Compared to the urban superhighways of the Ruy Lopez or King's Indian Defense, the Jerome Gambit is a path through the woods. Some lesser-played lines are a trudge through the wilderness. In the following game, White, with 155 games in The Database, travels, then wanders, then gets a bit lost - fortunately for him, his opponent is even less prepared for the journey.
fehim - sonikf
blitz, FICS, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+Kf8 8.Qxc5+ N8e7
A playable, but not often played, move. (More often seen is 8...d6.) All of the relevant games from The Database can be given or linked to.
9.O-O d6 10.Qe3
10.Qc4 was seen in Wall,B - Guesty1960624, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 30) while fehim, himself, tried earlier: 10.Qb4 b6 11.d3 Bb7 12.Bg5 h6 13.Be3 Qd7 14.Nd2 Kf7 15.Qb3+ Qe6 16.Qc3 Rhf8 17.Qxc7 Rab8 18.Qc3 Kg8 19.Nf3 Rfc8 20.Qd2 Ne5 21.Nd4 Qf6 22.h3 N7c6 23.Nf5 Ne7 24.Ng3 d5 25.f4 N5g6 26.e5 Qf7 27.d4 Nf5 28.Nxf5 Qxf5 29.g4 Qxc2 30.Qb4 Nh4 31.Rf2 Qe4 32.Re1 Nf3+ 33.Kf1 Nxe1 34.Qxe1 Rc2 35.Rxc2 Qxc2 36.Qd2 Qxd2 37.Bxd2 Rc8 38.Bc3 Kf7 39.a3 Ke6 40.Kf2 a6 41.Kf3 b5 42.f5+ Ke7 43.Kf4 g5+ 44.fxg6 Rg8 45.h4 Rxg6 46.h5 Rg8 47.Kf5 Rf8+ 48.Kg6 Rf4 49.Kxh6 Rxg4 50.Kh7 White forfeited on time. fehim - HarryPaul, FICS, 2006.
10... Kf7
Alternatives:
10...Nc6 11.d4 Qe7 12.f4 Kg8 13.f5 Nf8 14.c3 h6 15.Na3 Nh7 16.Bd2 Nf6 17.Rae1 a6 18.Nc2 Bd7 19.e5 dxe5 20.dxe5 Nd5 21.Qe4 Nb6 22.Kh1 Rf8 23.g4 Qh4 24.e6 Bc8 25.Rg1 Re8 26.Bf4 Re7 27.b3 h5 28.g5 Black forfeited on time, MrJoker - rex3, Internet Chess Club, 2012;
10...h6 11.d4 Kg8 12.c4 (12.f4 as in mrjoker - hp9000, Internet Chess Club, 2009 [1-0, 19])12... Kh7 13. f4 c5 14. dxc5dxc5 15. Qxc5 Qb6 16. Qxb6 axb6 17. Be3 Ra6 18. Nc3 Rf8 19. g3 Bg4 20. Kg2 h5 21. h3 Bd7 22. a4 Bc6 23. b4 Nf5 24. Bg1 Black forfeited on time, MrJoker - ilongavab, Internet Chess Club, 2012 (1-0,24);
10...b6 as in perrypawnpusher - Jaqueperpetuo, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 25);
10...Ke8 11.d4 Rf8 12.f4 Kf7 (12...d5 as in guest645 - guest1600, Internet Chess Club, 2001 [1-0, 31]) 13. f5 Nh8 14. Qb3+ d5
15. Bg5 c6 16. Nc3 h6 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. exd5 Kg8 19. dxc6+ Nf7 20. Nd5 Qd6 21.c7 Kh7 22. Rae1 b6 23. c4 Bb7 24. Re6 Qd7 25. Re7 Qc8 26. Qg3 Bxd5 27. Qg6+ Kg828. f6 Ng5 Black resigned, Ghandy - pratmanu, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 28);
10... Be6 as in mrjoker - cherryhead, Internet Chess Club, 2008 (1-0, 50); and
10...Bd7 as in guest4097 - guest4686, Internet Chess Club, 2004 (1-0, 25);
11.f4 Rf8 12.f5 Ne5 13.Qb3+ d5
White is working to interfere with Black castling-by-hand. He should take a moment, now, to support his center with 14.Nc3. Instead, he continues to go after the enemy King.
14.f6 gxf6 15.exd5 Qxd5 16.Qg3
White does not want to exchange Queens and weaken his chances for an attack, but this move puts Her Majesty in a risky position and strengthens Black's counter-attack.
16...Bf5
Even stronger is 16...Rg8.
17.d3 Bg6 18.Nc3 Qe6 19.Bh6 Rg8 20.Rae1
In this complicated position Stockfish 6 recommends the bizarre 20...Be4!? 21.Bg5 Bf5!? when White's Bishop, not Black's, will be in danger, finishing up with 22.h4 h6 23.d4 Qb6 24.Qf2 hxg5 25.dxe5 Qxf2+ 26.Rxf2 gxh4 27.exf6 Kxf6 28.Rxf7 Kxf7 29.Rxf5; Black is ahead the exchange.
However, the defender gets lost in the woods.
20...Qd6 21.Rxe5 Black resigned
This is a complicated position (exchanging Queens first with 21.Qxe5 Qxe5 22.Rxe5 might have helped White) and it is difficult to see Black resigning while just a pawn down, but perhaps he had his fill of the wilderness or his clock was winding down.
I have mentioned elsewhere GM Bronstein's lighthearted comment that in chess, three small errors tend to add up to one big error. In the following game, Black suffers a loss more because he loses his way against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxv7+) than because of any great blunder.
perrypawnpusher - Unimat
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
10.0-0 Qe7 11.Nc3 Be6
Black has any number of alternatives, including 11...b6 as in perrypawnpusher - Navarrra, blitz, FICS, 2011, (1-0, 24); 11...Rf8 as in mrjoker - rex3, Internet Chess Club 2009 (1-0, 50), perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 31), perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 20) and perrypawnpusher - chingching, blitz, FICS, 2011 (½-½, 36); 11...Ne5 as in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0,50); and 11...Kd7 as in perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22).
The text encourages White to play f2-f4-f5.
12.f4 Bd7
Losing a tempo.
The alternative, 12...Bc4, was seen in QuadCoreBR - Alecs, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 27) and perrypawnpusher - ZhekaR, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 36).
Too risky is 12...Kd7 as in perrypawnpusher - Solaar, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 33).
13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qd3 Nb6
The "Jerome pawns" are rolling and White has the advantage.
16.Bg5 h6 17.Bh4 Qf7
Moving out of the pin on the Knight, but it is interesting to see what Houdini recommended after the game: 17...Rd8 18.e5 dxe5 19.dxe5 Bc6 20.exf6 gxf6 21.Qg3 Kd7 22.Rae1 Qc5+ 23.Qf2 Qxf2+ 24.Rxf2 Rde8 25.Rfe2 Rhf8 26.Rd1+ Kc8 27.Rxe8+ Rxe8 28.Bxf6 Nc4 29.Nd5 Bxd5 30.Rxd5 Ne3 31.Re5 Rxe5 32.Bxe5 Nxf5.
analysis diagram
White's attack has been neutralized, but his extra pawn and Bishop vs Knight should win in the end.
18.e5 dxe5 19.dxe5
19...Nfd5
This raises the level of danger, but Houdini's suggestion 19...Qc4 20.Qxc4 Nxc4 21.exf6 will lead to a two-pawn advantage for White, any way.
The tactics all go White's way now.
20.e6 Qh5 21.exd7+ Kxd7 22.Nxd5 Nxd5 23.Qxd5+ Kc8
24.g3
The computer later pointed out that the Bishop was untouchable: 24.Rad1 Qxh4 25.f6 leads to mate.
24...Rd8 25.Qxd8 checkmate
The following game was a tense, balanced affair, travelling through known territory for a dozen moves and on into a balanced middle game. When I went pawn-grabbing with my Queen, however, my opponent struck back hard, eventually checkmating me.
Lesson?
perrypawnpusher - ZhekaR
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 Nf6
The Database shows that mrjoker has a win, a loss, and a draw against 8...Qe7.
9.Nc3
Or 9.d3, which can traspose to the game.
9...Qe7 10.Qe3 d6
11.0-0 Be6
Black has many alternatives, including: 11...b6 as in perrypawnpusher - Navarrra, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 24) [Hmmm, I don't think that I have posted this game yet - RK]; 11...Rf8 as in mrjoker - rex3, CC, 2009 (1-0, 50), perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 31), perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 20) and perrypawnpusher - chingching, blitz, FICS, 2011 (½-½, 36); 11...Ne5 as in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 50); and 11...Kd7 as in perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22).
12.f4 Bc4
Earlier this year I faced 12...Kd7 in perrypawnpusher - Solaar, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 33).
13.d3 Ba6
14.Bd2 b6 15.Rae1 Kd7 16.Qh3+ Kd8 17.Nd5
Planning to use the opened e-file for my Rook, but 17.e5 was probably a better idea.
17...Nxd5 18.exd5 Qd7 19.Qg3 Qf5
The game is about even, as White has two pawns, better development, and a safer King as compensation for his sacrificed piece.
20.c4 Re8 21.Rxe8+ Kxe8 22.Re1+ Kd7 23.Qe3 Rf8 24.g3 c5 25.dxc6+
After the game Rybka 3 suggested instead 25.b4 cxb4 26.Bxb4.
25...Kxc6 26.Bc3 Rf7 27.Qe8+ Qd7 28.Qe4+ Kc7 29.Qa8
A fool's errand. That pawn on a7 will turn out to be very, very expensive.
29...Bb7
This is good enough for advantage, but 29...Nxf4 was already crushing (i.e. 30.gxf4 Qg4+, etc.).
30.Qxa7
The only chance to keep on playing lay with 30.Qe8.
30...Qc6
Again, good; but, again 30...Nxf4 was much stronger.
31.Re4 Re7 32.Bd4 Rxe4 33.dxe4 Ne7 34.b4 Nc8 35.Qa3 Qxe4 36.Qb2 Qe1 checkmated
Wow. Nice work by ZhekaR to punish my pawn-grabbing!
