Jerome Gambit: A Lot of Excitement

Here we have another Jerome Gambit game where White keeps his mind on attacking the enemy King, even at the cost of more material. He takes risks in positions where either he or his opponent can escape into a draw - but neither of them want to. White pushes onward - as Canadian GM Aman Hambleton says in his Jerome Gambit video, that's what Jerome would have wanted.

There is a lot of exctement in this 10 minute game!

LetsJeromeGambit - existanz

10 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 Qe7 9.b4 

LetsJeromeGambit has reached this position before. See LetsJeromeGambit - kochikegabil, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020 (1-0, 15). This time, his opponent takes the offered pawn.

9...Bxb4 10.fxe5+ 

For 10.Bb2 see  "Jerome Gambit: Article".

10...Kc6 11.c3 Ba5 12.O-O b6 

Black provides for some safety for his King. This is a good idea, as he proceeds to grab a handful of pawns - putting his monarch in danger along the way.

13.Ba3 Qe6 14.Qf8 Qxe5 15.d4 Qxe4 16.Nd2 Qe3+ 17.Rf2 Bxc3 18.Nf1 Qxd4 

Wow. White's "Jerome pawns" are gone. Black is ahead a piece and 3 pawns. This is a blitz game, however, and, as we shall see, White is just getting warmed up.

19.Qf3+ d5 20.Rc1 Kb7 21.Rxc3 Nf6 22.Bb2 Qb4 

Black has returned a piece, and castled-by-hand on the Queenside - both very reasonable ideas.

White's development is looking threatening, however, and Komodo 10 rates Black only about a pawn ahead. Time to stir things up.

23.Rfc2 c5 24.Rxc5 bxc5 25.Bxf6 

25...gxf6  

This move is perfectly natural, but Black should have asked himself why his opponent was willing to sacrifice his Rook. The safe move, was 25...Qe4 with an advantage. 

26.Qxd5+ 

White is down a Rook and a pawn, but Komodo 10 rates the position equal. Can you see why? With a draw in hand, White continues his aggression.

26...Kb6 27.Qd6+ Kb5 

Brave, but he might have taken the practical course 27...Kb7 28.Qd5+ Ka6 29.Qxa8 Qb7 30.Qxb7+ Bxb7 31.Rxc5 with an even endgame. 

28.a4+ 

The only move, but it proves to be a saving one.

28...Kxa4 

Black avoids 2 nasty alternatives:

28...Ka5 29.Rxc5+ and Black will lose his Queen; and

28...Qxa4 29.Rxc5+ Kb4 30.Qd4+ Ka3 31.Qa1+ Kb3 32.Nd2+ Kb4 33.Qc3 checkmate.

29.Rxc5 Rb8  

Treating the position like it was a normal one, where he is happily a Rook and a pawn ahead. He probably should have played the surprising 29...Rd8, when White should then take the draw by repetition starting with 30.Qc6+ instead of swapping Rooks, i.e. 30.Qxd8 Qxc5+. 

30.Qd1+ Ka3 31.Qc1+ Ka4 32.Rc4 a5  33.Rxb4+ axb4 

With a Queen and a pawn against two Rooks, White has established material balance. Komodo 10 rates White a little better, perhaps because the Queen will be able to snatch a pawn or two.

The position remains quite complicated, however.

34.Qc6+ Ka3 35.Qxf6 Bb7 36.Qa1+ Kb3 37.Nd2+ Kc2 

Black trusts in his b-pawn and is happy to have his King around to escort it to the Queening square.

From a practical point of view, White probably can win the pawn, but the complications should be enough to force one player or the other to look for a draw - unless the clock intervenes, first.

38.Nc4 Ra8

Instead, Komodo 10 recommends 38...Rhd8 39.Qb2+ Kd3 40.Ne5+ Ke3 41.Ng4+ Kd3 42.Qb3+ Kd2 43.Qxb4+ Kc2 44.Qa4+ Kb2 45.Qb4+ Kc2 and a resolution is still a long way off.

39.Qb2+ Black resigned

Why did Black resign? 

After 39...Kd3 (39...Kd2 40.Qd2#) 40.Qb3+ Kd4 (40...Ke2 41.Qc2+ Ke1 42.Qd2#) 41.Qxb4 and White's threats of discovered check or Knight forks will win him an exchange.

Jerome Gambit: There Is Danger Out There

Attack the enemy King! That is the main idea behind the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), and the online player LetsJeromeGambit understands that very well. 

The following game is one of a handful he has sent, and it gives the message clearly to Black's King: There Is Danger Out There.

LetsJeromeGambit - kochikegabil

10 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 Qe7 

An interesting alternative to 8...Qf6, although the game would transpose after 9.fxe5+ Qxe5.

9.b4 

b2-b4 without c2-c3 has been played occasionally in Jerome Gambit games, going back at least as far as Jerome - Norton, correspondence, 1876, (0-1, 42), but not in this particular position.

9...Bb6

Timid, allowing White to fianchetto his Bishop for free.   

LetsJeromeGambit has also seen 9...Bxb4, which we will cover in a later post. 

10.Bb2 Kc6 

Fleeing possible checks delivered at e5, but there is danger out there.

11.b5+ Kxb5 

This capture feels unsafe, but 11...Kc5 would lose the Queen to 12.Ba3+, while 11...Kd6 would lead to 12.Bxe5+ Kc5 13.Bd6+ Kxd6 14.Qd5 checkmate. 

12.fxe5 d6  

Black attacks the White Queen and tries to open an escape route for his King. The computer suggests that 12...Kc6 is really the only move here, and that after 13.Nc3 Ba5 14.e6 Qc5 15.Qxc5+ Kxc5 16.Na4+ Kb4 17.Bxg7 Kxa4 18.Rf1 dxe6 19.Bxh8 the game would be level, White's extra Rook and pawn balancing Black's extra Bishop and Knight.

I do not know if LetsJeromeGambit had that all figured out, but if he didn't, his intuition behind the sacrifice of the b-pawn was solid: at worse, and even game, at best, a checkmate.

13.a4+ Kc6 14.e6 a6 

Stopping one threat, but missing the other. He had to get rid of the Bishop that was crowding his King, with 14...Bf2+, although 15.Kxf2 a6 16.Qd5+ Kb6 17.Qd4+ c5 18.Qxg7 means the loss of more material.

15.Qd5 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: e-file, Friend and Foe

The e-file often opens in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), becoming an avenue of attack for White - or counter-attack for Black.

The following game is a short win for White. Had his opponent been more aware of the dangers of the e-file, however, things might have turned out differently.

Since White is probably going to play the Jerome again, he will most certainly figure things out. However, his next opponent is likely to be unfamiliar with the Jerome - and there the lesson of the dangers of the e-file may appear.

Toby - Mouad

45 20, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

Black's last move could be the start of a couple of dangerous defenses - Blackburne's and Whistler's - or it could be a knee jerk reaction to White's Queen's check.

7.Qxe5 Nf6 

Protecting his Rook from attack, but both of the previously mentioned defenses are based on offering the Rook.

8.Qxc5 

Simply recovering the second sacrificed piece.

In a recent game, White tried, instead, 8.d4 and was rewarded by 8...Re8 and a return to main lines, 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qg5 Qe7 11.O-O Qxe4 12.c3 Qe1 13.Na3 Re2 14.Bf4 Qxf2+ 15. Rxf2 Ne4 16.Qd5+ Be6 17.Rxe2 Bxd5 18.Rae1 Be6 19.Rxe4 d5 20.Rxe6 Re8 21.R6e5 Rd8 22.Re7+ Kf8 23.Bxc7 Rc8 24.Nb5 a6 25.Na7 Ra8 26.Bb6 Black resigned, ABabyWipe - mvermeersch, 3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2020.

8...d6

Kicking the Queen is a natural response, but Black could have, instead, played 8...Nxe4 because 9.Qd5+ Kg7 10.Qxe4 would fail to 10...Re8, winning the Queen. Remember "Jerome Gambit: Beware the e-file".

9.Qc4+ 

A Queen retreat was seen recently 9.Qe3 Re8 10.d3 d5 11.f3 dxe4 12.fxe4 Bg4 13.O-O Kg7 14.b3 Qd7 15.Bb2 Re6 16.Nc3 Kg8 17.Rxf6 Rxf6 18.Nd5 Rd6 19.Qd4 Kf7 20.Rf1+ Ke6 21.Qf6 checkmate, angelcamina - miz82, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020.

9...Be6

A King side-step was seen recently 9...Ke7 10.Qe2 Bg4 11.d3 Bxe2 12.Kxe2 Ke8 13.Bg5 Qe7 14.f3 Qf7 15.Rf1 Rb8 16.Be3 b6 17.a4 c6 18.Nc3 b5 19.axb5 cxb5 20.Rxa7 Qe6 21.b4 Rc8 22.Nxb5 Rb8 23.Nc7+ Ke7 24.Nxe6+ Kxe6 25.c3 Rhg8 26.d4 g5 27.d5+ Ke5 28.Bd4+ Kf4 29.g3 checkmate, greek_Magnus - Taxiarchis, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020. 

10.Qc3 Qd7 

11.e5 

Fearless. Risky. The e-file. Castling is the remedy.

11...dxe5 12.Qxe5 Qd5 

Black offers to exchange Queens, but the way to safety was via aggression: 12...Bc4, opening the e-file while preventing castling.

13.Qxc7+ Qd7 

14.Qxd7+ Bxd7 15.O-O Ne4 

White is 3 pawns up. Black's better development is not sufficient compensation.

16.d3 Nc5 17.Be3 Bf5 

A slip, allowing Black to lose quickly, instead of simply being ground down. 

18.Bxc5 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Opening and Closing

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game again shows the necessity for middlegame and endgame skills, once the opening stage has passed. Sometimes the Jerome Gambit delivers the full point (either way) right out of the opening, but we can't always expect such generosity (or difficulty).

 

cmickle -Toshic21

lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qe3 Nf6 9.d4 Re8 10.f3 Kg8 

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece, and they form a solid center - which is most dangerous when it is moving forward.

For his part, Black has castled-by-hand and has avoided weaknesses.

11.b3 c5 12.Bb2 b6 13.d5 Bf5 14.Nd2 

White has delayed castling to focus on piece development. He should feel a bit uncomfortable with his King and Queen on the same file as Black's Rook - his Knight probably should have gone to c3, even at the cost of blocking his fianchettoed Bishop, because 14...Nxd5 was a threat.

Black is aware of the e-file, but appears to mis-calculate.

14...Nxe4 15.fxe4 Bxe4 16.Nxe4 Qh4+ 17.g3 Qxe4 

The Rook should capture.

18.Qxe4 Rxe4+ 

Things look pretty even. White's Bishop might give him a slight edge, although Black's development probably compensates.

19.Kd2 Rae8 20.Rae1 Rd4+ 

A slip. Exchanging Rooks was probably enough to split the point.

21.Bxd4 Rxe1 22.Rxe1 cxd4 23.Kd3 Ne5+ 24.Ke4 Kf7 25.Rf1+ Kg6 26.Kxd4 Kg5 

What follows is a decent lesson on the endgame advantage of the exchange.

27.Rf4 h5 28.h4+ Kg6 29.c4 Kh6 30.b4 a6 31.c5 Ng6 32.cxd6 Nxf4 33.gxf4 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: It Is Always Time To Fight

The following game is a good example of White's relentless fight against his opponent, even as things become difficult. Those who play the Jerome Gambit know that "difficult" is not the same as "hopeless". We see, once more, that victory can come even in the most challenging situations. 

DusanAtanackovic - Bashifisti

5 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 

The Ponziani Opening.

3...Bc5 4.Bc4 h6 5.Bxf7+ 

The game has transposed into a Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.c3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6 

8.Qd5+

According to The Database, this move is new, but the idea behind it - a "nudge" - is as old as Alonzo Jerome's analysis. 

8...Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qh5 Qf6 

11.O-O N8e7 12.d4 Be6 

Probably not the best move, as it encourages both f2-f4, with the threat of f4-f5, forking a couple of pieces, and Qh5-b5+, with the threat to take the b-pawn. In response, however, White calmly adds to his development.

13.Na3 Bf7 

Black starts to harass his opponent's Queen.

14.Qg4 h5 15.Qg3 h4 16.Qg4 Be6 17.Qg5 Qf7 

The Queen is safe, but she has only the Rook to help defend against five enemy pieces on the Kingside. White's next move does nothing to address this imbalance.

18.Nb5 h3 19.Nxc7+ Kd7 20.Nxa8 

This is a risky capture.

20...hxg2 21.Re1 Nh4 

22.Qb5+ 

Hoping to move the action to the Queenside and capture the enemy King. A little bit of distraction would help, too, as Black is threatening the ...Nf3+ fork.

22...Kd8 23.Qa5+ b6 24.Qxa7 

What a mess! Black now has a checkmate in 7, starting with 24...Nf3+. However, he is distracted by White's actions, and decides to harass the enemy Queen one more time...

24...Nc8 

Amazingly enough, this hands the win over to White.

25.Bg5+ Ke8 26.Qxf7+ Kxf7 27.Bxh4 Rxh4 

White is up the exchange and three pawns.

Black is either short of time or short of inspiration, and drops a piece, ending the game.

28.Nc7 Bh3 29.Re3 Ne7 30.Rf3+ Kg6 31.Nd5 Ng8 32.Nf4+ Kg5 33.Nxh3+ Black resigned

Never give up.

Jerome Gambit: The Problem is the Solution

One of the criticisms of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is that the White Queen becomes active too early, and moves too often. That concern could apply to the following game - if it were not for the fact that the Queen holds her own, and eventually leads her side to victory.

omgmg - anonymous

3 0 blitz, Chess.com

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Qf6 

Often this move is a major part of Black's defense.

10.d4 N8e7 11.O-O Bd7 12.f4 Re8 

The "Jerome pawns" support the White Queen in her face-off with five enemy pieces.

13.e5 

Stockfish 10 suggests the interesting alternative 13.f5 Nh4 14.Nc3 Kg8 15.Qf2 h6 16.Be3 Kh7 17.Rae1 Rhf8 when the game seems in balance.

13...dxe5 

Hint for the defender: although the move seems natural, it isn't always the best move to make the pawn exchange. Here 13...Qf7 was more prudent. 

14.fxe5 Qxf1+ 

A bit of a panic move. He could have tried 14...Nf5, although 15.Qa3+ Qe7 16.g4 would still be a bit better for White, i.e. 16...Qxa3 17.Nxa3 Ngh4 18.gxf5 Nxf5.

15.Kxf1 Bb5+ 16.Kg1 Nd5

A quick glance shows that Black has four pieces developed, while White has only one. However, there are tactical reasons to clearly prefer the first player.

17.Qf3+ Ndf4 18.g3 Rd8 19.gxf4 Rxd4 

20.Nc3 Rxf4 

A slip, possibly time related.

21.Bxf4 Nxf4 22.Qxf4+ Ke7 

23.Nd5+ Ke6 24.Nxc7+ Kd7 25.Nxb5 Ke6 26.Rd1 Re8 27.Rd6+ Ke7 28.e6 Rf8 29.Rd7+ Ke8 30.Nc7 checkmate