Chessfriend Philidor 1792 has sent another collection of Jerome Gambit, reversed Jerome Gambit, and Jerome Gambit-inspired games.
The game below is an interesting mix of opening systems. White combines the "Abrahams Jerome Gambit" - 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ - with the "Scholar's Mate" - 1.e4 e5. 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7+ - and plays it all in a 3-minute game. Black holds on for a while, but, in the end, either nerves or shortage of time lead to his downfall.
Philidor 1792 - guest1433
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qh5
We have seen this hybrid before. See "A Scholarly Abrahams Jerome Gambit".
3...Qf6 4.Bxf7+ Qxf7 5.Qxe5+
5...Qe7 6.Qxe7+ Nxe7 7.c3 d5 8.d4 Bb6 9.e5 c5 10.Be3
An earlier game continued: 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.f4 Nbc6 12.Nf3 Be6 13.Na3 Bxa3 14.bxa3 0-0-0 15.Be3 Rhf8 16.Ng5 Bf5 17.Kf2 h6 18.Nf3 Be4 19.h4 Nf5 20.Rad1 b6 21.h5 Na5 22.Bc1 Nc4 23.Rh3 Kb7 24.g4 Ne7 25.e6 Bxf3 26.Rxf3 Rd6 27.f5 Rfd8 28.Re1 d4 29.cxd4 Rxd4 30.f6 gxf6 31.Rxf6 Nd6 32.Rf4 Rd3 33.Rf7 Re8 34.Bxh6 Kc6 35.Rf8 Rxa3 36.Rxe8 Nxe8 37.Bf8 Rxa2+ 38.Kg3 Nd5 39.h6 Ra3+ 40.Bxa3 Black resigned, Philidor 1792 -guest124, www.bereg.ru, 2014.
10...Nf5 11.Na3 cxd4 12.cxd4 Bxd4 13.Bxd4 Nxd4 14.0-0-0
Blitz games are often about development and King safety. If White loses this game, it won't be because of the extra pawn he invested.
14...Ndc6 15.Nb5 Na6 16.Rxd5 Be6 17.Rd6 Ke7 18.Nf3 Rad8 19.Ng5 Rxd6 20.exd6+ Kd7 21.a3 Rf8 22.Ne4 Bc4 23.Nbc3 Nab8 24.Rd1 Na6
White's advanced "Jerome pawn" is not enough compensation for the sacrificed piece, but his knowledge of this kind of play, and advantage on the clock may well be.
25.b4 b5 26.f3 Ne5 27.Rd4 Nd3+ 28.Kd2 Nb2 29.Nf2 Rf6 30.Nce4 Rg6 31.Ng4 Re6 32.f4 Kd8 33.Ne5 Rh6
White's pieces have come together, while Black's are scattered.
34.d7 Be6 35.Nc6+ Kc7 36.d8Q+ Kxc6 37.Rd6+ Kb7 38.Rxa6 Kxa6 39.Nc5 checkmate
Philidor 1792 - guest124
5 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qh5
Philidor1792 would be having a lucky day, indeed, if he were now able to pull off the "scholar's mate" - 3...Nf6? 4.Qxf7#.
3...Qf6 4.Bxf7+ Qxf7 5.Qxe5+ Qe7 6.Qxe7+ Nxe7
The game has experienced an interesting transformation, almost transposing into an Abrahams Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qh5+ Ke8* 5.Qxe5+ Qe7 6.Qxe7+ Nxe7, like the game in the previous post. (See "A New Abrahams Jerome Gambit", as well as "Abrahams Jerome Gambit" Part I and Part II).
Of course, Black's 4th move, above, is illegal, but if he were to play, instead, 4...Kf8, and the game proceeded similarly otherwise with 5.Qxe5 Qe7 6.Qxe7 Nxe7, that would be a legitimate Abrahams Jerome Gambit; and if Black were later to play ...Kf7 to allow castling-by-hand, as in Philidor1792 - guest543, www.bereg.ru, 2014, the transformation would be complete.
By the way, I have not been able to find many games starting 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qh5 Qf6 (or 3...Qe7) 4.Bxf7+ (although I did speculate about the line and Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in "Proto-Jerome Gambits? (Part 2)"), but all of them have been put into The Database. I plan on checking through my issues of Randspringer to see if there is any analysis there.
If all of this seems a bit egregious, I should remind Readers of Emmanuel Lasker's best, if not the last, words on the Jerome Gambit, responding to a letter to “Our Question Box” in the March 1906 issue of Lasker’s Chess Magazine
No; the Jerome gambit is not named after St. Jerome. His penances, if he did any, were in atonement of rather minor transgressions compared with the gambit.
The picture at the top of this post is of St. Jerome.
7.c3 d5 8.d4 Bb6 9.e5 c5 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.f4 Nbc6 12.Nf3 Be6
You have to have faith in the "Jerome pawns" to play on in this kind of position.
13.Na3 Bxa3 14.bxa3 0-0-0 15.Be3 Rhf8 16.Ng5 Bf5 17.Kf2 h6 18.Nf3 Be4
19.h4 Nf5 20.Rad1 b6 21.h5 Na5 22.Bc1 Nc4 23.Rh3 Kb7 24.g4 Ne7
25.e6 Bxf3 26.Rxf3 Rd6 27.f5 Rfd8 28.Re1 d4 29.cxd4 Rxd4 30.f6 gxf6 31.Rxf6 Nd6
32.Rf4 Rd3 33.Rf7 Re8 34.Bxh6 Kc6 35.Rf8 Rxa3 36.Rxe8 Nxe8 37.Bf8 Rxa2+ 38.Kg3
Although both sides have passed pawns, White's are better placed, and Black's defense is difficult - especially at the end of a 5-minute game.
38...Nd5 39.h6 Ra3+ 40.Bxa3 Black resigned
Actually, it is a bit of a stretch to call the following blitz game some sort of a Jerome Gambit - but the swash-buckling nature of it (and the ornery center pawns) may well have been inspired by that wild opening. Let's give it a chance...
Philidor 1792 - guest1063
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bb3 Be7
Similar to Philidor 1792's play against guest1063 - see "Jerome Gambit-Inspired Play (Part 4)" - but this time looking more like a Hungarian Defense than a Two Knights Defense.
Does that make a difference? Philidor 1792 now bypasses the Jerome-ish Bxf7+ and tries a tactic similar to that in the Chicago Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nxe5, etc. and the Halloween (Müller - Schulze) Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5, etc.
5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6 7.e5 Ng8
8.Qf3
With all of the subltety of the Scholar's Mate.
8...f6
And, just like that, White has full compensation for his piece ("Who dares, wins"), according to Houdini, who prefers 8...d5 9.exd6 Bf6 10.Qe2+ Kf8 11.dxc7 Qxc7 with advantage to Black.
9.Qd5 Nh6
And here Black turns over the game to his opponent. Wily Houdini suggests, instead, 9...d6 10.Qf7+ Kd7 11.exd6 cxd6 12.h4 Nh6 13.Bxh6 gxh6 14.h5 Nf4 15.g3 Rf8 16.Ba4+ Kc7 17.Qc4+ Kb8 18.gxf4 d5 leading to an unclear mess which may be balanced.
10.Bxh6 Rf8 11.Bxg7 c6 12. Qc4 d5 13. exd6 Qxd6
14. Bxf8 Black resigned
After Black captures the Bishop on f8 he will be down the exchange and two pawns.
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