Jerome Gambit: Check the Notes

Is Black's defense to the Jerome Gambit in the following game acceptable?

Of course. 

Does it give him practical chances? 

Of course. (Check the notes, and you will find a couple of draws against Bill Wall, and even a very rare win against him.)

Does Black win?

Of course not.

Once again, the defender is able to grasp loss from the jaws of victory - as so often happens in the Jerome Gambit.

Wall, Bill - Guest3172540
PlayChess.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qe7 

Black has many ways to return a piece. This one activates his Queen.

7.dxc5 Qxc5 8.O-O Nf6

Or 8...d6, as in Wall, Bill - Guest927010, PlayChess.com, 2017: 9.Be3 Qc6 10.f4 Ng4 11.Bd4 Qxe4 12.Re1 Qf5 13.Nc3 N8f6 14.h3 Nh6 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.Nd5 Be6 17.Nxc7 Qc5+ 18.Kh2 Qxc7 19.Qh5+ Kg7 20.Rxe6 Qf7 21.Qxf7+ Nxf7 22.Rae1 Rac8 23.c3 Rc7 24.Re7 Rxe7 25.Rxe7 Rb8 26.g4 h6 27.h4 a6 28.Kg3 b5 29.a3 Kf8 30.Ra7 Rb6 31.Kf3 d5 32.Ke3 Nd6 33.Kd4 Nc4 34.Kc5 Re6 35.Kxd5 Re2 36.Rxa6 Ne3+ 37.Kc5 Nxg4 38.b4 Re3 39.Kxb5 Rxc3 40.a4 Rf3 41.a5 Rxf4 42.Rc6 Ne5 43.Rc8+ Kg7 44.a6 Rf5 45.a7 Nd7+ 46.Kc6 Ne5+ 47.Kc7 Black resigned

9.Be3 Qe7 

Or

9...Qb5 as in Wall - Guest3992982, PlayChess.com, 2015 (1-0, 23); or in Wall, Bill - Guest11373407, PlayChess.com, 2019: 10.Nc3 Qxb2 11.Bd4 Nc6 12.Rb1 Qa3 13.e5 Nxd4 14.Qxd4 Ne8 15.Nd5 c5 16.Qf4+ Ke6 17.Rfd1 Qxa2 18.Qg4+ Kf7 19.Qf5+ Nf6 20.exf6 g6 21.Qf4 Qxc2 22.Qh6 Rg8 23.Re1 drawn; or

9...Qc4 as in Wall, Bill - Guest8692633, PlayChess.com, 2018:
10.Nc3 Nfg4 11.h3 Nxe3 12.fxe3+ Ke8 13.Qh5+ Ng6 14.Nb5 d6 15.b3 Qc6 16.c4 a6 17.Nc3 Be6 18.Qg5 Kd7 19.h4 Rhg8 20.Rad1 Rae8 21.e5 Qc5 22.exd6 Qxg5 23.dxc7+ Kxc7 24.hxg5 Bg4 25.Rd4 Bc8 26.Rf7+ Kb8 27.e4 Ne5 28.Rf4 Nc6 29.Rd6 Nb4 30.Rf7 h6 31.gxh6 gxh6 32.Rxh6 Nd3 33.Rh4 Rg3 34.Rf3 Rxf3 35.gxf3 Rg8+ 36.Kf1 Ne5 37.Rf4 Bh3+ 38.Ke2 Rg2+ 39.Ke3 Rc2 40.Rf8+ Ka7 41.Nd5 Rxa2 42.f4 Nd7 43.Re8 drawn; or

9...Qd6 as in Wall, Bill - Youi, lichess.org, 2017 (1-0, 24); or

9...Qc6 as in Wall, Bill - NN, lichess.org, 2016 (0-1, 30)


10.Nc3 Re8 

Or 10...Rf8 as in Wall, Bill - Guest457006, PlayChess.com, 2018: 11.f4 Neg4 12.Bd4 d6 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 Nxe5 15.Qh5+ Kg8 16.Qxe5 Qxe5 17.Bxe5 c6 18.Rae1 b6 19.Bxf6 Rxf6 20.Rxf6 gxf6 21.Re8+ Kf7 22.Rd8 a5 23.Ne4 Ke7 24.Rh8 Ke6 25.Re8+ Kf5 26.Nd6+ Kf4 27.Rxc8 Rxc8 28.Nxc8 b5 29.Na7 Ke3 30.Nxc6 Black resigned

11.Re1 d6 12.f4 Neg4 13.Bd4 Kg8 

Black has castled-by-hand. If he works on his development, he can make something of his piece-for-a-pawn advantage.

White's job is to disrupt Black's plans.

14.h3 Nh6 15.g4 c5 16.Bf2 Be6 

This is a funny oversight. Often, in the Jerome Gambit, Black has to be careful that when he plays his Bishop to e6, that it doesn't become a victim to a pawn fork. This move allows a fork - of the two Knights.

17.g5 Nf7 

Possibly 17...Nxe4 18.Nxe4 Ne5 was better.

18.gxf6 Qxf6 19.f5 

19...Qg5+

Energetic, and focused on the enemy King, but possibly the start of some "smites" that are too shallowly considered.

20.Kh2 Bc4 21.b3 Qf4+ 

White's answer is sufficient. 

Black's attack on the King is an illusion, as will be seen.

22.Bg3 Qh6 23.bxc4 Ng5 24.h4 Re7 25.Qg4 Nf7 26.Nd5 Ree8 27.Bf4 Black resigned

Black's Queen is in trouble. There is an immediate defense, but, in the long run, White's pressure on the Kingside will prevail, e.g. 27...g5 28.Bxg5 Qg7 29.Qh5 Nxg5 30.hxg5 Re5 (to avoid the Knight fork) 31.Nf6+ Kh8 32.g6.

Jerome Gambit: Worth A Scold?

When Bill Wall sent me his latest batch of Jerome Gambit games he mentioned in passing that one opponent had been irate at having to face such a horrible opening, and pointed it out in a message afterwards - clearly it was something Bill should never play, that Bill would lose with should he play it against World Champion Magnus Carlsen, etc. Bill never identified the opponent or the game to me, but if I were to guess, I would choose the following contest. Black starts off using the advantage that the defender always has against the Jerome Gambit, and develops a decent attack - until one suspicious move (which doesn't look that bad) suddenly reverses the game; and even when Black resigns, it takes some work to understand why.   

Wall, Bill - Youi
lichess.org, 2017

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qe7

A perfectly reasonable defense. Black is going to lose a piece any way, so he focuses on development, not un-development.

7.dxc5 Qxc5 8.O-O Nf6 9.Be3 Qd6

Excellent psychology. Black offers to exchange Queens to reduce chances of attack by White. He even tosses in the attraction of giving Black doubled d-pawns, limiting the development of his light-squared Bishop.

Bill has seen altarnatives:

9...Qc6 10.Nc3 d6 11.Bd4 Re8 12.f4 Ned7 13.Re1 b5 14.a4 bxa4 15.b4 a6 16.Rxa4 Bb7 17.Ra5 Nxe4 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.b5 Qc4 20.Ra4 Qf7 21.Qxf7+ Kxf7 22.Nxe4 Rxe4 23.Rxe4 Bxe4 24.Rxa6 Kg6 25.c3 Bb7 26.Rxa8 Bxa8 27.h4 Bd5 28.g4 Bc4 29.f5+ Kf7 30.Kf2 Bxb5 White resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016; and

9...Qb5 10.Nc3 Qxb2 11.Bd4 d6 12.Nd5 Qa3 13.Nxc7 Rb8 14.Nb5 Qa6 15.Bxa7 Bd7 16.Nxd6+ Ke6 17.Bxb8 Rxb8 18.Nf5 g6 19.Ne3 Bc6 20.Qd4 Bxe4 21.f3 Bc6 22.Rae1 Qa3 23.Nc4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest3992982, PlayChess.com, 2015.

10.Bd4

No, thank you.

10...Re8 11.Nc3 c5 12.Nb5

Looking to cause mischief on the d6 square.

12...Qc6 13.Bxe5 Rxe5 14.Nd6+ Kg8 

15.f4 Re6 16.e5 Ne8 17.Nc4 b5 18.f5 Bb7 19.Rf2 Rh6

Black persists in his attack. What can White do?

20.Na5 Qd5 21.Qe2 Nc7

He can continue to present Black with threats and complications until Black slips. Like here. Bill uses his x-ray vision and comes up with a solution.

22.Rd1 Qxa2

The strongest defense was 22...Qe4, but after 23.Rxd7 Qxe2 24.Rxe2 Bc8 25.Rxc7 Bxf5 White would be better.

23.Nxb7 Qxb2 24.Nxc5 Black resigned

Wow.

A quick look shows that White will win the pawn at d7, but is that enough to cause resignation?

A longer look will show that f5-f6 is a strong attacking threat, and that White's "Jerome pawns" are much more of a threat than Black's Queenside pawns.