Jerome Gambit: You Have Been Warned

I recently took a quick trip to the Simplify Chess website, where it was enlightening to read what it has on the Jerome Gambit:

Jerome gambit is extremely rare and occurs in less than 1 in 10,000 games. From the data, you can expect that White will only have a 39.13% chance of winning, while Black should have a very high 60.87% chance of winning. Since most players have probably never seen this opening and because White has such a low expected chance of winning, it may be well worth it to keep this variation in your back pocket. If you are Black you should have a significant edge and will probably catch your opponent off guard.

Of course, one must remember the argument that there are lies, damn lies, and statistics...

Therefore, I am required to report that The Database - an admittedly somewhat biased collection - has 36,480 Jerome Gambit games, with White winning 51% of the time.

Equally interesting is the lichess.org site, with 717,520 Jerome Gambit games, with White winning 48% of the games.

You pays your money and you takes your chances.

Jerome Gambit: Sacrificing Material to Open Lines

In a gambit, one player sacrifices material to open lines for attack.

The following Jerome Gambit game is a good example

angelcamina - LoFi_Lxgend

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4 

Black moves his Bishop to pin White's Knight, so that the e4 pawn is vulnerable. angelcamina has been here before, scoring 20 - 7 - 1, 84%. In a bullet game, this experience is helpful.

8.dxe5 Nxe4 

Seemingly logical, at first glance, due to the pin on White's Knight at c3, but an error, as angelacmina promptly shows. 

9.Qd5+ Ke7 

Or 9... Ke8 10.Qxe4 a5 (10...Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Kf8 12.Ba3+ d6 13.Qf3+ Ke8 14.O-O-O Qg5+ 15.Kb1 Rf8 16.Qe2 Bg4 17.f3 Be6 18.exd6 Kf7 19.dxc7 Rac8 20.Bxf8 Rxf8 21.Rhe1 Rc8 22.Qxe6+ Black resigned, angelcamina - Parsel_1, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org,  2020 ) 11.O-O g5 12.Nd5 Bc5 13.Nf6+ Ke7 14.Bxg5 h6 15.Nd5+ Black resigned, angelcamina -The_KGD, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019; or

9...Kf8 10.Qxe4 Qe8 (10...Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qe7 12.O-O d6 13.Ba3 (13.f4 Bd7 14.Ba3 Bc6 15.Qe3 Re8 16.Rad1 g6 17.Qg3 Kg7 18.c4 Rhf8 19.Bb2 Kg8 20.f5 Black resigned, angelcamina - CATCHESS11, 1 - 0, bullet, lichess.org, 2024) 13...Kg8 14.Qf3 Qxe5 15.Rae1 Qf5 16.Qxf5 Bxf5 17.Re7 h6 18.Rxc7 Bxc2 19.Rxb7 Kh7 20.Re1 Rhf8 21.Ree7 Rf6 22.Rxg7+ Kh8 23.f3 Bd3 24.c4 Bxc4 25.Bb2 Rff8 26.Rh7+ Kg8 27.Rbg7 checkmate, angelcamina - likinfride, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019) 11.Qxb4+ Black resigned, angelcamina - ngx11, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020; or

9...Kg6 10.Qxe4+Kf7 11.Qxb4 Qe7 12.O-O Qxb4 White resigned, angelcamina - abhinavatul, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020. 

10.Qxe4 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 

11...Qf8 

Or 11...d6 12.Bg5+ Kd7 13. Bxd8 as in angelcamina - adriannez, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 44).

12.Bg5+ 

The Bishop has a choice of diagonals. It could also go to a3: 12.Ba3+ d6 13.exd6+ Kf7 14.O-O-O and White is winning. 

12...Ke8 13.O-O

Solid play. There was also the pawn sacrifice 13.e6 dxe6 14.Rd1 Qf5 15.Rd8+ Kf7 16.Qxf5+ exf5 17.Rxh8. 

13...Qf7 

Comparing King safety foretells the future of the game.

14.f4 c6 15.f5 Qd5 16.Qe2 b6 

The "Jerome pawns" outshine their counterparts.

17.Rad1 Qc5+ 18.Be3 Qxc3 

What else? Black grabs material and reinforces that a1-h8 diagonal.

19.f6 Rf8 20.fxg7 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Black resigned

White has too many threats.

Jerome Gambit: Moving on in the Classic

My calculations indicated that a draw in my final game in the third round would be enough to qualify me for the fourth round of play in the Jerome Classic #1 tournament at Chess.com.

True, I would fall from first place to second place (better than my earlier prediction), and my opponent would have an open path to move from third place to first place - but that's the way it goes, sometimes.

The story of that last game can be simply put: after White's piece sacrifices in the Jerome Gambit opening, Black was better; and he remained better throughout the game. 

Why a draw, then? I suspect that my opponent saw that he was winning in his other two games, and that a draw with the (at that time) leader of the group was prudent.

A look at the game itself will have to wait until the next post.

Jerome Gambit: A New Look at an Older Line

I recently ran across a very short Jerome Gambit game, which allowed me to update some assessments I made of the line, years ago.

Cristopher_Sonido13 - Stefcho2020

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qf7#

Checking The Database showed that I had found 5 previous games that ended the same way.

I was surprised to see that perrypawnpusher - platel, 10 3 blitz, FICS, 2011 was one of them.

Was that covered on this blog? Indeed, yes, 13 years ago.

It is interesting to review what I wrote back then. Modern comments are in red.

6.Qh5+

At the time that I played this move, I knew that the "right" choice was 6.Nxc6, [today's The Database shows 102 games, White scores 73%] since either 6...dxc6 or 6...bxc6 would allow White to play 7.Qh5+ followed by capturing the Bishop; for example, as in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25) and Wall,B - Qwerty, chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9).

Looking at 6.Nxc6 now, I still think that it is best for White, but I wanted to point out two untested responses that might surprise the first player.

a) 6...Bxf2+ (as long as Black is going to lose this piece, he decides to get a pawn for it) 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Qf3 Qxc6 (avoiding doubled c-pawns) when White is a bit better. He has to be careful because of the loose pawn on c2 and the King and Queen being on the same file (vulnerable to ...Ne7 and ...Rf8).

analysis diagram




[Today's The Database shows 4 games with 6...Bxf2+, all wins for White, including one by mwafakalhaswa and two by chessriddler. Stockfish 16.1 shows White to have a winning position.]

Black also has the untried counter-attacking

b) 6...Qh4, (which I mentioned about 3 years ago in this blog) may be better than the capture of the Knight at c6, as well. White's best response is 7.d4, and after 7...Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 material is even, i.e. 10.Nb4 Bxd4.

analysis diagram




[Today's The Database shows 9 games with 6...Qh4, with White winning 4 of them - 44%. Stockfish 16.1 agrees that 7.d4 is White's best response, although after 7...Qxe4+ it slightly prefers 8.Be3 over 8.Qe2, while it still gives White an edge after 8...Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6.]

I suppose Black can side-step some of this excitement by capturing the Knight with 5...Nxe5, or by retreating his King to f8, instead of e8, as in the game.

 

Jerome Gambit: The Value of The Best Response

Sometimes I get the notion in my Jerome Gambits that I am just fine, as long as my opponent doesn't find the best response here.

What do I do if my opponent does find the best response?

Well, I lose.

perrypawnpusher - cool64chess

Jerome Gambit Classic #1, Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

In our 2nd round game, cool64chess played 6...Ke6 (1-0, 28).

7.Qxe5 

This position has occured in 54 of my games, where I have scored 71%.

That is a bit misleading, however, as more generally, in 3,192 games in The Database, White collectively scored only 48%.

7...d5 

This is probably Black's best response (followed closely by 7...d6 and 7...Qe7) but it is relatively rare: The Database has only 30 games with the move, with White's scoring slipping to 35%.

This was my first time facing the move. 

8.0–0 

White might have done better advancing his d-pawn one or two steps.

In the same tournament, my opponent faced 8.exd5 Bd6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.c4 Kf7 11.0–0 Bxh2+ 12.Kh1 Bd6 13.Nc3 Re8 14.Qd3 g6 15.b3 Bf5 16.Qd4 Ne4 17.c5 Qh4+ White resigned, mconto - cool64chess, Jerome Gambit Classic #1, Chess.com 2024.

8...Nf6 9.d4 Bd6 10.Qg5 

10...dxe4 11.Nc3 Kf7 

Curiously enough, this position has been reached via a not-o-well-travelled sidelineof the Petroff Defense: cirbals - Melospego, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org 2019, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Nxe5 d5 5.Bd3 Nd7 6.O-O Bd6 7.Nxf7 Kxf7 8.Qh5+ Ke6 9.Bxe4 dxe4 10.Nc3 Nf6 11.Qg5 Kf7* 12.Re1 Re8 13.Bd2 (13.Bf4 Bxf4 14.Qxf4 Kg8 15.d5 Qd6 16.Qh4 Bd7 17.Rad1 a6 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Rxe4 Rxe4 20.Qxe4 Re8 21.Qf3 Qe5 22.h3 Qf5 23.Qc3 Qe5 24.Qb3 Kh8 25.Qxb7 Bf5 26.Qc6 Be4 27.Re1 Bxd5 28.Qxe8+ Qxe8 29.Rxe8+ Bg8 30.b3 h6 31.f4 Kh7 32.Kf2 Bd5 33.c4 c6 34.cxd5 cxd5 35.Ke3 Kg6 36.g4 Kf7 37.Re5 d4+ 38.Kxd4 Kf6 39.h4 a5 40.g5+ hxg5 41.fxg5+ Kf7 42.Ke4 g6 43.Kf4 a4 44.bxa4 Kg7 45.a5 Kf7 46.a6 Kg7 47.a7 Kf7 48.a8Q Kg7 49.Qb7+ Kf8 50.Rc5 Ke8 51.Rc8# Albertoborea72 - Melospego, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021) Kg8 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Qxd5+ Kh8 16.Rxe4 Rxe4 17.Qxe4 Bd7 18.Re1 h6 19.d5 Qh4 20.Qxh4 White won on time

12.Re1

After the game, Stockfish 16.1 recommended 12.f3. 

12...h6 13.Qb5 

One criticism of the Jerome Gambit is that it moves the Queen too early and too often. This game is a good example. 

13...c6 14.Qf1 

Sad. The alternative, 14.Qb3+ Kg6!? 15.Nxe4 Nxe4 16.Rxe4 Bf5 is only a small improvement.

14...Bf5 15.f3 exf3 16.Qxf3 Bxc2 

White is simply a piece down, with little compensation.

17.Bf4 Bxf4 18.Qxf4 Qd7 19.Re2 Bg6 20.Rae1 

 

It is not at all clear that the temporary control of the e-file benefits White - but neither would a very reasonable resignation about now.

20...Rae8 21.Re5 Rhf8 22.Ne2 Kg8 

Castling-by-hand is the final blow.

23.Qg3 Kh7 24.h3 Ne4 25.Qh4 Rxe5 26.dxe5 Qd2 White resigned

Black dominates.

Very nicely done.

Jerome Gambit: Overview

For a quick look at the ideas of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) there is the recent video "Jerome Gambit is The Best Chess Opening".

As an introduction, it runs under 2 1/2 minutes, and is a sampling that might help the viewer decide, "Is the Jerome Gambit for me, or not?"

Of course, you could also read the 4,400 posts on this blog, but that might take a bit longer...

Jerome Gambit: FM Graif Is At It Again

As I wrote about a year and a half ago, in the post "Busch-Gass Gambit Standard Bearer"

From time to time this Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) blog has looked at "reversed" Jerome and Jerome-ish Gambits, most notably the Busch-Gass Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5) - earlier known as the "Charlick Gambit" - and its relatives Chiodini's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Nc6) and the Stafford Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6).

The Busch-Gass Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 has found a special place in the heart of FIDE Master William Graif, and this is shown most recently in a couple more of his videos: 

14 Moves For My BUSCH-GASS GAMBIT to Wreck a LEGEND of Online Chess

and 

How the Busch-Gass Gambit Always DESTROYS "Stockfish Refutation"

Enjoy.