The other day I played a 2 12 blitz Jerome Gambit game, checkmating my opponent in 15 moves. A simple thing? Hardly. With the help of Houdini, afterwards, I discovered that my opponent and I had missed a whole lot. perrypawnpusher - ficshicks blitz 2 12, FICS, 2014 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
This is not Black's strongest defense.
An error by the defender, especially in an opening as sketchy as the Jerome Gambit, is a gift. The attacker should know what kind of gift that it is, and respond accordingly. In this case, it is important to realize that White can regain his sacrificed material, but that Black can find safety for his King. 9.Qxe5+
At this point, Black resigned in perrypawnpusher - ktonthat, blitz 10 5, FICS, 2009. 9...Kc6
Here, Black resigned in perrypawnpusher - Greystroke, blitz, FICS, 2012. 10.d4
I had forgotten that 10.Qc3 is the right move here, because a past opponent and I quickly left the path with 10...Qf8 11.d4 Qf6 12.Qxc5 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - nicolasalk, blitz, FICS, 2009.
Instead of expanding his pawn center, and dreaming of checkmate, White should think of pinning and winning the Black Bishop after 10...b6 11.b4 d6 12.d4 Kb7 13.bxc5 dxc5 14.dxc5 Nc6 when Black's King is safe, and White is ahead a couple of pawns.
Even at that point, White should modestly play 15.0-0, instead of grabbing more matrial with 15.cxb6 axb6 16.Qxg7 because of 16...Rg8 17.Qc3 Rxg2 when Black would be winning! 10...Bd6
Stronger was 10...d6, as in perrypawnpusher - vypux, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 20). In that game I was able to get away with 11.Qxg7 because my opponent missed 11...Nf5! 12.exf5 Qe8+ 13.Kd1 Bxf5 after which, if anything, Black would have an edge, despite his two-pawn deficit. Note that 14.dxc5? now would be crushed by 14...Qh5+ Instead White should try the sharp 14.d5+!?when Black would be prudent to reply 14...Kb6,
analysis diagram
with in an unclear position where White's King is in more danger than his counterpart, and Black's 2 Bishops and better Rooks give him the more threatening prospects. Also, 10...Bb4+ 11.Nc3 (11.c3 is better) appeared in perrypawnpusher - TheChessInnovator, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 43). (Having played the line 5 times previously, and apparently having learned very little in the process, I am reminded of the Firesign Theater album, "Everything You Know Is Wrong"!) 11.d5+ Kb5 Safer was 11...Kb6 when after 12.Qc3 White has to develop and make threats against the enemy King while taking advantage of Black's trapped (thanks to the Knight on e7) Bishop. Black can, in some situations, consider returning his Knight instead with a well-timed ...Nxd5 followed by a Bishop retreat. Houdini puts White's advantage at less than a pawn, and shows no direct checkmates. 12.Na3+
This move was based on the simple idea 12...Bxa3 13.bxa3 and then White will have the use of the b-file for a winning attack on the enemy King.
However, after the game Houdini pointed out that after 13...Ka6 there is no "winning attack on the enemy King" and that all White has left is 14.Qxg7 Rg8 15.Qd4 b6 (Not 15...Rxg2 right off because 16.Qa4+ Kb6 17.Rb1+ Kc5 18.Qb4#) 16.0-0 when Black's King escapes with 16...Kb7 and the game is about even.
Instead 12.Qd4 was the move to make, and then White's threats against Black's Bishop and King would give him the advantage, although it would still be a long time before the game would be decided. 12...Kb6 As suggested above, 12...Ka6 would again leave White with little more than 13.Qxg7 when 13...b6, 13...Ng6 or 13...Re8 (followed by 14.0-0) all look about even. 13.Nc4+
The following Jerome Gambit game features a couple of "helpful" moves by Black, "encouraging" White to go ahead and make the moves he was already planning on making. White is helped by this, but Black is harmed.
There are 141 games with this position in The Database. White scores a pleasant 68%. 10.f3 Bill's idea. 10...Kf7 11.0-0 Instead, 11.d4 Re8 12.0-0 was seen in Wall,B - Guest3544144, PlayChess.com, 2013(1-0, 35). 11...Be6 12.Nc3 Rf8 13.f4 Ne7 14.f5 Bd7 15.d4 Kg8
Black has castled-by-hand. White has his broad pawn center. 16.Qd3 Nc6 Bill suggests, instead, the center strike 16...d5. 17.Bg5 Qe8 Black slips out of the pin. As an alternative, Bill mentions 17...Kh8. 18.Rae1 h6
This move seems to encourage White to make a move he already planned on making. Again, Bill suggests 18...Kh8. After the game, Houdini found 18...Qh5!?, with the wild continuation 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Nd5 Rac8 21.Re3 Kh8 22.Rh3 Qf7 23.Rf4 Ne7 24.Rxh7+ Qxh7 25.Nxe7 Qxe7 26.Rh4+ Kg8 27.Qg3+ Qg7 28.Rg4 Qxg4 29.Qxg4+ Kf7 30.e5 dxe5 31.dxe5 fxe5 32.Qg6+ Ke7 33.Qg5+ and a draw by repetition. Typical computer: it sees White as worse off at the start of the line, and therefore the first player should be happy with a draw. I showed the line to Bill, who said he probably would have simply met 18...Qh5 with 19.Bf4. Very human. 19.Bxf6 Rxf6 Again, this adds momentum to White's play. Better for Black was 19...gxf6 20.Nd5 Rc8. 20.Nd5 Rf8 Black's game begins to slide downhill. 21.Nxc7 Qc8 22.Nxa8 Qxa8 23.f6 Rxf6 24.Rxf6 gxf6 25.e5
A clearance sacrifice to allow White's Queen to approach the Black King. Black's best defense, now, 25...Qf8, is still not enough: 26.Qb3+ Kh8 27.Qxb7 Qe7 28.e6 Be8 29.Qxe7 Nxe7 30.c4. The Rook and three extra pawns will overwhelm the defending Knight and Bishop. 25...fxe5 26.Qg6+ Kh8 27.Qxh6+ Kg8 28.Rf1 Qe8 29.Qg5+ Kh8 30.Rf6 Black resigned
Lately, not a lot of opponents have answered 3...Bc5, which would give Bill Wall a chance to play the Jerome Gambit. In the following game he shows some patience, and it turns out that he is okay with the delay. Wall,B - Marz PlayChess.com, 31.08.2014 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
This kind of retreat is seen by White in response to the "fork trick" in the Italian Four Knights Game. Here 7...d6 improves. 8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.f4 Nxe4
Looking for more trouble. Instead, 9...Bd6 10.e5 Bc5+ 11.Kh1 d5 12.exf6 gxf6 when White has an edge. 10.fxe5+ Nf6
Defense with 10...Ke8 is best, but after 11.Qg4 Qe7 12.Qxe4 White is a piece up. 11.exf6 g6
Now the Jerome Gambiteer finishes with style. 12.Qd5+ Kf8 13.Bh6+ Ke8 14.f7+ Ke7 15.Qe5 checkmate
This is not a Jerome Gambit variation, but it will happen often enough in your games that it is worth having an answer to it on hand. 4.Bxf7+ Of course, 4.Nxe5 is just fine, too. The text is the answer, though, if you were planning on playing the Jerome. 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.d4 d6
7.Qg4+ This is the right way to proceed. 7...Ke7 8.Bg5+ This move looks stronger than it is, however. Best is 8.Qg5+ Nf6 9.Nf3 Nc6 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5 Kf7 12.exf6 Qxf6 with a pawn advantage for White. 8...Nf6
9.Bxf6+ White goes ahead with his plan, but there is a bug in it. Best play, instead, leads to an unclear position, and, possibly, a draw by repetition. White should try 9.Qf3, getting his Queen out of the line of fire while focusing more attention on the Knight at f6. In turn, Black has 9...dxe5 10.dxe5 Kf7 11.exf6 gxf6 when White has his Jerome-traditional two pawns for a sacrificed piece. It is here that Houdini suggests 12.Nc3!? with wild play after 12...Kg7 (or 12...Rg8 13.Rd1 Bd6 14.Qh5+ Rg6 15.Qxh7+ Rg7 16.Qh5+ Rg6 drawing) 13.Nd5 fxg5 14.O-O-O!?.
analysis diagram Houdini and Stockfish see the position as equal, largely because White - two pieces down - can still work out a draw by repetition. All in all, it might be better to remember 8.Qg5+. 9...gxf6 10.Qh4
We can see that there is now too much going on for White to be able to take care of all of it. 10...Ke8 But Black is still under his opponent's spell! After 10...dxe5 11.dxe5 Bg7) White does not have enough for his two sacrificed pieces. 11.Qh5+ Ke7 12.Qf7 checkmate
The Jerome Gambit player knows that there may be few - maybe one - chances to steer the game out of its "pre-ordained" path to "0-1" and so must be ready for opportunities as they arise. A primary way of creating an opportunity is to complicate play - and hope for the best. fehim - GibletGrey blitz, FICS, 2013 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Whenever I see this "nudge" I suspect the player is familiar with the Jerome Gambit - and, perhaps, this blog. 7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 Nf6 9.d3 d6 10.Qb4
13.Bg5 13.b4!? is an interesting suggestion of Houdini, for example 13...d5 (13...cxb4 14.Qxb4) 14.bxc5 dxe4 15.Re1 Rc8 16.Qb3 Rxc5 17.Nc3 Bd5 18.Nxd5 Qxd5 19.dxe4 Qxb3 20.axb3 a5 21.c4 Kf7 when Black still holds the advantage of a piece vs two pawns. 13...h6 14.Be3 Qd7 15.Nd2 Rf8 16.f4 Qg4
This looks aggressive, but Black might have done better with the center push 16...d5. 17.h3 It might be the time for the thematic pawn push 17.f5, leading to a balanced game. White has a different move, and a pawn break, in mind. 17...Qh5 18.Nf3 Nh4 19.Nxh4 Qxh4 20.e5
White hopes to stir things up. 20...Qg3 21.Rf2 Qxe3 Black is happy to exchange pieces, and avoid further complications, but here he had the winning move 21...Nd5 available. Missing that shot, things turn bad. 22.exf6 Qd4 23.Re1+ Kd7 The King would have been happier at d8, as we will see. 24.fxg7 This move is okay, but more refined would be 24.Re7+ Kc6 25.Qxd4 cxd4 26.fxg7. 24...Qxc3
Now if White simply recaptures the Queen, Black has time for 25...Rf7 and can be happy with his piece vs 2 pawns advantage. 25.gxf8N+ Nice underpromotion. 25...Kc6 26.bxc3 Rxf8 27.d4 Kb5
Black's active King does not compensate for the lost exchange and White's two extra pawns. 28.a4+ Kc4 29.dxc5 dxc5 30.Re7 Bc6 31.Rxa7 Kxc3 32.a5 bxa5 33.Rxa5 c4 34.Ra6 Be4 35.Rxh6 Bxc2
As I posted before, "The Jerome Gambit Is Going To Drive Me..." (Part 1 and Part 2).
It has been 2 1/2 months and I have heard nothing further from Fat Lady of the online site TimeForChess (also known as RedHotPawn) about the supposed Alekhine Jerome Gambit game...
I will let Readers know if anything ever turns up, but it looks like for now this game will have to join the pile of Jerome Gambit "urban legends", such as the book All or Nothing! The Jerome Gambit by Chaim Schmendrik. By the way, did you hear the one about Grandmaster Larry Christiansen playing the Jerome Gambit at the Internet Chess Club...? [August 2014 was the 4th most-visited month in the history of this blog - starting in 2008. All four of those top months are within the last year, too - add May 2014, December 2013, November 2013 - showing increasing interest. To our Readers - many thanks - Rick]
Okay, this is a sort of "Accelerated Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit" kind of thing. The Database has 1,739 examples; and White scores 40% - nothing majestic, but about on par for what happens in a large sample of Jerome Gambit games. 4...Kxf7 5.c3 d6 6.Qb3+ Be6 7.c4 Na5 8.Qb5 b6 9.d3 Now follows some foreshadowing. 9...Bd7 10.Qd5+ Be6 11.Qb5 Ke7 12.0-0 Bd7
Well over 100 moves have been made, and we're back to the same position. Of course, we have been there so many times, either player could have claimed a draw by repetition. In fact, a draw according to the "50 move rule" could also have been claimed. Now White varies, claiming his disadvantage and eventually losing. 121.Qb4 Ke8 122.d4 exd4 123.Nxd4 Nc6 124.Nxc6 Bxc6 125.Re1 Nf6 126.e5 dxe5 127.Rxe5+ Kd7 128.Qd2+ Bd6 129.b3 Kc8 130.Re2 Kb7 131.Nc3 Qf8
