Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (9)

Once more RevvedUp demonstrates that the Blackburne variation of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is better for White – especially when including the TN the computer comes up with in this game.

Once more, though, Yace Paderborn shows the skills of the electronic beast can, in the long run, grind down those of a mere mortal.

RevvedUp - Yace Paderborn

blitz 2 12, 2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Bd7

Something new! Standard is 9...Nf6.

10.Qc3

Immediately getting the Queen out of danger.

10...Qxe4 11.d3 Qd5 12.Qb3 Qxb3 13.axb3 Bd4

We have reached a Queenless middlegame, and White clearly has the advantage. If he is subsequently out-played by the computer (rated 1,000 points above him), that should not be attributed to the Jerome Gambit nor reflect poorly on RevvedUp.

14.c3 Bg7 15.b4 a6 16.Bg5 Re8 17.Be3 Ne7 18.Nd2 Bb5 19.c4 Bd7 20.Rab1 Bf5 21.Ne4 d5 22.cxd5 Nxd5 23.Rbd1 Bxb2 24.Bd2 Bxe4 25.dxe4 Rxe4

Black has been chipping away at the White advantage, and now has a pawn for the exhange, but the game is even.

26.Rfe1 Rc4 27.Bc1 Bc3 28.Bd2 Bxd2 29.Rxd2 c6 30.Rb1 b5

A very complicated ending has arisen, where RevvedUp is holding his own. Impressive.

31.g3 Nxb4 32.Rd7+ Kf6 33.Rxh7 a5 34.Rh4 Rxh4 35.gxh4 Kf5 36.Kf1 Kg4 37.Ke2 Kxh4 38.Ke3

More precise is 38.Kd2, but I think White can still hold the position. His King is active, his Rook can either capture or check as needed, and it is very difficult for Black to make headway.

38...c5 39.Ke4

I think the consistent move here is 39.Rc1. With the text White strays away from his duties on the Queenside.

39...c4 40.Kd4 Nc2+ 41.Kc5 b4 42.Rc1 Na3 43.Kb6 b3 44.Kxa5 b2

My database has the game ending here with a draw. I must have gotten something mixed up, as Black has a clear win. Perhaps there was some kind of move or time stipulation?

A very tough game for RevvedUp, reminiscent of his second game against Crafty 19.19.

Happy Hanukkah...

...to the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde and to chess players everywhere.

The Black Knight

I feel kind of bad about this game. My opponent was rated less than 70 points below me, which was a perfect spread for giving "Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) odds" – but the game was pretty one-sided. TheChessInnovator was brave, but in the battle he fell apart.

I felt better when I remembered the Black Knight in the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Gadzooks! That was my opponent!

perrypawnpusher - TheChessInnovator
FICS rated blitz 10 5, 2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6


7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ne7



Black Knight: None shall pass!

An interesting novelty, returning a piece for some development, but not one likely to overturn the Jerome Gambit. Either 8...Qh4+ or 8...Qf6 would serve better.

9.Qxe5+ Kc6 10.d4

After the game Fritz 8 suggested: 10.Qc3 Nf5 11.b4 Qh4+ 12.g3 Qe7 13.Qxc5+ Qxc5 14.bxc5 Nd4 15.Na3 Ne6 16.d3 Nxc5 with White's advantage. I really like that move 10.Qc3; I wish I'd thought of it.

10...Bb4+

Black's chance was to get in 10...d6 now.

11.Nc3

Demonstrating no depth of thought. The idea: the Knight can help the Queen checkmate the King. The reality: 11.c3 Bd6 12.d5+ Kb6 13.Be3+ with the attack on the hapless King is better.

11...b6

Black wishes to castle-by-hand on the Queenside, but an advantage was his with the thematic 11...d5.

12.Qb5+ Kb7 13.Qxb4

Black Knight: 'Tis but a scratch

13...Nc6 14.Qc4 Qh4+ 15.g3 Qh3 16.Qf1


A little too panicky, willing to give up a pawn to swap Queens, when there was 16.d5 Na5 17.Qe2.

16...d6 17.Qxh3

Mission accomplished; but stronger was 17.Be3 Re8 18.d5 Ne7 19.0-0-0.

17...Bxh3 18.Be3 Nb4 19.0-0-0 Kc8 20.e5 Bg4 21.Rd2 Re8 22.h3 Bf3 23.Rf1 Bg2 24.Rxg2

Black Knight: I've had worse.

24...a5 25.Re2 b5 26.Rfe1

King Arthur: Victory is mine.

26...a4 27.a3 Kd7 28.axb4

King Arthur: You are indeed brave, Sir Knight, but the fight is mine.

Black Knight: It's just a flesh wound.

28...a3 29.bxa3 Rxa3 30.Kd2 Kc6 31.d5+ Kb7 32.e6 c6 33.dxc6+ Kxc6 34.f5 Ra4 35.Bf4


There was nothing wrong with 35.Nxa4

35...Rxb4 36.Re4 Kc5 37.Bxd6+


37...Kxd6 38.Rxb4


Black Knight: I'll do you for that!

38...Rd8 39.Rd4+ Kc7 40.Rxd8 Kxd8


Black Knight: The Black Knight always triumphs!

41.e7+ Ke8 42.Nxb5


Black Knight: I'll bite your legs off!

42...h5 43.Nd6+ Black resigns

Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (8)

The two players move quickly through the first 10 moves of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), Blackburne variation, as established in earlier games, leaving White with a significant edge that Black is unable to overcome.

Shredder 8 - RevvedUp

blitz 2 12, 2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6

10.Qd8 Qxe4 11.Qxc7+

A new wrinkle that does not change White's advantage.

11...Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 13.d3 Be6 14.Be3 Bxe3 15.fxe3 Rf8

White is up the exchange and two pawns again (see "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (7)"). White's advantage seems pretty clear in the Blackburne line. RevvedUp hangs in for another dozen moves, likely to see how well Shredder 8 plays the endgame.

16.e4 Ng4 17.Rxf8 Kxf8 18.Nc3 a6 19.Rf1+ Ke7 20.h3 Ne5 21.Kf2 h5 22.h4 Ng4+ 23.Ke2 Ne5 24.b4 Bg4+ 25.Ke3 Be6 26.b5 a5 27.Nd5+ Bxd5 28.exd5 Black resigns

Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (7)

RevvedUp is ready for this round of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), Blackburne variation, and -- putting together all that he has learned so far -- he completely dominates newcomer Shredder 8, up until a very unfortunate final error.

RevvedUp - Shredder 8

blitz 2 12, 2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Qd8 Qxe4

After 10...Bb6 White must crack the center with 11.e5.

11.Nc3 Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 13.d3 Be6 14.Be3 Bb4

RevvedUp is up the exchange and a pawn: he has handled Blackburne's counter-sacrifice very well.

15.a3 Ba5 16.b4 Bb6 17.Bg5 Bd4 18.Bd2 Be5 19.Rae1 Rf8 20.f4 Bd4+ 21.Kh1 Kd7 22.h3 h5 23.Nb5 Bb6 24.c4 h4

Shredder 8 is resisting, but it is clear that the Jerome Gambit has been a success.

Now White falls to an unfortunate oversight.

25.d4 Bxc4 White resigns

Queened! and Rooked!

Geoff Chandler, of Chandler Cornered (see "Mars Attacks!"), has produced Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) analysis (see "Flaws (Part II)") and games (see "Stuff happens...") – not to mention regular, hysterical and education posts at his own site.

I clearly should have included him in the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde (see "Jerome Gambit Gemeinde (modern)").
Recently Geoff wrote of a challenge he made at the RedHotPawn site for someone to compose a game where all 16 pawns promote to Queens. "Swiss Gambit" of the site sent him a creation by Ed Collins.



Just play it over...

1.e4 f5 2.e5 Nf6 3.exf6 e5 4.g4 e4 5.Ne2 e3 6.Ng3 e2 7.h4 f4 8.h5 fxg3 9.h6 g5 10.Rh4 gxh4 11.g5 g2 12.g6 Bg7 13.hxg7 g1Q 14.f4 h3 15.f5 h2 16.b4 a5 17.b5 a4 18.b6 a3 19.Bb2 Ra7 20.bxa7 axb2 21.a4 b5 22.a5 b4 23.a6 b3 24.c4 h1Q 25.c5 h5 26.c6 Bb7 27.cxb7 c5 28.d4 c4 29.d5 Nc6 30.dxc6 c3 31.c7 c2 32.c8Q c1Q 33.b8Q Qcc7 34.a8Q d5 35.a7 d4 36.Nc3 dxc3 37.Qa6 c2 38.Qa8b7 c1Q 39.a8Q Qhd5 40.gxh8Q+ Kd7 41.g7 bxa1Q 42.g8Q b2 43.f7 b1Q 44.f8Q h4 45.f6 h3 46.f7 h2 47.Qfa3 h1Q 48.f8Q exf1Q+

He then put out a challenge for a composed game with 20 Rooks in it – and soon received this from "Dood in the Mood"...

1.d4 d5 2.e4 e5 3.f4 a5 4.f5 h5 5.Bf4 exf4 6.c4 b5 7.c5 b4 8.Bc4 dxc4 9.Nc3 bxc3 10.d5 g5 11.e5 g4 12.Nf3 gxf3 13.d6 c2 14.c6 c1R 15.f6 Rb1 16.e6 Bb7 17.cxb7 Na6 18.b8R Bg7 19.fxg7 f5 20.e7 Kf7 21.exd8R c3 22.Rdc8 c2 23.d7 c5 24.d8R c1R 25.a3 Nb4 26.axb4 c4 27.b5 c3 28.b6 c2 29.Kd2 f2 30.b7 f1R 31.b4 f3 32.g4 f2 33.g5 Nh6 34.h3 Ng4 35.hxg4 Rg1 36.g8R f1R 37.g6+ Ke6 38.Rc5 f4 39.Rbc8 f3 40.b8R f2 41.R8c7 Re1 42.b5 f1R 43.b6 a4 44.Ra2 a3 45.Rb2 a2 46.b7 a1R 47.Rbc8 h4 48.b8R h3 49.Rgf8 Rh7 50.Rh2 Rh8 51.Rhf2 h2 52.g7 h1R 53.g8R R8h7 54.g5 R7h6 55.g6 Rh7 56.g7 R7h6 57.Rh8 Rh7 58.g8R cxd1R

Amazing!

I love a great used bookstore

I like a good bookstore.

I love a great used bookstore.

I have always enjoyed reading (and been a little jealous) of the chess treasures that Geoff Chandler turns up, in his travels through Edinburgh, searching for used books (see Chandler Cornered at Chess Edinburgh).

So it was with interest and a sense of excitment that I recently received an email:

From: Scott at Browsers' Bookstore
(scott@browsersbookstore.com)
Sent: Sat 12/13/08 7:40 PM
To: richardfkennedy@hotmail.com

Hi,

Google led me to your "Joys of Discovery" blogs re: Jerome Gambit & Ernest H. Quayle. Don't have much further information for you, but I do have a book (and the reason I googled in the first place) that was once owned by Ernest H. Quayle, or at least signed by him in July 1944. "One-Hundred-and-One of My Best Games of Chess" by F. D. Yates & W. Winter. May or may not be of any use, but possible slight interest to you.

Best wishes,

Scott Givens
Browsers' Bookstore

Ah, yes, "Joys of Discovery (Part I)", Part II and Part III – the Jerome Gambit game between Sgt. W. A. Harris and Ernest H. Quayle, Los Angeles, California, 1944. The same year that he signed the Yates & Winter book – you don't think there could be a connection...?

Browsers' Bookstore is in Corvalis, Oregon ("Volume II" of the store is in Albany, Oregon), and looks like a great place to spend a few hours and a few bucks. (Where low prices meet high quality – Works for me.) They've got a very useful "Links" page, as well.