Jerome Gambit: In This Case, Not So Much

The following game shows the dangers (for both sides) that the Jerome Gambit can provide, during blitz play. It is not possible to analyze deeply, and a slip can be fatal - providing the opposition notices. In this case, not so much.

Anonymous - Hai_no_Ken
10 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf6 8.Qxc5 

Probably the "cleanest" response to Black's unusual King move. An alternative was 8.d4 (with the threat of 9.Bg5+, winning the Queen) Bb4+ 9.c3 Ke7 (to allow ...Nf6) 10.cxb4.

Also seen recently: 8.Qf5+ Ke7 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qg5+ Nf6 11.d4 h6 12.Qe3 Kf7 13.O-O Re8 14.f4 Rxe4 15.Qb3+ Be6 16.d5 Bxd5 17.Qh3 Kg8 18.Nc3 Be6 19.f5 Bd7 20.Nxe4 Nxe4 21.Qf3 Ng5 22.Qb3+ Kh7 23.fxg6+ Kxg6 24.Qd3+ Kh5 25.Bd2 a6 26.Rae1 Bb5 27.c4 Bc6 Black resigned, gabrielebattaglia - vgiagourta, lichess.org, 2020

8...d6 9.Qe3 N8e7 10.d4 h6 11.f4 Kf7 12.O-O Bg4

This was a blitz game, but the move illustrates the difference between development and just moving a piece.

13.f5 Ne5 

Simply giving a piece back. Perhaps he would have done better to force White to open up - and over-extend - his Kingside pawns with 13...Nf8 14.h3 Bg5 15.g4, but the first player would still be better.

14.dxe5 dxe5 15.Qb3+ Kf8 16.f6 

A classic Jerome Gambit move.

16...gxf6 17.Rxf6+ Ke8 18.Qb5+ c6 

19.Qxb7

It is hard to believe that one move could change the nature of the game, but this one does. Not only is White's Queen sidelined (at the price of a pawn) but the weakness of his first rank will quickly be exposed.

Hypothetically.

19...Rf8 

Instead, 19...Qd4+!? would have put Black on top, i.e. 20.Kf1 Rd8 21.Qb3 (21.Nc3 Bc8 22.Qb3 Ba6+) 21...Qd1+ (21...Bc8 22.Nd2 Ba6+ 23.c4) 22.Kf2 Qe2+ 23.Kg3 Rg8 and White would have to give up his Queen.

20.Rxf8+

Back on track. Black can now do some scary things, but he is only putting off his demise. 

21...Kxf8 21.Bxh6+ Ke8 22.Bg5 Qd1+ 23.Kf2 Qe2+ 24.Kg3 Ng6 

I know that the old saying is "three pieces and an attack" - but not in this case.

25.Qxa8+ Kf7 26.Qxa7+ Ke6 27.h3 Bh5 28.Qa8 Qxe4 29.Qe8+ Kf5 30.h4 Qg4+ 31.Kh2 Nxh4 

Dear White Knight and White Rook, I miss you. Signed, your King.

32.Qd7+ Kxg5 33.Qxg4+ Kxg4 34.Nc3 Bg6 35.Re1  White won on time in a clearly better position.

Jerome Gambit: Is Black's King Actually Safer At d8?

?????

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) revolves around the question: Is Black's King actually safer at d8? For a while, the surprising answer seems to be Yes, but quickly - this is a 1 0 bullet game - a resounding No takes its place.

angelcamina - traan
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qe7 9.Qe3 

Recently, White avoided the retreat, with two different outcomes:

9.Qxe7+ N8xe7 10.O-O Kf7 11.Nc3 Rf8 12.d3 Kg8 13.Bg5 Nc6 14.Nd5 d6 15.Nxc7 Rb8 16.Nd5 Nd4 17.c3 Nc6 18.f4 Bg4 19.d4 Be2 20.Rf2 Bc4 21.b3 Bxd5 22.exd5 Nce7 23.c4 Nf5 24.Re1 Nxd4 25.Be7 Nxe7 26.Rxe7 Nf5 27.Re6 Rbe8 28.Rxe8 Rxe8 29.g4 Re1+ 30.Rf1 Rxf1+ 31.Kxf1 Ne3+ 32.Ke2 Nxg4 33.b4 Nxh2 34.c5 dxc5 35.bxc5 Ng4 36.c6 bxc6 37.dxc6 Nf6 38.c7 Kf7 39.c8=Q Nh5 40.Qc7+ Kg6 41.Qxa7 Nxf4+ 42.Kd2 h5 43.Qa6+ Kg5 44.Qa5+ Kg4 45.a4 h4 46.Qa8 h3 47.Qh1 Kg3 48.a5 Ne6 49.a6 Nc7 50.a7 g5 51.Qb7 h2 52.Qxc7+ Kg2 53.a8=Q+ Kg1 54.Qc1+ Kf2 55.Qf8+ Kg3 56.Qfa3+ Kg2 57.Qc6+ Kg1 58.Qg3+ Kf1 59.Qcf3 checkmate, Anonymous - Beatboxer47, 3 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; and

9.Qxc7 Qxe4+ 10.Kf1 Nf4 11.Rg1 Qe2 checkmate, ianfencer - Evern, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020. 

9...Nf6 

Or 9...d6 10.O-O Nf6 11.d3 Kf7 12.Nc3 Rf8 13.f4 Kg8 14.b3 c6 15.Ba3 d5 16.Bxe7 Nxe7 17.e5 Ng4 18.Qg3 Nh6 19.d4 Nef5 20.Qd3 g6 21.h3 a6 22.g4 Ne7 23.Rae1 Be6 24.Na4 Kh8 25.Nc5 Bc8 26.f5 gxf5 27.gxf5 Bxf5 28.Rxf5 Nexf5 29.e6 Rg8+ 30.Kh2 Rg3 31.Qe2 Rag8 32.Qe5+ R3g7 33.Rg1 White won on time, angelcamina - albatronus, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020.

10.Nc3 

Or 10.d3 d5 11.O-O dxe4 12.dxe4 Qxe4 13.Qa3+ Qe7 14.b4 Be6 15.Re1 a5 16.c3 Kf7 17.Be3 axb4 18.Qb2 bxc3 19.Nxc3 Rhe8 20.Bg5 Qa3 21.Qd2 Rad8 22.Qc2 Bc4 23.Bxf6 gxf6 24.Ne4 Bd3 25.Qxc7+ Qe7 26.Qxe7+ Rxe7 27.Rad1 Red7 28.Nc5 Rd5 29.Nxb7 Ba6 30.Nxd8+ Black resigned, Atti0130 - smarlny, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020.

10...d6 11.O-O 

Alternately, 11.d4 Kf7 12.O-O Re8 13.f4 Nxe4 14.f5 Nf8 15.Nd5 Qd8 16.Qb3 Kg8 17.Nf6+ Black resigned, croc_master - Krog, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020. 

11...Ke8 

Black believes his King will be safer on d8. He plans to bring his Rook to e8 to pressure White's e-pawn.

12.d4 Kd8 13.f4 Re8 14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5 

15...Ng4 16.Qg3 Qc5+ 17.Kh1 h5 

Black pushes his attack, even as his King sits on an open file.

18.h3 h4

Following the advice, If someone attacks one of your pieces, attack one of his, a more valuable one if possible. 

19.Qf3 Nh6 20.f5 

The "Jerome pawns" are on the march.

20...Nxf5 21.Qd3+ Bd7 22.Rxf5 c6 23.Rf7 Re7 24.Bg5 

Black's King is no longer safe.

24...Nxe5 25.Bxe7+ Qxe7 26.Rxe7 Nxd3 27.Rxd7+ Kxd7 28.cxd3 Kc7 

29.Rf1 Rd8 30.Rf7+ Kb6 31.Na4+ Kb5 32.b3 White won on time

Jerome Gambit: How's That For A Kick In The Head?

It is quite possible that playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7) at slower time controls allows you to absorb enough knowledge about the opening that you can play it at a very fast speed, as well. Here is a third game from our featured anonymous player. It finishes with a bang that is overwhelming - maybe the defender could find a way out, if only he had enough time...

Anonymous - Anonymous
1 0 bullet, Chess.com, 2020

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 

This position goes back at least as far as the game Charlick - Mann, correspondence, Australia, 1881 (1-0, 72).

10.Nc3 Bd7 

This move is new, according to The Database. It develops a piece, modestly, and avoids percipitating f2-f4, which would have happened after 10...Be6, and avoids forcing White to strengthen his center, with 10...Bg4 11.f3.

11.d4 Kf7 12.f3 Re8 13.b3 Kg8 14.Bb2 

Black has castled-by-hand. White has a solid, but not particularly mobile, center.

14...a5 15.a4 c6 16.h4 

With aggressive intent.

16...Nh5 17.Ne2 Nxh4 

I don't think that the pawn is worth the risk.

18.O-O-O 

The reason he took Kingside liberties with his 16th move: His Majesty is going Queenside, a very reasonable decision that can be made in an eyeblink, even with the risks that sometimes occur when Kings find their homes on opposite sides of the board.

There was also the possibility of 18.Qf2 directly, but it leads to the kind of messy play you might want to avoid in bullet chess: 18...g5 19.g3 Rf8 20.gxh4 g4 21.Rg1 Qf6 22.Ba3 Qxf3 23.Qxf3 Rxf3 24.Bxd6 and it is not clear whose passed pawn is better, and if the whole thing is going to boil down to a Bishops-of-opposite-colors ending that would be quite drawish.

18...b5 19.Nf4 

Tricky, relying on the Rook on the open h-file, but 19...Ng3 is a proper response. Again, he could have considered 19.Qf2.

19...Nxf4

That's the thing about bullet play: aggression is often rewarded because defense takes time to figure out. 

20.Qxf4 Ng6 21. Qxd6 bxa4 22. d5 axb3 

There's aggression on both sides of the board.

23.Rxh7 

"How's that for a kick in the head?", as they used to say.

Stockfish 10 says that Black can take the Rook and still draw, but computers do not live in the real world. I'm pretty sure Black crossed his fingers for luck and played...

23...bxc2 

Grandmasters might play: 23...Kxh7 24.Rh1+ Nh4 25.Qg3 g5 26.Rxh4+ Kg6 27.dxc6 Rc8 28.f4 Rxe4 29.cxd7 Rxc2+ 30.Kb1 Rxb2+ 31.Kxb2 Qf6+ 32.Kb1 Rd4 33.Qg4 Qf5+ 34.Qxf5+ Kxf5 35.fxg5 Rxd7 36.Kb2 Rd2+ 37.Kxb3 Rxg2 38.Ka4 Rxg5 39.Kxa5 and each would then complain about "losing a point".

If it's any consolation, 23...Ne5 24.Rh5 bxc2 would probably lead to a draw, as well.

24.Rxg7+ Kh8 25.Rh1+ Nh4 26.Qh6 checkmate

Very, very nice.

Jerome Gambit: Looks Simple, But It Is Not

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, the same player from the previous post again tries his best against the "annoying" or "silicon" defense. The line the players explore looks simple, but it is not. 

Anonymous - Anonymous
1 move / 3 days, Chess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 d6 8.fxe5 dxe5 

White has one pawn for his sacrificed piece.

Black's King is annoyingly safe in the center, but White will try batting him around a bit.

This defense was seen as early as the 1993 match between Micah Fisher-Kirshner and the computer program KnightStalker (an early version of ChessBase's Fritz, marketed in the US).

9.Qh3+ Kd6 10.Qd3+ Ke7 11.Qg3 Kf6 

Up until Black's last move, we have been following games where Black was played by computer programs Comet B50, Demon 1.0, Fritz 8, Junior 7, Knightstalker, La Dame Blanche 2.0c, Rybka (v.1 and 2.3.2a), and Zarkov 4.7. None of them chose the move in the game.

What's the problem with the move? Because Black does not want to give up a pawn (11...Kf7 12.Qxe5) he allows the Rook to come to f1, with a check that requires another King move.

12.Rf1+ Ke6 

What is going on?

Well, it's probably not a good idea for White to go pawn-grabbing with 13.Qxg7, as Black not only has the development 13...Nf6, with an even game, he has the sharp riposte 13...Qh4+, when 14.Kd1 Qh5+ 15.Ke1 Qg6 forces the exchange of Queens, and Black's development, activity and Bishop pair give him a clear advantage.

Because computers almost always see White as worse in the Jerome Gambit opening, they constantly look for drawing lines as "best", and, here, Komodo 10 offers one: 13.Qb3+ Kd7 14.Qb5+ Kd6 15.d4 Qh4+ (necessary to move the Queen, otherwise 15...Bxd4 16.Qd5+ Ke7 17.Rf7+ wins it) 16.Rf2 Bxd4 17.Qd5+ Ke7 18.Qf7+ Kd6 19.Qd5+, etc.

So, it's not surprising that White, instead, gives the enemy King another kick, even if it's not objectively the best move.

13.Qg4+ Kd6 14.Qxg7

This capture has its risks. The Queen would probably be safer on g3, but White is not seeking out safety.

14...Ne7 

Protecting the safe Rook. However, after 14...Qh4+ 15.Kd1 Bg4+ White's position would be a mess. 

15.d4 Bxd4 16.c3 

White is still playing with only a couple of pieces, but Komodo 10 rates him as having a slight edge, especially after the recommended return of a piece with 16...Ng6. The reasonable alternative, which Black plays, leads to a difficult position for the defender.

16...Bb6 17.Bg5 

You can almost hear White saying "Gotcha!"

17...Re8 18.Na3 

This Knight means trouble.

18...Be6 

Black needed to try 18...Bg4, but 19.Nc4+ Kc6 (other moves are worse) 20.Qf7 would force him to return a couple of pieces, i.e. 20...Bf2+ 21.Rxf2 b6 22.Nxe5+ Kb7 23.Nxg4.

White's next move settles everything.

19.O-O-O+ Kc6 20.Rxd8 Raxd8 21.Qxe5 Bxa2 22.Qb5+ Kd6 23.Rf6+ Be6 24.e5 checkmate

JeromeGambit: All Is Not Lost

While I think that the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is ideal for blitz play - where the defender often does not have enough time to effectively construct a defense - I know a number of players have been successful with the opening at much slower time controls. 

In the following game (time control: one day per move), White faced an opponent who was familiar with the Jerome Gambit, and who did not panic or foolishly over-rate his chances. As the game ground on, the Gambiteer kept alert for his chances, even as the scales begin to tilt against him. Still, he showed faith in the "theory of infinite resistance".

Just at the point where Black reached what the computer, post mortem, mischievously assessed as a "mate in 26" Black slipped - and, with a couple more sacrifices, White reached a drawn endgame.

If you do not laugh out loud (or, at least, chuckle) at White's 47th move, you are taking this whole Jerome Gambit thing too seriously.    

Anonymous - Anonymous
1 d / move, Chess.com, 2020

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.f4 d6

Ah, yes, "the annoying defense" or the "silicon defense". The line is the choice of a number of computer programs, with the idea of giving back one of the sacrificed pieces while leaving Black's King relatively safe - White's attacking chances relatively diminished. Annoying.

8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Nc3 

This move is solid, if somewhat rare, according to The Database. Interestingly enough, 4 of the 7 previous games with the move were played by the computer program Comet B48 in a computer vs computer tournament in 2009. White scored 2 - 2, reasonably enough.

9...Nf6 10.Qe2 c6

A novelty, according to The Database.

11.d3 Rf8 12.Rf1 Kd7 13.Be3 Bxe3 14.Qxe3 Qb6 15.Qxb6 axb6 

White's plan for the middle game is a basic one: to develop solidly, create weaknesses in the opponent's position while avoiding over-reaching. Wasn't it Steinitz who said that if you have the advantage, you must attack - or risk losing the advantage. So, White reasons: let Black attack - let him make the mistakes.

16.O-O-O Kc7 17.h3 Be6 18.a3 b5 19.g4 h6 20.Ne2 Nd7 21.Ng3 Rxf1 

One recommendation I learned long ago was "When you are ahead in material, exchange pieces; when you are behind in material, exchange pawns." For a while, Black seems to be aware of this.

22.Rxf1 Rf8 23.Rxf8 Nxf8 24.Nh5 g6 25.Ng3 h5 

Eliminating the Kingside pawns has to be helpful for White.

26.gxh5 gxh5 27.Nxh5 Bxh3

28.Kd2 Ne6 29.c3 Nf4 30.Ng3 Kd6 31.Ke3 c5 32.d4 cxd4+ 33.cxd4 Ng2+ 34.Kd3 Nf4+ 35.Ke3 Ne6 36.dxe5+ Kxe5 

White is hanging on. Black is better, but there are not that many pawns to get rid of now.

37.Ne2 Nc5 38.Nd4 Bg2 39.Nxb5 Bxe4 40.b4 Bc6 41.Nd4 Ne6

42.Ne2 

Swapping the Knight for the Bishop would make things worse, as after 42.Nxc6 bxc6 Black would be able to retreat his Knight to c7 and control White's pawns.

42...Kd5 43.Kd2 Kc4 44.Kc2 

I mean no disrespect for the player of the white pieces, as I quote from the very interesting The Complete Chess Swindler, by David Smerdon

I completely agree that a player should try to play the best moves - but I disagree that "best" always equals the engine's first choice. The computer evaluates a position assuming that our opponent will play perfectly at every turn; it doesn't (and cannot) consider the myriad of important human factors in a contest, such as fatigue, time pressure, risk-aversion complacency, frustration, impulsiveness... the list goes on.

44...Nd4+ 45.Nxd4 Kxd4 46.Kb3 b5 

Nailing down White's a-pawn. But - wait!

47.a4 

The move of the game, surpassing even 4...Bxf7+.

47...bxa4+ 48.Kb2 Kc4 49.b5 Bxb5 50.Ka1 Kb3 51.Kb1 drawn

Yes, indeed. The game has reached the notorious "Rook pawn + wrong Bishop" ending, which is drawn because White's King can control or occupy the pawn's Queening square, and the enemy Bishop is of the wrong color to chase him out.

Very well played!