It is always great to hear from people who have visited this site – doubly so when someone gives the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) a try and then is willing to share the results.
Is that me in the picture to the left, sharing some analysis?*
Inspired by your great website i decided to launch myself into the Jerome gambits alternate universe with this game of blitz. A few classic Jerome motifs i've picked up from your site crop up here. The "nudge", the Jerome pawns... Just remember it's all your fault from here in.. :)
A standard Jerome Gambit position. Black is better, and his prospects would be awesome if he could castle next move. This last factor, however – Black's King stuck in the middle – often combines with a few other tasty ingredients.
10.f4 Ng4
Harassing the Queen can sometimes seem irresistable. Other continuations include:
White's pawns hold a lot of promise in a roughly balanced position.
17.0-0-0 b5
Black envisions opposite-side pawn storms. He will need something to distract his opponent.
18.f5 Nf8
Rybka suggests as a stronger defense: 18...Qf6 19.Qe3 Ne7
19.g4 b4 20.Na4 c5
Consistent play against the Knight and White's King's position. However, White has a number of tactical shots at his disposal.
21.b3
As an example of how tactical a Jerome Gambit game can get, look at the (stronger) alternative 21.e5. The opened a8-h1 diagonal forces Black to play 21...d5 (if 21...Bxa4 22.exd6 Qxd6 23.Rhe1+ Kd7 24.Qxa8) when after 22.f6 gxf6 23.exf6 Qd6 White continues to pile on the pressure with 24.Rde1+ Kd8 25.Nxc5 (with Re7 coming up).
analysis diagram
21...Bxa4
Black would have done better to ignore the Knight and play 21...Bc6, covering the diagonal.
22.bxa4
Rybka's take on the position is quite extraordinary: apparently White doesn't need to racapture: 22.e5 Rb8 23.exd6 Qb7 24.Rhe1+ Kd8 25.Qf2 Nd7 26.dxc5 Bc6 27.Re7 Nfe5 28.Qh4 Kc8 29.Qxh7 Rd8 30.Qxg7 Nf3 31.Be3 Qa6 32.f6 Qxa2 33.f7 with an edge. Oh, those Jerome pawns!
analysis diagram
22...cxd4
Very dangerous.
23.e5 Nxe5
24.Qxa8+ Kf725.Bxb4
White is ahead the exchange and some pawns – and his attack continues. 25...d326.Qd5+ Ke8
27.cxd3Qc7+ 28.Kb1 Kd7
29.Rc1
Black resigned. He could have played long enough to win a piece with 29...Qb8, but after 30.Rhe1 Qb4+ 31.Ka1 he will soon see his Knight on e5 expire, followed by his King.
Quite an exciting first Jerome Gambit for mrddblack!
*Oh, no, wait, that's Fagin, from Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, equally subverting others.
The early post "My Jerome Gambit Database" from June 28, 2008, mentioned that I had on hand "over 950 games" – at that time, a startlingly high number for me, especially since trips to the online databases at ChessBase and ChessLab websites turned up so few games.
Let's go over that mental checklist (see yesterday's "I think I have a win, but it will take time...") for playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) again: surprse, inattention, over-confidence, shallow analysis and a well-timed unfortunate blunder...
I was doing fine until that last one.
perrypawnpusher - tschup blitz FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 a6
Wow. Didn't Karpov play something like this in his match against Korchnoi in 1981? (Actually, he played it on move 5 in one game and move 6 in another. Oh, well.)
4.0-0 h6
Okay.
5.Nc3
From a practical point of view, White might do best to head toward a Scotch Game or Gambit with 5.d4, counting on the tempos gained by Black's Rook pawn moves.
Okay, this guy is definitely playing with my head. The text move is good for Black, but the simple 10...dxc5 was even better.
11.f3 Bh5 12.g4 Nexg4
Not unexpected, but after the game Rybka preferred 12...Bg6, suggesting further 13.f4 Nexg4 14.cxd6 Qxd6 15.Qxd6 cxd6 16.h3 Nxe4 17.Nxe4 Bxe4 18.hxg4 h5 19.g5 Bxc2 with Black better by a pawn.
analysis diagram
13.fxg4 Bg6
14.g5 hxg5 15.Bxg5
I did not see it at the time, but White is better here, especially if he can get in Qd1-d5+, something that Black prevents with his next move.
15...dxc516.Qf3
After the game Rybka recommended 16.e5 Qd4+ 17.Qxd4 cxd4 18.Nd5 which wins a piece for White.
16...Qd4+ 17.Kh1Qe5
Black's centralized Queen now gives him counter-chances and equality.
18.Bxf6
Wow! Speaking of "a well-timed unfortunate blunder..."
The position would wind down after 18.Bf4 Qxe4 19.Nxe4 Bxe4 20.Qxe4 Nxe4 21.Bxc7+ Nf6
When I play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) I realize that several of my "allies" during the game, which I hope afflict my opponent at every move, are: surprise, inattention, over-confidence, shallow analysis and a well-timed unfortunate blunder.
It should not be surprising, then, that my opponent expects the same of me – after all, I am the one playing the Jerome Gambit!
perrypawnpusher - PravinMamania blitz FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7
The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ g6
This is similar to the 6...g6 defense in the Jerome Gambit, leading to the Whistler and Blackburne variations.
It is probably useful for both Black and White to know that Rybka's recommended move is: 8...Bf8, which keeps Black's advantage.
In part this is because if White then takes the Rook with 9.Qxh8, Black traps it with (of course) 9...Bg7. If White wriggles with 10.Qh7, Black has the simple 10...Nf6. Either way, White will wind up with only a Rook and a couple of pawns for his Queen – not to mention a vanished attack.
analysis diagram
White does best after 8...Bf8, instead of capturing the Rook on h8, to retreat his Queen to Qg3 and then develop his "Jerome pawns" and pieces as in a regular Jerome Gambit game.
9.Qxh8
What difference does having the Bishop on e7 instead of f8 make? Can't black play the similar 9...Bf6?
Yes, he can, but after 10.Qh7+ Bg7 White's situation is different, because Black has taken 4 moves to get his piece to g7, instead of 3 moves in the case of 8...Bf8.
analysis diagram
As a result, Black's Knight is still at home on g8, and White can use his extra tempo to play 11.e5.
What follows then would be a back-and-forth battle to capture or free White's Queen, for example 11...d6 12.d4 Bf5 (new plan: support the Black Bishop with the Black Queen, then play ...g6-g5, discovering an attack on the White Queen) 13.Re1 Qd7 14.Na3 g5 15.e6+ Qxe6 16.Rxe6 Bxh7.
A very complicated situation!
Now, back to the game:
9...Nf6
In comparison to what we have just looked at, allowing White to exchange off his Queen produces a much simpler position, and one in which White is the exchange and two pawns ahead.
Readers who think (not me) that my opponent hung on too long and should have resigned earlier are asked to check out my post "If you want them to stop laughing...".
