Jerome Gambit: Ghosts of Moves Unplayed

Playing a 3-minute game often requires both players to put aside any thoughts of what moves they could have played, or should have mande, but didn't. With more time to reflect, such musings might help in forming future plans, but in blitz, they can haunt ongoing play.

BoomBoomTNT-YT - tyronev1
3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 

Now, Black can choose Blackburne's Defense, 7...d6, or Whistler's Defense, 7...Qe7 - both are complicated and dangerous - or amongst a handful of lesser lines, e.g. 7...Bd6.

7...Qe7 

8.Qd5+

We have recently taken a look at this infrequently- played move. See "Jerome Gambit: Largely Overlooked by History".

Recent alternatives:

8.Qxe7+ Kxe7 9.b3 a6 10.Bb2 Nf6 11.O-O Kf7 12.Nc3 Bd4 13.Rae1 Bxc3 14.Bxc3 d6 15.e5 dxe5 16.Bxe5 Rg8 17.Bxc7 Bg4 18.f3 Bh5 19.Bd6 Rad8 20.Bb4 g5 21.Re7+ Kg6 22.Rxb7 Rg7 23.Rb6 Rd4 24.Bc3 Rd8 25.Rxf6 checkmate, Ghigi,N - NN, 5 1 blitz, 2020;

8.Qxh8 Ke6 (8...Qxe4+ 9.Kd1 Qxg2 10.Qxh7+ Kf8 11.c3 Qxh1+ 12.Kc2 Qe4+ 13.d3 Qa4+ 14.b3 Qg4 15.Bh6+ Nxh6 16.Qxh6+ Kf7 17.Qh7+ Kf6 18.Nd2 Bxf2 19.Ne4+ Kf5 20.Qf7+ Ke5 21.Qf6+ Kd5 22.c4 checkmate, tomkoolen1996 - ThomasBovenkerk, 10 5 blitz, lichess.org, .com, 2020; or 8...Nf6 9.d3 b6 10.Bg5 Bd4 11.c3 Bb7 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Qxh7+ Kf8 14.Qxe7+ Black resigned, Anonymous -Anonymous, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020) 9.Qxg8+ Kd6 10.Qd5 checkmate, decidueyemainbtw -MarcosEngenheiro, Chess.com 2020; and

8.Qf4+ Qf6 9.Qg3 Bd6 10.f4 Bxf4 11.Qb3+ Qe6 12.O-O Qxb3 13.Rxf4+ Kg7 14.axb3 d6 15.d4 Ne7 16.Nc3 Bd7 17.Be3 a6 18.Raf1 Rhe8 19.Rf7+ Kh8 20.Bg5 Nc6 21.Bf6+ Kg8 22.Rxd7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest744598, PlayChess.com, 2020.

8...Kg7

The text move looks a little bit better than 8...Kf8, which might place the King in the way of a Rook that wants to be developed, e.g. eronald - ayushsankar1006, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020 (0-1, 23). 

9.d4 Bb4+

Not quite as strong as 9...Bb6, levigun - obviously, 5d + 2d GameKnot.com, 2004, (0-1, 11) 

10.c3 Nf6 11.Qe5 

White has to be careful, with only one piece developed vs three, even with his strong pawn center. Fortunately, Black helps him out.

11...Qxe5 

Exchanging Queens in the Jerome Gambit if often a help to the defender. In this case - a 3-minute blitz game - Black has not looked deeply enough, however.

12.dxe5 Nxe4 13.cxb4 Re8 

14.Nc3 

A bit stronger was 14.0-0 Rxe5 15.Bf4 Re6 16.Bxc7. This possibility seems to haunt both player's thoughts during the next few moves, perhaps unconsciously.

14...Rxe5 15.O-O 

Of course, White can not now play 15.Bf4 Re6 16.Bxc7 because of 16...Nxc3+.

15...d5 16.Be3 

This is a solid move, although, again, 16.Bf4 was on.

16...c6

Black suddenly realizes that the 16.Bf4 skewer could win a pawn, so he moves that pawn to safety. But he overlooks something.

17.Bd4 

Black resigned

The Rook is a goner.

Jerome Gambit: Largely Overlooked by History

I wanted to share another eronald (of lichess.org) game for a number of reasons. He faced one of the more challenging defenses to the Jerome Gambit, he selected a line of play that was recommended over 140 years ago - and which has been scarcely played at all. This game also allows me to tuck in a note from my research that comes from I-do-not-know-where. 

eronald - ayushsankar1006
5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

This can lead to either the Blackburne Defense, 7...d6, or Whistler's Defense, 7...Qe7. Both are complicated and each can be dangerous for the unwary. 

My preference to play, and not to face, is Whistler's. See "More (Update): Whistler's Defense" for a discussion.

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qd5+ 

The highly dangerous (for White) 8.Qxh8 appeared in Jerome - Norton, D., correspondence, 1876 (1/2 - 1/2, 20) and Jerome - Whistler, correspondence, 1876 (0-1, 15). Jerome was fortunate to gain a half point from the two games. The December, 1876 issue of  American Chess Journal, commenting on the Whistler game, recommended 8.Qd5+ without analysis.

Then 8.Qd5+ practically disappeared from the face of the earth. Perhaps it should be referred to as Jerome Gambit Secrets #12 ?

I have in my notes something from a 2020 1 0 bullet game at
lichess.org - the players are not named

If played correctly 7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qd5 + Kg7 9.d4 Bb4 + 10.c3 Nf6 11.Qe5 Bd6 12.Qxe7 + Bxe7 13.f3 White plays one piece, and for the second they have more space and two pawns - you can still play very much (position on the interactive whiteboard), both on the one and the other side. Although, objectively speaking, Black has a win, but you need to make fairly accurate moves, let's recall the game of the unforgettable Mikhail Tal - how many could hold their position after the Tal victims, who turned out to be objectively won in the home analysis?

It is not every day that you see the Jerome Gambit and the Magician from Riga mentioned in the same paragraph! 

Of course, Tal has already been mentioned on the blog: see "The Evans-Jerome Gambit Returns (Part 1)" and "Correctness".

8...Kf8 

If, instead, 8...Kg7, the game continued 9.d4 Bb6 10. Bg5 Nf6 11.e5 Nxd5 White resigned, levigun - obviously, GameKnot.com, 2004. This is the only other 8.Qd5+ game in The Database.

9.O-O c6 10.Qc4 d5 11.exd5 cxd5 

12.Qf4+ 

White declines the pawn (12.Qxd5), as Black could then develop his Bishop or Knight, attacking the Queen with tempo. 

12...Nf6 13.d4 Bd6 14.Qd2 Qe4 

This looks a bit odd, although Black retains his advantage.

Given that this was a 5-minute blitz game, and taking into consideration Black's previous move, perhaps he was planning to set up the Bishop + Queen battery, but at the last second, noticed that 14...Qe5 would drop Her Majesty?

15.Re1 Qh4 16.Qh6+ Qxh6 17. Bxh6+ Kf7 18. Nc3 Ng4 

ayushsankar1006 continues to press his attack, even with Queens off of the board. Both players now ignore the pawn at h2 for a short while.

19.Bg5 Be6 20.Nb5  

Perhaps planning to allow the h-pawn capture, and then trap the Bishop with g2-g3, while limiting where the prelate could otherwise retreat to? Or, was the clock ticking? In any event, 20.h3 was probably the move to make. 

20...Bxh2+ 21.Kh1 a6 

The fly in the ointment. The Knight is invited to leave.

22.Nc7

Likely the clock.

22...Bxc7 23.f3 White resigned

Jerome Gambit: Patient Who Suffered Not Too Long

I recently receive a Jerome Gambit game from eronald, who plays online at lichess.org. His comment

For your entertainment, here is my latest Jerome treatment of a patient who suffered not too long.

Indeed! Especially in blitz.

eronald - basel82
5 1 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nf6 

Ah, yes. I am reminded of the comment by FM Stefan Buecker, in the online ChessPub Forum, over a decade ago

Searching for a forced refutation of a rare opening, with the clock ticking, requires more courage than many have.

(For the record, he was not referencing the Jerome Gambit - but he might as well have been. For other "might as well have beens", see "Were They Talking About the Jerome Gambit Again?")

I am also reminded of the old, vaudeville joke, which I pass on to all defenders

patient: Doc, it hurts when I do this [demonstrates] 

doctor: Well, then, don't do that.

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qc4+ Be6 11.Qe2 Re8 12.O-O Ke7

Certainly completing castling-by-hand with 12...Kg8 would have been more prudent.

Please, Doctor eronald, put this patient out of his misery.

13.f5 Bd7 14.d4 Rg8 

Strange symptomatology, Doctor. Will he survive?

15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Nd5 

Oh, dear. Not having the best of days. (Time trouble?)

17.Bg5+ Kf8 

Interposing the Knight with 17...Nf6 is equally horrible, e.g. 18.exf6+ Kf8 19.fxg7+ Rxg7 20.Bxd8 Bc6 21.Rd1 Rxg2+ 22.Qxg2 Kxg2 when White is a Rook, two pieces, and a pawn ahead.

18.Bxd8 Rxd8 19.e6 Re8 

This pin will not hold...

20.exd7 Rd8 

If 20.Rxe2 d8/Qch 21.Re8 Qxd5, etc.

21.f6 

Doc, I keep seeing pawns. They're everywhere!

21...g6 22.Nc3 Rxd7 23.Nxd5 Rf7 24.Rae1 Rxf6 25.Qe7 checkmate