Jerome Gambit: Refutation - Just Like That

It is often fun to see how Black works to dispose of the Jerome Gambit - an opening that appears so bad that it can be vanquished on-the-spot by a quickly assembled-at-home response.

I got to play an online blitz game the other day, and it was reassuring to see that tradition is still respected.

perrypawnpusher - SSGSSGSSG
5 5 blitz, FICS, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 

The Two Knights defense. I have to try for a Jerome, anyhow.

4.Nc3 Bc5 

Now I can get a Jerome out of this.

For some reason I am always uneasy playing this line. Hmmm. Let me check The Database...

I thought so. I have played 60 games with the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit line, and have scored only 74%.

That compares to the regular Jerome Gambit move order, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, which I have played 319 times and have scored 82%.

Or the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+, which I have played 58 times, and have scored 88%.

Even with the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7, which I have played 58 times, I have scored 78%.

(It has to be me. I just checked Bill Wall's statistics, and he scores "only" 92% with the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, vs 93% with the regular Jerome.)    

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4

There you have it. Problem solved. Stockfish 9 even gives Black a 1/3 of a pawn advantage here. Now to finish White off.

8.dxe5 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4

10.Qd5+ 

How rude.

This kind of thing happens in blitz games all the time. Three of my past games ended at this point: perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010; perrypawnpusher - KnightIsHorse, blitz, FICS, 2011; and perrypawnpusher - Sonndaze, blitz, FICS, 2011. 

10...Kf8 

Or 10...Ke8, as in perrypawnpusher - Aerandir, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 15). 

11.Qxe4 d6 

12.O-O Qe7 

I had seen 12...dxe5 13.Qxe5 Qe7  before (but, of course, did not remember it) in perrypawnpusher - obmanovichhh, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 39).

The text has a weakness (putting the Queen on a dangerous diagonal) that 12...Qe8 might have avoided. 

13.Ba3 Be6 

Probably stronger than 13...c5, which was seen in perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 17); but Stockfish 9 prefers 13...Kf7.

14.exd6 cxd6

Okay. Time to take stock. White has recovered his sacrificed piece, with better development and a safer King. His extra pawn is not a big deal, as it is doubled and isolated - a fair reminder that lazy play could lead to a Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame that Black could draw easily.

So - What weakness in Black's position should White focus on?

15.Rae1 

I decided to pin the Bishop and put pressure on it.

If you thought, instead, that White should go after the d-pawn with 15.Rad1, threatening Black's Queen and King along the a3-f8, Stockfish 9 agrees with you.

15...Kf7 16.f4 g6 

17.f5 gxf5 18.Rxf5+ Kg7 

19.Qxe6 

Sure, this works, but so does 19.Qg4+ Kh6 20.Rh5 checkmate. Ooops.

Now Black has to exchange Queens and go into a lost endgame - or face checkmate.

19...Qc7 20.Qf6+ Black resigned

Coffee Break

It was late when this game was played, and I suspect that my opponent was in need of a cup of coffee.

perrypawnpusher  - LydenChess
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4

This certainly has the right feel to it: Black has three pieces developed to White's one, and that one is pinned... What could go wrong?

8.dxe5 Nxe4

I hope that I do not give too much away with a note about a previous game: 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010.

9.Qd5+

Thus ended perrypawnpusher-kezientz, blitz, FICS, 2010.

9...Kf8

Or 9...Ke8 10.Qxe4 as in perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 33).

10.Qxe4 g6

Extreme puzzlement.

Before I had faced 10...Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 d6 in perrypawnpusher - obmanovichhh, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 39) and 10...Qe7 11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 d6 in perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 17).

11.Qxb4+ Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 13.0-0

Old habits die hard: get an advantage, exchange Queens, be sure that the King is safe, figure out the rest later...

13...Re8

Possibly planning to castle-by-hand?

14.Nd5+ Kd8

Reacting to the threatened Knight fork of the two Rooks at c7, but leading to something worse.

15.Bg5+ Black resigned

I do not think that my opponent took our game very seriously, which is something that I am used to with the Jerome Gambit.

Wasteland

I did not recognize my opponent's name until after I had challenged him to this game. In two previous games I had not treated him kindly. I do not think that I will bother him any more in the future.

perrypawnpusher - Abatwa
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6

The Two Knights Defense.

Previously my opponent had tried the Blackburne Schilling Gambit: 3...Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Nc6 7.d4 Nce7 8.Qg4+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.

4.Nc3

As I played this move, I wondered to myself if Abatwa had read my blog recently (see "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense Part 3 and Part 4" ).

4...Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4

Black has scored only 33% in this line in the games in the updated New Year's Database, and my games have been a wasteland for the second player. Best is 7...Bd6 8.dxd5 Bxe5.

Previously my opponent had played the intriguing 7...Rf8, although he did not follow up the move strongly: 8.dxe5 Ne8 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Bg5+ Nf6 11.exf6+ gxf6 12.Qxc5+ d6 13.Nd5+ Kd7 14.Qd4 fxg5 15.Qg7+ Kc6 16.Qc3+ Kd7 17.0-0-0 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.

8.dxe5 Nxe4

Alternately: 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ (here Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010) 10...Kf8 11.Qxe4 d6 12.0-0 dxe5 13.Qxe5 Qe7 14.Bf4 Qxe5 15.Bxe5 c6 16.Rad1 Bf5 17.Rd2 Kf7 18.Rfd1 Rhe8 19.f4 Re6 20.Rd8 Rxd8 21.Rxd8 Re7 22.Rd2 g5 23.g3 gxf4 24.gxf4 Be6 25.a3 Bc4 26.Kf2 b5 27.Ke3 a5 28.Rd6 Bd5 29.Rh6 Kg8 30.Kd4 a4 31.Kc5 Be4 32.Rxc6 Bxc6 33.Kxc6 Re6+ 34.Kxb5 Rh6 35.c4 Kf7 36.c5 Ke6 37.c6 Ke7 38.Kb6 Kd8 39.Kb7 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - obmanovich, blitz, FICS, 2010

9.Qd5+

And here Black resigned in perrypawnpusher - kezientz, blitz, FICS, 2010

9...Kf8

Or 9...Ke8 10.Qxe4 Rf8 11.Qxb4 b6 12.Qe4 Rb8 13.Qxh7 Qe7 14.Qh5+ Kd8 15.Bg5 Rf6 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qh8+ Qe8 18.Qxf6+ Qe7 19.0-0 Bb7 20.Qh8+ Qe8 21.Qxe8+ Kxe8 22.f4 Ke7 23.f5 Rg8 24.g3 a5 25.Rad1 c5 26.Nd5+ Kf7 27.Nxb6 Ke8 28.Nxd7 Kf7 29.Nxc5 Bc6 30.e6+ Ke7 31.f6+ Kf8 32.Rd8+ Be8 33.Nd7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010

10.Qxe4 Qe7

White is a pawn ahead, but Black's next move will diminish it to an isolated, doubled one. Still, this is better than a few moves ago, when I was down two pieces, and such a change in fortunes often causes me to suddenly go meek and mild...

11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 d6

13.Ba3 c5

Throwing some material on the deadly diagonal to block the Bishop. Black's best chance was to have his King to flee to f7, although after a Queen check he would lose the d6 pawn.

14.Qf4+ Ke8

It all goes to pieces quickly now. The Queen needed to leap in front of His Majesty, but my opponent probably did not want the exchange of pieces and subsequent two-pawn-down endgame, even if he did have slight prospects with the Bishops-of-opposite-colors.

15.exd6 Qd7 16.Rfe1+ Kd8 17.Qg5+ Black resigned

Further on down the road...

In a variation that has seen quick resignations, my opponent takes the game a bit further on down the road. No matter, his stopping point is the same.

perrypawnpusher - Gibarian
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5

The Italian Four Knights game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

7...Bb4

This has given Black trouble before although the defense surely is playable. Best was 7...Bd6 8.dxe5 Bxe5 and the second player is better.

8.dxe5 Nxe4

Or 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010

Black stayed around longer in perrypawnpusher - obmanovichhh, FICS, 2010: 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Kf8 11.Qxe4 d6 12.0-0 dxe5 13.Qxe5 Qe7 14.Bf4 Qxe5 15.Bxe5 c6 16.Rad1 Bf5 17.Rd2 Kf7 18.Rfd1 Rhe8 19.f4 Re6 20.Rd8 Rxd8 21.Rxd8 Re7 22.Rd2 g5 23.g3 gxf4 24.gxf4 Be6 25.a3 Bc4 26.Kf2 b5 27.Ke3 a5 28.Rd6 Bd5 29.Rh6 Kg8 30.Kd4 a4 31.Kc5 Be4 32.Rxc6 Bxc6 33.Kxc6 Re6+ 34.Kxb5 Rh6 35.c4 Kf7 36.c5 Ke6 37.c6 Ke7 38.Kb6 Kd8 39.Kb7 Black resigned,

9.Qd5+

At this point Black resigned in perrypawnpusher - kezientz, FICS 2010

9...Ke8 10.Qxe4 Rf8

An oversight, but Black plays on.

11.Qxb4 b6 12.Qe4 Rb8 13.Qxh7 Qe7 14.Qh5+ Kd8

15.Bg5 Rf6 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qh8+ Qe8 18.Qxf6+ Qe7 19.0-0 Bb7

20.Qh8+ Qe8 21.Qxe8+ Kxe8 22.f4 Ke7 23.f5 Rg8

24.g3 a5 25.Rad1 c5 26.Nd5+ Kf7 27.Nxb6 Ke8 28.Nxd7 Kf7 29.Nxc5 Bc6 30.e6+ Ke7 31.f6+ Kf8 32.Rd8+ Be8 33.Nd7 checkmate

Another Refutation, Another Win (And Another*)

Players with a favorite opening find themselves constantly defending against new attacks.

This is especially true with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) where so many refutations are ready-made.


perrypawnpusher  - ohforgetit
blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

7...Bb4

This defense was new to me (recommended is 7...Bd6 8.dxe5 Bxe5).

There are 23 other games with this position in the updated New Year's Database, with White scoring 61%. That statistic is misleading, though: Black should get an even game, maybe a slight edge.

8.dxe5 Bxc3+

(*Ten days later, I played perrypawnpusher - kezientz, blitz FICS, 2010, skipping this piece exchange and reaching the same outcome from a different move order: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qd5+ Resigns.)

9.bxc3 Nxe4

Here is Black's error.  

He could have tried 9...Re8 instead, or followed yorgos - thunderbomb, FICS, 2009, an up-and-down game, which continued: 9...Ne8 10.Qd5+ Kf8 (10...Kg6 is a bit stronger) 11.0-0 c6 12.Qc5+ Qe7 13.Qe3 Nc7 14.Bb2 d5 15.Qf4+ Qf7 16.Qg3 dxe4 17.f3 Qc4 18.Rad1 Be6 19.f4 Ke7 20.f5 Bd5 21.Qh4+ Kd7 22.e6+ Kd6 23.Rd4 Qe2 24.Ba3+ c5 25.Rdd1 Qe3+ 26.Kh1 Rae8 27.c4 g5 28.Qh6 Rhg8 29.cxd5 Nxd5 30.e7+ Kxe7 31.Rxd5 Kf7 32.Rd7+ Re7 33.Qxh7+ Rg7 34.Rxe7+ Kxe7 35.Qxg7+ Kd6 36.Rd1+ Black resigned 

10.Qd5+

Black resigned here, as he will lose his Knight.

In all fairness to forgetit, he should probably have played on, as White has some sickly pawns. This was our third game in a row, and we had played even in the first two until an unfortunate slip in each cost my opponent a piece. He played those games out, but probably felt with this game it was time for a different opponent to change his fortunes.