A legitimate criticism of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and the Blackburne Shilling Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4) is that their main lines rely on altered piece development. Yet, as they say, there is a time for everything...
Paulotx - RicardoCMa
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2016
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. Black plans on bringing his Queen out quickly.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. In the Jerome Gambit, White brings his Queen out quickly, too.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 6.Qh5
In a 3-minute game it can make sense to attack-attack-attack, but in all fairness it is important to point out that either 6.O-O d6 7.Nc4 Qe8 or 6.c3 d6 7.Nc4 Nc6 8.d4 Qe8 would lead to even games and were preferrable.
(White's idea might have been that he knew that his a1 Rook is poisoned: 6...Nxc2+ 7.Kd1 Nxa1 8.Qf7+ will lead to checkmate.)
6...g6
As you might gather from the previous note, Black's proper response was 6...Qe8, with advantage. First defend, then counter attack.
7.Nxg6+ hxg6 8.Qxh8 Kf7
Short sighted. Black does best to block the enemy Queen in with 8...Nf6, and, then, after 9.Na3 Kf7 10.c3 Ne6 11.d3 Bxa3 12.Qxd8 Nxd8 13.bxa3 b6 14.f3 Ba6 15.c4 Ne6 his disadvantage would be less than in the game.
9.Qxd4 Qg5
Black gets to play his thematic Queen move, but it is ineffective here, and he is down too much material (the exchange and 3 pawns).
10.O-O d6 11.d3 Qg4 12.f3 Qh4
White is in no hurry. He will consolidate his position and then move forward.
13.Qf2 Qf6 14.Nd2 Bg7 15.f4 Bd7 16.Nf3 Ne7 17.Ng5+ Kg8 18.Qh4 Black disconnected and forfeited
White has a material advantage and an attack against the enemy King.
I know that I have adopted a "Take the money and run" approach to the Jerome Gambit declined - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Ke7/f8 - believing, somewhat cowardly, if pragmatically, that if the defender prefers not to enter an "objectively" won game, but to settle for one where he has a small disadvantage, that White should retreat his attempted-to-sacrifice Bishop. (See "To Jerome or Not Jerome", "It Still Happens - But It Doesn't Have To" and "This Is Your Last Chance" for recent discussions.)
My latest Jerome Gambit game shows that it can be a challenge to squeeze something out of that advantage, however. Especially with the clock ticking loudly in a blitz game, and my nerves failing me (happens to the attacker, too, not just the defender) - until my opponent joined me in mistakes.
perrypawnpusher - Spirochete
2 12 blitz, FICS, 2016
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Ke7
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, declined: If you want me to take the Bishop, then I won't.
6.Bb3 Re8
I was surprised to find only one other IFKJG declined with 6.Bb3 in The Database: 6...Nd4 7.Nxd4 Bxd4 8.Nd5+ Nxd5 9.exd5 d6 10.c3 Bb6 11.d3 Qf8 12.Bg5+ Kd7 13.Qg4+ Ke8 14.Qg3 h6 15.Be3 g5 16.O-O-O Bxe3+ 17.Qxe3 Qf4 18.Rhe1 Rf8 19.f3 Qxh2 20.Rd2 Qg3 21.Red1 h5 22.Qe4 Rf4 23.Qg6+ Rf7 24.Qxh5 Bf5 25.Ba4+ Ke7 26.Qh1 Qf4 27.Kb1 Qxa4 28.a3 Raf8 29.g4 Bh7 30.Ka2 Kd8 31.Qh5 Qe8 32.Qxg5+ Kc8 33.Qe3 Kb8 34.Qh6 Bg8 35.g5 Rxf3 36.c4 Bf7 37.Qh4 Bg6 38.Ka1 Qf7 39.Ka2 Qf5 40.Ka1 Rf4 41.Qg3 Rg4 42.Qe3 Qxg5 43.Qe1 Bh5 44.Rc1 Rg1 45.Qxg1 Qxd2 46.Rf1 Rxf1+ 47.Qxf1 Qd1+ 48.Qxd1 Bxd1 White resigned, HauntedKnight - Bernano, FICS, 2013.
7.O-O Kf8 8.d3 d6 9.Bg5 Nd4 10.Nd5 Nxb3 11.axb3 Re6 12.Nxf6 gxf6 13.Bh6+ Ke7 14.Nh4
White has an edge, based on the awkward placement of Black's King (the extra pawn on b3 isn't worth much), but there is still a lot of work to be done.
14...f5
This drops a pawn. Better to make me grind it out, with 14...Qg8 15.Be3 Bxe3 16.Nf5+ Kd8 17.Nxe3 Qg5.
15.Nxf5+
Beginning a whole series of poor moves. Nerves!?
Much better was 15.Bg5+ Rf6 16.Qh5 Kd7 17.Nxf5 adding the exchange to my material edge.
15...Kd7 16.Qh5 Qg8
Black should not be allowed to develop a counter attack, but, to his credit, he does.
17.Qg5
Not the wisest. Thematic was 17.Be3 Bxe3 18.Nxe3 c6 19.f4.
It is not that White is worse - he is better - but that I seem to have misplaced my head. (Blame it on time trouble.)
17...Rg6 18.Qe7+
Useless. White should bite the bullet with 18.Qh4 Rxg2+ 19.Kh1 Qg4 20.Qxg4 Rxg4 21.Rg1 and be happy with his edge. (It's there, somewhere.)
18...Kc6 19.g3
The Queen should have retreated 19.Qh4.
Black should now win a piece after 19...Bxf5.
19...Be6
Both my opponent and I now missed Knight checks at e7 that could have settled things a bit. (Blame it on time trouble.)
20.Qh4 Qf7 21.Be3
Better 21.Ne7+
21...Bb6 22.Bxb6
Better 22.Ne7+
22...cxb6 23.Kh1
Uh, 23.Ne7+.
23...Rag8
Better to grab the pawn with 23...Bxf5 24.exf5 Qxf5
24.Rxa7
Headless pawn-grabbing. It was still time to use the e7 square, this time with 24.Qe7 Qxe7 25.Nxe7+.
24...Rg4 25.Qh3 h5 26.Qg2
It turns out, despite appearances, that White is defending well enough to begin a counter attack.
26...Bxf5 27.exf5+ d5 28.c4
28.Qf8
A slip on Black's part. (Blame it on time trouble.)
29.Qxd5+ Black resigned
Whew!
" * "
There are so many strange and wonderful insights that can be applied to the Jerome Gambit, even if they originally were connected to something else. I want to point out some quotations that I have pulled together: collection 1, collection 2.
As for the following game, if you play the Jerome Gambit long enough, you will encounter the club player who is astonished by 4.Bxf7+ and immediately decides that since he has never seen the move before, this reflects a complete lack of preparation on his part, and that he is doomed...
The same worry can be applied, for White, to Black's 8th move. What in the world is this?? I have never seen this move before. Yet, White is used to strange moves, and a few moments of reflection will bring the proper conclusion: It is bad.
kosta88 - peternc
lichess.org, 2016
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Nh6
This move is not in the standard preparation for Jerome Gambiteers. It attacks White's Queen. It opens up the f-file for Black to bring a Rook to attack, or a Queen to exchange.
And it is wrong.
9.Qxe5+ Kc6 10.Qd5+
Or 10.d4 Ng4 11.Qxc5 checkmate, UNPREDICTABLE - acuriel, FICS, 2009)
10...Kb6 11.Nc3
Better than 11.d4 Qe7 (11...Bxd4 as in perrypawnpusher - hotintheshade, blitz, FICS, 2009 [1-0, 46]) 12.Be3 d6 13. dxc5+ dxc5 14. b4 c6 15. Bxc5+ Ka6 Black forfeited by disconnection, senseidea - Liosikne, FICS, 2012.
White realizes that he will get his second sacrificed piece back and he will have play against the enemy King.
11...c6
Two alternate tries at defense:
11...Qh4+ 12.g3 Qf6 13.Na4+ Ka6 14.Nxc5+ Kb5 15.a4+ Kb6 16.a5+ Black resigned, sabreman - Lovebuzz, FICS, 2014; and
11...d6 12.Na4+ Ka6 13.Nxc5+ dxc5 14.Qxc5 b6 15.Qe3 Kb7 16.d4 Kb8 17.O-O Bb7 18.c4 Ng4 19.Qd3 c5 20.d5 Re8 21.h3 Nf6 22.e5 Nxd5 23.cxd5 Bxd5 24.Be3 Kb7 25.b3 h6 26.Rae1 g5 27.fxg5 Rxe5 28.gxh6 Qg8 29.Rf2 Rf8 30.Ree2 Ref5 31.Rxf5 Rxf5 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Ondras, FICS, 2012.
12.Na4+ Kb5 Black resigned
!
The following game (with interesting lessons) is one that I have referred to a number of times on this blog, but never presented it in full, or with notes. I am only 6 years late, but, here we go...
Wall, Bill - Roberts, Conner
Chess.com, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nc3
Bill chooses one of the "modern" Jerome Gambit lines. As far as I can tell, in the days of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, the "classical" 5.Nxe5 was always played.
5...Nf6
A few games with different responses, to study:
5...d6 6.O-O Bg4 7.d3 Nd4 8.Nxe5+ dxe5 9.Qxg4 Nf6 10.Qd1 c6 11.Na4 Bd6 12.Be3 Ne6 13.Qd2 Qc7 14.Nc3 Rad8 15.Ne2 Rhf8 16.Qc3 Kg8 17.Qb3 Rde8 18.Bxa7
Kh8 19.Be3 Ng4 20.Bb6 Qb8 21.h3 Nf6 22.Ng3 Nd4 23.Qc4 Nd7 24.Bxd4
exd4 25.Qxd4 c5 26.Qa4 Rd8 27.Nf5 Nb6 28.Qb5 Qc7 29.Ne3 Qc6 30.Qxc6
bxc6 31.a4 Ra8 32.a5 Nd7 33.Nc4 Be7 34.e5 Rfb8 35.b3 h6 36.f4 Bd8 37.a6 Nb6 38.Na5 Rxa6 39.Nxc6 Rxa1 40.Rxa1 Rc8 41.Nxd8 Rxd8 42.Ra5 Ra8 43.Rxc5 Ra2 44.c4 Rd2 45.e6 Rxd3 46.e7 Re3 47.Re5 Black resigned, Wall,B - Rahman,N, Chess.com, 2010; and
5...h6 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6 8.Qd5+ Ke8 (8...Kf8 9.Qxc5+ N8e7 10.f4 d6 11.Qf2 Nc6 12.d4 Qh4
13.g3 Qh3 14.f5 Nge7 15.f6 Nf5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.fxg7+ Kxg7 18.Nd5 Rhf8 19.Nf4 Rae8+ 20.Be3 Qg4 21.h3 Qg5 22.O-O-O Nb4 23.Qd2 Qxg3 24.Nh5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Jllib976, Chess.com, 2010) 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qa3 N8e7 11.O-O Nh4
12.d4 Neg6 13.f4 Rf8 14.Be3 Bg4 15.Qb3 Rb8 16.f5 Ne7 17.Bf2 Nexf5 18.exf5 Nxf5 19.Rae1+ Kd7 20.Qe6+ Kc6 21.d5 checkmate, Wall,B - Mbgmxm, Chess.com, 2010.
6.Qe2
Here Black's brain should be screaming "Why Did He Play That Move?" I guess it wasn't. After all, he was playing against a ridiculous opening, and it was easy to feel comfortable and conficent and slow down his effort...
6...Rf8
To be fair, this move is often part of castling-by-hand to give Black's King needed safety. However, it is not well-timed.
7.Qc4+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9. Qc4 Qe7
10.d4 exd4 11.Nxd4
Nxe4
Black is down a pawn, so, of course, he plays to get one back, and there seems to be one available (with White's King uncastled on the same file as Black's Queen!) but in this case he seems to have been affected by the "negative halo effect"
When people notice a good trait in a person, they often assume other positives. With the Jerome Gambit often a negative "halo effect" occurs – if the early moves are bad, many of the other ones must be bad, too.
No, Bill did not leave the e-pawn hanging.
12.Nxc6 Qh4 13.O-O Rxf2
Black decides to go out in a blaze of glory.
14.Nxe4 Rxg2+ 15.Kxg2 Bh3+ 16.Kh1 Qg4
Threatening checkmate!
17.Qf7 checkmate
When I ran in school, my teacher said not to stop at the finish line, but to aim for a spot well beyond there. He said that would keep me moving as fast as possible while I was racing. Otherwise, I would slow down at the end, and this would be to the benefit of my opponents.
The same advice can be given to those who defend against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+): When you realize that you have received a piece or two in a "refuted" opening, keep "running" - keep competing - and do not slow down or relax your attention too soon.
Chessfriend Vlastamil Fejfar, of the Czech Republic (see "A Fierce Jerome Gambit Battle", shares a recent online game where his opponent ignored this advice. The result was as expected.
vlastous - rubicon
ChessManiac.com, 2016
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Qf6
Vlasta and Readers have seen this move before, as I noted in an earlier post
A line seen as early as in a note in G.H.D. Gossip's 1891 The Chess Player's Vade Mecum and Pocket Guide to the Openings with all the latest theoretical discoveries and traps in the openings revealed, and more recently supported by FM Eric Schiller in his books on unorthodox openings. (It is fun to read MrJoker's comments about some of Schiller's analysis - see "Joker's Wild" 1, 2and Conclusion.)
I would like to point out that Schiller in his Unorthodox Chess Openings (1998) wrongly identified Henry Joseph Blackburne's opponent in his classic destruction of the Jerome Gambit as Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, himself. Fifteen years of research into the Jerome Gambit has not turned up any evidence that AWJ ever travelled to London, let alone was able to play HJB at Simpson's Divan. (Certainly Dr. Tim Harding would have included this tidbit, were it not merely a figment of Schiller's imagination, in his exhaustive Joseph Henry Blackburne A Chess Biography.)
In any event, Black has every reason to feel comfortable with his position, as he has played a "refutation" that both time and reference books have presented as sufficient.
8.Rf1 g6 9.Qh3+ Kf7
But - Black relaxes too soon, as Vlasta immediately demonstrates. Best was the alternative 9...Ke7.
10.fxe5 Qxf1+ 11.Kxf1 d5 12.Qc3 b6 13.d4 Black resigned
White's material advantage is decisive.
I received some more games from Bill Wall, new to me if not all of them "new".
The following is a good example of Black defending against the Jerome Gambit with nefarious ideas of his own. (For perspective on this kind of "duel" see "Post Script".) He almost makes them work...
Wall, Bill - Royercordova
Chess.com, 2010
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.Qc4
In his games Bill has chosen many different squares to retreat his Queen to. See "Spicy!" for alternatives.
9...Qf6
This move is often part of Black's defense in the Jerome Gambit.
Bill has also faced 9...Qe7 10.O-O Be6 11.Qa4+ Bd7 12.Qb4 b6 13.Nc3 c5 14.Qb3 Be6 15.Qa3 Ne5 16.d4 Nc4 17.Qa4+ Kf7 18.d5 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest4027845, Chess.com, 2015
10.O-O N8e7 11.d4 Nc6 12. c3 Bd7 13.f4 Rf8 14.d5 Na5
The game has proceeded along typical Jerome Gambit lines: White has a relatively safe King and two useful extra pawns; Black has an extra piece, but his King is stuck in the center. The position is slightly in Black's favor, but it is "messy". It is about to get a whole lot messier.
15.Qxc7
A calculated risk (Bill gives the alternative 15.Qd3). As Wilhelm Steinitz reportedly said, "A pawn is worth a little trouble". In this case, White gains a pawn and loosens Blacks position a bit, but he risks having his Queen trapped.
The proper order of moves will be important.
15...b6
The idea here is clear. Bill gives a more refined version as a suggestion, 15...Bb5 16.Rf3 b6.
16.Na3 Rf7 17.Nc4
White's Knight races to help his trapped and soon-to-be-threatened Queen.
17...Bb5
Black's best, as Bill pointed out, was 17...Nxc4 18.Qxc4 Kf8, allowing the Queen to escape but perhaps reamaining with an edge.
18.Nxd6+ Black resigned
After 18...Kf8 19.Nxf7 Qxf7 20.Qxf7+ Kxf7 21.Re1 White will have a Rook against Black's two Knights, but he will have four extra "Jerome pawns" to make up the difference.
Had Black played Bill's suggested 15...Bb5 16.Rf3 b6, White would not have been able to use his Knight for rescue and attack. For example, after 17.Na3, Black can simply retreat the Bishop with 17...Ba6, (although he could also win White's Queen with 17...Rf7 18.Nxb5 Rxc7 19.Nxc7+ Kf8 20.Nxa8 Qd8 21.Be3 Qxa8 22.Bd4 - White may have adequate compensation, however) when White's best chance is to complicate with 18.e5 dxe5 19.fxe5 Qd8.
Searching the internet the other day, I came across an interesting and intriguing web page titled "SPRING & SUMMER 2013: Definitely with the gambits" which had, among other things, the following quote
By playing the Jerome Gambit and by paying more attention to the moves of my mate, I came to win against more chessmates than I used to do before.
On the site there is a photo of a couple of people playing chess at an outside table ("Paul & a young Champion at Hunter College") easily placed at the Chess and Checkers' House in Central Park in Manhattan (a short walk from Hunter College).
The site includes a useful link to a Jerome Gambit "database" actually a spreadsheet of opening moves.
The post finishes with
With the gambit, there is really a gamboling of some pieces, a frolicking about of them, most often the Queen, and that is what makes it interesting and a good technic to develop attention, concentration and technical skills in playing Chess.
Elsewhere, the web page's author notes that "chess obeys to Bayesian statistics" - which certainly begs further attention and exploration. I have been unable to track down his manuscript Chess and Bayesian Statistics (Le Jeu d'Échecs et la Statistique Bayésienne) but can note his summary
The manuscript is to prove that chance or hazard has little to do with chess in contrary to playing cards or other saloon's games, since Bayesian statistics deals with conditional or linked probabilities...
Even a little bit of knowledge can be a good thing, if it is properly applied. If it is missing - things change.
The following is from an ongoing game - the players will go unnamed - from the ongoing "Giuoco Piano Jerome Gambit Tournament" at RedHotPawn.com.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qf6
This position should feel familiar, if you read the recent post "Again, 'Why Did He Play That Move?' " or are able to recall '"Why Did He Play That Move?"
I feel a bit disappointed that both players seem to have missed that content.
8.O-O b6
Instead, Black had the crushing 8...Nf3+, winning White's Queen on the next move.
(In all fairness, I have to report that the position appears in The Database 40 times, and Black found 8...Nf3+ only 13 times, an unhappy 32.5%. It is important to recall that we are in the land of online club play, not grandmaster gladiator duels. Also, not everyone reads this blog - yet.)
8.Nc3 c5
Ouch. Again, the move to play was 8...Nf3+ with a winning game.
10.Qd5+
White will win a Rook now.
This game has continued a couple dozen more moves. White is currently up an insurmountable amount of material and should win by checkmate quickly.
What an unfortunate outcome, given that the defender missed an opportunity to be up a whole Queen early on in the game.
Again, we must congratulate the Jerome Gambit player, even as we recall the old saying "It is better to be lucky than to be good".
In every chess game we play, we must often ask ourselves about our opponent, "Why Did He Play That Move?" Failing to do so - or failing to answer the question accurately - can lead to disaster.
Consider the following game.
JeanTylerGabriel - LittleDonkey
Giuoco Piano Jerome Gambit Tournament
RedHotPawn.com, 2016
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 Be6 9.Nc3 Bh3
Out of a normal (for the Jerome Gambit) opening setup, Black plays an unexpected move. Why did he play that move?
10.Re1
A decent enough response.
10...Qf6
Again, why did he play that move?
11.gxh3
Wrong answer.
11...Nf3+ 12.Kh1 Nxd4 13.Rf1 Qf3+ 14.Kg1 Qxh3 15.Bf4 Nf6 16.Rac1 Nf3+ 17.Kh1 Ng4 18.Rfd1 Nxf2 checkmate
And this is how we reached one of the positions in "Good Knight".
