Speechless

I really didn't know what to say about the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, so I turned it over to my computer. The analysis is by Rybka 3, inside the Fritz program; so the comments come from Fritz 8. I made the diagrams, though.

Warning: the machine is rather cold-hearted in its evaluations.

Crusader Rabbit - blackburne
JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009
[Rybka 3 Human 32-bit (600s)]
C50: Hungarian Defence and Giuoco Pianissimo


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


4...Kxf7 5.0-0 Nf6

6.c3 Rf8 7.d4 exd4 8.Qb3+?

Better was: 8.e5!? Nd5 9.b4 -/+

8...Ke8

8...d5 might be the shorter path: 9.Bg5 Bb6 10.Nbd2 -+

9.Re1

9.e5 Ng4 10.Bg5 Be7 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 -+ ( 11...Nxe7?! 12.Re1 -/+; 11...Kxe7?! 12.cxd4 Rf5 13.Qd5 =/+)

9...d6

9...Qe7 10.h3 -+

10.cxd4

Better was: 10.Bg5 -+

10...Bb6??

Forfeits the advantage. Better was 10...Bxd4, the advantage is on the side of Black, 11.Bg5 h6 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 ( 12...hxg5?! 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.e5 -+) 13.Qa4+ Nc6 -+

11.e5 -/+ dxe5 12.dxe5??

Better was: 12.Nxe5 the rescuing straw 12...Ne7 13.Nc3 =/+

12...Ng4 -+ 13.Bg5

13.Be3 Nxe3 14.fxe3 Bg4 -+

13...Qd7

13...Nd4 seems even better: 14.Bxd8 Nxb3 15.axb3 Bxf2+ 16.Kh1 Bxe1 17.Bxc7 Nf2+ 18.Kg1 Nh3+ 19.Kf1 -+

14.e6

14.Bh4 g5! the final blow 15.e6 -+

14...Qd6 15.e7 Rf7

Better was: 15...Bxf2+ and Black takes home the point 16.Kf1 Bxe1 17.exf8N Kxf8-+ ( 17...Qxf8?! 18.Kxe1 h6 19.Bh4 -/+)

16.Nc3

16.Qxf7+! Kxf7 17.e8Q#

16...Bxf2+

16...Bd7!? 17.Ne4 Bxf2+ 18.Kf1 -+

17.Kh1 Rxf3??

Makes life more difficult. Better was 17...Bxe1 Black had this great chance 18.Nb5 Bg3 19.Nxd6+ Bxd6 -+

18.Qg8+ Rf8 19.exf8Q+

19.Qxf8+ Kd7 20.e8Q#

19...Kd7 20.Qf5+ Black resigned

20.Qf5+ Qe6 21.Qgxe6#; 20.Qe8#

Sole Survivor

Although my involvement in a Chessworld welcoming Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Thematic Tournament was quickly reduced to one game, (see "Busy!" and "*Poof!*"), it turned out to be an interesting one, worth sharing.

perrypawnpusher - jamtaylo

ChessWorld Welcome JG Tournament, 2009

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6

I've also seen 8...Qe7 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.d3 d5 11.f3 dxe4 12.fxe4 Ng4 13.0-0+ Ke8 14.Qg3 Qc5+ 15.Kh1 Be6 16.Nc3 Kd7 17.h3 N4e5 18.d4 Qxd4 19.Rd1 Qxd1+ 20.Nxd1 Rad8 21.Bf4 Kc8 22.Bxe5 Nxe5 23.Qxe5 Bd7 24.Nc3 Rhe8 25.Qg3 g6 26.Nd5 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - marbleschess, FICS, 2009

9.Qe3 Be6

Or 9...Nf6 10.0-0 Kf7 (10...Bd7 11.f4 Qe7 12.d3 Kf7 13.Nc3 Rhf8 14.h3 Kg8 15.g4 Bxg4 16.hxg4 Nxg4 17.Qg3 Nf6 18.f5 Ne5 19.Bg5 Qd7 20.d4 Nc4 21.b3 Nb6 22.e5 dxe5 23.dxe5 Qd4+ 24.Qe3 Qg4 25.Kh2 Nfd5 26.Nxd5 Nxd5 27.Qg3 Qh5+ 28.Kg2 Qe2+ 29.Rf2 Qe4+ 30.Kh3 Rxf5 31.Rxf5 Qxf5+ 32.Kh4 Qg6 33.c4 Nb4 34.a3 Nc2 35.Rf1 Nd4 36.Qf4 Ne6 37.Qe3 h6 38.Be7 Black forfeited on time, perrypawnpusher - Mences, FICS, 2009; 10...b6 11.f4 Bb7 12.d3 Qe7 13.Nc3 Re8 14.Bd2 h6 15.h3 Qd7 16.Qg3 Ne7 17.e5 Nfg8 18.Rae1 Nf5 19.Qf2 Nge7 20.g4 g6 21.gxf5 gxf5 22.Re3 Rg8+ 23.Rg3 Kf7 24.Ne2 h5 25.Kh2 Rg6 26.Rfg1 Reg8 27.Nd4 dxe5 28.Rxg6 exd4 29.Rxg8 Nxg8 30.Qg3 Ne7 31.Qg7+ Ke6 32.Re1+ Kd6 33.Qe5+ Kc6 34.Qxe7 Qxe7 35.Rxe7 Kd6 36.Re5 Bc8 37.Kg3 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - hogmaster, JG3 thematic, Chessworld 2008) 11.f4 Re8 12.f5 Ne5 13.Nc3 Nc4 14.Qd4 Ne5 15.d3 Kg8 16.Bg5 h6 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Qd5+ Be6 19.fxe6 c6 20.e7+ Kg7 21.exd8Q Raxd8 22.Qd4 c5 23.Qf2 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - DysonLin, FICS, 2009.

10.f4 Bf7 TN

Also played: 10...N6e7 11.0-0 Nf6 ( 11...d5 12.d3 dxe4 13.dxe4 Nf6 14.Nc3 Ng4 15.Qd3 Qxd3 16.cxd3 Rd8 17.Rd1 c5 18.h3 Nf6 19.Be3 b6 20.g4 Nc6 21.Rac1 Ke7 22.a3 Bb3 23.Rd2 Rhf8 24.Kf2 Rd7 25.e5 Nxe5 26.fxe5 Ne4+ 27.Ke2 Ng3+ 28.Ke1 Rf1 checkmate, RevvedUp - Hiarcs 8, 2 12 2006) 12.f5 Bf7 13.b3 Nc6 14.Bb2 Ke7 15.d4 Re8 16.e5 dxe5 17.dxe5 Nd5 18.Qc5+ Kd7 19.e6+ Bxe6 20.fxe6+ Kxe6 21.Nc3 Nxc3 22.Bxc3 Qh4 23.Qf5+ Ke7 24.Rfe1+ Kd6 25.Rad1+ Nd4 26.Bb4+ Kc6 27.Qc5+ Kd7 28.Rxd4+ Black resigned, Hiarcs 8-RevvedUp, 2 12 2006.

11.f5 Ne5 12.d4 Nc6 13.0-0 Bc4

The Bishop is intent on being involved in play.

By transposition, is 13...Nge7 14.Nc3 Ke8 15.Bd2 Kd7 16.Rad1 Kc8 17.e5 Nd5 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.b3 Re8 20.c4 Bg8 21.Bc3 Qe7 22.e6 b6 23.d5 Nd8 24.f6 gxf6 25.Bxf6 Qf8 26.Bxd8 Qxf1+ 27.Rxf1 Kxd8 28.Qg5+ Kc8 29.Rf6 Kb7 30.Qg7 a5 31.a4 Rac8 32.g4 Ka6 33.g5 b5 34.cxb5+ Kb6 35.Qd7 Ka7 36.h4 Red8 37.Qc6 Re8 38.Qa6+ Kb8 39.Qxa5 Black resigned, guest673 - guest767, ICC 2 12 2003]

14.Rd1

Oddly enough, after the game Rybka 3 suggested instead 14.Rf4.

14...Nf6 15.Nc3 Ng4 16.Qg3 h5

17.b3 Ba6

After this, the Bishop is on the sidelines. It probably should have returned to f7 with about an equal game.

18.h3 Nf6 19.e5


The "Jerome Gambit pawns" are beginning to assert themselves.


19...dxe5


Too cooperative. Rybka 3 recommends: 19...h4 20.Qf2 Nd7 21.e6 Nf6 22.Bg5 Ne7 23.Bxh4 Qe8 24.Bxf6 gxf6 25.Ne4 Qh5 26.Nxf6 Qxf5 27.Qxf5 Nxf5 28.Nd5 c6 29.Nc7 Ke7 30.Nxa8 Rxa8 31.Rd2 d5 32.Re1 Rh8 which is about even.


20.dxe5 Qxd1+


A critical oversight.


21.Nxd1 Ne4


The Knight is not safe here.
22.Ba3+ Kg8 23.Qe3 Nd2 24.Qxd2 Rd8


25.Qg5 Rh6 26.f6 Rd7 27.e6 Black resigned

Louverture Cleary

When our son Jon goes off to Haiti in August (see "NOT the Jerome Gambit"), he will be working at Louverture Cleary, teaching English literature and history to high school students. He is also going to be teaching chess to those who want to play.

Of course, the brightest students will learn about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)!

I would like to play some postal games with Jon's students; but we will have to wait to see if that is possible.

The Life of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome was born March 8, 1834 at Four Mile Point, New York. Little is known about his life, and nothing of his early years.

At the age of almost 30, with the United States fighting its Civil War, Jerome was drafted into the Union army in September of 1863, where he served as quartermaster until he was transferred, in April 1865, as quartermaster sergeant, to the 26th infantry regiment of the United States Colored Troops, under the command of Colonel William B. Guernsey, on Long Island, New York.

The 26th USCT served under the Department of the South (Union Army) in South Carolina and was very active on Johns and James Island, Honey Hill, Beaufort, and a number of other locations.

While it is not know when Jerome took up playing chess, it is known that shortly after arriving at their first camp, the soldiers of the 26th immediately went about building both a chapel and a school; the latter, as many of the soldiers expressed an interest in learning to read and write. Might there have been time for the royal game, as well?

Jerome was mustered out of the army as a 2nd Lieutenant in August 1865, at Hilton Head, North Carolina. He returned to Mineola, New York, where he worked in a factory that manufactured agricultural machinery. It was here that Jerome first played his gambit, he said, against G.J. Dougherty.

He moved to Paxton, Illinois in 1868, where he took up the position of manager of a hemp and flax company.

On March 6, 1873, Jerome married 21-year old Jane “Jennie” A. Ostrom, of Paxton. Like Jerome, Jenny had been born in New York.

The Jeromes had one child, a boy, born 1874, who apparently died young (or was institutionalized), as he appears in one census at age 6, but not in future censuses.

Jerome’s public life as a chess player apparently began when a game of his, a King’s Gambit, appeared in the March 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal. The next issue carried the “New Chess Opening” article. The July issue carried the first Jerome Gambit game that he played against William Shinkman.

In 1875, Jerome and Brownson met and played their games, later printed in the Journal. In one game Brownson offered the McDonnell Double Opening – 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc4 3.b4 Bxb4 4.f4. It is not surprising that he was intrigued by the Jerome Gambit.

Two 1876 games by Jerome were published by the Dubuque Chess Journal, one, a Jerome Gambit, against Shinkman, and the other, a postal odds game (Queen for Queen’s Rook) against the child chess prodigy (later, chess problemist) Frank Norton.

When the Dubuque Chess Journal ceased publication in 1876, it was replaced by the American Chess Journal, and Jerome continued his campaign on behalf of “Jerome’s Double Opening” in its pages for two more years.

News about Jerome then grows scarce. J.W. Miller occasionally mentioned him in his chess column of the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette and S.A. Charles referred to him in his Jerome Gambit writings.

In 1884, of course, Jerome was healthy enough to travel to the Cincinnati Mercantile Library and play a few games with his gambit against Miller.

In 1899, citing diabetes and heart problems, Jerome applied for a disability pension. By that time he and Jennie were living in Springfield, Illinois, where he was working as a guide in the state capital building.

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome died from the complications of a gastric ulcer March 22, 1902 in Springfield, Illinois. He was survived by his wife.

Battle Fatigue (3)

Slam-bang chess battles can be exhausting, especially when they involve off-beat openings like the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Picking a good move, time after time, builds pressure, and sometimes the result is picking a not-so-good move, simply out of battle fatigue. See "Battle Fatigue (1)" and "Battle Fatigue (2)".

Here is another example. White had his Jerome Gambit mojo working in this game, from the Chessworld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, and reached a very strong position – only to have the lights go out in his game.

DREWBEAR 63 - Luke Warm
JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 d6

8.Qc4+ Be6 9.Qd3 Nf6 10.0-0 Rf8 11.f4

11...Nd7 12.f5 Nge5 13.fxe6+ Ke7 14.Qh3 Rxf1+ 15.Kxf1 Qf8+ 16.Kg1 Nc5 17.d4 Nxe4

White, with some help (oh, those Knights!) has the better game, despite his lack of development.

18.Qh4+ Qf6 19.Qxe4 Rf8 20.Qe1 Ng4

21.h4

Guarding against the back-rank mate, but ushering in trouble. Taking time out from the rough-and-tumb.e for the simple 21.c3 was essential.

21...Qxd4+ 22.Kh1 Nf2+ 23.Kh2 Qxh4+ 24.Kg1 Qh1 checkmate

Battle Fatigue (2)

Slam-bang chess battles can be exhausting, especially when they involve off-beat openings like the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Picking a good move, time after time, builds pressure, and sometimes the result is picking a not-so-good move, simply out of battle fatigue. See "Battle Fatigue (1)". Here is another example.


Black Puma - Luke Warm
JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.c3 Nf6 6.d3 Rf8 7.a4 a5 8.0-0 Kg8 9.Bg5 d6 10.Nbd2 Bg4 11.Qc2 Qd7 12.Nb3 Bxf3 13.gxf3 Qh3 14.Nxc5 Qxf3 15.Bxf6 dxc5 16.Bh4 Qg4+ 17.Bg3 h5 18.Qd1 Qg6 19.Kh1 Rad8 20.f4 exf4 21.Bxf4 h4 22.Rg1 Qe6 23.Be3 b6 24.Qh5 Rxd3

Black spent a dozen or so moves building an attack, but a few less-than-accurate moves then evened out the game. After a dozen more moves of exchanging blows, Black's last move is a slip-up.

25.Bh6
At first glance, this looks deadly, and it is – for White. Instead, 25.Rxg7+ was a pretty good sacrifice.

25...Qxh6

Luke Warm is weary, too, or he would have closed out the game with 25...Qxe4+ 26.Rg2 h3 27.Qg5 Qxg2+ 28.Qxg2 hxg2+ 29.Kxg2 gxh6.

26.Qg4

Ouch. Battle fatigue, indeed!

26...Ne5 27.Qe6+ One last slip.

27...Qxe6 White resigned

Battle Fatigue (1)

Slam-bang chess battles can be exhausting, especially when they involve off-beat openings like the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Picking a good move, time after time, builds pressure, and sometimes the result is picking a not-so-good move, simply out of battle fatigue. Here is an example.

Black Puma - Crusader Rabbit

JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qf6 7.dxc5 Ne7 8.0-0

8...h5

Or 8...d6 9.cxd6 Qxd6 10.Qh5+ N7g6 11.Nc3 Bg4 12.Qf5+ Bxf5 13.exf5 Ne7 14.Ne4 Qd4 15.Ng5+ Kf6 16.c3 Qg4 17.h3 Qxf5 18.g4 Qd3 19.Be3 h6 20.Bd4 hxg5 21.Rad1 Qxh3 22.Bxe5+ Kxe5 23.f4+ gxf4 24.Rde1+ Kf6 25.Rxf4+ Kg5 26.Rxe7 Qg3+ White resigned, blackburne - Nestor250168, Chessworld 2007

Or 8...Re8 9.Nc3 Kg8 10.f4 Nc4 11.e5 Qf5 12.b3 Na5 13.Bb2 Nac6 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Qxd5+ Qf7 16.Qd3 Nb4 17.Qc3 a5 18.Rae1 Nd5 19.Qd4 c6 20.f5 Nb4 21.Qe4 Nd5 22.c4 Nc7 23.f6 g6 24.Bc1 Ne6 25.Bh6 Nc7 26.Bg7 Ne6 27.Bh6 Nc7 28.Rd1 Na6 29.Qd4 Nc7 30.Rd3 Ne6 31.Qe4 Nxc5 32.Qd4 Ne6 33.Qh4 g5 34.Bxg5 Nc5 35.Rg3 Rxe5 36.Bf4+ Kh8 37.Bxe5 Ne6 38.Rf5 d5 39.Rg7 Nxg7 40.fxg7+ Black resigned, savage13 - karmmark, Chessworld 2007

9.f4 Ng4 10.e5 Qh4 11.h3 Nf5 12.Qf3 Ng3 13.Re1 Nh1

Black's counter-attack is quite scary. White can hold on, and even drive back the enemy, according to Rybka 3, with 14.Bd2 Ng6 15.Rd1 Nf5 16.Be1 Qe2 17.hxg4, but that's a computer talking, not a human being.

14.Kxh1 Qxe1+ 15.Qf1 Qxf1 checkmate