Jerome Gambit: My Longest Game (Part 1)

In my battle for third place (in my group, 3rd round) in the Jerome Classic #1 tournament at Chess.com, my clearest competitor is sinipete. A win and a draw against him helps me.

mconto is likely to finish ahead of me. I scored 1 - 1 in our games.

cool64chess is probably going to stampede over all of us and take first place in the group. My games with him are still going, but I will be fortunate to salvage 1/2 a point.

What follows is the longest game that I have ever played, which means that it is also the longest Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) that I have ever played; in this case, defended against. (See "Jerome Gambit: The Long And The Short of It (Part 1)")

After squandering an advantage, I hung on for the draw. An opportunity wasted: no ground lost, but no ground gained.

sinipete - perrypawnpusher

Jerome Gambit Classic #1, Round 3, Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.O-O 

This is one of the "modern" Jerome Gambit variations, instead of the "classical" 5.Nxe5+.

5...Nf6 6.d3 Rf8 

7.Be3 

I have also seen 7.Ng5+ in Capt.Mandrake - perrypawnpusher, Jerome Gambit 3 Thematic, ChessWorld.net 2008 (0-1, 8) and 7.Bg5 as in drewbear - perrypawnpusher, Jerome Gambit 3 Thematic, ChessWorld.net, 2008 (0-1, 22). 

7... Bxe3 8.fxe3 Kg8 

Black has a piece for a pawn. Both Kings are safe. White's pawn center is a bit stronger.

9.h3 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Qe2 Be6 12.Nbd2 Qd7 

13.Ne4 h6 14.Nc5 Qe7 15.Nxe6 Qxe6 16.a3 

16...e4 

Preparing to open the game.

17.Nd4 exd3 

It would be better to exchange Knights, first: 17...Nxd4 18.exd4 e3. 

18.Nxe6 dxe2 19. Rxf8+ Rxf8 20. Nxf8 

20...Kxf8 

Routine play. After the game, I found 20...Nxe3 21.Ne6 Nd1, which would be quietly crushing for Black. White could improve with 21.Re1 Nd4 22.Ne6 Nexc2 23.Nxd4 Nxe1 24.Nxe2, but he would still be worse.

21.Kf2 Ne5 22.Kxe2 Nc4 

The two Knights are a match for the Rook and pawn. In fact, Stockfish 16 (38 ply) sees them as about 1 1/4 pawns better.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: No One Ever Won A Game By Resigning

International Grandmaster Savielly Tartakower once mused that "No one ever won a game by resigning."

To that can be added the fact that in a 1-minute bullet game, just about anything can happen. 

angelcamina has over 1,200 games in The Database. The following win was recently added.

angelcamina - DiegoDac17

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

Black was hoping for 4.Nxe5?!, so he could respond 4...Qg5!?

Instead, he meets the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Qh5 Qf6 

Black's defense of his King is solid, and his Knight threatens a fork at c2.

angelcamina has also tried 6...Nf6 7.Qf7+ Kxe5 8.f4+ in angelcamina - rabirabi, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 13); angelcamina - shahramkhoshseffat, 1 0 bullet, lichess. org, 2019 (1-0, 13); and  angelcamina - luquitas2018, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020 (1-0, 21). 

7.Ng4 

Best. 

He had experimented with 7.Qe8+ without encouraging results: angelcamina - Skhokho1507, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 12); angelcamina - Mohamed461, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (0-1, 21); angelcamina - reay, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020 (0-1, 17); angelcamina - Javier_Electrico, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021 (0-1, 22); angelcamina - Gab20, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021 (1-0, 15); and angelcamina - Pionputih_CSI, 1-0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022 (1/2 - 1/2, 18).

7...Qg6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Ne5 Qd6

Better than 9...Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 and then 10...Qxg2 as in angelcamina -artemchumakov, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 13) or 10...Qe6, as in angelcamina - regullele, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020 (1-0, 16). 

10.Qf7+ Kd8 11.d3 Nxc2+ 12.Kd2 Nxa1 13.Kd1 

A messy position with two uneasy Kings, but Black is better.

13...Nh6 

It is a mistake to take the Knight offside.

14.Bg5+ Be7 15.Bxh6 

The safer path, according to Stockfish 16.1, was 15.Qxg7 c6!? 16.Qxh8+ Kc7 17.f4 b5 18.Nd2 Bb7 19.Qg7 Ng8 20.Bxe7 Nxe7 21.Qxh7 - but remember, this was a 1-minute game: No human club player is going to figure all that out in seconds.

15...gxh6 16.Qg7 

Black need only safeguard his Rook, and things will be looking good.

16...Re8 

Oh, dear. Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.

17.Nf7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Hanging On By My Fingers

With 9 games left to be completed in my group, in Round 3 of the Jerome Gambit Classic #1, despite my successes so far, my remaining 3 games might produce only 1/2 point for me - leaving my chances of moving on to Round 4 (top 3 players of each group advance) depending upon what might end up being a tie break for third place in the group. There are four of us competing for three places.

With 15 games to finish in group 2, there is still plenty of chess to play there, as well.

Jerome Gambit: Fall

A mis-step can quickly turn into a stumble, and a stumble into a fall.

Wall, Bill - Irineu

internet, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc3 

About 6 times more common, according to The Database, is 9.Qe3. 

9...Nf6 10.O-O 

Or 10.f3 d5 11.O-O as in Wall,B - Jaar,J, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 19).

10...Rf8 

Bill has also faced 10...c6 as in Wall,B-Varitt, internet, 2020 (1-0, 48) and 10...Kf7 as in Wall,B-Attia,M, internet, 2021 (1-0, 32). 

11.f4 Kf7 

Black starts to castle-by-hand.

He had an interesting series of moves that led to an edge: 11...Nxe4 (the key) 12.Re1 Qe7 13.Qc4 Rxf4 14.d3 Be6 15.Qa4+ Bd7 16.Qb4 Rg4 17.Rxe4 Rxe4 18.Qxe4 Qxe4 19.dxe4 Bc6. 

12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc6 

14.Bg5 Qe8 

Black should have continued with 14...Kg8. 

15.Qc4+ Ke7 16.e5 

The troubling signs are there for Black: his King is not safe, and is on a file in front of his Queen; there is a dangerous pin on the Knight on f6; and the "Jerome pawns" are advancing.

16...dxe5 17.dxe5 Nxe5 18.Qxc7+

Now, after 18...Bd7, White can grab the Knight at e5.

18...Ned7 

Bill sees quickly the opportunity that this move presents.

19.Re1+ Kf7 20. Qc4+ Black resigned

There was no need to continue with 20...Ne5 21.Qxd5+ Qe6 22.Qxe6 checkmate.

Another game for Bill Wall's Jerome Gambit Miniatures book, should he ever publish one. (He has written many other books and articles.)

Jerome Gambit: En Passant

 

Regarding Mr. James Tarbell, of Upper Alton, Ill., mentioned in yesterday's post (see "Jerome Gambit: Humbling") as looking for opponents to play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against him, I found his obituary in the March 23, 1906 Springfield Reporter, which included

Springfield, Vermont • 

Fri, Mar 23, 1906

The following was sent in by Mr. George Smiley of Alton, Ill and is from an Alton paper of last week.

...He was a famous chess player, probally [sic] one of the best in the United States, and played in many tournaments. He made a deep study of the game and he furnished many of the chess problems which interested players in years ago. He was beaten seldom and there were few who could match him in playing...

I wish to be remembered so fondly, after my passing.

Jerome Gambit: Humbling

 

Sometimes, when I reflect on The Database, my storage for Jerome Gambit and Jerome-related games - now approaching 96,000 entries - I think that I have accomplished something of note.

Then I run across a bit of information from the chess column for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Sunday, May 02, 1880

Mr. James Tarbell, of Upper Alton, Ill., who has acquired some fame as a correspondence player, would like very much to defend against the Jerome gambit in person or by correspondence. He is at present playing with Mr. Wm. Brown, of this city, and Mr. W. H. Hook of Paducah, Ky.

Cool!

I checked The Database.

Hmm...

No entry on James Tarbell.

No entry on William Brown.

No entry on W. H. Hook.

How disappointing.

I will keep my eyes open, however. 

Readers are asked to, as well.

Jerome Gambit: No Queen, No Problem

One tool a defender often has at his disposal is the exchange of Queens, which can lead to the blunting of an attack.

In the following game, however, Bill Wall's aggression does not appear to be troubled by such a strategy. The game ends with an impending checkmate in 10 moves.

Wall, Bill - Pakyaw

internet, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Nf6 

Raising a familiar question: Jerome Gambit: What About the Rook?

Black protects his Rook on h8, and develops a piece at the same time. 

As I wrote about 16 years ago, in Flaws (Part II)

seen at least as early as in the 5th game of the second match between Mexican Champion Andres Clemente Vazquez and American William Harrington, Mexico, 1876 (Vazquez won the match 12-3-1)

For a more modern take, I consulted The Database, which has 300 games with this move; White scores 76%. 

The second player would have done better offering the Rook on h8 with either Blackburne's defense 7...d6, or Whistler's defense, 7...Qe7.

8.Qxc5 Qe7 

Bill has also seen 8...Nxe4, in  Wall,B-Sigmon,A, internet, 2012 (1-0, 32) and 8...Qe8 9.d3 d6 10.Qxc7+ Bd7 11.Qxd6 Nxe4 12.dxe4 Qxe4+ 13.Be3 Rhd8 14.Nc3 Qxg2 15.O-O-O Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, internet, 2020.

Black probably should have played 8...d6, and after 9.Qe3 Nxe4 he could hope for 10.Qxe4? Re8, but he would be frustrated by 10.O-O.) 

9.Qxe7+ 

Why not? Bill chooses a Queenless middlegame two pawns up.

9...Kxe7 10.Nc3 c6 11.d4 Kf7 12.O-O Re8 13.e5 

13...Nh5 14.g4 Ng7 15.f4 Kg8 

Black's King would prefer to side-step the advancing "Jerome pawns".

White's attack is not hampered by the lack of his Queen.

16.Ne4 Rf8 17.Nf6+ Kh8 18.f5 

Part of the Black's difficulty here is that he is afflicted by a familiar Jerome Gambit defender's malady: his pawn blocks his Bishop which hems in his Rook.

18...b6 19.fxg6 hxg6 20.Rf3 

Eyeing the h-file.

20...Rxf6 

A sand necessity, but things do not get better.

21.Rxf6 Kh7 22.h4 Ne6 23.Be3 Kg7 

White's lead in development is decisive. 

24.Raf1 Nd8 25.h5 gxh5 26.gxh5 Ba6 

Alas, the Bishop is late to the excitment.

27.R1f3 Black resigned

Black's King is in a mating net.