The Jerome Gambit: "Somewhat Problematic For Black"

I recently enjoyed watching the short YouTube video by chessthisout on "italian game for black less popular lines" which covers 7 less popular lines in the Giuoco Piano ("for players of ratings up to 1600 in FICS") - including the Jerome Gambit (unnamed in the video), "which can be somewhat problematic for Black if he doesn't play it properly".

The two main Jerome lines covered are 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0 and 5.d4, but not 5.Nxe5+, which means the move might come as quite a surprise for the unprepared defender. For that matter, 5...Bxd4 is the recommended response to 5.d4; the more challenging 5...Qh4 is not mentioned, which means the move might come as quite a surprise for the unprepared attacker.

I was shocked to see that chessthisout covered the alternative 4.Nxe5, and I told myself that certainly there wouldn't be any game examples of that move in The Database. I was wrong, there are 22 games - almost all of them transposing to the main line Jerome Gambit after 4...Nxe5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7?! (better is 5...Nxf7). Whew!

Jerome Gambit - Lost and Found

Last year, when John Watson and Eric Schiller's Taming Wild Chess Openings came out (New In Chess, 2015), I expressed disappointment on this blog that the Jerome Gambit did not appear to the authors to fit their sorting of A) Good B) Bad and C) Ugly chess openings and defenses. (Especially the "Bad" and the "Ugly".)

I am a bit behind in reading Dennis Monokroussos' "The Chess Mind" blog, and I just discovered - in Dennis' past review of Taming Wild Chess Openings, that the Jerome Gambit actually does appear.

My mistake. I had looked in the book's "Contents" without success. I had checked out the "Index of Moves and Variation Names" without discovering either the Italian Game, the Giuoco Piano - or the Jerome Gambit. Ditto the "Opening Index".

Ah, but Dennis pointed out - the Jerome is covered in the "Evans Gambit: Lasker Defense (C52)" chapter!

4.Bxf7+? Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ is the Jerome Gambit, which, however, is refuted by 5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ (6.d4 Qh4! 7.0-0 Nf6 8.dxc5 Qxe4) 6...Kf8, or here 6...g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7, winning.

Regular readers are no doubt familiar with the "pie-in-the-face" (6...Qh4), Jerome (6...Kf8) and Whistler (7...Qe7) defenses.

My apologies to John and Eric, and my thanks to Dennis.

Jerome Gambit Pawns: Inaction, In Action

In the Jerome Gambit, White's "extra" pawns can be part of the attack, or part of a fortress of protection. In the following game, they take both roles, as part of the first player's success.

Queenpunisher - parviz1340
12 8, lichess.org, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3  Bc5 4.Bc4 h6 5.Bxf7+

Transposing to the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 

The same position would be reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7.

6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qh5 Nf6 10.Qf3 Bg4 

Black has the right idea: his team of minor pieces should harass the White Queen, even if his own King is not yet castled-by-hand. Perhaps Queenpunisher's Queen should have been harassed by 10...Nh4!? instead.

11.Qg3

The text is a little bit better than 11.Qe3 Re8 12.d3 d5 13.f3 d4 14.Qf2 Bxf3 15.Qxf3 dxc3 16.bxc3 c6 17.O-O Kg8 18.Be3 Qd6 19.Rab1 b6 20.Bd4 Qd7 21.Bxf6 Rf8 22.Qg3 gxf6 23.Qxg6+ Qg7 24.Qf5 Qg5 25.Qe6+ Kh8 26.Qxc6 Rac8 27.Qd6 Rcd8 28.Qf4 Qxf4 29.Rxf4 Rg8 Black resigned, MIG - leshiy, FICS, 2001.

11...Re8 12.d3

Or 12.f3 Bd7 13.d4 Nh5 14.Qf2 Kg8 15.Be3 b6 16.f4 Rf8 17.f5 Ne7 18.g4 Nf6 19.g5 Nxe4 20.Nxe4 Bc6 21.f6 Ng6 22.Qf5 Qe8 23.d5 Bd7 24.Qf3 hxg5 25.Bxg5 Qe5 26.O-O-O Qe8 27.Rde1 Ne5 28.Qg3 Qg6 29.fxg7 Kxg7 30.Rhg1 Qf5 31.Bh6+ Black resigned, youjoin - molesto, GameKnot.com, 2007. 

12...Qd7 13.f3 Be6 14.O-O Nh5 15.Qf2 Kg8

For now the "Jerome pawns" provide a shield for White, but that will soon change!

16.Ne2 Rf8 17.b3 Rf7 18.f4 Bg4 

This second visit to g4 is ill-advised and will cost a piece. Better 18...Raf8. 

19.f5 Bxe2 20.Qxe2 Ne5 21Qxh5 Raf8 22.Bb2 Qc6

White now has attacking prospects.

23.Rf2 Kh7 24.Raf1 Qb6 25.Kh1 Nd7 26.Qg6+

He also could have tried the consistent 26.g4. 

26...Kh8 27.Qxh6+ Kg8 28.Qg5 Ne5 29.Rf4

White attacks successfully. He also could have tried the thematic 29.f6. 


29...c5 30.Rh4 Rf6 31.Bxe5 dxe5 32.Rg4 Rg6 33.Qxg6 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: All's Well That Ends Well

Here are three recent games from the online site lichess.org, where a lot of exciting chess is played.

They all were played with quick time controls.

They all brought a smile to my lips.

First, White is a piece down, but his "Jerome pawns" assist his Knight in delivering checkmate.

Dragan58 - ericksene, lichess.org, 2016

Next, it is White who has the material advantage - a couple more pieces, and an extra pawn - but it doesn't matter, as he ran out of time. Ouch.

isergant - manamanah, lichess.org, 2016

Finally, Black has been better in the following game for a long time (since move 4?) but he relaxed a moment too soon. It is White to move - and it is stalemate.

belih - victor, lichess.org, 2016

Abrahams Jerome Gambit: I Don't Understand

?!?!

Continuing my puzzlement from the previous column, I present a game that is entertaining - if gruesome for White. I found it on the Chess with DAO site. The game features the Abrahams Jerome Gambit, and, well, it should give you the feeling that something is missing - or was missed...

The game was presented on the site without the names of the players (although one is likely Joerg Dao), the location where it was played, or the date. The sub head "quick thing for hot kids?" (huh?) suggests that one of the players might be a student.

The notes to the move are all from the site, except my two comments in red.

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ 

I have not found any games with this line that were played by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, but at least one author - Gerald Abrahams, in The Chess Mind (1951) - has referred to it as the Jerome Gambit, so I have attached his name to the opening.- Rick

3...Kxf7 4.Qh5+ Ke6 5.Qg4+ Kd6 6.Qxg7 Ne7

now is there such a thing as a quickie? Where you offer a full piece in this, and get the K running and out ? Lets see. Its called Jerome Gambit, and mostly experts say, it is not playable.....

7.Qh6+ Ng6 8.d3 Qf6 9.f3 c6 10.Bg5 Qf7 11.f4 Qe6 12.fxe5+ Nxe5 

white is down one piece, but has 2 pawns more. And there is no such thing, as to hunt the black K somewhere...

13.Qg7 Rg8 14.Qxh7 Rxg5

another piece for a pawn ...

15.g3 Bxg1 16.Rxg1 Nf3+ 17.Kf2 Nxg1

3 vs. 5 pieces, no real chances any more. So lets finish in style.

18.Kxg1 b5 19.Nd2 Ba6 20.Nf3 Rg6 21.e5+ Kc7 22.Nd4 Qe8 23.e6 Rf6 24.exd7 Nxd7

black defense still solid, which is the basis of all that.

25.g4 Qe3+ 26.Kh1 Qxd4

- 2 vs. 5 pieces ...

27.Re1 Raf8 28.g5 Qd5+ 29.Kg1 Qxg5+ 30.Kh1 Rf1+ 31.Rxf1 Rxf1 checkmate 

yupp !! A löesson ? Maybe.

Maybe. But a lesson for who? Go back to diagram #2 and give it close look, if you haven't already. - Rick

Jerome Gambit: Sometimes I Don't Understand, I Just Enjoy

Sometimes I visit the GameKnot.com chess site and pick up a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game or two. (I would collect more, using their Games Database feature, but I am not a regular member.) The following one is a few years old, but it has the typical Jerome je ne sais quoi that sets it apart from other contests.

surfingscotty - arif__khan
GameKnot,com, 2012

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Ne7 

Black's idea is familiar, even if it shows up in only a few games in The Database: If he has to give back a piece, don't waste time deciding on which on, just develop another.

7.Qh5+

A bit better is probably 7.dxc5 as seen in a couple of games: 7...Re8 (7...Rf8 8.Qh5+ N5g6 9.Qxh7 Rh8 10.Qxh8 Qxh8 11.O-O d6
12.cxd6 cxd6 13.Bg5 Be6 14.f4 Bc4 15.Rd1 Rd8 16.b3 Qh5 17.Nd2 Be2 18.Re1 Rh8 19.h3 Ba6 20.c4 Nc6 21.Nf3 b5 22.h4 bxc4 23.b4 Nxb4 White resigned, paoloumali - regnarkragh, FICS, 2011) 8.Qh5+ N7g6 9.Qf5+ Qf6 10.Qh3 Kg8 11.Qb3+ Kh8 12.Nc3 Ng4 13.Be3 Nxe3 14.fxe3 Qg5 15.O-O-O Qxe3+ 16.Kb1 b6 17.Rhe1 Qxc5 18.Nd5 c6 19.Ne3 Ne5 20.Nf5 Re6 21.Rf1 Ba6 22.Rf4 Bc4 23.Qg3 Rg6 24.Qh3 Rd8 25.Rh4 Bg8 26.Rf1 Nf7 27.Rg4 Ng5 28.Qd3 Bc4 29.Qd2 Bxf1 30.b3 d5 31.Rxg5 Rxg5 32.Qxg5 Qf8 33.Nxg7 Qxg7 34.Qxd8+ Qg8 35.Qf6+ Qg7 36.Qxf1 h6 37.exd5 cxd5 38.a4 Kh7 39.Qd3+ Kh8 40.Qxd5 Qg8 41.Qe5+ Qg7 42.Qb8+ Kh7 43.g3 h5 44.h4 Qxg3 45.Qxg3 Black resigned, HauntedKnight - dukifanto. FICS, 2012.

Also seen was 7.dxe5 Rf8 8.Nc3 Kg8 9.O-O Ng6 10.Qd5+ Kh8 11.Qxc5 d6 12.exd6 cxd6 13.Qe3 Qf6 14.Nd5 Qe7 15.Nxe7 Nxe7 16.f4 h6 17.e5 dxe5 18.Qxe5 Nc6 19.Qd6 Bg4 20.Qg6 Bf5 21.Qg3 Nd4 22.Qf2 Nxc2 White forfeited on time, stretto - svadali, FICS, 2008.

7...N7g6 8.dxc5 d6 9.f4 

A standard "tool" from White's "toolbox", although Stockfish 7 suggests development with 9.h3 Re8 10.O-O Kg8 11.Nc3 b6 12.Bg5 Qd7 13.cxd6 Ba6 14.Rfd1 cxd6  first, then 15.f4.

In the game, Black is able to force an exchange of Queens when White does not have enough dynamic pawn play in the middle game to balance the sacrificed piece. The attacker will develop, castle, and begin to pressure his opponent, but he will need some help to prevail - and, oddly, he receives it.

9...Bg4 10.Qg5 Qxg5 11.fxg5 dxc5 12.Nc3 c6 13.O-O+ Ke7 14.h3 Be6 15.Be3 b6 16.Ne2 Nc4 

Here Black resigned after playing his move. I don't know why. Most likely the real world intervened, and he needed to return there.

Jerome Gambit Quizes

?

Some time back, I presented a series of Jerome Gambit Quizes on this blog, to test how well Readers understood the opening. With an explosion of attention the last few months, it seems timely to present them again, to get everyone tuned into 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+.

Ready?

Quiz #1

Quiz #2

Quiz #3

Quiz #4

Quiz #5

Quiz #6

Quiz #7

How well did you do??