Stats (3)

Taking yet a further look (see "Stats (1)" for a preliminary peek and "Stats (2)" for a deeper one) at a ChessBase Opening Report from my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) database requires simply continuing to advancing along the move order.

Thus: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ will dig deeper.

According to the Opening Report, White scores "above average" (59%), with 276 wins (57%), 18 draws (4%) and 192 losses (40%). White wins are "shorter than average" (37 moves), Black's wins are "shorter than average" (33 moves) and draws are "short" (30 moves).

Looking at Moves and Plans for Black, 6...Ke6 appeared in 229 games, where Black scored "below average" (38%). Recommended for White is 7.f4, while in the Critical Line White scored only 36%: 7...d6 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.Qg3.

In 117 games Black played the alternative, 6...Ng6, scoring "below average" (41%). Recommended for White is 7.Qxc5. The Critical Line is then 7...Nf6, against which White has scored only 29%.

In 78 games Black played 6...g6, scoring "below average" (38%). Recommended for White is 7.Qxe5, although in the Critical Line 7...d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6 10.c3 White has scored 0%.

An important 6th move alternative for Black, played in 53 games, is 6...Kf8, which scored well (63%). Recommended for White is 7.Qxe5, although the Critical Line, again, is daunting for the first player, as after 7...Qe7 8.Qf4+ White scored 19%.

Finally, Black infrequently played 6...Kf6 (3 games) and scored "miserably" (0%) after White's recommended 7.Qf5+.

Stats (2)

Taking a further look (see "Stats (1)" for a preliminary peek) at a ChessBase Opening Report from my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) database is as simple as advancing along the move order a bit, and then asking the software to analyze.

So, a look at 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ will dig deeper.

There are 856 games in my database with that line of play. The Opening Report says that White scores "well" with 69%: 510 wins (68%), 21 draws (3%) and 224 losses (30%). In addtion, White's wins are of "average" length (38 moves); Black's wins are "shorter than average" (33 moves); and draws are "short" (29 moves).

Looking at Moves and Plans, 5...Nxe5 was seen in 711 games, where Black scored "badly" 31%. The Opening Report recommends 6.Qh5+ for White, and gives as the Critical Line: 6...Kf8 7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ where White only scored 19%.

A fifth move alternative for Black, 5...Kf8, was seen in 18 games, and Black scored "well" at 56%. The recommended move for White is 6.0-0.

Also possible for Black was 5...Ke8, seen in 8 games, although he scored "miserably" with 0%; 5...Ke7, seen in 2 games, with likewise "miserable" results (0%).

Stats (1)

For what it's worth, let's look at some numbers, based on my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) database.

Please keep in mind the caveats about this that I mentioned in my reply to Pete Bank's ("blackburne") Comment to "Fool me once..."

I use ChessBase 8 to store most of my Jerome Gambit games and findings.

If I look at the series of moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, and run an Opening Report, I can see that ChessBase finds 1,436 relevant games. About these, it notes that White scores above average – 57%; that is, White wins 693 (55%), Draws 32 (3%), and Black wins 528 (42%). Not surprisingly, it points out that the Drawing number is quite low, with 1/3 of those drawn games having fewer than 20 moves.

In addition, White's wins are "shorter than average" (35 moves), Black's wins are "short" (29 moves), and the Draws are "shorter than average" (34 moves).

Looking at Moves and Plans, I can see that 1217 games featured 4...Kxf7, with which Black scored "averagely" – 44%. The Opening Report recommends 5.Nxe5+ for White, noting that 5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6 then occured in 97 games; 5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 occurred in 118 games; and 5...Nxe5 6.d4 Qh5 7.0-0 Nf6 8.dxc5 Qxe4 9.Nc3 Qb4 10.Nd5 occurred in 118 games. That last line is highly skewed: all 118 games were from a match between Deep Shredder 10 and Rybka 2.3.1.

Interestingly enough, the "Critical line" for White, in which he scored only 29%, is 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Nxc6 dxc6, which certainly bears some looking into.

Althought taking the sacrificed Bishop seems the thing to do, the Opening Report shows that in 19 games Black played 4...Kf8 instead, scoring "below average" at 37%. The recommended response for White is 5.d3.

In 5 games Black responded with 4...Ke7, when he "scored miserably" with 20%. White's response should be 5.Bh5.

A Jerome Discovery (Afterword)

The chess columns from The Literary Digest (see Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5) are an exciting discovery for Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) fans on several counts.

First, it gives analysis of an important defense for Black that is not very well known, but is very effective. See "Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter X" for both its first appearance (Sorensen - X, Denmark, 1888) and my use of it in Sir Osis of the Liver - perrypawnpusher, chessworld.net, 2008.

It also is the first "live" account of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome that I have run across, since the 1884 mention of him by the chess columnist of the Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph (see "100 Posts - What more to say?").

That year must have been a difficult one for A.W. Jerome, as 1884 saw the publication of Cook's Synopsis of Chess Openings A Tabular Analysis by William Cook, With American Inventions in the Openings and Fresh Analysis since 1882, by J. W. Miller.

Cook's Synopsis of Chess Openings, 3rd Edition, (surely the English language MCO/ECO of its time) had been published in 1882 and sold out quickly. The newer edition from Miller contained analysis of the Jerome Gambit in both Cook's reprinted work and in the American "supplement" – without mention of Jerome, the man, and including the notation

We give the fullest analysis of this American invention that has yet been in print. The author is Mr. S. A. Charles, Cincinnati, O.

S. A. Charles, a member of the Cincinnati Chess Club (as was J. W. Miller), had written a series of analytical articles years earlier for the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, Miller's newspaper, before going on to submit his work to the Pittsburgh Telegraph (later Chronicle-Telegraph).

In 1881, the Telegraph published Charles' "compilation" of what he could find of Jerome Gambit analysis, suplemented later by mostly incomplete correspondence games he had played with A. W. Jerome. This look at the Jerome Gambit was later that year picked up by Brentano's Chess Monthly, and the following year by Cook's Synopsis.

Although Charles mentioned Jerome when he wrote, by the time Cook got ahold of the analysis in 1882, Jerome's name, except for the Gambit's title, had been dropped. Then along came Miller in 1884, with the same "oversight".

This was all sealed with the 1889 publication of the first edition of Freeborough and Rankin's Chess Openings Ancient and Modern, which explained

Mr. S. A. Charles of Cincinnati, Ohio is named in the American Supplement as the chief analyst of this opening.

The Literary Digest's chess columns suggest that there might be other magazines out there with Jerome Gambit games and analysis by the gambit's inventor, from the mid-1880s to 1900.

A Jerome Discovery (Part 5)

It seems that after the following exchange, either the chess columnist for The Literary Digest or Alonzo Wheeler Jerome himself lost interest in further discussion of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) as no further mention of the Consultation Game appears in subsequent issues.

From the July 28, 1900 issue of The Literary Digest [descriptive notation changed to algebraic notation]

The Jerome Gambit

Consultation Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4 7.0-0 Ng4 8.h3 Bd6 9.f4 h5

Mr. Jerome suggests White's 9th move instead of e5, and writes: "This looks like a sure move for White." Black has, in reply, two moves: ...Nh6, saving the piece, or ...h5. We prefer the latter, as it is evident that Black [sic: it should read White] can not play hxg4.

A Jerome Discovery (Part 4)

Continuing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) analysis from the pages of The Literary Digest from over a century ago...

Be sure to check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 as well.

From the July 14, 1900 issue of The Literary Digest [descriptive notation changed to algebraic notation]:

The Jerome Gambit

Consultation Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4

Mr Jerome writes: "Your move (...Qh4) is undoubtedly the best, as it puts White on the defensive at once," and suggests as White's 7th 0-0.

F.H. Johnston believes that White's best (7th) is Nc3, "thus defending the e-pawn. It would not be sound to play 0-0 at this stage, neither would it do to play dxc5." Nc3 is dangerous on account of ...Ng4 forcing White to defend his f-pawn, and preventing him from castling.

The best continuation seems to be: 7.0-0, Ng4; 8.h3, Bd6 9.e5, etc.

A Jerome Discovery (Part 3)

This is a continuation of the series of articles on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) from The Literary Digest of 1900 – see "A Jerome Discovery (Part 1)" and "A Jerome Discovery (Part 2)" for earlier information.

On June 30, 1900, The Literary Digest's chess column contained the following [notation changed from descriptive to algebraic]

The Jerome Gambit

Consultation Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4

A majority of those who sent Black's 6th move played 6...Bxd4. The reason given for this move is that as Black must lose a piece he had better get a P for it. This is not good reasoning, as White's continuation demonstrates: 6... Bxd4; 7.Qxd4 d6; 8.f4, and White still has the attack. If 8...Nc6; 9.Qd5+ Be6 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qf3 Nd4 12.Qd3 Nc6 13.f5 and White has a good game.

Another move suggested was 6...Qf6. The object of this is (a) to prevent 7.dxe5; (b) to continue ...d6, ...Ng4, etc. The weakness of this is that it allows White to Castle. For instances: 6...Qf6 7.0-0 d6 8.dxe5 Qxe5 9.Nc3 Be6 10.Kh1 followed by 11.f4 giving White a strong attack.

We believe that Black's best (6) is ...Qh4. the superiority of this move is discoverable in several directions. White can't play 7.dxe5; if 7.dxc5 then ...Ng4, with a strong game. We hope that Mr. Jerome and others will suggest White's best move after Black's (6) Qh4.