It is fun to look back and see that in the early days of this Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) blog, I bragged of having a database of whopping 950 Jerome Gambit Games. Of course, today, the modern version of that database (aka "The Database") has over 1,000 games played by DragonTail alone.
In the beginning, in order to expand the number of Jerome Gambit games that I had access to, I offered a PGN file of 210 of the games mentioned on this blog, (not all Jeromes) in exchange for any games sent to me. The offer quickly expanded to almost 500 games, and on June 10, 2009, the first "birthday" of this blog (celebrating a year of posting every day) I offered a "present" of over 1,100 games.
I continued digging for gold, sometimes with great success.
Instead of "games posted on this blog" I switched to developing a PGN database of Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+), and Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3/4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) games.
By the time I offered the "New Year's Database" it contained over 17,000 games.This year's version, renamed "The Database" and offered on January 1, 2011, contained over 22,500 games, and included the above-mentioned variations, plus the nameless 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+.
Today, The Database contains about 25,000 games. (It is still available to interested Readers at no cost).
It was not long after I began looking into the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) that I noticed one chess match kept turning up in the databases: in 1993, between the human Micah Fischer-Kirshner and the chess-playing program KnightStalker, an early version of Fritz. As luck would have it, I was able to interview Micah about his experience for this blog.
The Jerome Gambit seemed a natural for matches, especially ones involving computers. Jeroen_61 of the Netherlands ran one with Hiarcs, Junior 7, Shredder Paderdorn (6.02) and Fritz 7.
I tried a few myself, notably a Fritz8 vs Fritz5 encounter and a Delphi vs Wealk Delphi contest. Each attempt had its shortcomings. (Perhaps you read about them here.)
The mysterious "perfesser" played an introductory 4-game match with the Talking LCD Chess Gadget. Like the Jerome Gambit itself, it was good for some chuckles.
Topping all efforts so far, "RevvedUp" and his trusted companions Hiarcs 8, Shredder 8, Yace Paderborn, Crafty 19.19 and Fritz 8 explored the Jerome Gambit in a 30-game encounter. It was simply war.
And then there is that as yet untold tale of two expert-to-master-level American players who played a Jerome Gambit match 5 years ago, but the games remain hidden from public view, pending the players' release of a monograph on the opening...
Perhaps that will show up on this blog one of these days.
http://jeromegambit.blogspot.com/2008/11/jerome-gambit-and-perfesser-part-i.html
iv
With over 1,200 daily posts to this blog to day, I sometimes like to wander back in time and see what things caught my interest over 3 years ago...
Of course, it all started with a "Welcome!"
It was not long before I had to address the objection "But - is this stuff playable??" (part i and part ii).
It was not surprising to find, among the early "Jerome Gambit Tournaments" some contests where both players lost the same game.
I let early Readers in on "Pitfall Numero Uno in the Jerome Gambit" and filled them in a bit on "What kind of a man...?" would conjure up such a gambit, one who became "The Man, The Myth, The Legend..."
I started gathering up Jerome Gambit mysteries that I still have not solved. " 'Tis A Puzzlement" was only the first list.
Explored was the link between the Jerome Gambit and the Salvio Gambit. Was there a link?
Then there was "Les Femmes des Echecs...& the Jerome Gambit" and the story of how this blog sidled up to the Jerome Gambit entry in Wikipedia...
All that, and a whole lot more, in only the first three months of this blog.
And there are many, many more Jerome Gambit tales to be told!
Friday's game ("A Not-so-Simple 'Simple Endgame'") was intense, with significant analysis; so today I thought I'd lighten up and present a more straight-forward game. Not "better played", just "less analyzed."
The jist of the game is that three "Jerome pawns" offset the enemy piece, while four "Jerome pawns" win against it.
perrypawnpusher - NewValues
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0
Played by habit. I have been meaning to explore the alternative 4.Nc3, although I probably would have wound up in the game continuation, any way, if my opponent had played 4...Nf6 (followed by 5...Bc5).
4...Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.
6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (by transposition from the Jerome: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.0-0 h6).
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Neg4
I was surprised to see that The Database contained only one earlier example of this move.
9.dxc5 Qe7
I saw 9...Re8 in perrypawnpusher - GiantReign, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 20) The text is an improvement.
10.Qd4 d6 11.cxd6 cxd6 12.h3
After the game, Houdini suggested 12.f4 right away.
12...Ne5 13.f4 Ng6
What is "unusual" in this otherwise routine position is the isolated Black pawn at d6. That suggests that one plan of development for White would be b2-b3 followed by Bc1-a3. Even if further analysis showed that the pin on the pawn was not dangerous, White could play Bc1-b2, putting the Bishop on the a1-h8 diagonal.
14.Bd2 Rg8
This is most likely a mouse-slip, as the move is incomprehensible, while 14...Rf8, 14...Re8 and 14...Rd8 would all make sense. My opponent did not request a take-back (which I probably would have given) so I can not be sure of this.
15.Rae1 Qd7 16.Nd5 Nh5
I know that the "Jerome pawns" are beginning to look frisky, but this horsing around does not help Black.
17.Bc3 b6 18.g4 Nf6
19.Nxf6 gxf6 20.Qxf6+ Ke8 21.f5 Ne5 22.Bxe5 dxe5 23.Qxe5+ Qe7
White's lead in development has led to the win of two pawns, which meant that I had 4 pawns against Black's Bishop, enough for a winning endgame advantage. It would actually have been stronger for me to leave the Queens on the board, but my time was low (and had been so for a while) and I figured that I was more likely to overlook an enemy attack with Queens on the board.
24.Qxe7+ Kxe7 25.e5 h5 26.Rf4 Bb7 27.Rd1 Ba6 28.Kf2 hxg4 29.hxg4 Rh8
Black finds no answer for White's three connected, passed pawns.
30.Ke3
More sense was to be found in 30.Kg3.
30...Bb5 31.g5 Bc6 32.g6 Raf8 33.Rd6
33...Rh3+ 34.Kd4 Bb7 35.f6+ Ke8 36.g7 Black resigned
Here is another short Jerome Gambit game from Bill Wall. It contains a motif that has showed up in recent posts – that of Ng5+ with an attack on Black's King as well as on a piece at e6 (see "Sunday Tournament Update" and "Ng5+") – and comes with a reminder that snap defensive moves can have long term consequences.
Bill has utilized the Qe2 attack before ("No Getting Around This Wall" is particularly interesting), so, for study purposes, I have included earlier games of his, even when he has played the move sooner than in the text. I have also included a number of games by hinders, of FICS, who played the line (with mixed success) a while back.
Wall,B - DDRM
FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game.
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.0-0
Instead: 6.Qe2 d6
a) 6...Rf8 7.Qc4+ d5 (7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Be6 10.d3 Kf7 11.Ng5+ Ke7 12.Bd2 Qd7 13.0-0 h6 14.Nxe6 Qxe6 15.f4 Ng4 16.Qg3 h5 17.h3 Nf6 18.fxe5 dxe5 19.Nd5+ Nxd5 20.exd5 Qxd5 21.Qxg7+ Kd6 22.Rxf8 Black resigned, Wall, B-Hamilton, E, FICS, 2011) 8.Qxc5 d4 9.Nb5 Nxe4 10.Nxe5+ Nxe5 11.Qxe5 Ng3 12.fxg3 Re8 13.0-0+ Kg8 14.Qxc7 Qg5 15.Qf7+ Black resigned, Wall, B-NFNZ, FICS, 2011;
b) 6...d5 7.Nxd5 Nxd5 8.Qc4 Qd6 9.exd5 Nd4 10.Nxd4 exd4 11.0-0 b5 12.Qb3 Re8 13.Qf3+ Kg8 14.d3 Bb7 15.a4 b4 16.Qg4 Qxd5 17.Bf4 Re2 18.Bh6 Qxg2+ 19.Qxg2 Bxg2 20.Kxg2 gxh6 21.Rac1 Rf8 22.b3 Bd6 23.h3 Kg7 24.a5 Rf5 25.a6 Bf4 White resigned, Wall,B-Samvazpr, Chess.com, 2010;
7.0-0 h6 8.h3 Rf8 9.d3 Nd4 10.Nxd4 Bxd4 11.Nb5 Bd7 12.Nxd4 exd4 13.f4 Kg8 14.Qe1 Qe7 15.Qb4 Bc6 16.Qxd4 Qf7 17.Bd2 Qg6 18.f5 Qe8 19.Bc3 Rf7 20.Rf3 Nd7 21.Rg3 Ne5 22.Rf1 Qe7 23.Qe3 Kh8 24.f6 Rxf6 25.Rxf6 Qxf6 26.d4 Nc4 27.d5 Qh4 28.Bxg7+ Kh7 29.Qd3 Black resigned, Wall,B - Darkmoonstone, FICS, 2011.
6...d6 7.Qe2
7...Bg4
Or 7...Ke8 8.Qc4 Rf8 9.d3 Qd7 10.d4 exd4 11.Nb5 Bb6 12.Na3 Qe6 13.Qd3 Bd7 14.c3 Ne5 15.Ng5 Nxd3 16.Nxe6 Bxe6 17.Bd2 Nxb2 18.cxd4 Bxd4 19.Nb5 Bb6 20.a4 a5 21.Nc3 Nc4 22.Rab1 Nxd2 23.e5 dxe5 24.Nb5 Nxf1 25.Rxf1 Ng4 26.h3 Bc4 27.Nc3 Bxf1 White resigned, hinders - Lukino, FICS, 2001;
Or 7...Rf8 8.Qc4+ Be6 9.Ng5+ Ke7 (9...Kg6 10.Qxe6 Kxg5 11.d4+ Kg6 12.dxc5 Nd4 13.Qh3 dxc5 14.Qg3+ Kf7 15.Qxe5 Re8 16.Nb5 b6 17.Qg3 Ne2+ White resigned, hinders-Lader, FICS, 2000) 10.Qxe6 checkmate, hinders - Devotion, FICS, 2001;
Or 7...Nd4 8.Qc4+ Be6 9.Ng5+ Ke7 10.Na4 Bxc4 11.d3 Nxc2 12.Rb1 Bxd3 13.Nc3 Nd4 14.Ra1 Bxf1 15.Be3 Nc2 16.Rc1 Bd3 17.Nd5+ Nxd5 18.exd5 Bxe3 19.fxe3 Nxe3 20.Re1 Nxd5 21.Rd1 Bc4 22.b3 Nc3 23.Re1 Bb5 24.a4 Ba6 25.b4 Nxa4 26.Ra1 Nb6 27.Rb1 Kd7 28.Ne4 Nc4 29.b5 Bxb5 30.Rxb5 Qh4 31.h3 Qxe4 32.Rxb7 Qe1+ 33.Kh2 Ne3 34.Rb3 Rhf8 35.Rc3 Rf5 36.Ra3 Rg5 37.Rxe3 Qxe3 38.Kh1 Qg3 39.Kg1 Qxg2 checkmate, hinders - putoamo, FICS, 2001;
Or 7...Be6 8.Ng5+ Ke7 9.a3 h6 10.b4 Bd4 11.Nf3 Rf8 12.Nb5 Bxa1 13.Nh4 Bd4 14.Ng6+ Ke8 15.Nxf8 Kxf8 16.c3 Bb6 17.a4 a6 18.Na3 Kg8 19.a5 Ba7 20.b5 axb5 21.Qxb5 Bc5 22.Qxb7 Nxa5 23.Qb1 Nc4 24.Nb5 Qb8 25.d4 Bb6 26.Qd3 Bf7 27.Qg3 Nxe4 28.Qg4 Ng5 29.h4 Ne6 30.Bxh6 Qe8 31.dxe5 Bh5 32.Qf5 gxh6 33.exd6 Qg6 34.Qd5 Nxd6 35.Qxa8+ Black resigned, hinders - kimk, FICS, 2001.
8.Qc4+ Be6
Moving his Bishop a second time, to block the check, of course, but also to harass the White Queen. Risky business.
Or 8...Ke7 9.Ng5 Qg8 10.Qd3 h6 11.Kh1 hxg5 12.Qb5 a6 13.Qxb7 Nd4 14.Qxc7+ Bd7 15.Rb1 Nxc2 16.d3 g4 17.Bd2 g3 18.fxg3 Ng4 19.Bg5+ Black ran out of time, hinders - HoChiMin, FICS, 2001
9.Ng5+
9...Ke7
Or 9...Kg6 10.Nxe6 Bxf2+ 11.Rxf2 Qe7 12.Ng5 Nd4 13.d3 b5 14.Qb4 c5 15.Qa5 a6 16.Be3 Nc6 17.Qa3 b4 18.Qb3 Nd4 19.Qa4 Rhb8 20.Nd5 Qd8 21.c3 bxc3 22.Nxc3 Rb4 23.Qd1 Rab8 24.b3 h6 25.Nh3 Qd7 26.Rf1 a5 27.Qe1 Kh7 28.Qg3 Nc2 29.Bxh6 Nxa1 30.Rxa1 Nh5 31.Qh4 Qf7 32.Nd5 gxh6 33.Ne3 Rd4 34.Ng4 Rxd3 35.Rc1 Rd2 36.Re1 Black ran out of time, hinders - bambaladam, FICS, 2001
10.Qxe6+ Kf8 11.Qf7 checkmate
graphic by Jeff Buccino, The Wizard of Draws
The ChessWorld Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Thematic Tournament continues, with all of the players firing off moves and many of the games proving to be exciting, entertaining, and instructional affairs.
To date, over 40% of the games have been completed, with White scoring 39% – an unimpressive figure when compared, say, to the Ruy Lopez, but about as robust a number as has been seen in other thematic tournaments, and a downright hearty one for an opening that has several established refutations.
9 of the 210 games (4%, an astonishingly "high" number as compared to only about 9/10th-of-a-percent of the games in The Database) feature the Jerome Gambit Declined with either 4...Kf8 or 4...Ke7.
63 of the games, a full 30%, are developing along "classical" Jerome Gambit lines (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+), the highest that I have seen in a thematic tournament.
The remaining 138 games follow "modern" Jerome Gambit lines (not-5.Nxe5+).
The current leaders are mckenna215, with 12.5 points (out of 14 games) and braken, with 11.5 points (out of 17 games).
In a tournament where each player plays 28 games, however, just about anything can happen over the course of the marathon. For example, AsceticKingK9 has 10 points out of 10 games, an impressive 100% score so far. Not far behind is Rikiki00 with 9.5 points out of 12 games.
Neither martind1991 nor Luke Warm have lost (or completed) any games, so their "perfect" scores have not been marred, either.
