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.. :)
mrddblack - afghanguy
blitz GameKnot, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+
The "nudge".
7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
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:
10...Kf7 11.0-0 Rf8 12.Qb3+ Be6 13.Qxb7 Ne7 14.f5 Bd7 15.Qb3+ Ke8 16.Nc3 c6 17.Kh1 Qb6 18.Qa3 c5 19.d3 Bc6 20.Bf4 Kd7 21.b3 Ng4 22.Qc1 Ne5 23.Bxe5 dxe5 24.Qg5 Rg8 25.a3 a5 26.Qg3 Qc7 27.Qh3 Rh8 28.f6+ Kd6 29.fxg7 Rhg8 30.Rf6 checkmate, Fritz 8 - RevvedUp, 2006; and
10...Rf8 11.0-0 Kd7 12.Nc3 b6 13.d4 c6 14.f5 Ne7 15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Nfd5 17.e6+ Kc7 18.Qe5+ Kb7 19.Qxg7 Nf6 20.Bg5 Nfg8 21.f6 Qd4+ 22.Kh1 Rxf6 23.Bxf6 Nxf6 24.Qxe7+ Nd7 25.exd7 Qxd7 26.Qxd7+ Bxd7 27.Rf7 Kc7 28.Rd1 Rd8 29.Ne4 Kc8 30.Nf6 Be6 31.Rxd8+ Kxd8 32.Rxa7 Bf5 33.Nxh7 Bxc2 34.h4 Ke8 35.h5 Bxh7 36.Rxh7 Kf8 37.h6 Kg8 38.Rb7 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - blackburne, JG3 thematic, Chessworld 2008.
11.Qf3 Bd7
An earlier game continued: 11...Rf8 12.d4 Qh4+ 13.g3 Qh3 14.Qe2 Nf6 15.Nc3 Bg4 16.Qf2 b5 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Nh5 19.Nxb5 Rf7 20.Nxa7 Nxe5 21.Qe3 Bf3 22.Qxe5+ Re7 23.Rf1 Rxe5+ 24.fxe5 Qg2 25.Rxf3 Qxf3 26.Nb5 Qh1+ 27.Kf2 Qxh2+ 28.Ke3 Qxg3+ 29.Kd4 Rd8+ White resigned, guest4578 - guest7450. ICC, 2004
12.h3 Nh6
13.d4 Qh4+ 14.g3 Qe7 15.Nc3 c6 16.Bd2 Nf7
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+ Kf7 25.Bxb4
White is ahead the exchange and some pawns – and his attack continues.
25...d3 26.Qd5+ Ke8
27.cxd3 Qc7+ 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.
Currently, the updated New Year's Database contains about 18,000 Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+), and Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3/4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) games.
What a difference two years make!
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.
5...Nf6
A few years ago, my patience was rewarded – with a delayed Jerome Gambit – after 5...Bc5 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ke6 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.d4 Bxd4 11.Rd1 c5 12.Ne2 Kc7 13.Nxd4 d6 14.Ne6+ Bxe6 15.Qxe6 Nf6 16.Bf4 Re8 17.Qb3 Nxe4 18.Bxe5 Rxe5 19.Qf7+ Qd7 20.Qf3 Qf5 21.Qxf5 Rxf5 22.f3 Ng5 23.Re1 Kd7 24.Rad1 Re8 25.Rxe8 Kxe8 26.Rxd6 Re5 27.Kf2 Ke7 28.Rb6 Rf5 29.Rxb7+ Kf6 30.Rb6+ Kf7 31.Rxa6 Ne4+ 32.Ke3 Nd6 33.Rxd6 Ke7 34.Rd3 Rh5 35.h3 Re5+ 36.Kf2 g5 37.Re3 Rxe3 38.Kxe3 Kd6 39.Ke4 c4 40.Kd4 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - angelosgoulianos, blitz FICS, 2007.
6.d3 Bc5
Finally! He plays it after I've already played d2-d3...
Wait a minute. If he's "wasted" two moves, can't I afford to "waste" one move myself?
Sure, why not??
7.Bxf7+
Ahhh, that feels better...
I suppose that this is a Delayed Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
7...Kxf7 8.Nxe5+ Nxe5 9.d4
9...d6
Reminiscent of my game against FrankMCMLVII.
10.dxc5 Bg4
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...dxc5 16.Qf3
After the game Rybka recommended 16.e5 Qd4+ 17.Qxd4 cxd4 18.Nd5 which wins a piece for White.
16...Qd4+ 17.Kh1 Qe5
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
analysis diagram
18...Qxh2 checkmate
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.
8.Qxe5 Be7
In other games, twice my opponents have blocked my attack on the Rook, leaving me the Bishop to capture: 8...Nf6 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qe3 Ng4 (10...Qe8 11.Nc3 c6 12.d3 Be6 13.f4 Ke7 14.f5 gxf5 15.exf5 Kd7 16.Qxe6+ Qxe6 17.fxe6+ Kxe6 18.Bd2 Kd7 19.Rxf6 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - wadada, blitz FICS, 2009 ) 11.Qf4+ Kg7 12.d4 Rf8 13.Qg3 g5 14.Nc3 c5 15.f4 cxd4 16.Ne2 Ne3 17.Bxe3 dxe3 18.Qxe3 gxf4 19.Nxf4 Qg5 20.Nd5 Qxe3+ 21.Nxe3 Be6 22.Nf5+ Bxf5 23.exf5 Rae8 24.Rae1 Rxe1 25.Rxe1 Rxf5 26.Re7+ Kf6 27.Rxb7 Rc5 28.Rxa7 Rxc2 29.Rb7 Rc1+ 30.Kf2 Ke5 31.Rb3 Rc2+ 32.Kf3 d5 33.Re3+ Kf5 34.Re2 Rc4 35.g3 h5 36.b3 Rc5 37.Ke3 Rc3+ 38.Kd4 Rf3 39.Kxd5 Kg4 40.b4 h4 41.gxh4 Kxh4 42.b5 Rd3+ 43.Kc4 Rd7 44.b6 Rb7 45.Kc5 Rxb6 46.Kxb6 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - islanderchess, blitz FICS, 2008
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.
10.Qxd8 Bxd8 11.Nc3 d6 12.d3 Be6
I think I have a win, but it will take time.
13.Bxh6 Ng4 14.Bf4 Bh4 15.h3 Nf6 16.g3 Nh5 17.Be3 Bf6 18.g4 Ng7 19.f4 Rh8
Both of us have made progress. The two Bishops will help Black in defending.
20.Kg2 Bh4 21.f5 gxf5 22.exf5 Bd7
23.Bf2 Bc6+ 24.Ne4 d5 25.Ng3 Bg5 26.Rae1 Bd2 27.Re2 Bg5
28.Bd4 Rh7 29.Bxg7 Kxg7 30.Nh5+ Kf7 31.Kg3 Bd7
Slowly White's pawns creep up the board as the Rooks threaten invasion.
32.Rfe1 Kg8 33.h4 Bd8 34.d4
Locking up the light-squared Black Bishop, but there was a better move – which I played next.
34...c6
It was necessary for Black to play 34...Kf8 and keep the Rook out.
35.Re8+ Bxe8 36.Rxe8+ Kf7 37.Rxd8 b5
Resistance is futile.
38.Rd7+ Kg8 39.Rxh7 Kxh7 40.g5 b4 41.Kf4 a5
42.Nf6+ Kg7 43.h5 Kf7 44.h6 Ke7 45.h7 Kf7 46.h8Q
46...a4 47.Qe8+ Kg7 48.Nh5+ Kh7 49.Qg6+ Kh8 50.Qg7 checkmate
