Jerome Gambit: Don't Quit, Anything Can Happen

The game is over when you stop fighting. Sometimes, it can be a good idea to stop early - and start another game. Sometimes, it can be a good idea to keep fighting, because in a blitz game, anything can happen. The following game is a good example.

hipernight - german_diez

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nf6 

The Two Knights Defense.

4.Bxf7+ 

One of what I have called the "impatient Jerome Gambits" where White sacrifices his Bishop before Black plays ...Bc5.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.f4

6...Ng6

See also MrBizkit - reza6666666666, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020, (1-0, 36), where Black responded 6...Nc6.

7.f5 Ne7 8.e5 Nfd5 

Black has two extra pieces. White puts his hope in his two "Jerome pawns".

9.Qf3 c6 10.O-O d6 11.Qh5+ Kg8 12.f6 Ng6 13.f7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Not Able to Take Advantage of Generosity

Sometimes stronger players will give weaker players "odds" - material or time - to make the contest more equitable.

In the following game, White - rated over 2000 - generously plays the Jerome Gambit in a rapid game, but his opponent is not able to take advantage of the generosity. 

Balazs, Ladislav - Cedzo, Adam

SVK-ch rapid, Slovakia, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

White, rated about 500 points above his opponent, gives "Jerome Gambit odds".

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

10.O-O Ng4 11.Qc3 

Interesting. White's Queen takes aim at g7, along the diagonal. This leaves his own Kingside a bit unprotected, but perhaps he wanted to avoid 11.Qg3 Qh4 and an exchange of Queens.

How should Black take advantage of Her Majesty's absence? Stockfish 11 suggests 11...Nf4, but it would take a good bit of confidence to play the move when there were other, less exotic, but less powerful, choices. 

11...Qe7 

12.d4 Rf8 13.f4 

13...Nxh2 

Boldly returning the sacrificed piece, for an attack that does not quite materialize. Instead, 13...Qh4 was playable, but not exciting after 14.h3 Nf6. Stockfish 11 likes 13...d5, but 14.exd5, opening the e-file against the King, is only for the truly brave.

14.Kxh2 Qh4+ 15.Kg1 Nxf4 16.Bxf4 Rxf4 17.Nd2 

Material is even, but it is Black's King who is at risk.

17...Rg4 18.Qf3 

There is a lesson here. Stockfish 11 suggests 18.Qc4, instead, but after 18...Rxg2+ 19.Kxg2 Qg5+ 20.Kf3 Bg4+21.Kf2 Qxd2+ 22.Kg3 h5 White would still be winning, but what a mess!

The text move is simple and strong. White would like to win the game, not create a piece of art for the ages.

18...Qe7 19.Rae1 Be6

Not the strongest defense, but Black senses his chance for glory has passed.

20.d5 Bd7 21.e5 

Of course.

21...Kd8 22.e6 Bb5 23.Qxg4 Bxf1 24.Rxf1 c6 25.Rf7 Qe8 26.Qg3 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Another Lesson in Tactics

LetsJeromeGambit gives another lesson in tactics in the following blitz game. The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) again produces some very interesting play!

LetsJeromeGambit - ocelotosss

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 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6 

10.Qh5 

There are only two examples of this move in The Database, although it is rated by Komodo 10 to be less than a half of a pawn worse than either capture on e5. White retains his piece-capturing options and is ready to re-position his Queen.

10...Ne7 11.Qe2 N5c6 

The most straight-forward "rescue" of a piece, but White quickly shows that little about the position is straight-forward.

12.e5+ Nxe5 

Black has two extra pieces, and so is happy to return one, expecting after 13.fxe5 to be able to play 13...Qxe5 and exchange Queens, leaving him a piece up, when his opponent has little compensation.

13.Nc3 

Quite a surprise. White does not have to capture at e5, and this move, with all its threats, evens the game. How is that?

The Knight threatens to fork the enemy King and Queen, but Black is limited in where he can move his Queen, as it would not be prudent to allow White to capture at e5 without the threat to exchange Queens. But - White can threaten to undermine the protection of the Queen, e.g. 13...Qf5 14.fxe5+ Qxe5 15.Nb5+!? Kd5 16.c4+ Ke6 17.Nxc7+, when White will exchange Queens, then capture the Rook.  If, instead, 15...Ke6, there is the same idea: 16.Nxc7+ Kd6 17.Qxe5+ Kxe5 18.Nxa8.

Of course, Black can move his King, as well, 13...Ke6, although 14.Ne4 still causes difficulties. 14...Qg6 15.Nxc5 is a simple example.

13...Nf3+ 

Black chooses a move that takes some ideas from the above tactics.

14.Qxf3 Qe6+ 15.Kd1 

Interposing the Queen would allow its exchange, and favor Black.

The second player is still a piece ahead, for a pawn, but the awkward placement of his King and Queen gives White plenty of compensation.

Serious Jerome Gambit players should examine this complicated position.

Komodo 10 gives the simple "solution" which seems to go against Black's wishes: 15...c6 16.Ne4+ Kc7 17.Nxc5 and White is a pawn ahead, but Black has compensation. 

The move that Black selects in the game seems reasonable and safe, but actually leads to him being checkmated.

15...Bb6 16.Re1 

Strong: Black is given the opportunity to lose his Queen, rather than his King. (If you have been studying the game, then you probably found 16.Nb5+ Kc5 17.d4+ Kb4 18.Qc3+ Ka4 19.Na3 Qg4+ 20.Kd2 Qd1+ 21.Kxd1 c6 22.b3 checkmate, or something like it.) 

16...Qg6 

Very, well...

17.Nb5+ Kc5 18.Qc3+ Kxb5 19.a4+ Ka6 20.Qc4+ Ka5 21.Qb5 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Fertile Soil for Tactics

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is fertile soil for tactics, as the following game shows.

LetsJeromeGambit - che_danny2

10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 

First seen in Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1/2 - 1/2, 29), this is one of the many ways to respond to the Gambit.

For a recent look at this line, and some history, see "Jerome Gambit: You Checkmate Your Way, I'll Checkmate Mine".

6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.d4 Bb6 8.c4 

White build his pawn center. This has been helped by Black's choice of pawn recapture on move 6: "capture toward the center" is often good advice, but, here, 6...dxc6 would have prevented White's 7.d4.

Also recently seen was 8.O-O d6 9.c4 a5 10.Nc3 Qf6 11.Be3 Ba6 12.b3 c5 13.dxc5 Qxc3 14.Bd4 Black resigned, FalconPower - zerozok01, Chess.com, 2020. 

8...a6 9.c5 Ba5+ 

The Bishop does not want to be buried - 9...Ba7 - and takes advantage of the opportunity to keep White from castling. Yet, the piece remains a problem.

10.Kf1 d6 

This is "business as usual". He misses the opportunity to start some messy counter-play with 10...Qe8. For example, if now 11.Qa4 then 11...Qxe4 12.Qxa5 Qd3+ 13.Ke1 Qe4+ 14.Be3 Qxg2 15.Rf1 d5, with the threat of 16...Bh3.

White should answer 10...Qe8 with 11.e5, which helps lock in the other Black Bishop, but 11...Qe6 is a good response, for example, 12.Qa4 Rb8 13.Qxa5 Qc4+ and it is White's King who is in grave danger. 

Komodo 10 suggests another way to go after the offside Bishop, which leads to a head-spinning tactical mess: 10...Qe8 11.e5 Qe6 12.a3 d6 13.b4 dxc5 14.bxa5 Qc4+ 15.Kg1 Qxd4 16. Qf3+ Nf6 17. Nc3 Bg4 18. Qg3 Ne4 19. Qf4+ Kg8 20. Qxe4 Qxc3 21. h3 Qxa1 22. Qc4+ Be6 23. Qxe6+ Kf8 24. Kh2 Re8 25. Qf5+ Kg8 26. Re1 when White has compensation for the exchange.

11.Qa4 dxc5 12.Qxa5 Qxd4 13.Nc3 Nf6 14.Be3 Qd3+ 

Black is happy with his chances, and it looks like his opponent's King is more at risk. This proves to be overly optimistic.

15.Kg1 Nxe4 

The pawn is poisoned. However, quiet play would allow his opponent to work against his tripled, isolated pawns.

16.Rd1 Qc4 17.Rd8+ Kf7 18.Rxh8 Black resigned

Down a Rook, with his King threatened by Qxc7+, it was time to let the game go.

New

 

JG, the New Type of Game & of Composition: the Requirements to Win 

 

This my chess research work including my game of a new type (I have played it as White) against the very strong level (“25 ply”) of the famous chess engine ‘Komodo 10’ (any other engine or person could be my 1st opponent instead of it) isn’t only for experts of Jerome Gambit (JG) theory. But it is based on “a strong theory of this theoretically weak gambit”. 

I invented requirements for this game (the attractive limits for a usual game) and asked my dear friend Rick Kennedy (who has ‘Komodo 10’ and who agreed kindly to be its operator here) to submit ‘Komodo 10’ as Black to them. They are here (the term ‘a very strong move’ is about chess theory which knows no requirements): 

 

1. The game starts from the initial position of the Giuoco Piano (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5), where White makes an incorrect sacrifice of a piece by the 4th move. 

2. During the whole opening stage (WOS) Black makes very strong moves only. 

3. During WOS Black chooses the very strong move only, which makes Black’s material advantage maximum, can’t get a Black’s piece without an effective protection at once or as a result of a forced sequence of moves, and can’t make it beaten this moment.  

4. After the end of WOS Black accepts White’s 1st sacrifice. 

 

The points 1-3 create no problem for Black using a theory. This game of a new type has had the following moves (Rick substituted engine’s move 12…Bd4-+: among all possible 12th moves only 12…Bxb4?? doesn’t break above sum of requirements unknown to engines): 

 

Bukayev Yury  -  ‘Komodo 10’ [“25 ply”] (by correspondence, 2020)  

 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 (6…Kf8 etc. break the point 3) 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ (8…Nc6 etc. break the point 3) 9.g3 Qf6 (9…Nf3+ 10.Kf1 Qh6 and 10…Ne7 11.e5+ Kc6 12.Qe4+ d5 break the point 3) 10.fxe5+ Qxe5 11.Qxe5+ Kxe5 (the opening stage finished) 12.b4 Bxb4 13.Bb2+ Kxe4 14.Bxg7, and White won. In accordance with above points there were only four alternatives for Black during this game: 8…Qf6(1), 8…Qh4+ 9.g3 Qe7(2), 8…Qe7(3), 8…Qe8(4). White wins analogously here. The move 8…Bd4 isn’t an effective protection of the Knight: 9.fxe5+ Bxe5?? 10.d4 Bf6 11.e5+, so it breaks the point 3.  

 

In a usual chess game the 12th Black’s move of the above game (and the same move in the analogous position of the above 1st alternative for Black) formed the position of the Bona Fide Master Attack as a result of a rearrangement of moves (see my analyses published 24.08.2020 on Rick’s blog on JG etc.). It can be added, this position and the analogous 1st alternative became more known to the world due to GM Hikaru Nakamura’s blitz checkmate win over GM Dmitrij Kollars on chess.com (28.08.2020) reflected in popularizing analytical videos by Mr. Nakamura (FIDE Blitz Rank #1): ‘The Jerome is Over Powered Actually’, ‘Honor The Jerome!! <…>’ (with IM Levy Rozman) etc., which were published during a month. Mr. Kollars saw this trap in time and played 12…Bd4, his mistakes were among his further moves only.   

Of course, I have calculated all necessary sequences of moves before the beginning of my game against ‘Komodo 10’, and I couldn’t win only in the case of my making of a wrong move.  

Finally, this my game of a new type created my invention of the related chess composition (chess problem) of a new type. Thus, its position for solving is the initial position of the Giuoco Piano, and its question is: “What is the incorrect sacrifice by White’s next move, which can lead to White’s win if Black is submitted to the following requirements: <…[the above requirements no.2-4 – Yury Bukayev]…>?”     

 

© 2020 Yury V. Bukayev (Copyright © Bukayev Yury Vyacheslavovich 2020). All rights reserved.  

[A legal using is permitted.]