Jerome Gambit: GM vs GM, Upset

The good news (for those who play the Jerome Gambit) is: I found a couple more 3 0 Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games played by the world's highest rated blitz player, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, at Chess.com.

The bad news (for fans of the Jerome Gambit and of Hikaru Nakamura) is: GM Nakamura was defeated both games by Grandmaster Peter Michalik of the Czech Republic.

It is not every day that a grandmaster is given "Jerome Gambit odds"!

SanitationEngineer - Lunaticx

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8  

The Jerome Defense to the Jerome Gambit, played at least as early as Jaeger, D - Jerome, A.W., correspondence, 1880, but already suggested in Jerome's 1874 analysis in the Dubuque Chess Journal. 

This is not the first time that we have seen a GM play this defense - see "A GM Faces the Jerome Gambit (Part 2)"

By the way, I just had to know if GM Michalik's choice of 6...Kf8 was over-the-board inspiration or preparation, so I asked him in a message. He very generously, and humorously, responded promptly that it was not preparation. I find that reassuring.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.d3 Kf7 

Black takes the time to castle-by-hand.

10.Be3 Bxe3 11.fxe3 

Certainly the most frequent capture. The Database has only 2 examples, blitz games by MrJoker, of 11.Qxe3.

11...Rf8 12.Nc3 Kg8 

13.O-O Be6 14.Nb5 Bd7 15.Nd4 Qe7 16.Nf5 Bxf5 17.Rxf5 g6 18.Rf3 Nd7 19.Raf1 Ne5 

20.Rf4 Nd7 21.h4 Kh8 

22.h5  

For the first time in the game, Komodo 10, in blunder check move, has a suggestion. Instead of continuing the attack on Black's King, it prefers that White use his greater Queen mobility to eventually force an exchange of Queens, and then focus on the extra "Jerome pawn": 22.Qe1 Qg7 23.Qa5 Rxf4 24.Rxf4 b6 25.Qb5 Rf8 26.Rxf8+ Nxf8 27.Qc4 c5 28.Qd5 Qf6 29.Qa8 Qe7 30.Qd5 Nd7 31.Qa8+ Qf8 32.Qxf8+ Nxf8 33.Kf2 Kg7 34.Kf3 Kf6 35.c3 Nd7 36.d4 Ke6 37.b3, with Black evaluated as about a pawn and a half ahead. The irony here is that a club player is likely to make the same decision, while the grandmaster, in the game, aims at the enemy monarch.  

22...gxh5 23.Qh3 Rxf4 24.Rxf4 

Choosing the open line for the Rook, not straightening out his pawns with 24.exf4. A lesson, here.

24...Rg8 25.Qxh5 Ne5 

26.Qh3 Qg7 27.b3 Ng4 

28.Rf1 

Suddenly, Komodo 10 rates Black almost a Queen better!

What is going on? A clue is that the computer prefers 28.Kf1, which actually protects the pawn at e3, while giving White's King some breathing room.

Black notices the difference immediately.

28...Nxe3 

The Knight makes threats, while the pressure along the g-file and on g3 is enormous. Compare this to 28.Kf1 Nxe3?! 29.Qxe3 Qxg2+ 30.Ke1 Qg1+ 31.Qxg1 Rxg1+ 32.Kd2, with an even game.

29.Rf2 Ng4 

White resigned

The Rook is lost. If it moves, Black has 30...Qa1+ with checkmate coming quickly.

Jerome Gambit: Oops, He Did It Again?!

Chessfriend Yury Bukayev pointed out to me that Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura ("SanitationEngineer") played another 3 0 Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game against Grandmaster Dmitrij Kollars ("GM_dmitrij") at Chess.com. While the result was the same ("1-0") the underlying reasons are not as clear...

By the way, Ahmed Amayem emailed me a link to a short, light-hearted discussion between GM Nakamura and IM Levy Rozman about the Jerome Gambit and the games against GM Kollars. Check it out, from minute 51:30.

Oh, and GM Nakamura, in assembling an "Intermediate Opening Tier List", bypassed "Legendary", "Solid", "Legit", and "Maybe Not", to place the Jerome Gambit in "Tricks Only" - above "Garbage" because, as he said, "I don't think it loses by force".

SanitationEngineer - GM_dmitrij

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6 10.fxe5+ Qxe5  

So far, the same as their previous encounter, but now White decides not to exchange Queens.

11.Qf3 Qf6 

According to The Database, this move is a novelty.

12.Qe2 Ke7 13.c3 d6 14.d4 Bb6 

15.Bf4 Qg6 16.O-O Bh3 17.Rf2 Re8 18.a4 a6 19.Nd2  

At this point the website noted "SanitationEngineer won - game abandoned".

It is unclear why this happened - Black has an extra piece for a pawn, and must be better, despite his somewhat uneasy King. Perhaps the non-chess world intervened, as it occasionally does. 

Jerome Gambit: Some Nightmares Repeat

For 16 moves, the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game looks like the nightmare (for Black) from the previous post. A new line of play only leads to another nightmare.

White Boris - NN

2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 d6 8.fxe5 g6  9.Qe2 dxe5 

So far, as in the previous game.

10.b4 Qh4+ 11.g3 Qe7 12.Qc4+ Kf6 13.Rf1+ Bf5 

Still, the same. I am reminded of the warning: If you keep on going in the direction that you are heading - you will get there.

14.Nc3 Qe6 15.Nd5+ Kg5 16.d3+ Kh5 17.Qxc5 c6 

The first change from the previous game, but it does not really help.

18.exf5 Qxd5 19.Qe3 Kg4 20.Qg5+ Kh3 21.Qh4+ Kg2 22.Rf2+ Kg1 23.Be3 Qd8 24.O-O-O checkmate

Yes, checkmate by castling. Wonderful.

Jerome Gambit: Black's Nightmare

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game starts out slowly, but quickly becomes dangerous for Black, and then disastrous. For the defender, it is the thing of nightmares. 

Boris - NN

2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 d6 

The notorious "annoying" or "silicon" defense.

8.fxe5 g6 

An interesting, but unusual, interpolation.

9.Qe2

Here we see the "innocuous Qe2".

9...dxe5 

10.b4 

This is an energetic alternative to 10.Qc4+.

10...Qh4+ 11.g3 Qe7 12.Qc4+ Kf6 13.Rf1+ Bf5 

You just know that this is not going to turn out well for Black.

14.Nc3 Qe6 15.Nd5+ Kg5 

16.d3+ Kh5 17.Qxc5 g5 18.exf5 Qd6 

19.Qe3 Qd8 20.f6 Kg6 21.f7 Nh6 22.Qe4+ Kg7 23.Qxe5+ Kg6 24.Rf6+ Qxf6 25.Qxf6+ Kh5 26.Qxg5 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Computer Defense Triumphs

Boris, from Kazkhstan, sent me a number of his exciting Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games, but first he shared this interesting computer vs computer game. It is a bit of a one-sided affair, as this particular version of Stockfish is rated about 500 points higher than this particular version of Houdini - it would have been interesting if Stockfish had offered "Jerome Gambit odds".  

Houdini 1.5 - Stockfish 11

computer game, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 

"Here the engines started working" Boris noted.

6.d4 Qh4

This variation does not have a name, but I have referred to it as  "pie in the face" variation because of its surprise value - and strength. It is as old as Sorensen - Anonymous, Denmark, 1888 (1-0, 27).

7.O-O Qxe4 8.dxc5 Nf6 9.Nc3 Qc6 10.Be3 b6 

11.Bd4 Ng6 12.cxb6 axb6 13.Qd2 Nh5 14.a4 Rf8 15.f3 Kg8 

Black castles-by-hand. White's pieces are developed, but his pawns are inactive. In this position, a major Jerome Gambit strategy - play solidly, quietly, patiently, waiting for Black to over-reach - is not available against a world class computer.

16.Kh1 Bb7 17.b3

Komodo 10 suggests some piece shuffling instead with 17.Qf2 Qd6 18.Be3 

17...Ngf4 18.Qf2 

Black's pressure is such that Komodo 10 rates it better than a Rook ahead.

18...Rae8 19.a5 Re6 20.Ra4 

Komodo 10 suggested that it might as well have pushed the pawn. 

20...Nh3 21.Rc4 

Capturing the Knight would have led to a checkmate in 7 moves.

21...Nxf2+ 22.Bxf2 Qd6 

Down a Queen, a human playing as White would resign here.

23.Bh4 Ba6 24. Rd1 Qe5 25. Rcd4 Rf4 26. Rxf4 Nxf4 27. Ne4 Qh5 28.Bg5 Rxe4 

Boris pointed out In this position both engines saw checkmate - Stockfish sees mate in 10, Houdini sees mate in 21, but after one move is played, sees mate in 9." 

White resigned

Defenders of the Jerome Gambit, take note.

I have just one word to offer: Rematch?

Jerome Gambit: Pieces and Pawns Active

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ) game, Bill Wall shows that there can still be life for White after the exchange of Queens - if he keeps his pieces and pawns active.

Wall, Bill - NN

lichess,org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 

8.O-O Nf6 9.Nc3

Also recently seen, with chances to transpose: 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bh4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Re8 12.Nc3 Ne5 13.Qd1 Ng6 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.Nd5 Qd8 16.Qf3+ Kg8 17.Qb3 Kh8 18.f3 c6 19.Nc3 Qb6+ 20.Qxb6 axb6 21.a3 Ne5 22.Rad1 Re6 23.Rd4 c5 24.Rd5 Bd7 25.Rfd1 Nf7 26.a4 Bc6 27.R5d2 Bxa4 28.Nxa4 Rxa4 29.b3 Ra8 30.Kf2 Rd8 31.Rd5 Ne5 32.f4 Nc6 33.e5 Nb4 34.Rxd6 Rexd6 35.Rxd6 Rxd6 36.exd6 Kg8 37.Ke3 Kf7 38.Ke4 Ke6 39.f5+ Kxd6 40.g4 Nxc2 41.h4 Nd4 42.g5 hxg5 43.hxg5 Nxb3 44.f6 gxf6 45.g6 Ke7 46.Kf5 Nd4+ 47.Kg4 Ne6 48.Kh5 b5 49.Kh6 c4 50.g7 Nxg7 White resigned, Andili - PremiumShoe, 5 0 blitz, FICS, 2020. 

9...Re8 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 Ng6

12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Qc4+ Be6 14.Qxc7+ Qe7 15.Qxe7+ Rxe7 16.f4

White keeps up the threats.

16...Bc4 17.Rf2 Kg8 18.Rd1 d5

Overlooking something?

19.b3 Ba6 20.e5

White could gain a pawn with 20.exd5, but it is not clear how long he could keep it. He decides to safeguard the e-pawn and then make the capture.

20...Rd8 21.Nxd5 Red7 22.c4 

22...b5 

The plan is to undermine the pinned Knight by attacking the supportive pawn on c4. It doesn't quite work.

23.e6 

Thoughtful. In some lines, it is better to have the pawn on e6.

23...Rb7 

Leaving the other Rook unprotected. Still, White would show an advantage after 23...Rd6, e.g. 24.Rfd2 bxc4 25.Nf6+ gxf6 26.Rxd6 Rxd6 27.Rxd6 cxb3 28.axb3 Bb5. White's Rook + 2 pawns will succesd against the Bishop and Knight, in the endgame.

24.Nf6+ gxf6 25.Rxd8+ Kg7 26.Rd7+ Rxd7 27.exd7 Black resigned

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome Update

It is time to update what we know about Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

Dan Watson added in an earlier Comment a link to the findagrave.com site, where the following "personal war sketch" for Alonzo Wheeler Jerome (of the Jerome Gambit) can be found.

I have been able to render in text some of the above.

Dan also passed along some family history for Jerome

Alonzo’s parents were Phebe Ann Wheeler and George Friend Jerome.  Phebe's parents were William Wheeler and Martha Thorne.

 

Phoebe had a brother – Alonzo J. Wheeler.  Pardon the pun, but Alonzo J. Wheeler was a big wheel in the Wheeler family.   

So Alonzo Wheeler Jerome’s first name is from his Uncle Alonzo, and his middle name is from his mother’s maiden name. 

That is where all of the ties in to agricultural equipment come in.  He must have had family business with his uncle and grandfather. 

Alonzo Wheeler also met Lincoln, so that explains Alonzo Wheeler Jerome’s tie in to his love of Lincoln even before he was in the army.

 The above references to acricultural equipment and Abraham Lincoln can be seen in the blog posts "The Great Debate" Parts I, II, III, IV, and Conclusion.

Thank you, Dan!