Not Quite A Work of Art

The following game is a sloppy effort by both players, showing that playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) at club level – and in a blitz game, at that – is only one of many factors that go into deciding who wins a contest.


perrypawnpusher - HGBoone
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 d6

A typical set-up: White has the two central "Jerome pawns" and Black has the extra piece.

9.f4 Nc6 10.Qd3 Re8

11.0-0 a6 12.Bd2 b6

A slip that both White and Black overlook for a move.

13.Rae1 a5 14.Qc4+

14...Kf8 15.Qxc6 Ba6 16.Rf2 Ng4

For a change, a Black Knight goes to this square to harass a Rook, not a Queen.

17.Rf3 Rb8 18.Nd5 Bb7 19.Qxc7 Qxc7 20.Nxc7 Rxe4 21.Rxe4 Bxe4

White is slightly better – which means little in a club game. I worked to consolidate my position.

22.Rg3 Nf6 23.c3 Rc8 24.Ne6+ Kf7 25.Nd4 d5 26.Nf3 h5

27.Ne5+ Kg8 28.Be3 b5 29.Bd4 h4 30.Rf3

This was a mouse-slip, losing the exchange.

My strongest "play" at this point was to move my pieces frantically and hope for some sloppy over-confidence by my opponent...

30...Bxf3 31.Nxf3 Nh5 32.Nxh4 Nxf4 33.Kf2

Better was 33.Nf4

33...Nd3+ 34.Ke2 Nxb2 35.Nf5 g6

Thinking only about the pawn that has been attacked twice.

36.Ne7+ Kf7 37.Nxc8 Nc4 38.Nb6 Ke6 39.Nxc4 dxc4

40.Bb6 a4 41.a3 Kd5 42.Ke3 b4 43.cxb4 c3 44.Kd3 Kc6 45.Be3 Kb5 46.Kxc3 Black resigned

That Variation

What can I say?

I can handle most variations of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), even the refutation lines, but I keep tripping over the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit – even after my opponent has blundered back a piece to me.

It must be psychological: the loss this time had nothing to do with the opening, I blundered away a Rook in an even ending. For other unfortunate examples of "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" see "My Turn to Blunder" and "My Turn Again".

perrypawnpusher - Angstrem
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.

6.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4

8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 d6 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3

The full Queen retreat was seein in ontocaustic - defjavid, FICS, 2009: 11.Qd1 Bg4 12.Qd3 Nb4 13.Qc4+ Kf8 14.Qxb4 Qe7 15.e5 Nh5 16.f5 Qe6 17.fxe6+ Black reigned.

11...Re8

Alternately: 11...Be6 12.Bd2 Nb4 13.Qg3 Nxc2 14.Rac1 Nd4 15.f5 Bd7 16.Qg6+ Kg8 17.Be3 Be8 18.Qg3 Nc6 19.Bf4 Nh5 20.Qe3 Nxf4 21.Rxf4 Qg5 22.Qf2 Ne5 23.h4 Qh5 24.Rd1 a5 25.f6 Ng4 26.Qg3 Qc5+ 27.Kh1 h5 28.Rxg4 hxg4 29.Qxg4 Rh7 30.Rd5 Qf2 31.h5 Qf1+ 32.Kh2 Qxf6 33.Rf5 Qd4 34.Qf3 Bd7 35.Rd5 Qf6 36.Qxf6 gxf6 37.Kg3 Rg7+ 38.Kf3 Bg4+ 39.Kf4 Be6 40.Rd2 Rg5 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - HRoark, blitz FICS, 2010; and


11...Rf8 12.Bd2 Kg8 13.Rae1 Nb4 14.Qc4+ d5 15.Qxb4 Ng4 16.Nxd5 Qh4 17.h3 Nf6 18.Nxf6+ Rxf6 19.e5 Rg6 20.Qb3+ Be6 21.Qf3 Bxh3 22.Rf2 Rg3 23.Qxb7 Rf8 24.e6 Rf6 25.e7 Bd7 26.e8Q+ Bxe8 27.Rxe8+ Kh7 28.Qe4+ Rgg6 29.Qd3 Qg4 30.Ree2 h5 31.f5 Rd6 32.fxg6+ Rxg6 33.Qf5 Qd4 34.Qxh5+ Rh6 35.Bxh6 gxh6 36.Re7+ Kg8 37.Qg6+ Kh8 38.Re8 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - pwr, blitz, FICS, 2010. 

12.Bd2 Kg8 13.Rae1 Nb4

Black has brought his King to safety, and should continue with his development. The text move loses a piece, unless Black prepares it, as he did in perrypawnpusher - JohnBr, blitz, FICS, 2010: 13...Kh8 14.h3 Nb4 15.Qe2 Bd7 16.Bc1 Nfd5 17.Nxd5 Nxd5 18.Qh5 Nf6 19.Qg6 Re6 20.e5 Ng8 21.Qg3 Qe7 22.exd6 cxd6 23.b3 Rxe1 24.Rxe1 Qf7 25.Bb2 Re8 26.Rf1 Nf6 27.Qd3 d5 28.g4 Ne4 29.f5 Qe7 30.Qxd5 Ng5 31.Kg2 Bc6 White resigned

14.Qc4+ Be6 15.Qxb4 c5 16.Qxb7

White should be able to survive his pawn-grabbing, but it complicates the position.

16...Bc4 17.Rf3 a6 18.Nd5 Rb8

19.Nxf6+ Qxf6 20.e5 dxe5

It is possible that Black should have gotten the Queens off the board and gone towards a Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, i.e. : 20...Rxb7 21.exf6 Rxe1+ 22.Bxe1 Bxa2 23.b3 gxf6 24.Rd3 Re7 25.Kf2 Bb1 26.Rxd6 Bxc2 27.Rxf6 Bxb3.

analysis diagram






21.fxe5

White did not need this pawn, but he did need to get his Queen off of the diagonal that she shared with his Rook: 21.Qe4.

21...Qh4

A missed opportunity to win the exchange: 21...Qd8 22.Qe4 Bd5

22.Qe4 Qxe4 23.Rxe4

23...Bxa2

The same opportunity to win the exchange existed with 23...Bd5.

24.b3 Bb1 25.Rc3 Red8 26.Be1 Rd1

It looks like Black is whipping up some counter-play, but 27.e6 now for White shows that the first player has the advantage.

By ignoring his e-pawn, White misses chances to put the game away; and the game drifts toward drawn.

27.Kf2 Rf8+ 28.Ke2 Rdd8 29.Ra4 Rfe8

30.Rxc5 Rc8 31.Rxc8 Rxc8

32.Kd2 Bxc2 33.Rxa6 Bxb3

34.Ke2

A blunder in a mostly-even position.

34...Bc4+ 35.Kf3 Bxa6 White resigned

Quit while you're ahead...?

It can be uncomfortable to play against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) or one of its relatives. That discomfort can lead to less-than-perfect play, or even outright mistakes. Sometimes the feel-bad defense can lead Black to give up the game prematurely, as happens in the following Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit game.

perrypawnpusher - JohnBr
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.

The Bishop sacrifice is not forced, of course. White could continue instead with 5.c3 Bb6 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 d6 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.h3 0-0 10.Re1 with a small advantage.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+

7...g6

Stronger, but requiring more courage, was 7...Ke6.

8.Qxe5 Black resigned

Certainly there is more in the position than Black sees, as he still has a slight advantage: see perrypawnpusher - islanderchess, blitz FICS 2008 (1-0, 46); perrypawnpusher - wadada, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0,19); and perrypawnpusher - PravinMamania, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 50).

The important thing to remember is that after 8...Bf8! White cannot capture the Rook, as the Queen will be trapped and won. White should play 9.d4 and attend to his "Jerome pawns."

If you want them to stop laughing... Redux

If you want them to stop laughing, as I've said before, first you have to stop telling jokes...

It can be hard enough to get an opponent to take you seriously when you play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), but further inaccurate play only encourages further resistance: if you've played like a clown in the opening, who's to say that you won't play like a clown in the middle or end game as well...?

I have nobody to blame except myself for what felt like an over-due resignation by my opponent in the following game.

perrypawnpusher  - amirelattar
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.

6.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4

8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 d6

The updated New Year's Database has 9 games with this, position, with White scoring 67%. This statistic is doubly misleading: first, in 6 of those games I played White and scored only 40%; and second, despite the outcome of the games, Black is clearly better in this position. 

10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Re8 12.Bd2 Kg8

White has two of his "Jerome pawns" watching the center and his Rooks are connected. On the other hand, Black has castled-by-hand and has an extra piece.

13.Rae1 Nb4

An odd oversight, this Knight harassing the Queen.

Previously there was: 13...Kh8 14.h3 Nb4 15.Qe2 Bd7 16.Bc1 Nfd5 17.Nxd5 Nxd5 18.Qh5 Nf6 19.Qg6 Re6 20.e5 Ng8 21.Qg3 Qe7 22.exd6 cxd6 23.b3 Rxe1 24.Rxe1 Qf7 25.Bb2 Re8 26.Rf1 Nf6 27.Qd3 d5 28.g4 Ne4 29.f5 Qe7 30.Qxd5 Ng5 31.Kg2 Bc6 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - JohnBr, blitz, FICS, 2010.

14.Qc4+ Be6 15.Qxb4

15...Bxa2

Another strange move.

16.Nxa2 c6

Suddenly, White is winning. I don't know why.

17.Nc3 a5 18.Qc4+ Kh8 19.Qd3 Qb6+ 20.Kh1 Qxb2

Black and White have reversed roles: White has the extra piece for a pawn, while Black is going to try to make something out of his "anti-Jerome pawns."

21.e5 dxe5 22.fxe5 Ng4 23.e6 Qb6

24.Be3

More to the point was 24.Qf5

24...Nxe3 25.Qxe3

Now 25.Rxe3 was the stronger recapture. 

25...Qb2

In turn, Black probably did better to exchange Queens.

26.Rf7 a4

This is the theme for the rest of the game: Black's Queenside pawns vs White's Kingside attack.

27.Qg3 Rg8 28.e7 Rae8 29.Ref1 a3

30.Qf3

This is really not the best time to fiddle faddle. Instead, 30.Qd3, with an eye on d4 and the a1-h8 diagonal was the key. Black can try 30...c5 as a response (if 30...a2 then White mates with 31.Rxg7 Rxg7 32.Rf8+ Rg8 33.Qd4+ Kh7 34.Rf7+ Kg6 35.Qf6+ Kh5 36.Qf3+ Rg4 37.Rf5+ Kg6 38.Qxg4+ Kh7 39.Rf7+ Kh8 40.Qg7) but then 31.Qc4 both helps lock up the Queenside and pursue the attack on the Kingside. 

30...a2 31.Nxa2 Qxa2

Black now has material equality. He hopes for more. White's inaccuracies has given him hope.

32.Rf8

This should simply lose the e-pawn, something that could be prevented by the proper 32.Qe4, when White would still have the advantage.

32...Rxe7 33.Rxg8+ Kxg8

This is Black's fatal slip, unfortunate after his struggles. After the recapture with the Queen, 33...Qxg8, White would have an uphill fight a pawn down.

34.Qf8+ Kh7 35.Qxe7

Under normal circumstances, I am sure that my opponent would resign here, but my play in this game has been unsteady enough that he is encouraged to continue on and hope for further good fortune.

35...Qxc2 36.Qxb7 Qe2 37.Qf7 c5 38.Qf5+ Kh8 39.Ra1 Qe8

40.Qxc5 Qe4 41.Rc1 Kh7 42.Qc2 Qxc2 43.Rxc2 Kg6

44.Kg1 Kf6 45.Kf2 g6 46.Kf3 h5 47.Kf4 g5+

48.Ke4 h4 49.Rc6+ Kg7 50.Kf5 Black resigned