Jerome Gambit: Lessons From the Grandmaster's Games (Part 3)

It is possible for a club player to keep up with a grandmaster, especially when the GM is giving "Jerome Gambit odds" - for a little while, at least.

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, Black's position is better after a dozen moves, and is even after one more. However, following the maxim that In the Jerome Gambit, when White equalizes, he has the advantage, White forces resignation after Black plays a half-dozen more moves.

Grandmasters, they are different.

GM Nakamura - NN

3 0 blitz, internet, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qxc5 

The Grandmaster's choice - as in SanitationEngineer - NN, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020 (1-0, 45); GMHikaruOnTwitch - Jesus-vous-bat-tous, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 25); GMHikaruOnTwitch - Math694, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 25); GMHikaruOnTwitch - szachy1000, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 21); GMHikaruOnTwitch - simonsah2004, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 27) [see "Jerome Gambit: GM Hikaru Nakamura Again"] - although not as strong as the "nudge" 7.Qd5+, played as early as Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1874 (1-0, 28).

7...c6 

Keeps an enemy piece off of d5, and allows for ...d7-d5.

8. O-O Qe7

According to The Database, this is a new move, and a good one.

9.Qe3 Nf6 10.Nc3 Re8 11.d3 Kg8 

Black knows enough about the Jerome Gambit to castle-by-hand.

12.f4 d5 13.e5 Nd7 

I was amused to see that Stockfish 14 recommended 13...Ng4, instead, as I have criticized "attacking the Queen with the Knight, for no good reason" in the past. The line Stockfish 14 recommends is complicated, but I suppose it represents "good reason".

14.d4 b6 15.f5 Ngf8 16.Qg3 c5 

Black hopes to undermine White's pawn center before it becomes dangerous. He is a bit late, however, and he also makes a couple of tactical errors. Remember, this is a 3 0 blitz game, and it can be easy to overlook things.

17.Nxd5 Qd8 

Preventing a Knight fork of two Rooks from c7, but falling victim to something worse.

18.Bg5 Qxg5 

Falling on his sword. If, instead, 18...Nf6, White can follow with 19.Bxf6 (the g-pawn is pinned) 19...Qd7 20.e6 when 20...Nxe6 21.fxe6 Rxe6 would not be enough, as 22.Rae1 would highlight White's attack. Black would have to surrender a lot of material, and suffer checkmate anyhow.

19.Qxg5 cxd4 20.f6 Black resigned

There is too much to defend against.

Jerome Gambit: Lessons From the Grandmaster's Games (Part 2)

 

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, from the YouTube video "GM Hikaru on 1900s: They Don't Make Em Like They Used To", is a reminder to defenders and attackers alike: certain moves should be played with an awareness of the possible consequences.

GM Nakamura - NN

3 0 blitz, internet, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

It is attractive to block the Queen's check and threaten Her Majesty with a pawn, all in the same move. It is almost like a reflex action.

However, in doing so Black commits himself to sacrificing a Rook, as in the Blackburne or Whistler defenses (see "Jerome Gambit: What About the Rook?").

7.Qxe5

"Oh my gosh, I think my man just blundered the game" said GM Nakamura, at this point. "The Jerome Gambit is very OP [over powered]." 

The Grandmaster was being prescient in his comment - Black turns over the game on his next move. 

By the way, we have seen Nakamura face Whistler's defense, 7...Qe7, in GMHikaruOnTwitch -30second-guy, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 71) and GMHikaruOnTwitch - BulletManiac30sec, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com 2021 (1-0, 38).

The Database does not have a Nakamura game against Blackburne's defense, 7...d6.

7...Nf6

Black protects his Rook, but gives up his Bishop. He will be 2 pawns down.

8.Qxc5 d6 

Black could have tested his opponent's sense of humor by playing 8...Nxe4 instead. The joke? 9.Qd5+ Kg7 10.Qxe4 would be met by 10...Re8, winning the Queen. (Instead, 10.0-0 would be the move.)

So, Black could win back one of his missing pawns, but he would still be a pawn down against one of the top blitz players in the world.

9.Qd4 Re8 10.d3 d5 11.f3 

Wisdom of the grandmaster. White is ahead in material, but he does well to address his King's safety first.

11...dxe4 12.Qxd8 Rxd8 13.fxe4 b6 14.O-O Bb7 15.Bg5 Black resigned

Black's Knight is under attack, twice, and he cannot bring in another defender with 15...Rd6 because of 16.e5.

White gets the final laugh.

Jerome Gambit: Lessons From the Grandmaster's Games (Part 1)

A quick look at the following 3-minute Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game by Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, from one of his speedruns (see "Jerome Gambit: Speedrunning Tricks") provides a few lessons for the developing club player.

GM Nakamura - NN

3 0 blitz, internet, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

Maybe the GM's opponent is familiar with the Jerome, and this is his favorite defense; maybe he just wants to hang onto material.

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 

The Database shows 50 previous games with this position, including ones in which Alonzo Wheeler Jerome plays against Shinkman, Brownson, Amateur, Jaeger, Paine, Colburn and Charles. Both players appear to have a feel for the opening.

10...Ne7 

Reasonable, but 10...Nf6! was stronger. 

11.c3 Ng6 

Black believes that he has prepared for the coming pawn advance, but he has overlooked something. An even game was to be had with 11...Qf6 

12.d4 Rf8

White's pawn forks the enemy Queen and Bishop, but Black's Rook attacks White's Queen. Is that enough for the defender?

13.dxe5+ 

Capturing with check, the kind of thing that can be overlooked in the calculations in a 3-minute game.

13...Kxe5 14.Qh5+ Kd6 15.Qd5+ Black resigned

White will pick up another piece, and be a Queen ahead.

Jerome Gambit: Speedrunning Tricks

 

I enjoy playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

I enjoy playing over the Jeromes that Readers of this blog send me.

I enjoy watching Jerome Gambit games.

I have especially enjoy watching videos of Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura playing 3-minute games, one after the other, using "tricks" - risky gambit openings - to defeat his opponents.

Of course, some of those games are Jerome Gambits.

I recommend:

"Speedrunning to 3000 With Tricks Only"

"Hikaru Jeromes his way Through 1200s"

"Hikaru Tricks some 1500s"

"The 1600s DENY Hikaru any Fun"

"GM Hikaru on 1900s: They Don't Make Em Like They Used To"

You might object Of course GM Nakamura would be successful against weaker players, even while giving them "Jerome Gambit odds!"  But that is exactly my point. 

Play along with him, stop the video at different points in the game, ask yourself what moves you should make, then start the video and see how the GM proceeds.

All the games the grandmaster plays are fun. I especially like the Jerome Gambits.

For bonus material, if you are interested in the Jerome-ish 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, there is a game each in 

"Speedrunning to 3000 With Tricks Only"

"Tricks that work on 1000 rated players"

Jerome Gambit: Tactics Real And Imagined

The following Jerome Gambit (by transposition) game shows an attack that wins quickly. The notes show that the tactics could have been sharpened, with equal danger for the defender.

A win is a win is a win.

fianchettosstorm - tipsy

3 0 blitz, FICS, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

Starting out as a Two Knights Defense, the opening moves to a "modern" variation (no 5.Nxe5+) of the Jerome Gambit - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0 Nf6.

5...Kxf7 

The Database has almost 2,500 games with this position.

6.c3 Rf8 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Bb6 

9.e5 Ne8 

A slip that goes unpunished. Black needed to play 9...Nd5.

10.Qb3+ 

Reasonably interfering with Black's plan to complete castling-by-hand with ...Kg8.

Stronger was 10.Bg5 first, and if 10...Ne7, then 11.Qb3 would force the King out into the open. 

10...d5 11.exd6+ Be6 

Black had to try 11...Kg6 which would be well met by 12.d5, with advantage to White.

12.d5 Na5 13.dxe6+ Kg8 Black resigned

Black realized that he could now meet 14.e7+ with  14...Nxb3, but after 15.exd8/Q Rxd8 16.axb3 Nxd6 he would be down a piece.

One temptation that afflicts many who defend against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is to attack White's Queen - not so much as part of a larger plan, but simply because the defender can.

In most cases, the offending piece is the Knight.

In the following game, instead of retiring politely, Black's Bishop repositions itself in order to attack the enemy Queen. The move is part of a plan, but it fails, nonetheless.

A pleasant Jerome Gambit blitz win.

Robepersky - anzali

5 0 blitz, FICS, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 Qe7 

This position is as old as Jaeger - Jerome, correspondence, 1880 (0-1, 14) and Jaeger - Jerome, correspondence, 1880 (0-1, 40).

8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.c3 d5 10.d4 Bd6 

The Bishop attacks White's Queen, while also aiming at the enemy Kingside. With a 3:1 piece development advantage, Black feels comfortable.

However, White's "Jerome pawn" messes things up.

11.e5 Kg8 

Black immediately breaks the pin on his Knight. Also possible was 11...c6 12.0-0 Bb8 13.exf6 saving the Bishop and giving up the Knight, when White would have a slight edge. 

12.O-O Nh5 

Now the Knight attacks the Queen, but the tactics are not on its side.

13.exd6 Nxf4 14.dxe7 Ne2+ 15.Kh1 Nxc1 16.e8=Q checkmate

Jerome Gambit: One Mistake

Club players - and even masters - know that the game isn't over, just because you made one mistake. There is usually time to fix things.

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game is an excellent example.

RaenKid - dtz90

5 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021

 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4... Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7 

The annotation from Chess.com correctly labels this a 
"Critical move". This is Whistler's defense, as opposed to Blackburne's defense, 7...d6.

The players have a complicated game ahead of them. It is recommended that White not capture the Rook.

8.Qxh8

The difficulty with this move is that now 8...Qxe4+ is very dangerous.

8...Nf6 

dtz90 does not get any support from the notes. This move is described as "From winning to losing." 

9.d3

RaenKid recovers quickly.

Both players now make plans to attack the enemy King.

9...Qe5 10.Bh6 Qd4 

This looks scary, but White has everything under control.

11.Qg7+ Ke6 12.Be3 Qxb2 13.Bxc5 Qxa1 

Just has he has planned, Black has almost drawn even with his opponent when it comes to material. However, that is largely irrelevant.

 

14.Qe7 checkmate

The end of the game is a bit ironic: White's capture of a Rook should have put his King in great danger; Black's capture of a Rook finished the game, due to checkmate.