Jerome Gambit: Warping Players' Minds?

Recently I watched a YouTube video by Chess enthusiast titled "Most bishops aggressively attack - Jerome Gambit".

The video showed a game played over-the-board, and I took notes: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nc6 8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qd5+ Kf6 10.Qf5#

The line looked familiar*, but when I checked The Database, it turned out that it had only a couple of examples.

So, I went online and checked out the games at lichess.org.

I noticed in setting up the board there, that as I entered 9...Kf6,  lichess.org indicated that it had 11 games with that position. It also indicated that from there, White scored 64%.

Only 8 of the 11 games were available for viewing and download. Being naturally curious, I calculated that the average rating of the players with White was about 1465.

Then came a worrying thought: Does the Jerome Gambit warp players' minds such that they can find a checkmate-in-one only about 2/3 of the time? 

Certainly there must be other factors in play! 

[ROFL]

* I had seen it in the video "jerome gambit | the jerome gambit | how to play the jerome gambit | The Master Tricks | chess traps", and, before that, in the game blackburne - karmmark, Jerome Gambit Thematic tournament, ChessWorld.net, 2007.

Jerome Gambit: Updating Early Secrets (Part 2)

Continuing from the previous post, here are a few updates from earlier "Jerome Gambit Secrets".

"Jerome Gambit Secret #4" is as much a good story as it is a secret. It focuses on a reply to the Banks Variation, named after UK player Pete Banks ("blackburne" online), an early Jerome Gambit adopter who caught the eye of

International Master Gary Lane, who commented at length on the opening, and on a couple of Banks' games, in his March ("The Good Old Days") and April ("Chess Made Easy") 2008 "Opening Lanes" columns at ChessCafe.com. IM Lane also mentioned one of Banks' games in his The Greatest Ever chess tricks and traps (2008)...

 The line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Qh5, hoping to transpose into normal Jerome lines, can be met by 6...Qe7 

The Database has 10 games with this position, with White scoring a thin 30%. Lichess.org's numbers are a little more encouraging: In 132 games White scores 36%.

Of course, as with every line of the Jerome Gambit, familiarity, knowledge and peparation help the attacker.

"Jerome Gambit Secret #5" develops after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ne7 9.Qxe5+ Kc6 with 10.Qc3

The Queen move appears in 12 games in The Database, all wins by White.

"Jerome Gambit Secret #6" also involves International Master Gary Lane, and his suggestion on move 9 in a line that has been called 

the"annoying defense" (because it is) or the "silicon defense" (because of the affinity computer chess programs have for it). It was first seen in D'Aumiller - A.P., 1878 and figured in six of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's games against S.A. Charles in their unfinished 1881 correspondence match.

The line is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6 (annoying) 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Nc3

The Database has 29 games, with White scoring 40%. Lichess.org is slightly more encouraging, with 340 games with White scoring 44%. Nowadays, Stockfish 15.1 shows a slight preference for 9.Qh3+.

Jerome Gambit: Earlier Days...

Yesterday's post mentioned early Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) explorer Pete Banks - blackburne in online games, whose name has been attached to the Banks Variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Qh5) - and got me thinking about earlier days...

Before starting this blog, I wrote a substantial article on the Jerome Gambit and submitted it to Stefan Bücker's chess magazine Kaissiber. Bücker tried repeatedly to edit the piece to make it publishable - see "Delusions of Grandeur" - but it was a lot like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear... He could not make it work.

Kaissiber ended its publication before Bücker was able to do so, reminding me a bit of Ben Bova's 1966 short story, "Stars Won't You Hide Me" (see review).

In any event, I finally posted the article on this blog. See "The Jerome Gambit Article (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8)".

Not wanting to dip into the article too much before it saw publication, I encouraged Pete to contact International Master Gary Lane as the Jerome Gambit point man, which he easily was able to do, hence the appearance of blackburne - karmmark, Jerome Gambit thematic tournament, ChessWorld.net, 2007 in two of IM Lane's ChessCafe.com "Opening Lanes" articles titled "The Good Old Days" and "Chess Made Easy" as well as his book book The Greatest Chess Tricks and Traps (2008).

So there are any number of people these days who connect Pete Banks through his games with the Jerome Gambit, while being unaware of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome himself. This kind of thing has happened before, as I noted in "The Jerome-Kennedy Gambits!?" 

As I noted in my afterward to the posts on the Literary Digest game [see Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5], Mr. Jerome has had a hard time holding on to "his" opening: sources such as Cook's Synopsis of the Chess Openings (1882), The American Supplement (1884), and Freeborough and Rankin's Chess Openings Ancient and Modern, (1889) were happy to keep the name "Jerome Gambit", but identified the chief analyst of the opening as "Mr. S. A. Charles of Cincinnati, Ohio." Sic transit gloria mundi.

I am hoping that Pete reads the previous post and this one, and contacts me. I bet he has some very interesting Jerome Gambits to share.

Jerome Gambit: Mind-Blowing Checkmate

I was happy to recently run across the YouTube.com video "Jerome Gambit | Chess opening tips & tricks to WIN FAST!! #shorts" from Chessliker featuring a quick 10-move "mind-blowing checkmate".

The line - actually, a game - was earlier featured in the video "jerome gambit । the jerome gambit । how to play the jerome gambit । The Master Tricks । chess traps" by The Master Tricks as previously mentioned here in "Jerome Gambit: Relaxing".

It has also appeared in Grandmaster Simon Williams' “My Favorite Opening Traps”.

Going back further in time, as noted in "International Master Gary Lane", the game was identified as blackburne - karmmark, Jerome Gambit thematic tournament, ChessWorld.net, 2007. The game was presented in two of IM Lane's ChessCafe.com "Opening Lanes" articles titled "The Good Old Days" and "Chess Made Easy" - the ChessCafe site is no longer functional, but I have linked to the essays via the Wayback Machine.

The blog post "The extraordinary and forgotten Jerome Gambit" (the title is from a quote in John Elburg's online review of the book below) also notes that blackburne - Karmark 2007 appeared in International Master Gary Lane's book The Greatest Chess Tricks and Traps (2008).

Of course, the "blackburne" in question is not Joseph Henry Blackburne of the legendary Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884, game, but Pete Banks, early Jerome Gambit enthusiast, some of whose games can be found in "The Pete Banks Annotated Collection" and who presented "Learn Chess with Pete".

Jerome Gambit: Pleasant Relaxation

The latest Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) video that I have discovered on YouTube.com is "how to beat opponent in chess । jerome gambit chess । bishop's opening boi variation । chess tricks" which shows an interesting game and a pleasant checkmate.

It is a presentation of The Master Tricks, which has quite a collection of videos, including an earlier one mentioned on this blog a year ago in "Jerome Gambit: Relaxing".

Something to Think About

I recently heard from my Canadian chessfriend Dan. He had some interesting ideas to share. 

Hi Rick,

I came across an opening gambit that may be an effective antidote to the tricks of the Jerome Gambit for Black. It is called the Rousseau Gambit (1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 f5). In a way this is similar to the Stafford Gambit insofar as White’s ‘natural’ moves [4.exf5 or 4.d3 or 4.Nc3] can be quickly punished by Black. Furthermore, if White proceeds with the Jerome-ish 4.Bxf7+ he is totally lost because he is denied the eventual Qh5+ because the f5 pawn blocks the way across the rank.

I have examined this line at length using Stockfish 14.1 and I am quite impressed by how difficult it is for White to discover a satisfactory response.

This Rousseau Gambit has been explored by GM Igor Smirnov at the Remote Chess Academy under the title:

The BEST Chess Opening Against 1.e4 - Every Move is a Trap!

Perhaps something for you to think about.

Best wishes,

Dan

The Rousseau Gambit

There was something about that position the seemed familiar...

Yes! From the days when I was exploring the Latvian Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Bc4 Nc6.

The Latvian Gambit

Don't laugh. This year Grandmaster Danil Dubov (2720) won a Rousseau Gambit game against an IM in 28 moves - starting with the Latvian Gambit move order. 

For the record, the top player currently playing the Rousseau Gambit these days is International Master Beerdsen (2497).

Of course, if you go far enough back, you can discover Paul Morphy playing - and playing against - the Rousseau Gambit, including a game against Eugène Rousseau, himself.

If you just did a quick database search on "Morphy", no doubt you just yelled Gotcha! Morphy did not play the Rousseau Gambit!

However, he did play 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 f5 4.d4 Nc6 as Black in two games (draws in 30 and 35 moves) - using the Philidor Counter-Attack variation to reach a Rousseau Gambit position.

The Philidor Counter-Gambit

Perhaps you now think that I am annoyed with Dan for giving defenders a wild and crazy option to avoid my beloved Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

Not so.

I have always posted refutations to the Jerome Gambit on this blog. It is a good place for attackers to learn; it is a good place for defenders, as well.

As an indication of good faith, let me give you links to three Rousseau Gambit articles by Tim McGrew (thank you, Wikipedia), to add to Grandmaster Smirnov's video instruction.

• Tim McGrew (2002-07-01). "Giuoco Fortissimo: The Rousseau Gambit Part 1" (PDF). Chesscafe.com (archived from the original)
• 
  
• Tim McGrew (2002-07-30). "Giuoco Fortissimo: The Rousseau Gambit Part 2" (PDF). Chesscafe.com (archived from the original)
• 
  
• Tim McGrew (2003-09-22). "Gambits In Many Dimensions" (PDF). Chesscafe.com (archived from the original)

Enjoy!

 

 

Jerome Gambit: A Short Walk Into Danger

I have to admit that one of the reasons that I like the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game is that the opening takes me back almost 20 years to a couple of early human vs computer contests in The Database, the Talking LCD Chess handheld (see "Jerome Gambit and The Perfesser" part 1, 2, 3 & 4).

Black's safe King takes a short walk into danger.

Rubivision - hagi90

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6 

Here we have a familiar defense. To quote from "Jerome Gambit: For A Moment Not So Annoying"

As I mentioned in "Jerome Gambit Secrets #6"

I have called this the "annoying defense" (because it is) or the "silicon defense" (because of the affinity computer chess programs have for it). It was first seen in D'Aumiller - A.P., 1878 and figured in six of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's games against S.A. Charles in their unfinished 1881 correspondence match.

Years ago, in "An International Master Refutes the Jerome Gambit".International Master Gary Lane, in his The Greatest Ever Chess Tricks and Traps (Everyman Chess, 2008) says

I think this is the best way to defend: allowing one of the extra pieces to be taken, and in return obtaining a solid position with extra material.

The fact that Black's King can hang around in the center in apparent safety - is annoying.

8.fxe5 g6 

This appears to be the invention of Talking LCD chess, although it later appears in 10 human vs human games.

There is certainly nothing wrong with simply recapturing 8...exe5.

9.Qf3 

The alternative 9.Qe2 was seen in ThePerfesser - Talking LCD Chess, 2003, (1-0, 23). 

9...Kxe5 

This seems a bit casual and risky, but might have appeared more appealing than Stockfish 14.1's suggestion 9...Qh4+ 10.g3 Qh5 11.Qxh5 gxh5 12.exd6 cxd6 13.d3 Nf6. 

Instead, 9...dxe5 was seen in ThePerfesser -Talking LCD Chess , 2003, (1-0, 20)

10.Qc3+ 

The simple 10.Nc3 looks better, but who can resist checking the advanced enemy King? 

10...Bd4 11.Qa5+ Kxe4

Reminder: this is a blitz game, and not every move receives deep analysis.

12.d3 checkmate

Eyes on the Queen, Black overlooked the pawn.

Jerome Gambit: For A Moment Not So Annoying

In the following game, White faces a Jerome Gambit defense that can cause its share of headaches. However,  a couple of minor slips by Black suddenly change the game into a miniature. 

Fegatello25 - Thedarkripper

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6 

As I mentioned in "Jerome Gambit Secrets #6"

I have called this the "annoying defense" (because it is) or the "silicon defense" (because of the affinity computer chess programs have for it). It was first seen in D'Aumiller - A.P., 1878 and figured in six of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's games against S.A. Charles in their unfinished 1881 correspondence match.

Years ago, in "An International Master Refutes the Jerome Gambit".International Master Gary Lane, in his The Greatest Ever Chess Tricks and Traps (Everyman Chess, 2008) says

I think this is the best way to defend: allowing one of the extra pieces to be taken, and in return obtaining a solid position with extra material.

The fact that Black's King can hang around in the center in apparent safety - is annoying.

8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Kd6 10.Qd3+ Ke7 11.Qg3 

White's Queen and Black's King engage in a seemingly meaningless dance that reinforces the notion that the defender's monarch is completely safe.

With only one pawn in exchange for his sacrificed piece, White arrives at the above position with the opportunity to grab either the e-pawn or the g-pawn.

According to The Database, there are 60 previous games that reached this point, with 26 wins, 23 loses, and 11 draws for White - a decent 53%. Stockfish 14.1 (31 ply), however, sees Black as more than a Rook better. 

I would love to add encouragement from my personal experience, but the one time I arrived at this position was a prelude to disaster - see "Jerome Gambit: Back to the Drawing Board".

11...Bd6  

Black protects his e-pawn. Remarkably, the computer suggests that instead of this novelty he should ignore both en prise pawns and play 11...Ke8 with advantage.

12.Qxg7+ Ke6 

Well-played for a blitz game. True, Black's King might be safer after 12...Ke8, but his Rook at h8 would not be.

13.O-O 

Taking advantage of the fact that Black's repositioned Bishop allows castling, White adds his Rook to the attack on the King.

13...Ne7 

The proper place for the Knight is on f6, and although the game remains complex, White is probably a bit better. An odd line explored by Stockfish 14.1 and Komodo 12.1.1 is 13...Nf6 14.d4 exd4 15.Bg5 Be5 16.Rf5 Rg8 17.Rxe5+ Kxe5 18.Bxf6+ Ke6 19.Qxh7 Kxf6 and both computers say the game will be drawn by repetition of position

analysis diagram

Instead, White now has a forced checkmate.

14.Qg4+ Nf5 15.Qxf5+ Ke7 16.Qf7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Light Relaxation

 

The Master Tricks, who brought you a Jerome Gambit video on YouTube (see the recent "Jerome Gambit: Relaxing"), has another, short video, starting out 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 before transposing to the Jerome with 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bxf7+.

Titled "Jerome gambit । the jerome gambit । how to play the jerome gambit । jerome gambit chess । Chess", with a graphic teasing "How to checkmate in 8 moves?" the video showcases a line that harkens back to an internet blitz game from about 4 1/2 years ago (Hi, Petasluk!).

The Database has 3 blitz games with play through those first 7 moves. Twice White finds the move that checkmates; once he overlooks it, and is defeated in 12 moves.

It might be worth checking out the video to see what that move #8 is for White.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

By the way - speaking of videos - chessfriend Yury V. Bukayev pointed out a ChessBase offering "For free: Get your brand-new 60 minutes video course", featuring Grandmaster Simon Williams' video "My favorite Opening Traps".

The content is enticing:

1. Introduction
2. Traps
3. Stafford Gambit - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6 4.Nxc6 dxc6
4. Jerome Gambit - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5 Nxe5
5. Nakhmanson Gambit - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.Nc3
6. Englund Gambit - 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Bc5/Nc6
7. Panteldalkis Countergambit - 1.e4 e5 2.f4 f5
8. Fajarowicz Gambit - 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4

Alas, the "free" offer expired on Christmas past, although ChessBase still sells the video in its offerings.

And, how often do you see a grandmaster using "My favorite" in relation to the Jerome Gambit?

Jerome Gambit: Relaxing

 

After yesterday's video slugfest of a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, I thought I would share the link to a recent short, straight-forward Jerome miniature.

One of the YouTube.com  "The Master Tricks" videos, "jerome gambit । the jerome gambit । how to play the jerome gambit । The Master Tricks । chess traps" is a pleasant and not too long (11 moves) battle.

The game in the video, unattributed, can also be found in the notes to analysis in Grandmaster Simon Williams' “My Favorite Opening Traps”.

I do not know if either the creator of  "The Master Tricks" or GM Williams were aware of blackburne - karmmark, Jerome Gambit thematic tournament, ChessWorld.net, 2007, which is the earliest (and only) example I can find of the game.

Jerome Gambit: Chess Is An Easy Game, After All

In the previous post, it was enjoyable to examine a line in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) through the games of a particular player.

So, let's do it again.

Intercrosse - PrashantKakade

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 

As I wrote years ago

As early as his first Jerome Gambit article (Dubuque Chess Journal April, 1874), Alonzo Jerome considered the possibility that Black might refuse to capture the second piece with 5...Nxe5, and instead play for King safety instead with 5...Kf8.
In a letter to the American Chess Journal, March 1877, Jerome wrote

5...Kf8 leaves White's pawns intact while Black has lost two strong pawns and doubled another. This defense was adopted by G.J. Dougherty of Mineola, NY, a strong amateur, against whom I first played the opening, and I think he will agree that 5...Kf8 is not a good defense. He generally played 6.bc and that was the play of Mr. J. C. Young of Danville, KY, who subsequently abandoned the game. Why, I do not know, as it was not necessarily lost to either of us. It is a question with which Pawn it is best to take.

The earliest game example that I have of this line is Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, USA, 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29) 

For some games and history, see "Jerome Gambit: A Trip Down Memory Lane (Part 1)".

6.Qh5  

And, again

White also has the option of playing 6.Qh5, the Banks Variation, as in Banks - Rees, Halesowen, 2003, when Black can transpose with 6…Nxe5  as recommended by the American Chess Journal, (3/1877) - "The continuation adopted by Jerome, Qh5 looks promising."

Pete Banks ("blackburne" online), a stalwart member of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde ...brought international attention to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's invention by writing to International Master Gary Lane, who commented at length on the opening, and on a couple of Banks' games, in his March ("The Good Old Days") and April ("Chess Made Easy") 2008 "Opening Lanes" columns at ChessCafe.com. IM Lane also mentioned one of Banks' games in his The Greatest Ever chess tricks and traps (2008), which reprised some of the earlier material.

It is humorous to note that in his "Opening Lanes" column Lane wrote, after 5.Nxe5+, "I think anyone with good manners playing Black would now kindly ask their opponent if they wanted to take their move back" while in his book he changed this to "I think anyone with good manners playing Black would now go to another room to carry on laughing."

Apropos the Banks Variation itself (i.e. playing 6.Qh5 in response to 5...Kf8), IM Lane noted in "The Good Old Days" that "6...Qe7 is a good alternative [to 6...Qf6 of Banks - Rees], because it stops the checkmate and protects the bishop on c5."

How should Black respond?

There is 6...Qf6 7.O-O ( More to the point is 7.Nxd7+ Bxd7 8.Qxc5+) 7...Nxe5 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bxd4 (9...Bg4 10.Qg5 Qxg5 11.Bxg5 Nf7 12.dxc5 Nxg5 13.cxd6 cxd6) 10.cxd4 Nc6 11.e5 dxe5 12.dxe5 Qxe5 13.Nc3 Qxh5 White resigned, Intercrosse - Piropiro2, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

Black could transposte to the main line with 6...Nxe5 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.d4 Bxd4 10.O-O Be5 11.Qf3 Bg4 12.Qb3 Rb8 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 Kg7 16.Nc3 Bxc3 17.Qxc3 Qe7 18.Rae1 Rbe8 19.f3 Be6 20.f4 gxf4 21.Bh4 Rhf8 22.Rxf4 Kg6 23.Re3 Qg7 24.Rg3+ Ng4 25.Rfxg4+ Bxg4 26.Rxg4+ Kf7 27.Qxg7+ Ke6 28.Rg6+ Rf6 29.Qxf6+ Kd7 30.Rg7+ Re7 31.Qxe7+ Kc6 32.Qxc7+ Kb5 33.b4 Kxb4 34.Qxb7+ Kc3 35.Rc7+ Kd2 36.Qd5+ Ke3 37.g4 Kf4 38.e5 Kxg4 39.exd6 Kxh4 40.Rg7 Kh3 41.Qh5 checkmate, Intercrosse - Drunkpad, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

Black could be creative and return material with 6...Bxf2+?! 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Ke1 (hoping to pin the enemy Queen to its King with Rf1, but it never happens; better the simple 8.Nf3) Qxe5 9.Rf1+ Nf6 10.d4? Qxe4+ White resigned, Intercrosse - shyqrish, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

There was also 6...g6 7.Nxg6+ hxg6 8.Qxh8 Qf6 9.Qh6+? (9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.Qxf6 Nxf6 11.d3 would leave White with 3 pawns and a Rook vs Knight and Bishop) 9...Kf7? White resigned in an equal position, Intercrosse - TickleAttack, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

Surprisingly, after 6...Qe8 White resigned in Intercrosse - ehne_mehn_muhh, 3 0, blitz, lichess.org, 2020. Again, after the tactic 7.Nxe7+ Qxd7 8.Qxc5+, Black would have a small edge. 

Finally, 6...Qe7!? suggested by IM Lane (see above) was tested in splott - mika76, GameKnot.com, 2008: 7.Ng6+ hxg6 8.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 Qd4 10.Ke1 Qxf2+ 11.Kd1 d6 12.h3 Qxg2 13.Re1 Qf3+ 14.Re2 Bf2 15.d3 Nd4 16.Nc3 Qh1+ 17.Kd2 Nf3 checkmate. 

So, how did Black respond in the game?

6...Nf6 7.Qf7 checkmate

Chess is an easy game, after all.

By the way, this is the only game in The Database with this final position. There are 3 similar games that proceeded 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 (not 5...Kf8, as in our main game) 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qf7 checkmate: Esistes - ClosetDoor, blitz, FICS, 2009; perrypawnpusher - platel, blitz, FICS, 2011, and BahatiTheGrandmaster - Mammaen-din, 10 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2021.

Jerome Gambit: A Trip Down Memory Lane (Part 1)

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game is a nice win for White, with an interesting opening, some tactical shots in the middle game, and the success of "Jerome pawns" in the endgame.

It also gave me the opportunity to recall earlier games and players. 

Gamophobe - shatrunj646

15 10 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

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

 4... Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Kf8 

Seven years ago I touched on this solid move in this blog

As early as his first article with analysis (Dubuque Chess Journal 4/1874), Alonzo Wheeler Jerome considered the possibility that Black might refuse to capture the second piece, and play for King safety instead with 5...Kf8.  

This was, in fact, the defense that Jerome, himself, credited to G. J. Dougherty, ("a strong amateur, against whom I first played the opening") of Mineola, New York, in a yet unfound game; that O.A. Brownson, editor of the Dubuque Chess Journal, played against Jerome in an 1875 game (Dubuque Chess Journal3/1875); that magazine editor William Hallock used against D.P. Norton in an 1876 correspondence game played “by special request” to test the gambit (American Chess Journal 2/1877); that William Carrington tried in his 1876 match vs Mexican Champion Andres Clemente Vazquez (Algunas Partidas de Ajedrez Jugadas en Mexico, 1879); and which Lt. Soren Anton Sorensen recommended as “more solid and easier to manage” in his seminal Jerome Gambit essay (Nordisk Skaktidende 5/1877). 

It is interesting that early in Jerome's Gambit's life, there were players willing to accept one "gift" but who were skeptical of accepting two "gifts".

White can now continue with 6.Nxc6 and after 6...dxc6 (opening the file for his Queen, to prevent White's d2-d4) he can play 7.d3 and 8.0-0 or 7.0-0 and 8.d3. Black will still have his piece-for-a-pawn advantage as well as the two Bishops (and a somewhat unsafe King), while one of White's "Jerome pawns" will already be a passer.

6.Qh5

White continues his attack as planned. If Black now captures the Knight, the Queen will recapture and the game will have transposed to regular Jerome Gambit lines.

There is more history in this move, as I have noted

White also has the option of playing 6.Qh5, the Banks Variation, as in Banks - Rees, Halesowen, 2003, when Black can transpose with 6…Nxe5  as recommended by the American Chess Journal, (3/1877) - "The continuation adopted by Jerome, Qh5 looks promising."

Pete Banks ("blackburne" online), a stalwart member of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde (and still the strongest player I know who has played the Jerome regularly over-the-board in rated contests*), brought international attention to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's invention by writing to International Master Gary Lane, who commented at length on the opening, and on a couple of Banks' games, in his March ("The Good Old Days") and April ("Chess Made Easy") 2008 "Opening Lanes" columns at ChessCafe.com. IM Lane also mentioned one of Banks' games in his The Greatest Ever chess tricks and traps (2008), which reprised some of the earlier material.

It is humorous to note that in his "Opening Lanes" column Lane wrote, after 5.Nxe5+, "I think anyone with good manners playing Black would now kindly ask their opponent if they wanted to take their move back" while in his book he changed this to "I think anyone with good manners playing Black would now go to another room to carry on laughing."

IM Lane was supportive of the Jerome Gambit in all of its goofiness, but that did not stop him from suggesting an improvement for Black.

Apropos the Banks Variation itself (i.e. playing 6.Qh5 in response to 5...Kf8), IM Lane noted in "The Good Old Days" that "6...Qe7 is a good alternative [to 6...Qf6 of Banks - Rees], because it stops the checkmate and protects the bishop on c5."

A few months later, 6...Qe7 was tested successfully in a GameKnot.com game, splott - mika76, 2008: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Qh5 Qe7 7.Ng6+ hxg6 8.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 Qd4 10.Ke1 Qxf2+ 11.Kd1 d6 12.h3 Qxg2 13.Re1 Qf3+ 14.Re2 Bf2 15.d3 Nd4 16.Nc3 Qh1+ 17.Kd2 Nf3 checkmate. Clearly White, the very-slightly-higher rated player, was taken aback by the move. I asked mika76 if he had been influenced by IM Lane's recommendation, but he said he had come up with the move himself.

6...Qf6 

This allows a combination that evens the game.

7.Nxd7+ Bxd7 8.Qxc5+ Qd6 

9.Qe3

The earlier game continued: 9.Qxd6+ cxd6 10.c3 Nf6 11.f3 Kf7 12.O-O Rhe8 13.d4 Kg8 14.Bf4 d5 15.e5 Nh5 16.Bg5 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Rxe5 18.Bc1 Bb5 19.Rd1 Rae8 20.Bd2 Re2 21.Na3 Bd3 22.Re1 Nf4 23.Rxe2 Nxe2+ 24.Kf2 Rf8 25.b4 Nf4 26.Bxf4 Rxf4 27.Ke3 Rh4 28.Kxd3 Rxh2 29.Rg1 Kf7 30.Nb5 Rh6 31.Re1 a6 32.Nd4 g6 33.a4 Rh2 34.g4 Ra2 35.a5 Ra3 36.Re5 Ra2 37.Rxd5 Rh2 38.Rd7+ Kf6 39.Rxb7 h5 40.gxh5 gxh5 41.Rb6+ Kg5 42.Rxa6 h4 43.Ne6+ Kf5 44.Ke3 Rc2 45.Nd4+ Black resigned, Banks,P - Rees,M, Halesowen v Lucas BS, 2003 

(* This title may now be held by Louis Morin or "Cliff Hardy" - good company, indeed.)

[to be continued]