moves into good and bad ones. After all, he once wrote

...and nobody in their right senses plays... Jerome's Gambit

perrypawnpusher - GiantReign

blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6

The Two Knights Defense. No Jerome Gambit today, I guess. Unless... 

4.Nc3 h6 5.0-0 Bc5

6.Bxf7+

Ah, the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit... But, do I really want that? As they say: be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4

8...Neg4

Fascinating.

Maybe I'm supposed to kick the Knight with h2-h3, while Black withdraws his Bishop to b6 and looks at the possibility of  h6-h5, opening the King's Rook file...? 

9.dxc5 Re8

I settled for just taking the Bishop. In turn, Black's move prepared for castling-by-hand. He also prepared an unfriendly retort to my see-able 13th move... 

10.h3 Ne5 11.f4 Nc6 12.e5 Nh7

Those frisky "Jerome pawns"! The game is about even.

13.Qd5+ Kf8 14.Bd2 d6 15.cxd6 Be6

After the game Rybka suggested a line that was stronger for Black then this move, but messier: 15...cxd6 16.Ne4 Qb6+ 17.Kh2 Be6 followed by 18.Qxd6+ Kg8 19.Qd3 Qxb2 20.Nd6 Rad8 21.Rab1 Qxa2 22.Rxb7 Re7 23.Rfb1 Qd5 with an even game. 

16.Qe4 cxd6

Probably an oversight: 16...Kg8 minimized White's edge. 

17.Qxh7

17...dxe5

Still hammering at the center pawns, but the game has taken a bad turn in any event.

18.fxe5+ Ke7 19.Qxg7+ Bf7 20.Qxf7 checkmate

Curiouser and Curiouser...

My Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) intrusions into various Four Knights Games (see "I am not Bill Wall...", "Bloodied but Unbowed", and "The Adventure Continues") have all had a level of strangeness about them. The following game is no exception.


perrypawnpusher - wertu
blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game, via the Two Knights Defense.

5.Bxf7+

I might as well give it a try here. It should come as a shock in a very quiet opening.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

7...Nf3+

I like this move. It's not the strongest one – 7...Bxd4 and 7...Bd6 are stronger – but the text shows that my opponent is thinking and has an interesting plan for  his defense.

I found 7...Nf3+ in 5 games in the New Year's Database. Black scored 80%, in part because in 3 of those games White chose to capture the Knight with 8.Qxf3, scoring 0-3.

8.gxf3 Bb4 9.Bg5

A more solid idea was played by yorgos (who has 517 games in the New Year's Database, scoring 50%) who liked 9.Bd2, preserving the integrety of his Queenside pawns and allowing White to castle long later: 9...Re8 10.e5 Ng8 11.Nd5 Bxd2+ 12.Qxd2 d6 13.Qf4+ Ke6 14.Nc3 Kd7 15.0-0-0 b6 16.e6+ Rxe6 17.Qg4 Kc6 18.d5+ Kb7 19.dxe6 Qe7 20.Qe4+ Kb8 21.Nb5 Bb7 22.Qe3 a6 23.Nd4 Ka7 24.Nf5 Qe8 25.e7 Bc8 26.Nxg7 Black resigned, yorgos - fogmay, FICS, 2009;

That was a more successful plan than the one he executed a few weeks later: 9.e5 Nd5 10.Rg1 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Bxc3+ 12.Ke2 Bxa1 13.c3 Bxc3 14.Qb3+ d5 15.Qxc3 Be6 16.f4 Qh4 17.Qxc7+ Qe7 18.Qc3 Rac8 19.Qg3 Rc2+ 20.Bd2 g6 21.h4 Bf5 22.Qe3 Qe6 23.Qb3 Qa6+ 24.Kf3 Qd3+ 25.Qxd3 Bxd3 26.Ke3 Be4 27.Bb4 Rxa2 28.Rb1 Rc8 29.Rg1 Rcc2 30.Re1 a5 31.Bd6 b5 32.e6+ Kxe6 33.Be5 b4 34.f3 Rc3 checkmate, yorgos - pmackinney, FICS, 2009.

9...h6 10.Bh4 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 g5 12.Bg3

There are a lot of "Jerome pawns" gathered together, but wertu plans to fix them in place.

12...d5 13.e5 Nd7 14.h4

My plan was to let my King hang out on the second rank, behind the pawn wall, while opening up the Kingside for my Bishop and an attack.

14...Nb6 15.hxg5

Not surprisingly, Rybka sees this as premature, and recommends 15.Qd3.

15...Qxg5

Recapturing with the pawn was stronger. Black plans to have his Queen infiltrate White's position, which is a risky adventure.

In either case, though, Black is still better (despite White's three "connected passed pawns").

16.Bh4 Qg2 17.Ke2

17...Ke6

Blockading the advanced pawn, but, instead, the Queen needed to retreat with 17...Qg6.

18.Qd2

Planning to swing the Rook at a1 over to g1 to win the Queen.

Readers with a tactical eye will see that the other Rook would do just as well, now: 18.Rg1 Qh3 19.Rg7 Qxh4 (what else?) 20.Qd3 Qg5 21.Rxg5 hxg5 22.Qg6+, etc.

18...Rf8

The kind of knee-jerk response that can happen in blitz – Black attacks White's f3 pawn twice and can answer 19.Qe3 with 19...Nc4. 

Instead, Black could stay in the game with the remarkable 18...Bd7, as after 19.Rag1 he has 19...Bb5+ when 20.c4 is forced – but good.

analysis diagram





After 20...Nxc4 21.Rxg2 Nxd2+ 22.Kxd2 Rag8 23.Rg3 White is better.

After 20...Bxc4+ 21.Ke3, Black continues with the fun 21...Bf1, threatening to fork White's King and Queen. White's response, 22.Qb4 is sufficient, but only if he realizes that with 22...Kf5 Black is planning checkmate!

analysis diagram





After 23.Rxg2 Nc4+ White gives up his Queen with 24.Qxc4+ and is a pawn up, with Black's Bishop hanging after 24...dxc4 25.Rg7.

analysis diagram






Wow.

Back to the game.

19.Qxh6+ Kd7 20.Qxf8 Black resigned

Final: JGTourney4 ChessWorld 2009

JGTourney4 ChessWorld 2009

----------------------1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9-10-11-12-13-14-15

1 Piratepaul --------** 01 10 11 11 10 11 01 11 11 01 11 11 10 11 -22.0/28
2 stampyshortlegs ---10 ** 11 01 01 11 01 10 10 1½ 11 11 11 10 11 -20.5/28
3 Sir Osis ----------01 00 ** 00 11 11 11 11 11 00 01 11 01 11 11 -19.0/28
4 DREWBEAR63---------00 10 11 ** 11 01 01 01 00 00 11 11 01 11 11 -17.0/28
5 GladtoMateYou------00 10 00 00 ** 01 01 01 11 01 11 11 11 11 11 -17.0/28
6 Luke Warm ---------01 00 00 10 10 ** 10 01 ½1 11 01 01 ½1 11 01 -15.0/28
7 Haroldlee123-------00 10 00 10 10 01 ** 11 11 00 0½ ½0 11 11 11 -15.0/28
8 eddie43------------10 01 00 10 10 10 00 ** 11 1½ 10 00 01 11 11 -14.5/28
9 TWODOGS------------00 01 00 11 00 ½0 00 00 ** ½1 11 11 01 11 11 -14.0/28
10 Black Puma--------00 0½ 11 11 10 00 11 0½ ½0 ** 01 00 01 01 11 -13.5/28
11 blackburne--------10 00 10 00 00 10 1½ 01 00 10 ** 11 11 01 11 -13.5/28
12 gwyn1-------------00 00 00 00 00 10 ½1 11 00 11 00 ** 01 00 11 -9.5/28
13 metalwarrior1969--00 00 10 10 00 ½0 00 10 10 10 00 10 ** 01 11 -9.5/28
14 Crusader Rabbit---01 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 10 10 11 10 ** 00 -7.0/28
15 calchess10--------00 00 00 00 00 10 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 11 ** -3.0/28

Shock and Awe

As the song goes, "I'd rather be a hammer than a nail," and the same goes for me when it comes to playing or facing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), despite its shortcomings.
Make no mistake, I have a decent record against the Jerome. There are times, though, when I'd rather not run into it.

Like when I experience my own "shock and awe."

yorgos - perrypawnpusher
blitz 3 0 FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Bxf7+


Oh, man, not the Jerome Gambit!

This is supposed to be a Two Knights Defense!

I don't want to face the Jerome!

Not in a 3 0 game!

Readers please note: a defeatist attitude will get you nowhere, as this game shows.

Also, my own personal experience of Jerome Gambit "shock and awe" in this game cost me some time on the clock – and since the game quickly became a sprint against time, and when my flag fell my opponent had less than two seconds left on his own clock – well, you can see where that time-difference came from, right??

4...Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 Qe8 7.0-0 Nxe5

8.Qxd4 d6 9.Ng5+ Kg8 10.Nc3 h6 11.Nge4 Be7
12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.Qd5+ Qf7 14.Qxf7+ Kxf7

Black is "simply" a piece up, and in a regular time limit game the outcome would be a foregone conclusion. But here the moves come faster and faster as the clocks tick down.

15.Nd5 c6 16.Nf4 Rf8 17.Nh5 Kg8 18.f4 Nf7 19.Bd2 Bf5 20.Rac1 b6 21.Rf3 Bxb2 22.Rb1 Bd4+ 23.Kf1 Rae8

My position is like that of a person who jumped off of the top of a skyscraper, and who said after passing 23 floors, "So far everything seems to be going well."

24.Rg3 Bxc2 25.Rc1 Bd3+

Oops.

It's ok, I'm still better.

26.Rxd3 c5 27.Bc3 Bxc3 28.Rcxc3 Kh7 29.Rg3 Rg8

The correct move was the nifty 29...Ng5, but we were moving pretty fast now.

30.f5 d5 31.Nf4 d4 32.Rcd3 Ng5 33.h4

I hate to point out that 33.Rxg5 hxg5 34.Rh3 would have been mate. We were just throwing pieces now. The Jerome Gambit has equal chances in a game of horseshoes.

33...Ne4 34.Rg6 Nf6 35.h5 Re5 36.g4 Rge8 37.Ne6 Re7 38.Rf3 Re4 39.g5 hxg5 40.h6 gxh6 41.Rxf6 Re3 42.Nf8+ Kg8 43.Rxe3 dxe3 44.Nd7 Rf7 45.Rxh6 Rxf5+ 46.Ke2 Rf2+ 47.Kxe3 Rxa2 48.Nxc5 Black forfeits on time


The Jerome Gambit is not just an opening, it's a spirit of relentless play, and a willingess to win by whatever means necessary.

I salute my opponent, yorgos, for his bold win.

And I think I'll return to 1...e6 for a while.

Fried Jerome Attack

Not everyone is interested in facing the Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ (see, for example "It's a good thing I read this blog"). One way to avoid it is to play Philidor's Defense, 2...d6, instead of allowing the Italian Game with 2...Nc6. Still, one shouldn't provoke too much of an attacking spirit in the heart of the Jerome Gambiteer...


perrypawnpusher - azzaonnet
blitz 5 12 FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Nf6
An unusual, but playable, variation of the Philidor.

4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5

With this move Black allows his opponent to play an attack similar to the Fried Liver Attack in the Two Knights Defense: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxe5 6.Nxf7 – only in this case Black has not developed his Queen's Knight.

In one of his Gambit Cartel columns for ChessCafe, "Going Fishing," Tim McGrew (see "A Few Words With...Tim McGrew") points out that the proper move in this line of the Philidor is 5...h6, after which "The similarities to the Elephant [Gambit] line [which he discusses] are striking."

6.Nxf7

Of course. Never mind that the last time I played the Fried Liver Attack was 30 years ago. Or that the move 6.d4, similar to the Lolli Attack in the Two Knights (not to be mistaken for the Wild Muzio Gambit, mind you: see "Wild!", "Wilder!" and "Wildest!") was probably stronger.
6...Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Ke6

Black's King must venture into danger to hold onto the piece: 7...Ke8 8.Qxd5 Qxd5 9.Bxd5, as in perrypawnpusher - xPOGOx, FICS 2009, simply leads to a Queenless middlegame a pawn down.

8.Nc3

An alternative was 8.0-0 c6 9.d4 Qf6 10.Qe2 Ke7 11.dxe5 Qf5 12.f4 Be6 13.Bd3 Qg4 14.Rf3 g6 15.h3 Qh5 16.Bd2 Kd8 17.c4 Bc5+ 18.Kf1 Ne7 19.b4 Bd4 20.Bc3 Bxc3 21.Nxc3 a6 22.Rd1 Kc7 23.b5 axb5 24.cxb5 Nd7 25.a4 Rhf8 26.Qd2 g5 27.Be4 Nd5 28.Nxd5+ Bxd5 29.Bxd5 Nxe5 30.fxe5 Rfd8 31.Rf7+ Qxf7+ 32.Bxf7 Rxd2 33.Rxd2 Rxa4 34.e6 Black resigned, Eliason - Leow, Berlin 1856.

8...c6 9.d4 exd4

Or 9...b5 10.Bb3 b4 11.Nxd5 cxd5 12.dxe5 Nc6 13.c4 Ne7 14.cxd5+ Nxd5 15.0-0 h5 16.Rd1 Bb7 17.Bg5 Qxg5 18.Bxd5+ Bxd5 19.Qxd5+ Kf5 20.Qxa8 Qe7 21.Qf3+ Kg6 22.Rd6+ Kh7 23.Qf5+ Kg8 24.Rad1 g6 25.Rxg6+ Bg7 26.Rd7 Qf8 27.Rgxg7+ Qxg7 28.Rd8+ Black resigned, abhailey-vkroll, net-chess.com 2007.


10.Qe4+

Rybka 3 turns its nose up at this move, preferring the further piece sacrifice: 10.Bf4 dxc3 11.0-0-0 after which it sees White as having a winning game. Amazing!

10...Kd6

This is not accurate, either: the King should be one step further back.

11.Nxd5

I admit that I was at a bit of a loss for a plan, here. Later Rybka 3 suggested capturing with the other minor piece: 11.Bxd5 Kc7 12.Qxd4 b6 13.Nb5+ Kb7 and White has the advantage.

11...Be6

Wow. Clearly my opponent was seeing something that I wasn't seeing. Later the computer suggested that Black would be better after 11...cxd5 12.Qxd5+ Kc7 13.Bf4+ Bd6 14.Qxd4 Qe7+ 15.Be2 Rd8 16.0-0-0 Nc6.

Now the game ends quickly.

12.Bf4+ Kc5


Or 12...Kd7 13.Nc7, which turns out badly.


13.b4+ Kxc4 14.Qd3+ Kxd5 15.c4 checkmate