Jerome Gambit Delayed: Consulting The Database and Stockfish

The following game has a line in the Jerome Gambit (Delayed?) that I am not very familiar with, so I consulted with The Database and Stockfish 8 for some assistance. It is good to see jfhumphrey move quickly to victory.


jfhumphrey - ckilee
5 0 blitz, FICS, 2017

1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O

4...Nf6

Transposing to a Two Knights Defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6) with ...Bc5 added.

The Database has 1,148 games with this position, with White scoring 42%. (For comparison, The Database shows White scoring 45% after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7

Now The Database has 1,909 games with this position (oh, the joys of transposition) with White scoring 40%.

6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

The Database has 291 games with this position, with White scoring 45%.

7...Bd6

Now, however, The Database has 35 games with this position, with White scoring 71%. From a practical point of view, Black has made an error that generally gets punished.

Interestingly enough, Stockfish 8 sees the text move as giving White less than a half of a pawn advantage. It prefers 7...d5, and this is backed up by The Database, which has 10 games with that move - all of them wins for Black.

8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.f4 Bd6 10.e5 Bc5+

Stronger than 10...Ne4?! 11.exd6 (11.Qd5+!?) Nxd6 12.Qd5+ Kf8 13.f5 Qf6 14.Nc3 c6 15.Qf3 Nf7 16.Be3 Ne5 17.Qe4 d5 18.Qd4 Kf7 19.Bf4 Re8 20.Bxe5 Qxe5 21.Qf2 Kg8 22.Rae1 Qxe1 23.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 24.Qxe1 Bxf5 25.Qe7 h5 26.h3 Bxc2 27.Qxb7 Rf8 28.Qxc6 Bd3 29.Nxd5 Rf1+ 30.Kh2 Be4 31.Qe6+ Kh7 32.Qxe4+ Black forfeited on time, Teterow - yelloman, FICS, 2011.

11.Kh1 Ne4 

Better alternatives are: 11...d6 12.exf6 Qxf6 13.Nc3 c6 (13...Qf5 14.Nd5 c6 15.Nc3 d5 16.Ne2 Re8 17.Ng3 Qf6 18.Bd2 Qxb2 19.Rb1 Qf6 20.Nh5 Qf5 21.Bc3 d4 White forfeited on time, aymmd - JabbaChess, FICS, 2012) 14.Ne4 Qf5 15.Nxd6+ Bxd6 16.Qxd6 Re8 17.Bd2 Be6 18.Bc3 Bd5 19.Qc5 Bxg2+ 20.Kxg2 Qxc5 White resigned, motorfot - theophraste, FICS, 2014;

11...Bb6 12.exf6 Qxf6 13.Qd5+ Qe6 14.Qh5+ Qg6 15.Qf3 Rf8 16.f5 Qc6 17.Qb3+ d5 18.Nd2 Kg8 19.Nf3 Qc4 20.Bg5 Qxb3 21.cxb3 Bxf5 22.Be7 Rfe8 23.Bb4 Be4 24.Ng5 h6 25.Nh3 c5 26.Bc3 Rf8 27.Rfe1 Bf5 28.Nf4 d4 29.Bd2 Rae8 30.Nd5 Black forfeited on time, jfhumphrey - Dimo, FICS, 2012; and

11...d5 12.exf6 gxf6 13.Nc3 Bf5 14.Nxd5 Bxc2 15.Qxc2 Qxd5 16.Bd2 Rag8 17.Bc3 Be3 18.Rad1 Qb5 19.a4 Qc6 20.Rf3 Bc5 21.Qf5 Be7 22.a5 Rd8 23.Re1 Rd5 24.Qe4 Rd7 25.Rh3 White forfeited on time, aymmd - GriffySr, FICS, 2011.

Incorrect are 11...Nd5 12.Qxd5+ Black resigned, Svrbt - pantyhose, FICS, 2011 and

11...Ng8 12.Qd5+ Ke8 13.Qxc5 Ne7 14.f5 Rf8 15.f6 gxf6 16.Bh6 Rg8 17.exf6 b6 18.Qh5+ Ng6 19.f7+ Ke7 20.Qg5+ Kd6 21.Rd1+ Kc6 22.Qd5 checkmate, chessmoods - MChessplayer, FICS, 2012.

Best is 11...Be7 12. exf6 Bxf6 when White has a slight edge. 

12.Qd5+ Ke8

Or 12...Kf8 13.Qxe4 d6 (13...Qe7 14.Be3 d6 15.Bxc5 dxc5 16.Nc3 Kf7 17.Rad1 g6 18.Nd5 Qe6 19.Nxc7 Rb8 20.Nxe6 Black resigned, HauntedKnight - jonisjonis, FICS, 2010) 14.e6 Qe7 15.f5 c6 16.Nc3 d5 17.Qg4 Qf6 18.Bg5 Qd4 19.Rad1 Qxg4 20.Bf4 Ke7 21.h3 Qh5 22.Rf3 g5 23.Be3 Bxe3 24.Rxe3 g4 25.Rf1 gxh3 26.Rxh3 Qg5 27.Ne2 h5 28.c3 Rg8 29.Rg3 Qxg3 30.Nxg3 Rxg3 31.Kh2 Rg8 32.b3 Kd6 33.a4 b6 34.b4 Ba6 35.Rf2 Ke5 36.e7 Rg5 37.f6 Ke6 38.Kh3 Rf5 39.Re2+ Kf7 40.g3 Black forfeited on time, HauntedKnight - heverson, FICS, 2011. 

13.Qxe4 

White has a pawn advantage. At this point the clock seems to be influencing move choices.

13...Rf8 14.Qxh7 d6 15.Qxg7 dxe5 16.Qxe5+ Be7 

White will finish the game off in short order. 

17.Nc3 Bf5 18.Be3 b6 19.Rad1 Qc8 20.Nd5 Rf7 21.Nxc7+ Kf8 22.Qh8 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Another Smother

Here is another "smothered checkmate". It is interesting that it is the computer program that falls victim to the Queen sacrifice and mate.

chessmoods - LuigiBot
standard, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.Bxf7+

Transposing to a "modern" (vs "classical") version of the Jerome Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0 Nf6, etc. The Database has 1,065 games with this position. White scores 41%.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ 

Now White decides to go "classical" after all. It is as if the game started 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 and then continued 6.0-0 Nf6 7.d4 (or 6.d4 Nf6 7.0-0). If LuigiBot has a "book" it is likely it is out of it.

6...Nxe5 7.d4 Re8 

Black sees no reason to retreat a piece from the d-pawn's attack, as White will win one, anyway. So, he develops.

8.dxc5 d5 9.Bg5 dxe4 10.Nc3 Bg4 11.Qe1 Qd4

Black is certainly active and better. The game still has to be won, however.

12.Bxf6 Kxf6 13.Nxe4+ Kf7 14.c3 Qd5 15.Ng5+ Kg8 16.Qc1 Qxc5

Now Black's King is safe, and there is still the matter of the extra piece. What's to worry? Well, for starters, humans can be pretty tricky...

17.h3 Nd3 18.Qc2 Be2

The computer can not see far enough ahead to avoid the Queen sacrifice.

19.Qb3+ Kh8 20.Nf7+ Kg8 21.Nh6+ Kh8 22.Qg8+ Rxg8 23.Nf7 checkmate

Nice.

This is not the first time that LuigiBot has been bested by the Jerome Gambit. See "Poor, Poor Computer" for example.