Sitting at the computer the other day, I suddenly decided to challenge one of the programs to game of chess. I played the Jerome Gambit, of course. I've done this before - see "Jerome Gambit: Artificial Piffle" and "Contempt?!"
Quickly we raced toward one of the more deadly refutations, a trip down memory lane for me that was lined with past escapes - and non-escapes. Suddenly, my opponent came up with a novelty that undid all of its hard work. The rest of the game was a combination of me timidly moving forward, while the computer seemed to lose much sense of things. Come, see.
perrypawnpusher - Chess Titans
casual game, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. Qh5+ Ke6
7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+
The first example that I have found of this move appeared in the American Chess Magazine of June 1899, in a satirical piece titled "A CHESS SCRAP" by "R.F.", which presented a supposed new-fangled thing - a chess game played over the telephone. The move is not a joke, however.
Interestingly enough, when I reported on last year's game against Chess Titans, I noted
I was pretty sure that my opponent was not seriously booked up on the Jerome Gambit, and that the killer move 8...Qh4+!? was not going to show up now.
Back then, it played the insufficient 8...g6. This time, it appeared to be better prepared.
9.g3 Nf3+
Black can quietly remove his Queen to f6, but the text is more aggressive.
10.Kf1
I have also played 10.Kd1: perrypawnpusher - electrahan, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 35); perrypawnpusher - Banassi, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 28); perrypawnpusher - fortytwooz, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11); perrypawnpusher - javistas, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11); and perrypawnpusher - thinan, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11).
The text is best, but, it still leaves Black better.
10...Nxh2+
As I have suggested, "Black can get away with this, but it is not best."
I actually met 10...Qh3+ (likely a mouse slip) twice, perrypawnpusher - rjbriggs, blitz, FICS, 2011(1-0, 10) and perrypawnpusher - inansoy, blitz, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 51).
I have had trouble in the past with 10...Qh6 - perrypawnpusher - Temmo, Jerome Gambit thematic, ChessWorld.net, 2008 (0-1, 43) and 10...Qf6 - perrypawnpusher - james042665, blitz, FICS, 2008, (0-1, 18); and perrypawnpusher - HarlemKnight, blitz, FICS, 2014}(0-1, 24).
I was familiar with the text move, having found it in the game Born Loser - NN, 2005 (1-0, 37) in White's unique book, Unorthodox Chess (2005).
11.Kg2
11...Qd8
An odd move. I have faced a number of alternatives:
11...Qg4 (probably best) in perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 68);
11...Nf6 12.gxh4 in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS 2011 (1-0, 12);
11...Qe7 12.Qd5 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - intssed, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 12);
11...Qh6 in perrypawnpusher - JTIV, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 32);
11...Qf6 in perrypawnpusher - IlToscano, Chess.com, 2016 (1-0, 18); and
11...Ne7 in perrypawnpusher - constipatedguru, blitz, FICS, 2017 (1-0, 20)
12.Qd5+
This move is good and easy to find. After the game, however, Stockfish 10 recommended that I ignore both the Bishop on c5 and the Knight on h2, at least at first, and play 12.Nc3!? The point is that neither Black piece can move to safety effectively - and a couple of possible Bishop moves would lead to checkmate in 2 or 3 moves.
The computer recommends 12...Nf6, which falls right away to the fork 13.e5+. The alternative, 12...Qe8, simply allows 13.Qd5+, and the Bishop will fall next move, and the Knight soon thereafter. White is better, in any event, but the computer is always looking for a "better better."
12...Ke7 13.Qxc5+ d6
[to be continued]
A bit of chess advice from C.J.S. Purdy: Examine moves that smite. In the following game my opponent shows some familiarity with the Jerome Gambit, and smites hard at my position - alas, at one point losing his footing, with less than successful results.
perrypawnpusher - constipatedguru
5 5 blitz, FICS, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+
Black ignores the (lack of) safety of his King as well as his attacked Knight, and plays a smiting move that is often dangerous to White.
9.g3 Nf3+
Again, a strong, attacking move.
10.Kf1 Nxh2+
Black can get away with this, but it is not best.
11.Kg2 Ne7
But here he slips, although a number of my opponents have lost their way in the past as well:
11...Qe7 as in perrypawnpusher - intssed, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 12);
11...Qh6 as in perrypawnpusher - JTIV, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 32);
11...Qg4 (best) as in perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 68);
11...Nf6 as in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 12); and
11...Qf6 as in perrypawnpusher - IlToscano, Chess.com, 2016 (1-0, 18).
12.Qe5+ Kc6 13.gxh4 Ng4 14.Qc3 Kb6
Black has two pieces for his Queen. It is not enough.
15.d4 Bd6 16.e5 Nd5 17.Qb3+ Bb4 18.Qxd5
You have to know that if Bill Wall were playing the White pieces he would have played something like 18.Nc3!?
18...d6 19.c3 c6 20.Qf3 Black forfeited on time
Although my opponent chose one of the stronger and more complicated defenses to the Jerome Gambit in the following game, I had my chance to level things out - but missed it. After that, I was simply out-played.
perrypawnpusher - HarlemKnight
blitz, FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6
7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+
The start of a complicated, but deadly counter-attack.
9.g3 Nf3+ 10.Kf1
For some reason I played the text (also see "Repairing A Variation" Part 1, 2, 3 and 4), instead of 10.Kd1, with which I was 6-0, including 3 games that ended after 10...Qe7 11.Qd5 checkmate (perrypawnpusher - fortytwooz, blitz, FICS, 2010; perrypawnpusher - javistas, blitz, FICS, 2010; and perrypawnpusher - thinan, blitz, FICS, 2010).
10...Qf6
I don't think I'll ever be as lucky as to receive the mouse-slip 10...Qh3+ as in perrypawnpusher - rjbrigs, blitz, FICS, 2011, (1-0, 10) and perrypawnpusher - inasoy, blitz, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 51) again; although stranger things have happened.
On the other hand, 10...Nh2+ was good to me in perrypawnpusher - intssed, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 12), perrypawnpusher - JTIV, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 32), perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2011, (1-0, 12) and perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 68).
The retreat 10...Qh6, however, did not end so nicely for me, in the nonetheless enjoyable perrypawnpusher - Temmo, JG3 thematic, ChessWorld.net, 2008 (0-1,43)
11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qxc5+ Kd8 13.e5
Better was 13.Kg2 as in perrypawnpusher - james042665, Chess.com, 2008 (0-1, 18).
13...Qf7 14.Kf2 b6 15.Qe3 Bb7 16.Nc3 Nh6 17.h3 Nxd2
Up until this point, Black has been doing very well, and I was surprised to discover later that he has no other games, as Black or White, in The Database. It was time to pour on the heat with 17...Nf5, or let the advanced Knight escape with 17...Ng5.
18.Rd1
Missing my one chance - and they were not coming by very often. With 18.Bxd2 Bxh1 19.Rxh1 White would have a pawn for the exchange, and the game would be a long way from being decided.
18...Nc4 19.Qd3 Qe6
The text is okay, but 19...Nxe5 would be crushing. Black does not need to sacrifice to win, however.
20.g4 g6 21.f5
The only way to stay in the game, according to Houdini, was to make a play against the wayward Knight with 21.Nd5, although after the exchanges 21...Qxd5 22.Qxd5 Bxd5 23.Rxd5 White would be playing with one pawn for his sacrificed piece, and Black would not have to be in any hurry getting his pieces to better squares to press his attack.
21...gxf5 22.Bxh6 fxg4 23.hxg4 Nxe5 24.Qf5
This blunder ended it all.
24...Nxg4+ White resigned
A couple of years ago I suggested the George J. Dougherty Club, with special membership for those chess players who had suffered the ignominity of losing to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) - like Mr. Dougherty, who was the first one to face Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's gambit, and the first one to fall to it.
In light of my most recent Jerome Gambit, I was thinking of suggesting a "club" for those who play the Jerome, and who lose spectacularly with it. Then I thought again, and realized that the oft-refuted opening is supposed to fail gloriously for White, so such a club would "honor" more of "dog bites man" than "man bites dog."
Still, the following game is likely to cause members of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde to howl...
perrypawnpusher - darkwight
blitz, FICS, 2013
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 Ne5
Certainly a provocative move, now, or a move or two later.
10.0-0
The Database shows a couple of alternatives: 10.d4 Ng4 11.Qg3 N8f6 12.f3 Qe7 13.0-0 Nh6 14.Nc3 Bd7 15.Bg5 Nf7 16.Nd5 Qd8 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Qg7 Be6 19.Nxf6+ Ke7 20.b3 Qf8 21.Qxf8+ Raxf8 22.Nh5 Ng5 23.h4 Nf7 24.Nf4 Bc8 25.Nd5+ Kd8 26.c4 c6 27.Nc3 Nh6 28.g4 Bxg4 29.fxg4 Nxg4 30.Rxf8+ Rxf8 31.Rf1 Rg8 32.Rf4 Ne5+ 33.Kf1 Nd3 34.Rf7 Kc8 35.Rxh7 Rf8+ 36.Ke2 Nf4+ 37.Kf3 Nd5+ 38.Kg4 Nxc3 39.e5 dxe5 40.dxe5 Ne4 41.h5 a5 42.h6 Nc5 43.Kg5 Ne4+ 44.Kg6 Rg8+ 45.Kf7 Rd8 46.Rg7 Rd7+ 47.Kg6 Black resigned, MrJoker - DanK28, Internet Chess Club, 2011; and
10.f4 as in perrypawnpusher - GabrielChime, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 21).
10...Qh4
Less aggressive were: 10...h6 11.d4 Nc6 12.f4 Nge7 13.Bd2 a6 14.d5 Nb8 15.c4 Bd7 16.Bc3 Rg8 17.Rf3 Black resigned, MrJoker - Melbourne, Internet Chess Club 2011; and
10...Nf6 as in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 26).
11.d4 Ng4 12.Qf4 N8f6 13.h3 Nh5 14.Qf3 Rf8 15.Qe2 Nf4
Black has whipped up an initiative, and his 4 attacking pieces are really looking scary. For some reason, I didn't think that my opponent could play his last move, and it caused me some surprise - followed by panic.
16.Qb5+
I was totally embarrassed after the game to realize that 16.Bxf4 was perfectly playable here, and White can continue to defend, e.g. 16...Rxf4 17.Nc3 Nxf2 (retreating the Knight allows White to fork the Rook and Queen with g2-g3) 18.Rxf2 Rxf2 19.Qxf2 Qxf2+ 20.Kxf2 and White is a pawn up.
16...Bd7 17.Qxb7
Now Black concludes his attack.
17...Nxh3+ 18.gxh3 Nxf2
Horrors!
The right move was 18...Rxf2!, when 19.Qxa8+ Kf7 20.Qd5+ Kf8 21.Qa8+ Be8 22.Qxe8+ Kxe8 23.Be3 Qg3+ 24.Kh1 Rh2 is checkmate.
Smashing!
19.Qxa8+ Ke7 20.Qxf8+ Kxf8 21.Rxf2+
Now White has two Rooks, a Knight and a pawn for his Queen, and should win - if he avoids time trouble.
21...Kg8 22.Bf4 Bxh3 23.Nc3 Qg4+ 24.Kh2 Qd7
Both of us were bothered by the ticking clock. I was trying not to get checkmated before I got my troops assembled, and my opponent was trying to create as much mischief as possible. Neither one of us were at our best for the rest of the game.
25.Bg3 h5 26.Rg1 g5 27.e5 h4
Advancing pawns against the enemy King is fun, but this overlooks something essential.
28.Bxh4 dxe5 29.Rxg5+ Kh7 30.Rg3 exd4 31.Rxh3 Qd6+
A final slip.
32.Bg3+ Black resigned
Apparently guided by a vision of one of the more striking refutations of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) my opponent hammered out his strong 8th and 9th moves. He seemed a bit unsure about his 10th move, however, and with his 11th – the position was quite complicated – he sealed the game.
perrypawnpusher - mikelars
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6
perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, 2010 (1-0, 26) and perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, 2011 (1-0, 50) continued 6...Ng6.
7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Nf3+
It is hard to imagine that my opponent got to this position from the Nibs Defense without some knowledge beforehand – it is a lot to figure out in a blitz game. Perhaps he saw my post on the line from a month earlier?
10.Kf1 Nxh2+ 11.Kg2 Nf6
Forgetting something...
12.gxh4 Black resigned
Care to bet that next time he will get it right and grab the full point? I'm thinking: YES.
Sacrifice unsoundly, fall behind in development, send the Queen out to hunt pawns...
Doesn't sound like much of a recipe for victory, does it? Oddly, that kind of describes the way that I played the following game. Wins with White in the Jerome Gambit are often odd things.
perrypawnpusher - Solaar
blitz, FICS, 2011
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
The Database has 82 games with this position. White scores 70%. This is my 29th time here, scoring 81%.
10.0-0 Qe7 11.Nc3
The alternative is 11.d3, although transpositions are likely.
11...Be6
Looking for trouble.
Rybka 3 suggests 11...Kf7, while 11...Rf8 was seen in perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 31); 11...Ne5 was seen in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 50); and 11...Kd7 was seen in perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22).
12.f4 Kd7
Odd, perhaps planning to castle-by-hand on the Queenside; but returning the piece, intentionally or otherwise.
Better was 12...Bc4 as in QuadCoreBR - Alecs, FICS, 2008: 13.d3 Ba6 14.b4 b6 15.b5 Bb7 16.f5 Ne5 17.d4 Neg4 18.Qg3 h5 19.h3 Nh6 20.e5 Ne4 21.Nxe4 Bxe4 22.Bg5 Qd7 23.e6 Qxb5 24.Bxh6 gxh6 25.a4 Qe2 26.Rf2 Qc4 27.Qg7 Black resigned.
13.f5 Bxf5
Slightly better was 13...Bc4 14.d3 Ne5 15.dxc4 Nxc4 16.Qd4 Ne5, when Black would be down a pawn, but he would have pressure and play against the backward White pawn on e4.
14.Rxf5
Was Solaar expecting me to play 14.exf5? If so, after 14...Qxe3+ 15.dxe3 Ne5 14.e4 the game would have reached the position mentioned in the note to Black's 13th move, only with Queens off the board and it being Black's move. White would still have an edge.
14...Rae8 15.d3 Kc8
The difficulty for Black here is that even though he is better developed and White's center is under pressure, there is time for White's Queen to go pawn-hunting.
16.Qxa7 Rhf8 17.Bg5
Also possible was 17.Qa8+ Kd7 18.Qxb7 but I decided to save that for later,
17...Qe6 18.Bxf6 Rxf6 19.Rxf6 Qxf6 20.Rf1 Qe5
21.Qa8+
After the game Rybka 3 pointed out the more ferocious 21.Rf5 Qe6 22.Rb5 Kd7 23.Rxb7 Rc8 24.Nb5. I was content to be a few pawns up and head toward the endgame.
21...Kd7 22.Qxb7 Nf4 23.Qb5+ Qxb5 24.Nxb5 Rf8 25.Nc3 c6 26.g3 Ne6 27.Rxf8 Nxf8
28.Kf2 Ne6 29.Ke3 c5 30.Ne2 g5 31.c3 Kc6 32.d4 c4
A slip that ends the game quickly, rather than slowly.
33.d5+ Black resigned
When a player's position becomes difficult, he might seek complications, hoping that his opponent will lose his way, and then the game. In the following fight, however, the alternative strategy of not getting "too fancy" would have brought better results for my opponent.
perrypawnpusher - Eferio
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6
8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qe3 Ne5
An "in your face" kind of move. In this or similar positions I have faced it twice against Kotimatka (see "Diagnosis: Misplaced Knight" and "Echoes"), twice against mikelars (see "Rumors of My Death" and "Kick Me"), and once against Irhall (see "One Little Pawn").
11.d4 Nc4
Of course 11...Nc4 is not the only way to attack White's Queen. There is 11...Ng4 as in perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 21)
12.Qd3 Be6
Black weaves a complicated defense for his Knight, avoiding the "simple" 12...Nb6.
13.d5 Ne5
Back again.
14.Qg3 Bd7 15.f4 Bb5
More complications. It was time to give material back and keep the loss to a pawn: 15...Ng4 16.h3 N4f6 17.e5 Kf8 18.exf6 Qxf6.
16.fxe5
Instead, 16.Re1 was good enough for advantage, as in 16...Nf7 17.e5, but I was perfectly happy to fall into Black's combination.
16...Bxf1 17.Qxg7 Qh4
If it were not for the White "Jerome pawn" at e5, Black could have defended with 17....Qf6, etc. Now he has to scare up some kind of counter-play, with the accent upon "scare".
18.Qxh8 Kf8 19.Kxf1 Qxe4
"Best" for Black was probably 19...Qxh2 but it held no promise for long-term survival.
20.Bxh6+ Kf7 21.Qg7+ Ke8 22.Qxg8+ Kd7 23.Qf7+ Kc8 24.Qe8 checkmate
