Jerome Gambit: Pathfinding

Sometimes a player will find a path through the forest that is the Jerome Gambit. Later, others will clarify the way. In the following game, Bill Wall makes the way a bit clearer.

Wall, Bill - Nikelin
lichess.org, 2017

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bd6 

7.dxe5 Bxe5 

The best response was 7...Bb4+.

8.Qh5+ Ke6 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.Na3 

This is right, the Knight should go to a3, not c3, as we shall see.

10...Qf6

In HauntedKnight - VSRajput, FCIS, 2015, White had the right idea in responsing to 10...Bf6, but then lost his way: 11.Nc4+ Ke7 12.Bf4 d6 13.Qb5 Qe8 14.O-O-O Qxb5 15.b3 Be6 16.Ne3 Qb4 17.g4 Qa3+ 18.Kd2 g5 19.Bg3 h5 20.h4 gxh4 21.Bxh4 hxg4 22.Bxf6+ Nxf6 23.Rxh8 Rxh8 24.f4 gxf3 25.Rf1 Nxe4+ 26.Kd3 Ng5 27.c4 Qxa2 28.Re1 Qxb3+ 29.Kd2 Ne4+ 30.Kc1 Qc3+ 31.Nc2 Nf2 32.Kb1 Kf6 33.Rf1 Rh1 34.Rxh1 Nxh1 White resigned

11.Nc4+ Ke7 12.Bg5

White missed his chance after 12.Qxe5+ Qxe5 13.Nxe5 d6 14.Bg5+ Ke6 15.Nc4 b5 16.Ne3 h6 17.Bh4 g5 18.Bg3 Nf6 19.f3 b4 20.b3 Ba6 21.O-O-O Bb5 22.h4 Nh5 23.Be1 Nf4 24.hxg5 hxg5 25.Rxh8 Rxh8 26.Bxb4 Rh2 27.Rg1 Ne2+ 28.Kd2 Nxg1 29.Bc3 Nxf3+ 30.Kc1 Rh1+ 31.Kb2 Nh4 32.g3 Ng6 33.Nd5 c6 34.Ne3 Rh3 35.Nf5 Ne5 36.a4 Be2 37.Nd4+ Kd7 38.Nxe2 Rh2 39.Nd4 c5 40.Nf5 Nd3+ 41.Ka3 Nb4 42.Bxb4 cxb4+ 43.Kxb4 Rxc2 44.Nd4 Rg2 45.e5 dxe5 46.Nf3 Rxg3 47.Nxe5+ Ke6 48.Nc4 Rg4 when White forfeited on time, noatun - Papaflesas, FICS, 2008.

12...d6 13.Bxf6+ gxf6 14.Qf3 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: It Is Not Enough...

I have said this before, many times: It is not enough to know that the Jerome Gambit is refuted; it is not enough to know the move that refutes it; it is not enough to play the refutation - as Black, you have to win the game.

It is helpful for the defender to know that out of 12,686 games in The Database that start 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, White wins only 45%. The following game, however, is one of those times.

Wall, Bill - Guest7715764
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4 

This is probably the strongest response to 6.d4, although you wouldn't know it by Bill's record against it: 13 - 0 - 1. 

7.O-O Nf6

This is one of a number of continuations for Black, here focusing on development rather than saving a piece - one has to go, anyhow.

8.dxc5 Qxe4 9.Nc3 Qb4 

You may ask yourself, "What does White have here?" Good question. The game will be over in a dozen moves, so watch closely.

10.Nd5 Qxc5 11.Nxf6 Kxf6 12.Be3 Qc6 

This seems simple enough, but it allows White to win back his sacrificed piece and achieve an even game.

Remember the old adage: When White has equalized in the Jerome Gambit, he has the advantage.

13.Bd4 Rf8 14.f4 Kg6 15.Bxe5 

Who is better now? Look at Black's d-pawn blocking his light-squared Bishop which is blocking his Rook... While Black works on this situation, his King falls deeper into danger.

15...d6 16.Qd3+ Bf5 17.Qg3+ Kf7 18.Qxg7+ Ke8 19.Rfe1 

19...dxe5 20.Rxe5+ Be6 21.Rae1 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: A Casual Stroll

Bill Wall recently sent me a few more of his Jerome Gambits. As he said, some are good, some are bad. None are quite as outrageous as the following.

Wall, Bill - Neilson, Criag
Florida, USA, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

This appears to be an over-the-board game, which already makes it very interesting.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ 

Interesting. Bill moves away from his favorite 6.d4.

6...g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qxh8 

Wow! Into the mouth of the beast!

One of the many reasons the Jerome Gambit is considered "unplayable" is Whistler's Defense (7...Qe7!). The Rook is supposed to be untouchable.

Not for Bill Wall. "Danger" is his midde name. He considers things like the Pamplona bull run to be a casual stroll down some interesting avenues.

8...Qxe4+ 

After 8...Qf6 the game did not last long: 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.O-O Black resigned, Wall,B - Sepoli, Chess.com, 2010. 

9.Kf1 

The alternative, 9.Kd1, was seen in Jerome,A-Whistler,G, correspondence, 1876 (0-1, 15) - but also in Wall,B - Mathieubuntu, FICS, 2011 (1/2-1/2, 14).

9...Nf6 10.d3 Qd4

This looks like an improvement over 10...Qf5 in Jerome,A - Norton,D, correspondence, 1876 (1/2-1/2, 20). 

11.Be3 Qxb2 12.Bxc5 Qxa1 

It looks like things will come down to which King is the most vulnerable.

13.Qf8+ Ke6 14.Qe7+ Kf5 15.Ke2 Qe5+ 16.Qxe5+ Kxe5

Very interesting. Is Black for choice because his King is better developed? Or will the blocked-in-light-squared-Bishop-blocking-the-Rook theme give White an edge?

17.Re1 d6 18.Kf3+ Kf5 19.Bd4 Kg5

A dangerous slip.

20.h4+ Kf5 21.Re7 Nd5 

Overlooking...

22.g4 checkmate

Happy Easter

Jerome Gambit: To Be Fair...

To be fair, after all those Jerome Gambit Queen sacrifice and double check "smothered mates" against Black in The Database, I checked to see if there were any against White. I found 9. Here are the final positions. 

Rollyeon - okabc, FICS, 2002

geroellheimer - Defensor, FICS, 2005

ecimsa - joachimeide, FICS, 2007

esar - MarianF, FICS, 2007

KnightyNite - pvkbr, FICS, 2008

ecisma - igorfm, FICS, 2008

chessmanjeff - CycleForPi, FICS, 2013

malkisedeq - remilaci, FICS, 2014

ZXYW - PolarKing, FICS, 2015

Jerome Gambit: Yet Another Smother

Here is a final game ending in a "smothered mate". That it was played at lightning speed makes it a bit special. Once again, Black counter-sacrifices a Bishop, without proper compensation.

arggy - elJake
lightning, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ 

The so-called Abrahams Jerome Gambit.

3...Kxf7 4.Nf3 Bxf2+

Returning the sacrificed piece in this way is more of a psychological move than anything else. It is not counted among the refutations of the opening.

The Database has 210 games with this position. White scores 64%

5.Kxf2 Nf6 6.Rf1 Nxe4+ 7.Kg1 Rf8 8.c3 Kg8

Move, move, move. Kings are safe. Great. Move, move, move.

9.Qb3+ d5 10.d3 Nf6 11.Nxe5 c6 12.c4 Qc7 13.Bf4 Ng4 14.d4 b5

15.cxd5 Nd7 

Oops.

16.d6+ Kh8 17.dxc7 Nb6 18.Nf7+ Kg8 19.Ng5+ 

Missing it the first time (19.Nh6+) but White has just won a Queen, so maybe he was thinking more prosaicly. He figures it out a moment later, though, and when Black doesn't snap off the Knight at f7...

19...Kh8 20.Nf7+ Kg8 21.Nh6+ Kh8 22.Qg8+ Rxg8 23.Nf7 checkmate

There we go.

Jerome Gambit: Another Smother

Here is another "smothered checkmate". It is interesting that it is the computer program that falls victim to the Queen sacrifice and mate.

chessmoods - LuigiBot
standard, FICS, 2012

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

Transposing to a "modern" (vs "classical") version of the Jerome Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0 Nf6, etc. The Database has 1,065 games with this position. White scores 41%.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ 

Now White decides to go "classical" after all. It is as if the game started 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 and then continued 6.0-0 Nf6 7.d4 (or 6.d4 Nf6 7.0-0). If LuigiBot has a "book" it is likely it is out of it.

6...Nxe5 7.d4 Re8 

Black sees no reason to retreat a piece from the d-pawn's attack, as White will win one, anyway. So, he develops.

8.dxc5 d5 9.Bg5 dxe4 10.Nc3 Bg4 11.Qe1 Qd4

Black is certainly active and better. The game still has to be won, however.

12.Bxf6 Kxf6 13.Nxe4+ Kf7 14.c3 Qd5 15.Ng5+ Kg8 16.Qc1 Qxc5

Now Black's King is safe, and there is still the matter of the extra piece. What's to worry? Well, for starters, humans can be pretty tricky...

17.h3 Nd3 18.Qc2 Be2

The computer can not see far enough ahead to avoid the Queen sacrifice.

19.Qb3+ Kh8 20.Nf7+ Kg8 21.Nh6+ Kh8 22.Qg8+ Rxg8 23.Nf7 checkmate

Nice.

This is not the first time that LuigiBot has been bested by the Jerome Gambit. See "Poor, Poor Computer" for example.