Jerome Gambit: Out-Think A Thinker (Not)

Facing Bill Wall and his well-honed Jerome Gambit, the defender has to realize that a) Bill is a pretty good player and b) Bill has a lot of experience with the opening. Trying to out-think him over-the-(key)-board can be a risky proposition.

Wall, Bill - NN
lichess.org, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bd6 

Black adopts a strategy reminiscent of the "fork trick". The move, itself, is okay, but the followup is troublesome. Playing-by-analogy has its risks.

7.dxe5 Bxe5

For example, here Black continues his "fork trick" idea, when he would do best, instead, to play 7...Be7 or the bright 7...Bb4+ 8.c3 Be7.

8.Qd5+ Kf6 

It stands to reason, thinks Black, that I am facing a poor opening, so there must be a hole in it - somewhere. Surely I can't be losing a piece. I will just protect it.

(Actually, White scores about 75% after the Queen check, in games in The Database.)

Bill has some experience with opponents who have abandoned the piece: 8...Kf8 9.Qxe5 d6 (9...Qe7 10.Qf4+ Nf6 11.Nc3 d6 12.O-O Qe5 13.Qxe5 dxe5 14.f4 exf4 15.Bxf4 Ne8 16.Bd6+ Kg8 17.Rf8 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest539122, PlayChess.com, 2015) 10.Qd4 (10.Qb5 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.Qd3 Be6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 Ke7 16.O-O-O Ne8 17.f4 g4 18.Bh4+ Nf6 19.e5 dxe5 20.Qg6 Qf8 21.fxe5 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016) 10...Nf6 11.O-O c5 12.Qd3 Bd7 13.Bf4 a6 14.Bxd6+ Kf7 15.e5 Bb5 16.c4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest5856753, PlayChess.com, 2016 

9.f4 Bd6 

The poor Bishop. Troubled, troubled, troubled, At least it will not be lost. 

10.Qg5+ Kf7 11.Qxd8

Perhaps there was something to White's opening choice after all.

Jerome Gambit: In Pawns We Trust

In the Jerome Gambit White gives up a piece or two for a couple of pawns. Often he must rely on those pawns for active play against his opponent. In the following game the play first seems less-than-active, but that eventually changes, much to Black's misfortune.

IgorSolonicin -prokaznik
4 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2016

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 10.f3

Steinitz said that the player with the advantage must attack, or risk losing that advantage. White prepares to face that attack, relying on solid "Jerome pawns" instead of planning an attack of his own with f2-f4.

10...Kf7 11.O-O

Equally good is 11.d4 as in Wall,B - Guest3544144, PlayChess.com, 2013  (1-0, 35)

11...Rf8

Or 11...Re8 12.h3 Kg8 13.d4 Be6 14.d5 Bd7 15.Nc3 a6 16.Qg5 Bb5 17.Re1 Bd7 18.Qg3 Ne5 19.Qf2 Ng6 20.Bg5 Rf8 21.e5 dxe5 22.Rxe5 h6 23.Ne4 hxg5 24.Rxg5 Nxe4 25.Rxg6 Qg5 26.Rxg5 Nxf2 27.Kxf2 Bf5 28.Re1 g6 29.Re7 Rf7 30.Rxc7 Kg7 31.d6 Rxc7 32.dxc7 Rc8 33.g4 Rxc7 34.gxf5 Rxc2+ 35.Kg3 Kf6 36.Rxg6+ Kxf5 37.Rg7 Ke5 38.Rxb7 Kd4 39.Rb3 Rc3 40.Rxc3 Black forfeited on time, Alekarpo - ImKindOfAlright, lichess.org, 2016.

Also, 11...Be6 was seen in Wall,B - Guest1105387, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 30).

12.Qb3+ d5 13.d4 Kg8 14.e5

Or 14.Nc3!?

14...Nh5 15.g3 b6 16.Qe3 Ba6 17.Re1 Qe8 18.f4 Ne7

Black misses his chance. He should try 18...Nhxf4 19.gxf4 Nxf4 20.Qg3 Ne2+ 21.Rxe2 Bxe2.

19.Qf3 g6 20.Nc3 Ng7 21.Nxd5 Qd8 22.Nxe7+

Or 22.Nf6+!? Kh8 23.d5.

22...Qxe7 23.c3 c5 24.d5 

24...c4 25.Be3 Bb7 26.Kf2 Nf5 27.Rad1 Rad8 28.d6 Bxf3 29.dxe7 Nxe7

Missing the important 29...Bxd1 30.exf8=Q+ Kxf8 and giving up his advantage.

30.Kxf3 Nf5 31.Bd4 Rd5 32.g4 Nxd4+ 33.Rxd4 Rfd8 34.Red1
Rxd4 35.Rxd4 Rxd4 36.cxd4 

36...Kf7 37.d5 b5 38.Ke3 a5 39.Kd4 h6 40.h4 Ke7 41.Kc5 Black resigned

The Montgomery Major Attack and Friends

I received an email the other day concerning Montgomery Major, whose name is attached to a gambit - the "Montgomery Major Attack" - that was touched upon in this blog about 4 1/2 years ago.

The line develops out of the Tennison Gambit, going 1.e4 d5 2.Nf3 dxe4 3.Ng5 e5 4.Nxf7 Kxf7 5.Qh5+. 

Of course, my interest was the way in which the opening showed certain Jerome Gambit (J. H. Blackburne might have said "Kentucky Opening") tendencies - although the piece sacrificed was a Knight, not a Bishop.

Much to my surprise, other than a half dozen bullet (1 minute, 0 increment) games at lichess.org, I have found only one example of the opening.

Watts,J (1835) - Zeidler,S (2235)
West Wales op Swansea, 1999

1.e4 d5 2.Nf3 dxe4 3.Ng5 e5 4.Nxf7 Kxf7 5.Qh5+ g6 6.Qxe5 Nf6 7.Bc4+ Kg7 8.d4 Nc6 9.Qg5 h6 10.Qg3 Nxd4 11.0-0 b5 12.Rd1 bxc4 13.Rxd4 Qxd4 14.Qxc7+ White Resigned

This, in turn, reminded me of the Damiano Defense 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6, which can continue 3.Nxe5 fxe5 4.Qh5+. 

The Damiano came up in a couple of my games while I was attempting to reach a Jerome Gambit - starting 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 f6. These were examined in "A Jerome Gambit Declined" and "Frustration is the Grandmother of Invention".

Counter-Gambit Rumble

While it has been suggested that "the best way to refute a gambit is to accept it", there are those who prefer to go one step further, and offer their own aggressive gambit in turn.

Philidor1792 - Stranger
Casual Game, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 

About 4 years ago this blog discussed ways to approach this move (instead of 4...Bc5) in "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense" Parts 1, 2, 3, 4.

4.Bxf7+ 

As we have seen earlier in Philidor1792's play, after the alternative 4.Bb3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ we would have a Delayed Jerome Gambit (see "Jerome Gambit-Inspired Play (Part 4)")

An early peek at this 4.Bxf7+ line occurred in "What's Going On Here?", and an early game was presented in "Opening Tale"; but much of what is in The Database on this line is from Philidor1792's games. (In some, below, he appears as "You".)

By the way, all of the referenced games can now be found in The Database.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

Some alternatives:

5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 in sTpny - yimansmellsbad, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 28); 

5.Ng5+ in caovas - tomi36, 1 1 blitz, lichess.org, 2013 (1-0, 27) and KillerBishop - TheMentalist, 40 5, lichess.org, 2013 (0-1, 17); 

5.d4 d5 (5...exd4 6.e5, yorgos - perrypawnpusher, blitz, FICS 2009, [1-0, 48]) in tomas2013 - tomi36, 1 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2013 (1-0, 22);

5.d3 d5 (5... d6 in viejoasquerosos - Killyourking, Redhotpawn.com, 2004 [0-1, 27]) cnselway - boycey, net-chess.com, 2001 (0-1, 11); and, finally

5.0-0 Bc5 6.Nc3,  leobrazer - perrypawnpusher, blitz, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 48), transposes into a variation of the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. 

5...Nxe5 6.d4 Neg4 

The alternative 6...Ng6 (met with 7.e5) was seen in Philidor1792 - Guest805466, 3 1 blitz, PlayChessBase.com, 2014 (1-0, 62);  You-Stranger, blitz, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 16)) You - Stranger, blitz, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 17);  Philidor1792 - guest1278, blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014 (1-0, 29); Philidor1792 - Guest691264, 3 0 blitz, Play.ChessBase.com, 2014 (1-0, 14); and Philidor1792 - Juppzupp, 3 0 blitz, PlayChessBase.com, 2014 (1-0, 24).

Instead, 6...Nc6 (also met by 7.e5) was seen in Philidor1792 - guest345, blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014 (1-0, 15);  Philidor1792 - guest3018, blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014 (½-½, 24);  Philidor1792 - guest1334, blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014 (1-0, 20); You - Stranger, blitz, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 18); and Philidor1792 - Guest292640, 5 0 blitz, PlayChessBase.com, 2014 (1-0, 50).

Also seen was 6...Nc4 (also met with 7.e5) You - Stranger, blitz, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 26). 

7.e5 Nxf2 

I hope Readers have stayed through all of the history and games above, as this game is about to get very violent. After all, Black has two extra pieces, and he can use them as he wishes.

8.Kxf2 Ne4+ 9.Ke1 Qh4+ 10.g3 Nxg3 11.Qf3+

11...Nf5+ 12.Kd1 g6 13.c3 Bh6 14.Bxh6 Qxh6 15.Nd2 Kg7

Black's counter-attack has slowed, but he still has the advantage - starting with a safer King.

16.Ne4 Ne3+ 17.Ke2 Rf8 

At this point, Black's plans begin to go haywire - shortness of time?

18.Qxe3 Qxe3+ 19.Kxe3 

The game is even - but not for long.

19...d5 20.Nf6 Bf5 21.Nxd5 Be4 22.Kxe4 c6 

23.Nc7 g5 24.Nxa8 Rxa8 25.Rhf1 h5 26.Rf6 Rh8 27.Raf1 Black resigned