Semi-Good

I can understand the excitement of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and occasionally that can get a player ahead of himself or herself. The Jerome motif can be fun against the Semi-Italian Opening (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6) but, as the following game shows, it is best to wait for Black to play ...Bc5 first.


Fuller - Vallance-Gallant
Women's Open Championship of Canada
ICCF, 2008



1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0

There's no use trying 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.Qh5+, as after 6...Ng6 there is no Bishop to capture on c5. I've gotten away with this oversight against marapr and my buddy abhailey has done the same against cumelen, but it's not the right way to play the Jerome Semi-Italian.

White's situation is similar to that in playing the "modern" Jerome Gambit: it's hard to work up play without her opponent's help.

5...d6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Nd5
7...Be7 8.c3 Re8 9.d4 Bg4

White keeps offering material, and Black keeps declining – and developing.

10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 exd4 12.c4 Kg8


Black has castled-by-hand, and White's game continues to go from bad to worse.

13.b4 Nxd5 14.cxd5 Nxb4 15.Qg3 Bg5

16.a3 Bxc1 17.axb4 Bb2 18.Rab1 Bc3 19.b5 Rxe4 20.Qf3 Qe7 21.b6 axb6 22.Ra1 Bxa1 23.g3 Re1 24.Qd3 Qe2 25.Qxe2 Rxe2 26.Rxa1 Rxa1+ 27.Kg2 d3 28.Kf3 Raa2 29.h4 Rxf2+ 30.Ke4 d2 31.Ke3 d1Q 32.Ke4 Qa4+ 33.Kd3 Rf3 checkmate

To paraphrase Albert Einstein, one should play the Jerome Gambit as soon as possible, but not sooner.

Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit

I have a habit of giving the "Jerome Gambit treatment" to related openings, if I think I can get away with it (see "Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit" and "Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit 2").


Take the "semi-Italian" opening, as referred to by Euwe, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6, and played at times by GM Pavel Blatny (and many nervous club players who fear Nf3-g5).

perrypawnpusher - bergeruw
blitz game FICS, 2007
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6


4.0-0

One early morning on FICS I was in such a hurry to Jerome-ize this opening that I fired off 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ Kf7 only to realize (of course) that there was no enemy Bishop on c5 to pick up! So I had to weasel my way out: 9.Qd5+ Ke8 10.0-0 c6 11.Qd4 c5 12.Qc3 d6 13.f4 Be7 14.d4 b5 15.dxc5 dxc5 16.Qxg7 Bf6 17.Qg6+ Ke7 18.Nc3 Bb7 19.e5 Qd4+ 20.Kh1 Bh4 21.Qg7+ Ke8 22.Qxh8 Kf7 23.Qh7+ Kf8 24.Qf5+ Bf6 25.exf6 Nxf6 26.Nxb5 Be4 27.Nxd4 Black resigns, perrypawnpusher - marapr, FICS, 2007

4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+

I think that adding 0-0 to the regular Jerome Gambit line is more helpful to White than adding ...h6 is to Black. In any case, the game is no longer the quiet affair hoped for by the second player.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Kf6

Black moved his King, instead, to e6 in a humorous gamelet of mine, where both sides were plagued by nerves from the onset, and I foolishly forced a draw in a won position: 7...Ke6 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.d4 Qf6 10.dxe5+ Qxe5 11.Rd1+ Bd4 12.Qf8+ Ke6 13.Qe8+ Kf6 14.Qf8+ Ke6 15.Qe8+ Kf6 Game drawn by mutual agreement.. perrypawnpusher - Joyus, blitz game, FICS, 2007

Black can, as an alternative, block the check: 7...Ng6 8.Qd5+ ( 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc4+ Be6 10.Qe2 Nf6 11.f4 Re8 12.f5 Bxf5 13.Rxf5 d5 14.e5 Qd7 15.Qh5 c6 16.Nc3 Qc7 17.d4 c5 18.Nxd5 Qd8 19.exf6 gxf6 20.Rxf6+ Qxf6 21.Nxf6 Black lost on time in a busted position, abhailey - cumelen, net-chess.com 2008) 8...Kf8 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qe3 N8e7 11.d4 Kg8 12.Nc3 Kh7 13.f4 Rf8 14.f5 Nh8 15.g4 Kg8 16.g5 hxg5 17.Qxg5 Nf7 18.Qg3 Nc6 19.f6 g5 20.Bxg5 Nxg5 21.Qxg5+ Kf7 22.Qg7+ Ke6 23.d5+ Ke5 24.Qg3+ Kd4 25.Qd3+ Ke5 26.Qg3+ Kd4 27.Qd3+ Ke5 28.Qg3+ Kd4 29.Qd3+ Ke5 30.Qg3+ Kd4 31.Qd3+ Ke5 32.Qg3+ Kd4 in time trouble, with a winning position, I forced the draw, perrypawnpusher - pascalwilliams, blitz game, FICS 2007

8.Qf5+ Ke7 9.Qxe5+ Kf7 10.Qd5+ Kf6


11.e5+ Kg6 12.Qxc5 d6 13.exd6 Qxd6 14.Qxd6+ cxd6



Black is simply two pawns down, and his King's increased activity is not sufficient compensation.
15.Nc3 Bf5 16.d3 Rc8 17.Be3 a6 18.Bd4 Nf6 19.Rae1 Rhe8 20.f3 Kh7 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Rxe8 Rxe8 23.Kf2 Kg6 24.Re1 Rc8

A further ten moves has not improved Black's lot.

25.Re7 Rb8 26.Ne4 Bxe4 27.fxe4 b5 28.Rd7 Rb6 29.c3 b4 30.c4 b3 31.a3 f5 Black resigns