I enjoyed my recent online Jerome Gambit game, and even though the computer had plenty to say about my play, afterward, I enjoyed that, too.
perrypawnpusher - atomsymbol
10 0 blitz, FICS, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
This is a solid move, but I am always glad to see it, because it seems to have a "do it yourself" feel. It is as if Black has reasoned "nobody would seriously sacrifice two pieces in the opening, so it seems reasonable, if not downright scientific, and, maybe, even necessary, to give one back, right away". Thank you.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 N8e7
The knight usually goes to f6, but the text is something that Jerome Gambit regulars such as AsceticKing, Bill Wall, chessmusings, MrBlack, MrJoker, shugart, vlastous and I have faced before, so it is worth being ready for. The Knight provides some protection for the King along the e-file, and leaves the f-file open for Black's Rook.
9.O-O d6 10.Qe3 Rf8 11.f4 Qd7
Komodo 9.02, in blunder check mode, does not object to this move, but it seems to block Black's Bishop, which blocks Black's Rook - a classic weakness in the Jerome.
On the other hand, it provides some restraint on White playing e4-e5, once his Queen has been enticed to the d-file, since the exchange of Queens would dampen any kind of attack. Perhaps Black should have tried 11...Nc6, as in perrypawnpusher - taman, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-30).
12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc4 14.Qd3
Done almost as a reflex, and providing support for the pawn at f5, should I play e4-e5, but I probably should have looked at and evaluated 14.Qe2. (14...d5 would have been a good response to any of my choices.) Interestingly, last year shugart chose 14.Qb3 in his game against oritelgavi (0-1, 36).
14...b5 15.b3 Nb6 16.Bg5 a6 17.Nc3 h6 18.Bxe7 Kxe7 19.Rae1 Kd8
Komodo now sees White as having equalized, meaning that it gives the first player some positional plusses in its evaluation to balance out the 2 pawns vs piece material disadvantage. Black lags in development (but he will quickly fix this) and his King is riskily placed.
20.Nd5
Komodo's preference shows how chess computers have improved in their positional play: my move allows opening the e-file, but the computer prefers to see the Knight posted on e6, and suggests, even at the cost of time: 20.Ne2 Bb7 21.Nf4 Rg8 22.Ne6+ Kc8 It then anchors the Knight with 23.d5, with an even game. I need to learn to see the quieter moves.
20...Nxd5 21.exd5 Bb7 22.c4 Re8
Contesting the e-file. It is enlightening to see that Komodo prefers that Black castle-by-hand on the Queenside. The whole line of recommended play - well beyond my during-the-game investigations - ends up with a very unbalanced position which it assesses as better for Black, although White clearly has practical chances: 22...Kc8 23.Qe3 Qf7 24.Qe7 Kb8 25.Qh4 Re8 26.Re6 Bc8 27.Rxe8 Qxe8 28.f6 gxf6 29.Qxh6 Bb7 30.Qxf6 Qe3+ 31.Qf2 Qc3 32.Qf3 Qxd4+ 33.Qf2 Qd3 34.Rc1 Bc8 35.h3 Kb7 36.Kh2 Bd7 37.cxb5 axb5 38.Qc2 Qxc2 39.Rxc2
analysis diagram
I might not be able to hold this position with White, but a good number of stronger Jerome Gambiteers probably could.
23.Re6 Rxe6
This Rook exchange gives up too much. It is fascinating to see what Komodo believes is a better line of play, with Black forcing a draw: 23...Rg8 24.Rfe1 Kc8 25.Re7 Qd8 26.Qg3 Kb8 27.Rxg7 Rxg7 28.Qxg7 bxc4 29.bxc4 Qh4 30.g3 Qh5 31.f6 Ka7 32.f7 Qf3 33.g4 Rf8 34.Re7 h5 35.Rxc7 hxg4 36.Qxf8 Qd1+ 37.Kf2 Qf3+ 38.Ke1 Qe3+ 39.Kd1 and White cannot escape the checks, leading to a draw. Nice, but this was all beyond my assessments.
analysis diagram
24.fxe6 Qe7
White's control of the f-file, his Rook invasion point at f7, the possible invasion by the Queen at h7 (I missed that in the game) and Black's weak back rank all support the assessment that White is winning.
25.Rf7
Even stronger was 25.Qh7 with back rank mate threats, as well as plans to pin Black's Queen with a Rook. Giving up a piece gives temporary respite 25...Bxd5 26.cxd5 Kc8 27.Qc2 The new weakness is the 7th rank and the c-pawn 27...Kb7 (27...c5 28.dxc6 Qxe6 29.Qd2 Qe8 30.Re1 Qd8 31.Re6 Ra7 32.Qe1 Qg5 33.d5 or 27...Qe8 28.Qc6 Qxc6 29.Rf8+ Kb7 30.dxc6+ Kxc6 31.Rxa8) 28.Qc6+ Ka7 29.Rf7 Re8 30.Rxe7 Rxe7 31.Qd7 Rxd7 32.exd7 Kb7 33.d8=Q It will soon be "curtains" for Black.
25...Qe8 26.Qf3
This move is fine, but 26.Qf5 was more precise. Why? Because, after the text my opponent could have surprised me with 26...Qxe6, and, while the move wouldn't have saved the game (27.dxe6 Bxf3 28.gxf3 Ra7 29.d5!?) any kind of suprise can be a weapon in blitz.
26...bxc4
This leads to a quick end.
27.Rf8 Bxd5 28.Rxe8+ Kxe8 29.Qf7+ Kd8 30.Qd7 checkmate
I have a Google Alert set up to notify me about the appearances of the name "Jerome Gambit" on the internet.
This morning it returned a link to a discussion on Reddit.com started by Chessmusings, that leads off
My favorite "naughty opening" is the Jerome Gambit. What's yours?
Cool. I appreciate the mention of my name, and this blog as well.
Chris Torres, of the online site Chess Musings, sends "a game I just played where I forced a Jerome Gambit where it didn’t belong. 😉 "
Check it out.
chessmusings - Stefanrapp
internet, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.c3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
Good Old Uncle Jerome... You can't take him anywhere without him causing some kind of disturbance.
Here, Black was looking for a quiet game, the kind of thing you would reach after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5, and he even tossed in ...h6, so that, after White's c3, the game would be even quieter.
Alas, White sports some Jerome mischief with 5.Bxf7+.
It is interesting to note that while the computers clutch at their silicon pearls after such a move, Stockfish 9 suggests, instead, 5.b4 Bd6 6.O-O Nge7 7.d4 Ng6 8.dxe5 Ngxe5 9.Nxe5 Bxe5 10.b5 Na5 11.Bxf7+ - Good Old Uncle Jerome, late to the party, but still livening things up.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ke6
8.d4 Nd3+
As happens in many a Jerome encounter, Black has a few ideas that are interesting and correct. But this does not end the discussion.
9.Kd1 Be7
But this move clearly does.
10.Qd5+ Kf6 11.Qf5 checkmate
Like with many conversations, Black is left muttering "What I should have said was..."
Chris Torres (see "Always Be Ready to Deliver Checkmate", "The Most Violent Chess Game Ever Played!", "Another Lesson in the Jerome Gambit", "More Musings" and "More Useful Junk") of the blog site Chess Musings, always sends exciting Jerome Gambit games.
His game below clearly illustrates why many club players still find a way to play the "refuted" opening.
chessmusings - snoopy2
Internet, 2017
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
Here we have a fairly representative position from the "classical" Jerome Gambit (5.Nxe5+), 6...Ng6 variation, including the "nudge" 7.Qd5+ (giving Black something more to think about).
10.O-O Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.Nc3 Qe7
White has castled and begun to move his central pawns forward. Black is near castling-by-hand and has chosen the e-pawn as a target.
13.d3 Ng4
Was it Oscar Wilde who said "I can resist anything except temptation"?
Black suddenly decides that harassing the White Queen is a good idea.
14.Qf3 Kg8
Safe and sound.
15.f5 N6e5 16.Qg3 h6
A risky waste of time, creating a weakness - all disguised as defensive preparation against Bg5.
17.d4 Nxh2
Things are becoming complicated, and Black decides that, since he has an extra piece, the simplest path would be to return one, grabbing a pawn in the process. However, even if more pieces on the board means more things to calculate, 17...Nf6 was the proper move.
It is ironic that the Knight sac lures White's King to an exposed square where, in a few moves, Black will be able to check and win back a piece - thereby sealing his fate.
18.Kxh2 Nc6 19.f6
Oh, those "Jerome pawns"!
19...Qf7 20.Bxh6
See the note to move 16.
20...Qh5+
Black is in a very difficult position, as even the boring 20...Nxd4 21.Qxg7+ Qxg7 22.Bxf7 shows - White's extra, passed pawns will give the win.
Black is happy to win the Bishop at h6, but in the process he overlooks White's f-pawn. Time problems? Over-confidence? Despair?
21.Kg1 Qxh6 22.f7+
22...Kf8 23.fxe8/Q+ Kxe8 24.Nd5 Nxd4
Black can afford to allow the Knight fork at c7, attacking a Rook, because he has his own Knight fork at e2, attacking a Queen.
25. Nc7+ Kd7 26.Rf7+
But, here is the thing: the game is no longer just about material advantage (as 26...Kd8 27.Qd3 would show) but also about King safety - and checkmate.
26...Kc6 27.Qc3+ Kb6 28.Nd5+ Ka6 29.Nb4+ Kb5 30.a4+ Kb6 31.Qc7 checkmate
Very nice.
Chris Torres (see "The Most Violent Chess Game Ever Played!", "Another Lesson in the Jerome Gambit", "More Musings" and "More Useful Junk") of the blog site Chess Musings, sent a Jerome Gambit game that is a reminder that the attacker must always be ready to deliver checkmate.
chessmusings - Dumble Door
Internet, 2016
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 Be7
An unusual move. Checking The Database, I discovered only a dozen games with this position (White scored 79%). I noticed some of the "usual suspects" playing the Jerome: UNPREDICTABLE, chessmanjeff, fehim, Petasluk - and perrypawnpusher (a loss!).
8.O-O Nf6 9.Nc3 d6 10.Qg3 Rg8
A "mysterious Rook move" that actually seems to have something to do with castling-by-hand - on the Queenside!
11.f4 Bd7 12.e5 Ne8 13.d4 c6 14.f5
The "Jerome pawns" are on the march!
But, Black has a plan: return his extra piece for a couple of pawns and then continue his King's journey to safety across the board!
14...Kf7 15.e6+ Bxe6 16.fxe6+ Kxe6
Onwards to c7, c8 or b8!
17.Qh3 checkmate
Ooops.
