Jerome Gambit Secrets #4

One of my favorite Jerome Gambit "secrets" has actually been solved, but the story is always a good one to tell. And tell again.

Let's look at a line.

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8

About 4 1/2 years ago I posted about this move

As early as his first article with analysis (Dubuque Chess Journal 4/1874), Alonzo Wheeler Jerome considered the possibility that Black might refuse to capture the second piece, and play for King safety instead with 5...Kf8.  

This was, in fact, the defense that Jerome, himself, credited to G. J. Dougherty, ("a strong amateur, against whom I first played the opening") of Mineola, New York, in a yet unfound game; that O.A. Brownson, editor of the Dubuque Chess Journal, played against Jerome in an 1875 game (Dubuque Chess Journal3/1875); that magazine editor William Hallock used against D.P. Norton in an 1876 correspondence game played “by special request” to test the gambit (American Chess Journal 2/1877); that William Carrington tried in his 1876 match vs Mexican Champion Andres Clemente Vazquez (Algunas Partidas de Ajedrez Jugadas en Mexico, 1879); and which Lt. Soren Anton Sorensen recommended as “more solid and easier to manage” in his seminal Jerome Gambit essay (Nordisk Skaktidende 5/1877). 

It is interesting that early in Jerome's Gambit's life, there were players willing to accept one "gift" but who were skeptical of accepting two "gifts".

6.Qh5

This move shows up in 38 games in The Database, with White scoring 49%.

As I noted

White also has the option of playing 6.Qh5, the Banks Variation, as in Banks - Rees, Halesowen, 2003, when Black can transpose with 6…Nxe5  as recommended by the American Chess Journal, (3/1877) - "The continuation adopted by Jerome, Qh5 looks promising." 

Pete Banks ("blackburne" online), a stalwart member of the Jerome GambitGemeinde (and still the strongest player I know who has played the Jerome regularly over-the-board in rated contests), brought international attention to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's invention by writing to International Master Gary Lane, who commented at length on the opening, and on a couple of Banks' games, in his March ("The Good Old Days") and April ("Chess Made Easy") 2008 "Opening Lanes" columns at ChessCafe.com. IM Lane also mentioned one of Banks' games in his The Greatest Ever chess tricks and traps (2008), which reprised some of the earlier material. 

It is humorous to note that in his "Opening Lanes" column Lane wrote, after 5.Nxe5+, "I think anyone with good manners playing Black would now kindly ask their opponent if they wanted to take their move back" while in his book he changed this to "I think anyone with good manners playing Black would now go to another room to carry on laughing." 

Apropos the Banks Variation itself (i.e. playing 6.Qh5 in response to 5...Kf8), IM Lane noted in "The Good Old Days" that "6...Qe7 is a good alternative [to 6...Qf6 of Banks - Rees], because it stops the checkmate and protects the bishop on c5." 

A few months later, 6...Qe7 was tested successfully in a GameKnot.com game, splott - mika76, 2008: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Qh5 Qe7 7.Ng6+ hxg6 8.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 Qd4 10.Ke1 Qxf2+ 11.Kd1 d6 12.h3 Qxg2 13.Re1 Qf3+ 14.Re2 Bf2 15.d3 Nd4 16.Nc3 Qh1+ 17.Kd2 Nf3 checkmate. Clearly White, the very-slightly-higher rated player, was taken aback by the move. I asked mika76 if he had been influenced by IM Lane's recommendation, but he said he had come up with the move himself.

Cliff Hardy Jerome Gambit Adventure Number Three

Here is a third Cliff Hardy Jerome Gambit game, again a 10 minute game -  and again, playing blindfold!

Notes are by Cliff. I have added diagrams and an occasional comment in blue.

Hardy, Cliff - ronin7887
10 0, white playing blindfold
lichess.org, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

Reaching this position for the third time in three games. There are 91 games in The Database with this position, going back to Vazquez - Carrington, 2nd match, Mexico, 1876. - Rick

10.f4 Qe7 11.Nc3 Kf7 12.O-O c6?!

+/=  Stockfish doesn't like this move and gives12...Re8 with a clear advantage for black. 

13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4?!

+/=  This move is quite clumsy for black and the odd move 14...Ned7 would have actually much better, with an equal position 

15.Qd3 Nb6 16.Bg5 h6? 

+- An unnecessary weakening of the black king; 16...Re8 would have been more circumspect, with a clear advantage for white 

17.Bh4 Re8 18.Rae1 Qc7? 

18...Nbd7 may have held out longer, though white would still have had an overwhelming initiative 

19.e5?! Nfd5?

Better would have been 19...dxe5 since after my planned 20.dxe5 Rxe5 21.Bg3 black would then have had the complicated 21...Bxf5! though then after 22.Qf3 his rook would still then have been lost on e5, so white would still have had a winning position in that circumstance anyway 

20.Ne4 dxe5 21.dxe5 Rxe5 22.Bg3 Kg8 23.f6 g5?

Weakening the king's position, though black is lost in any case 

24.Nxg5 hxg5??

The complicated 24...Bf5! was best, though white would still have been completely winning e.g. 25.Bxe5 Bxd3 26.f7+! Qxf7 27.Rxf7 hxg5 28.Rg7+ Kf8 29.cxd3 

25.Qg6+ Kf8 26.Bxe5 Qf7 27.Bd6+ Black resigned

Nice. Checkmate will arrive in 4 moves. Readers will notice Black's light-squared bishop at home, blocking the rook - a telltale sign that all is not well with black's position; and clearly punished by Cliff in this game. - Rick

Jerome Gambit: Break the Rules

The following game, the latest from chessfriend Vlasta, shows White "getting away with" the kind of behavior that usually dooms the acceptor of gambit material, let alone the donor.

I can well imagine his online opponent yelling at the computer screen "He can't do that! Can he???"

Vlastous - cesarotiz
internet, 2017

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.d3

The main alternative is 7.0-0, going back to Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29). Another early alternative was 7.c3 in Vazquez - Carrington, 2nd match, Mexico, 1876 (1-0, 43).

7...Qf6 8.O-O Nh6 9.c3 Bg4 10.Qe1 Kf7 11.d4 Bb6 12.f3 Bd7

White has an impressive pawn center, but he is behind in development - dangerous for a gambiteer.

13.a4 a6 14.Qg3 Rhf8 15.a5 Ba7 16.Qxc7 Rae8

Black can hardly believe his luck: his opponent's Queen is pawn-grabbing! So the "defender" develops his last piece and expects to take over the game. After all, he has an "extra" piece he can afford to give back, right?

17.Qxb7 Bb8 18.Qxa6 Kg8 19.Nd2 Qh4

This looks scary for the first player, but the computer already says he is better. Vlasta knows what he is doing.

20.e5 Rf7 21.Ne4 Rf5 22.Qb6

Because the solution to being behind in development is - a passed pawn?! Amazing!

22...Ref8 23.Rf2 Rh5 24.g3 Qe7 25.a6 Bf5 26.a7 Bc7 27.Qxc6

Black resigned

White is the exchange and 5 pawns (4 of them connected and passed!) better.

ГАМБИТ ЖЕРОМА

I just reviewed a nice Russian language Jerome Gambit article with a balanced, not mocking, assessment of the opening (and a kind link to this blog, as well). It has several games that can be played over on the site, including ones by historical figures Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, Andres Clemente Vazquez, Henry Charlick and S.A. Sorensen; as well as modern regular visitors to this blog, Bill Wall and Philidor 1792.

Of interest, the site mentions analysis by A. Zherom, a reference I am not familiar with. (For Jerome Gambit analysis from Opening Traps by GM Ferzbery [Boris Vainstein] see this earlier blog post.)

I Guess A Bad Trap Is Better Than No Trap At All

I have been away from the Jerome Gambit (see"Reliable") long enough that Bill Wall questioned if I had given it up. Not so, not so. That doesn't mean that all of my new games are gems - although the following one brought a smilt to my face.

perrypawnpusher - grosshirn
2 19 blitz, FICS, 2016

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

10.O-O Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.f5 

This position appeared as early as Vazquez,A - Carrington,W, Mexico, 2nd match (1), 1876 (1-0, 34).

This is my 14th game with this position, having won 9, drawn 1, and lost 4 to date (68%).

From here, four times my opponents made it easy for me, as in  this game - and, sadly, I only won 3 of those games.

12...Rxe4

I have previously mentioned FIDE Master Dennis Monokroussos' thoughtful website, The Chess Mind, and his down-to-earth query, 
Is there even a single trap for Black to fall into in the Jerome Gambit?

If Black believes that White is making it up as he goes along, the defender is not likely to pay attention close enough to avoid stepping in a small trap.

13.fxg6+ 

Black resigned.

I think my opponent was unhappy at having slipped. His position isn't "objectively" all that bad after 13...Kg8 14.gxh7+ Kh8! (14...Kxh7 15.Qd3 will win the exchange) 15.Qf2!? (15.Qd3 Bd7! 16.Rxf6? Qxf6 17.Qxe4 Re8!) and White will have to be happy to be just a pawn up (the White pawn at h7 is doomed) while lagging in development.

Still More Errors In Thinking 4.0

The Jerome Gambit is beginning to feel a bit like a "normal" chess opening - at times, anyhow.

I mean, I play a game, I publish it on this blog, someone takes that information and uses it in another one of my Jerome Gambits. I publish that game in this blog, someone else uses that information in another of my Jerome Gambits...

Innovate or perish, as Edward Kahn wrote.

I have shared the prelude to this saga before

After my discouraging loss with the Jerome Gambit in my previous Chess.com Italian Game tournament (perrypawnpusher - Buddy_Thompson), I knew that I had to cook up something new, or risk facing a future opponent who just "looked the refutation up" (and not even on this blog, mind you, but in my recent games on Chess.com).

Such worry bore fruit, however, in terms of a win in my return game with djdave28, as the post showed.

Today's tale started with perrypawnpusher - Hywel2, Italian Game tournament, Chess.com, 2015 (0-1, 44). Of particular interest - besides my missing a chance for a nifty draw - was a novelty (according to The Database) my opponent played on the 13th move.

I received some enlightening notes to the game from Bill Wall, and I added them to what I had written about the game, sharing it all with readers in "More Errors in Thinking 2.0".

Then came perrypawnpusher - Heler, Giauoco Piano tournament, Chess.com, 2015,  (1-0, 33), which had Hywel2's TN and followed the earlier game until I varied on move 17 (Bill's earlier suggestion). There was an opportunity to transpose back to the earlier game at move 19, but I didn't take it.

Most recently I played perrypawnpusher - apurv83, Giuoco Piano tournament, Chess.com, 2015. Black again followed the lead of  perrypawnpusher - Hywel2, only this time he varied on the 14th move, nudging his a-pawn instead of placing his King in the corner. How much would that matter? Let's see.

(By the way, my  opponent several times played "The Vacation Gambit" against me. If he was truly on vacation, and not messing with my head - good for him! I wish I could play something like a "retirement gambit"...)


perrypawnpusher - apurv83
Giuoco Piano tournament, Chess.com, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

A typical Jerome Gambit position. Black has an extra piece, while White has a couple of extra pawns.

10.0-0 Kf7 11.f4 Re8 

White castles, Black castles-by-hand.

12.f5 Nd5 13.d4 Nc6 

Hywel2's move. Then Heler's move. Now apurv83's.

Instead, 13...Neg4 goes back at least as far as Vazquez,A -Carrington,W, Mexico, 2nd match, 1876 (1-0, 34).

14.Nc3 a6 

apurv83's innovation is not to be dismissed. Is it a crucial "loss of tempo"? I don't think so. After all, with ...b7-b5 Black will be able to fianchetto his light-squared Bishop, as in earlier games; plus he will have the chance to kick my Knight on c3 with ...b5-b4. That was not enough for me to change my general plans, however. I followed earlier games, a tempo up.

15.Qd3 Kg8 16.Bg5 Qd7 17.Bxf6

This capture is based on Bill Wall's suggestion after perrypawnpusher - Hywel2.

17...gxf6 18.Nd5 Kf7

Well, somebody has to guard the f-pawn. In earlier games, the Queen was properly given the responsibility.

After my last move, I was pondering the typical malady for Black in this kind of position - the light-squared Bishop and Queenside Rook are still at home. In fact, the Queen currently blocks the Bishop - and with Black's 18th move, the King, in turn, blocks the Queen (from the Kingside).

My challenge here was: could I add this possible "gained time" to Black's 14th move and make something out of it?

[to be continued]

More Errors in Thinking 3.1

The title of this post comes from a couple of previous ones - "More Errors in Thinking" and "More Errors in Thinking 2.0" - and can be explained by the truism I related earlier

One of my interests in exploring the Jerome Gambit comes from observing - and occasionally provoking - "errors in thinking". Essentially, the only way White can win is if Black errs - sometimes in the most fascinating of ways.

In the first of the two posts I presented the Jerome Gambit game perrypawnpusher - Hywel2, Chess.com Italian Game tournament, 2015, with the gushing note

For a while it looked like it was going to be one of my best Jeromes ever, thanks to some fun tactics - but I fell victim to my own "error in thinking", and it was all for naught...

In the second of the two above posts, I presented the game again, adding notes and suggestions by Bill Wall, longtime Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member.

It all was in the service of some mental hand-wringing, the likes of which I have done before, for example, about a year ago in "Jerome pawns - Clowning Around"

After my discouraging loss with the Jerome Gambit in my previous Chess.com Italian Game tournament (perrypawnpusher - Buddy_Thompson), I knew that I had to cook up something new, or risk facing a future opponent who just "looked the refutation up" (and not even on this blog, mind you, but in my recent games on Chess.com).

Such worry bore fruit, however, in terms of a win in my return game with djdave28, as the post showed.

So - recently I played a couple of Jerome Gambits, one too-quickly leading "Toward Disaster" with the other "following, step-by-step, a recent loss of mine from a Chess.com Italian Game tournament."

As you might guess, that "recent loss" was the game chronicled in "More Errors in Thinking" and "More Errors in Thinking 2.0", perrypawnpusher - Hywel2, Chess.com Italian Game tournament, 2015.

So, "without further ado" as they say, let us take a look at my latest Jerome Gambit win, (with earlier notes cribbed from earlier posts).

perrypawnpusher - Heler, 
Chess.com, Giuoco Piano tournament, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 

I have also tried 13.Nc3 in perrypawnpusher - DysonLin, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 23); perrypawnpusher - darqknight, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 63); perrypawnpusher - CorH, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 24); and perrypawnpusher - yasserr, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 32).

13...Nc6

Oddly, this natural move was a TN according to The Database until perrypawnpusher- Hywel2, Chess.com, Italian Game tournament, 2015

Instead, 13...Neg4 was seen in Vazquez,A - Carrington,W, Mexico, 2nd match 1876 (1-0, 34);Wall,B - Vijay,V, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 22) and perrypawnpusher - whitepandora, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0. 64).

14.Nc3 Kg8 15.Qd3 Kh8 16.Bg5 Qd7

So far, all replay of the earlier game; but things were about to change.

[to be continued]