Jerome Gambit Declined: Table Turned

The Jerome Gambit Declined - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kf8/Ke7 - is beginning to annoy me. 

Some of it has to be psychological. Instead of grabbing the Bishop at move 4, and preparing to accept another piece the next move, Black says "No, thank you" and creates a bit of a gambit, himself. So, Black exchanges the opportunity for a "won" game with the chance to be a pawn down, with little objective compensation.

Huh?

perrypawnpusher - PrestonRFD
Italian Game Classic", Chess.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Ke7 

The Jerome Gambit Declined, and probably not in the best way.

The Database has 49 games with this position, with White scoring 70%, including perrypawnpusher - walkinthe spirit, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 24) and perrypawnpusher - walkinthespirit, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 34).

Stronger appears to be 4...Kf8, which appears 312 times in The Database, and against which White has scored 56%.

By comparison, based on almost 14,500 games in The Database, White scores only 46% with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7.

So - Black gives up something by refusing to accept the sacrifice, but the lesson of Geoff Chandler's "blunder table" is that the pawn Black offers in return is not much of a loss on his part. In the meanwhile White is forced to create a plan.

5.Bb3 

Certainly 5.Bxg8, instead, is worth a look: it scores 8-0 in The Database. I gave it a glance before moving my Bishop, but was needlessly worried about 5...Qxg8, with two heavy pieces backing two pawns aimed at the future home of my King.

If the Bishop is not exchanged, where should it go? On any given day, computers seem to prefer 5.Bd5 or 5.Bc4, although I can not figure out what advantage those moves have over the full retreat to b3.

The Database confirms that Black has succeeded in one of his goals, that of confusing White. The eleven 5th move responses include 5.Bb3, 5.c3, 5.Bc4, 5.d3, 5.d4, 5.Bd5, 5.Nxe5, 5.0-0, 5.Ng5, 5.Bxg8 and 5.Bh5.

5...Nf6 

Sensible, predictable and, according to the computer, wrong.

6.Nc3

I know that I am supposed to know all about the Jerome Gambit, so it is a bit embarassing to see this is at least a small error, as well. White should grab the pawn at e5, initiating the "fork trick": 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.d4 when he will get back either the piece at c5 or the one at e5. (I can console myself that there are no game examples of 6.Nxe5 in The Database. I should add this move to my "Jerome Gambit Secrets" posts.)

6...d6 7.h3

This is a boring move, designed mostly to prevent ...Bg4 as an aid to a possible ...Nd4. It was disappointing to come to grips with the realization that my advantage in the game was mostly the extra f-pawn, which wasn't going to advance any time soon. So, my plan became: small moves, small ideas, let him take the leap.

7...Re8 8.d3 Kf8 9.O-O Be6 

After the game, Stockfish recommended now that White play 10.Bxe6 Rxe6 11.Ng5 Re8 12.Nd5, with a complicated tactical line.
No matter. After

10.Bg5 

Black lost on time. 

I am not sure why. Perhaps: the real world.

Strange game, right to the end.

This Is Your Last Chance

After the previous post on the Jerome Gambit Declined, here is a fun example (or three: also see my two games against walkinthespirit: #1 and #2).

HauntedKnight - bozidaranas
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.Bxf7+ Kf8 6.Bb3

Transposing to the main Declined line, 4.Bxf7+ Kf8 5.Bb3 Nf6 6.0-0. Black, given one, only, and his last chance to accept one or two pieces, shows that he wants no part of White's goofy attack - and strikes back

6...d5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.Nxe5

White responds with the "fork trick".

8...Nxe5 9.d4 Be7 10.dxe5 Nb4

It is too late to quibble that 10...c6 was stronger.

11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Qf7+ Kd7 13.Rd1+ Black resigned

Here's my plan...

In chess it has been said that from a practical point of view "a bad plan is better than no plan at all". This may be true, but it will more often be the case that "a good plan is better than a bad plan."


perrypawnpusher - walkinthespirit
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

4...Ke7

Possibly played with the idea: If you want me to take the Bishop, then I won't take the Bishop.

5.Bc4

I had forgotten that last year we had contested the same line: 5.Bb3 Nf6 6.Nc3 Na5 7.Nxe5 Nxb3 8.axb3 d6 9.Nf3 Rf8 10.d4 Bb4 11.Bg5 Kf7 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.0-0 Bg4 14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5 Qe6 16.Ng5+ Kg8 17.Nxe6 Bxd1 18.Nxf8 Bxf8 19.Raxd1 Re8 20.Rfe1 Bc5 21.e6 a5 22.Nd5 c6 23.Nc7 Re7 24.Rd7  Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - walkinthespirit, blitz, FICS, 2009.

Earlier still, the idea had been successful for my opponent: 5.Bd5 Nf6 6.Bc4 Nd4 7.Nxe5 Nxe4 8.0-0 Qe8 9.Re1 Nxc2 10.Qxc2 Bxf2+ 11.Kh1 Bxe1 12.Qxe4 Kf8 13.Qxe1 d6 14.Qf1+ Ke7 15.Bf7 Rf8 16.Qe1 Qb5 17.Nc3 Qxe5 18.Nd5+ Kxf7 19.Qf2+ Kg8 20.Qxf8+ Kxf8 21.Ne3 Qf6 22.d3 Qf2 23.b3 Qe1+ 24.Nf1 Qxf1 checkmate, tintagel - walkinthespirit, blitz, FICS, 2008

5...Nf6 6.Nc3 Bxf2+

Again, more psychology, similar to the "Anti-Bill Wall Gambit": Whatever White gets from his sacrifice at f7, Black will now get from his sacrifice at f2.

Of course, what White typically gets from his sacrifice at f7 is a lost game.

Except in this case, Black did not capture the Bishop at f7. I am not going to make the same mistake, so I will be ahead in material.

Still, from a practical point of view, I have already been shown to be vulnerable to psychological attacks, so there is still a little bit of hope for my opponent.

7.Kxf2 Ng4+ 8.Kg1 Rf8 9.h3 d6

Counting on the attack at f3 to regain material, but this is a mistake.

10.hxg4 Bxg4 11.d3 Nd4

This is Black's plan: look at the concentration of forces on my King's Knight.

12.Bg5+

This is what my opponent missed.

12...Kd7 13.Bxd8

I suppose that it is being picky to point out that Rybka preferred 13.Nxe5+ dxe5 14.Qxg4+ first snaring a pawn, followed by capturing the Queen. 

13...Nxf3+ 14.gxf3 Bxf3 15.Qf1 Raxd8

Black has some uncomfortable pressure against my King and Kingside, but, after all, I am up a piece and a Queen...

16.Qh3+ Kc6 17.Bd5+ Kc5 18.Rh2 Rf6 19.Rf2 Rg6+

20.Kf1 Rf8

Black keeps pressing. He has to. He is facing checkmate in a dozen or so moves.

21.Ke1

Once again (see "Idées Fixes et Manqués"), I start missing checkmates. If I had found 21.Qd7 (not that difficult to discover) then whatever loss of material I would have experienced on the Kingside would have been meaningless. 

21...Rh6 22.Qxh6

Coming to my senses. Although the proper move was still 22.Qd7 the text is a reasonable choice: by giving up my Queen for a Rook and a Bishop, I put an end to my opponent's aggression once and for all.

22...gxh6 23.Kd2 h5 24.Raf1 h4 25.Rxf3 Rxf3 26.Rxf3

Now the game winds down to its inevitable conclusion.

26...c6 27.Bb3 b5 28.Rh3 a5 29.a3 a4 30.Ba2 b4 31.axb4+ Kxb4 32.Rxh4 a3 33.bxa3+ Kxa3 34.Rh6 Black resigned

A First Time Decline

"Theory" on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Declined (not 4...Kxf7) is rather sparse, as most players elect to take the first sacrificed piece.

perrypawnpusher - walkinthespirit

blitz 12 0, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

4.Bxf7+ Ke7

Perhaps out of surprise, perhaps out of a wish not to go along with White's plans, Black declines the opportunity to go two-pieces-up-for-two-pawns. White winds up a pawn ahead, playing against a displaced King – a considerable luxury.

5.Bb3 Nf6 6.Nc3 Na5

It appears that the Knight is taking things "personally". This will only lead to more misfortune.

7.Nxe5 Nxb3 8.axb3 d6 9.Nf3 Rf8 10.d4 Bb4 11.Bg5

11...Kf7 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.0-0 Bg4

On this move my opponent overlooked – as I did on my next move – that the Black Bishop is in a precarious position.

14.e5

This is ok, but look at what Rybka 3 found: 14.Nd5 (forking Queen and Bishop) Bxf3 15.Qd3 (avoiding the Queen swap on f3) Qd8 16.Qxf3+ Kg8 17.Qd3 (the uncovered attack by the Rook has to be dealt with) Ba5 18.Rxa5 (nabbing a piece, but it's not over yet) c6 (attacking the Knight and Rook) 19.Rfa1 cxd5 20.Rxd5 Qf6 21.f3 Qe6 22.Rb5 – so what was at stake was a pawn, not a piece.

14...dxe5

Capturing on f3 was again the right idea, as now White has Nxd5+.

15.dxe5 Qe6

The game now totally unravels.

16.Ng5+ Kg8 17.Nxe6 Bxd1 18.Nxf8 Bxf8 19.Raxd1 Re8 20.Rfe1 Bc5 My opponent is a fighter, but a Rook is a Rook.

21.e6 a5 22.Nd5 c6 23.Nc7 Re7 24.Rd7 Black resigned