Jerome Gambit: The Face Palm Variation

I need to spend a moment or two on a Jerome Gambit variation that has been bothering me for almost 20 years. (See "Another Way to Sacrifice the Knight" and "PSA 2.0" for a couple of rants.) A disreputable line in a disreputable opening, it keeps showing up in games. I would like to call it the Face Palm Variation.

SPOKLECHAT - anzali
5 0 blitz, FICS, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

 4...Kxf7 5.Ng5+

This line does not have a name that I am aware of. It is based on a tactical shot that may be clever, but not convincing. (I gave a warning about a decade ago in the post "Public Service Announcment".)

The Database has 568 games with the line, with White scoring 23%. The earliest games that I have (6 losses) feature TiFoZi, at FICS, in 1999. I will try to message him there, but, according to the site, the last time he visited was October 22, 2001.

I can understand that a Jerome Gambit player might try the line on a lark, especially at blitz or lightning time controls; I noticed Jerome regulars such as COMTIBoy, DragonTail, drumme, HauntedKnight, JKELSEY, majorminor, MyGameUMove, Petasluk, snthor, sTpny, superpippo, Teterow, thmavz, ZahariSokolov, and yorgos, have given it a try.

5...Qxg5 

Of course.

The Database shows that this capture occurred 415 times, that is, in 73% of the games. (White scored 16%.)

6.d4 

The idea: the pawn attacks Black's Bishop, while uncovering an attack on Black's Queen.

One of the reasons that White fares so poorly in this line is that White played this thematic move in less than half of the games where Black had grabbed the Knight. But, why offer the piece unless you had this surprise in store? Another way of offering "Jerome Gambit odds"? Inattention?

One downside of the whole idea is that Stockfish 11 now rates Black's advantage to be about the equivalent of two Rooks and a piece...

6...Bxd4 

Out of 195 games, 16 times Black fell for this "trap". That is not very often (8% of the time after 6.d4; 3% of the games where White plays 5.Ng5+), although, when it did happen, White scored 69%.

In 147 of the games, Black played 6...Qxg2, and White still scored 11%, which is kind of amazing.

For the record, 6...Qxg2 crushes. After 7.Rf1 (best) Qxe4+ (capturing on d4 is fine, too) 8.Be3 (8.Qe2 does not provide any relief: 8...Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Nxd4+ 10.Kd1 d6 11.Be3 Bf5 11.Na3 Nf6 is gruesome) Nxd4 9.Nc3 Bb4 10.Qd3 (Stockfish 10 prefers castling-by-hand with 10.Kd2 and 11.Kc1, but, really) Bxc3+ 11.Qxc3 Nxc2+ and that should be convincing enough.

But, in the game we are looking at, Black fell down the well...

7.Bxg5 h6 

Black has 2 pieces for his Queen, and might as well try his luck with 7...Bxb2, going after the enemy Rook. Things can get a little complicated after 8.Na3 Nd4, but 9.0-0 Bxa3 10.f4 puts the heat back on the Black King.

After 7...Bxb2, there is also 8.Qh5+ g6 (8...Kf8 9.Na3 Bxa3 [9...Bxa1 10.Nb5] 10.Qf3+ Ke8 11.Qxa3) 9.Qf3+ Kg7 10.Nc3 Bxa1 11.Nd5 and Black will not be able to hold onto his Rook and two piece compensation for his Queen, e.g. 11...d6 12.Bf6+ Nxf7 13.Qxf6+Kg8 14.Nxc7 and White is not only threatening to win the Rook, he threatens to move the Knight to e8 to aid in checkmate.

Again, back to the game.

8.Qf3+ Nf6 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Qh5+ Kg7 

11.Nd2 Bxb2 12.Rb1 Bd4 13.Nf3 Bb6 

Black has secured most of his pieces, but he has left one at risk - his King.   

14.Nh4 d6 

Defense is hopeless. For example, 14...Ne7, 15.Rb3 with the idea of moving over to g3.

15.Qg6+ Kf8 16.Qxf6+ Kg8 17.Ng6 Black resigned

The Rook at h8, and possibly the one at a8 as well, will soon be leaving the board.

Hats off to SPOKLECHAT, who took great risks, but also took advantage of his opportunities.

A Look at the "Modern" Jerome Gambit: 5.c3

When Alonzo Wheeler Jerome played his gambit in the late 1800s and early 1900s, he aways followed up 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 with 5.Nxe5+, the move that I use to mark the "classical" side of the opening. 

More recently, we have seen a selection of 5th move alternatives for White - 5.c3, 5.d3, 5.0-0, to give a few examples - so I have referred to the "not-5.Nxe5+" lines as those leading to the "modern" Jerome Gambit.

In "Ask Houdini" I indicated that it was time to take a closer look at the "modern" 5.c3. The earliest examples that I have of the move in the nearly 29,000 games of The Database are some blitz and lightning games played online at FICS by JeffreyOM from 1999 and 2000. Admittedly, this finding is of only slight historical interest, as my games collection is overwhelmingly drawn from FICS games, starting in 1999; although it can be pointed out that I have yet to find an over-the-board game with 5.c3, from any year.

In any event, here is a modern game with the modern line by a couple of modern players.

Wall,B - Zois
Chess.com, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.c3

Here we go. White decides to limit his generosity and not sacrifice a second piece. He prepares for a large pawn center, and, in some cases, he can bring his Queen to that a2-g8 diagonal.

5...d6

A reasonable response, although Houdini 3 prefers 5...d5. Interestingly enough, The Database has 162 games with 5...d6 (White wins 44%) and only 38 with 5...d5 (White wins 20%). This is reminiscent of Bill's reflection: why worry about a refutation if no one plays it?

6.d4 Bb6 

7.dxe5 dxe5 

A couple of alternative moves:

7...Nxe5?! 8.Nxe5+ dxe5? (8...Kf8 9.Qf3+ Nf6 10.Nc4 Bc5 11.e5 dxe5 12.Nxe5 Qe7 13.Bf4 h6 14.0-0 Kg8 15.Ng6 Black resigned, thmavz - miomatteo, FICS, 2011) 9.Qxd8 Black resigned, thmavz - Richad, FICS, 2012; and 

7...Bg4?! 8.Ng5+? Kf8? 9.Qxg4 Qe7 10.e6 Nf6 11.Qh3 h6 12.0-0 Ne8 White resigned (this looks like a loss on time - Rick), manago - savage13, Chessworld.net, 2008. 

8.Nxe5+ Ke8 9.Qh5+ g6 10.Nxc6 gxh5 11.Nxd8 Kxd8 

Objectively, Black's extra piece outweighs White's 2 extra pawns, especially if you consider that he has the two Bishops. However, this is the kind of position for White that a Jerome Gambiteer is likely to be both familiar and comfortable with.

12.a4 Nf6

That didn't take long. Black is happy with his advantage, he sees nothing to fear on the Queenside, so he confidently develops his Kingside - and drops a piece. Even when defending against the Jerome Gambit, your game will not play itself.

13.Bg5 Ke7 14.e5 Rg8 15.Bxf6+ Ke6 16.g3 c5 17.f4 Bd7

18.Rf1 Bc6 19.f5+ Kd5

Black's King should stay on the Kingside to help defend against the "Jerome pawns". He can probably keep them from Queening, but only at the cost of significant material.

20.c4+ Kxc4 21.Rf4+ Kd5 22.Nc3 checkmate

A Cold Day in December...

On a cold day in December, a Jerome Gambiteer, thmavz, and his opponent, Donster, played a couple of blitz games at FICS, each winning one when the other forfeited on time. Checking out the following diagram, which shows one of the final positions, I have to guess that our Gemeinde member was experiencing a surplus of luck.

Then, again, as I have often said, "Good luck is better than a license to steal!"

thmavz - Donster, FICS, 2011

Huh?

Some chess games just make you wonder...

Here is the final position from a recent FICS game starting 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+. Obviously White never recovered his sacrificed piece, but in the end it did not matter.

Can any conclusion be drawn from the names of the players, CaptainAndy vs SickJoke?

 

Never giving up takes on new meaning with the above position from the game thmavz - fatoldman, FICS, 2010. It started out like a "normal" Jerome Gambit, too! 

How White restrained himself from Queening that g-pawn is beyond me...

Welcome to the Club!

Going through the latest selection of Jerome Gambit and Jerome-ish games from the FICS database, I noticed that themavz had played quite a few attacking games with the Bxf7+ theme. Later, when he challenged me, I wasn't in the mood to defend a gambit, but he insisted..

thmavz  - perrypawnpusher
blitz 3 0, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6

Really, I'd like to play a boring Philidor Defense.

3.Bc4 Be7

See, I don't want your Knight coming to g5.

4.Bxf7+

Oh, well.

4...Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.Qd2

This looks like a mouse-slip for 6.Qxd4, which puts an additional burden on the attacker.

6...Nd7

Sure, I could have protected the pawn on d4 with 6...c5, but I wanted piece development, not more material.

7.Qxd4 Ngf6 8.e5

Never let it be said that themavz hesitates to attack. This is a 3-minute game and he brings it asap.

8...dxe5 9.Nxe5+ Nxe5 10.Qxe5 Re8

My first step toward castling-by-hand to relieve my aggrieved King. Tactical maniacs will note that 10...Bb4+ followed by 11...Re8 would have been much stronger. 

11.0-0 Bd6 12.Qc3 Kg8 13.Qb3+ Be6 14.Qxb7

Recall what is said about those who take the Queen's Knight's pawn...

14...Bd5 15.Qa6 Ng4 16.g3

Necessary was 16.h3, although White can still break through with 16...Nxf2.

16...Nxh2

Missing 16...Qh4, mating; but the text wins.

17.Kxh2

After 17.Nc3 Nf3+ White's King remains in grave danger.

17...Qh4+ 18.Kg1 Qh3

Or 18...Qh1#.

19.f3 Qxg3+ 20.Kh1 Qh2 checkmate

I admit that may not have been the friendliest "Welcome" to the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde, but I look forward to many more interesting games from thmavz!