Tactics Galore

The following game shows how often the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) can lead to tactical opportunites in club and blitz play. Truth be told, I missed many of them, and the resulting draw is a bit of an embarassment, but I can't blame that on the opening.


perrypawnpusher - SkypeFro
blitz, FICS, 2010

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 9.Qe3 Nf6

We have a standard Jerome Gambit position, with Black up  a piece, and White having two pawns as compensation. The second player will have to invest a few moves to castle his King by hand.

10.f4 Kf7 11.f5

Sloppy and dangerous.

Rule #1 for White in this kind of position is to postpose f2-f4 until Black has played Ng8-f6 and is thus unable to play Qd8-h4+.

Rule #2 is for White to always be on the lookout for danger along the e-file: White Queen in front of White King, Black Rook on e8.

Here Black's 10...Kf7 suggested strong attention to Rule #2. (White should have castled instead.)

11...Ne5

A wasted opportunity. Better was 11...Bxf5 12.exf5 Re8 when 13.fxg6+ Kxg6 14.0-0 Rxe3 15.dxe3 gives White only a Bishop and a Rook for his Queen. Plus, Black's King is safe.

analysis diagram






12.d4 Neg4

This attack on the Queen can feel irresistible, but 12...Nc6 was better. With the right response, White can now reach an even game.

13.Qf3

The right idea was 13.Qb3+ d5 14.e5 Re8 15.0-0  when Black does best to return his extra piece and grab a handful of pawns in return with 15...Nxe5 16.dxe5 Rxe5 17.Bf4 Rxf5. Rybka says the game is even, despite the second player being a pawn up.

analysis diagram






13...Re8 14.Nc3

14...Bxf5

This looks like a visual slip. The straight-forward 14...Nxe4 15.Nxe4 Nf6 works well for Black. He tries a similar idea, but the text gives up a piece in the process.

15.Qxf5 g6 16.Qf4 Kg7 17.h3 Nxe4 18.Nxe4 Nf6

19.0-0 Rxe4 20.Qh6+ Kg8

The King needed to go to h8. It looks like a small slip, but Black would then be able to answer White's next move with 21...Ng8.

21.Bg5 Re6 22.Qh4

Stronger and more direct was the kick 22.d5.

22...Kf7

23.Bxf6

This is good, but 23.Qxh7+ was immediately crushing. 

23...Rxf6 24.Qxh7+ Ke6

25.Rae1+

Again, this is okay, but 25.c4, setting up a mating net, was a much sharper tactic. The problem with second-best moves is that they can eventually lead to a second-best outcome.

25...Kd5

26.Qg7

Pedestrian. White should have played 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 27.Qxc7 with serious threats. 

26...Rxf1+ 27.Rxf1 Qg5

Black is still in trouble. The text leaves the pawn on c7 unprotected, but 27...Kc6 would allow, among other moves, the simple 28.Qxg6.

28.Qf7+ Kxd4

This should be the end of things.

29.Rf4+

Much more to the point were 29.Rd1+ or 29.c3+.

29...Kc5 30.Qc4+

Instead 30.Qxc7+ leads to checkmate. 

30...Kb6

I could not believe that there wasn't a checkmate here, but I had squandered those possibilities earlier.

31.Qb3+ Kc6 32.Rc4+ Kd7 33.Qxb7

This looks like progress, but Black has a simple repetition of position now, for the draw. Ouch!

33...Qe3+ 34.Kh2 Qe5+ 35.Kh1 Qe1+ 36.Kh2 Qe5+ 37.Kh1 Qe1+ 38.Kh2 Qe5+ 39.Kh1 Game drawn by repetition

Nemesis

Earlier this month, on FICS, I played a Jerome Gambit against MRBarupal. He beat me.

The next day, I tried the Jerome again. He beat me again.

The following day was more of the same: I played the Jerome Gambit against MRBarupal and he beat me again!

Certainly it looked like I had met my match.

I admit, I took a day off, and then challenged my nemesis again. This time, in response to my blunder, MRBarupal came up with one of his own, and I was able to win – but that is a story for another day.

perrypawnpusher  - MRBarupal
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qe7

The next day my opponent played the somewhat stronger 9...Nf6, when we reached an even Queenless middle game after 10.f4 Ng4 11.Qg3 Rf8 12.0-0 Qh4 13.Qxh4 Nxh4 14.d3 g5. MRBarupal effortlessly returned the piece for two pawns with 15.f5 h6 16.g3 Nxf5 17.exf5 Bxf5

analysis diagram







and out-played me again thereafter: 18.Nc3 Kd7 19.Bd2 Rae8 20.Rae1 Ne5 21.Nd5 c6 22.Ne3 Bh3 23.Rxf8 Rxf8 24.Re2 Nf3+ 25.Kh1 d5 26.Ng2 Nxd2 27.Nf4 gxf4 28.Rxd2 fxg3 29.hxg3 Rg8 30.Kh2 Bg4 31.Rf2 Ke6 32.d4 b6 33.Kg2 c5 34.Rf4 h5 35.dxc5 bxc5 36.Ra4 Rg7 37.Ra6+ Ke5 38.Rc6 c4 39.c3 Rb7 40.Ra6 Rxb2+ 41.Kg1 Rc2 42.Rxa7 Rxc3 43.a4 Rxg3+ 44.Kf2 Ra3 45.a5 d4 46.a6 d3 47.Ra8 d2 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010

In our third game MRBarupal tried a different kind of defense – or perhaps he was getting bored with me: 9...Nf6 10.0-0 b6 11.f4 Bb7 12.d3 Qe7 13.Nc3 a6 14.b3 Kd7 15.Ba3 Rae8 16.f5 Ne5 17.d4 Neg4 18.Qg5 Bxe4 His only slip, which could have been met with 19.Rae1 and an even game 19.Nxe4 Qxe4 20.Qxg7+ Kc8 21.h3 Rhg8 22.Qf7 Ne3 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010.

10.0-0 Nf6

Black has a solid game and is better. I have only two earlier games with this position in the updated New Year's Database, and Black won both.

11.Nc3 Rf8 12.f4 Ng4 13.Qg3 Nxf4

After the game I noticed that Rybka preferred 13...Qh4 here. There's a chance that MRBarupal checked that out, too, as in our second game (see above) he offered the Queen exchange.

14.Rxf4 Qe5 15.Rxg4

Trying to get fancy, and losing my advantage. Either 15.d3 or 15.Rxf8+ left White a pawn up, but I thought I saw a way to win more material. 

15...Bxg4

16.Qe3

Just in time I realized that 16.Qxg4, winning two pieces for the Rook, would allow my opponent to checkmate me with 16...Qd4+ 17.Kh1 Rf1#

My best response would have been 16.Qxe5+ dxe5 playing on as in the game with a pawn for the exchange.

16...Qf6

17.h3

Instead, the White Queen had to go to Qe1 to safeguard the King. 

17...Bd7

Missing a crusher: 17...Qf1+ 18.Kh2 Rf2 and Black wins a Queen for a Rook.

Now White can come close to balancing things with 18.Nd5.

18.d4 Rf7 19.Bd2 Kf8 20.Nd5 Qd8

21.Rf1 Rxf1+ 22.Kxf1 Kg8

White again is creeping back toward even. Unfortunately, because of being upset by the near-disaster on move 16, I thought that I was playing a Rook down, instead of just the exchange, which had a very negative impact on my resistance.

23.Qg3 Qf8+ 24.Kg1 c6 25.Nc3 Re8 26.Bf4 Re6

27.e5 dxe5 28.Bxe5 Rg6 29.Qe3

A better move was 29.Qh4, keeping Black's advantage from growing.

29...Qf5 30.Kh2 Qxc2 31.d5

A blunder in a position where Black was simply better.

31...Qxg2 checkmate

I was stunned after this game. After my third Jerome Gambit loss to MRBarupal, I didn't know what to think...

Updating History Without Changing the Past

In a recent game by Bill Wall (see "Speaking of Bill Wall...") we can see some of the Jerome Gambit's (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) storied past, as well as understand why it is still being enjoyed by club players in modern times.


Wall,B - Vijay,V
Chess.com, 2010

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 9.Qe3 Nf6

10.0-0 Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Neg4

14.Qb3+ Kf8 15.h3 Nh6

Vijay improves on a game almost 135 years old!

Andres Clemente Vazquez, chess champion of Mexico, played two matches in 1876 with the American amateur William Carrington, winning the first one 12-3-0 and winning the second one 12-3-1.

Vazquez played the Jerome Gambit three times in the second match, winning each time.

The first game of the second match continued from the diagram above with Carrington returning a piece to break up White's center: 15...Rxe4 16.hxg4 Rxg4. Black had an even game, but was subsequently outplayed: 17.Qf3 c6 18.Nc3 d5 19.Bf4 Kg8 20.Be5 h5 21.Rae1 Bd7 22.Re3 Qb6 23.b3 Rf8 24.Na4 Qb4 25.Nc5 Bc8 26.c3 Qb6 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Qh3 Rg5 29.Ne6 Bxe6 30.fxe6 Qc7 31.e7 Re8 32.Qe6+ Kh8 33.Qxf6+ Rg7 34.Qf8+ Black resigned, Vazquez - Carrington, Mexico, 2nd match, 1876.

16.Bxh6 gxh6 17.Nd2

White's "Jerome pawns" are healthy (for the moment), and Black's Kingside haven has been wrecked, but the second player may still have a small advantage. 

17...Nxe4 18.f6

18...Nxd2

Who hasn't complained: I can resist everything except temptation!

Here Black grabs a "free" piece and attacks White's Rook.  The White Knight turns out to be "poisoned".

According Rybka, Black's best was 18...Nxf6, although White may be able to summon enough pressure along the f-file (Rf4, Raf1, Qf3) to keep the game in balance.

19.Qg3

19...Qd7

Black's best required a King walk during which he shed his two extra pieces: 19...Kf7 20.Qg7+ Ke6 21.Rae1+ Kd5 22.Qf7+ Be6 23.Rf5+ Kc6 24.d5+ Bxd5 25.Qxd5+ Kd7 26.Qxd2. 

20.f7 Nxf1 21.Qg8+ Ke7 22.Re1+ Black resigned

Speaking of Bill Wall...

Speaking of Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Bill Wall (see my reference in "Off Road Rambling"), he recently sent another handful of Jerome Gambit games – which I, of course, dutifully added to the updated New Year's Database: now containing over 18,300 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 (and free for the asking).

Here's a quick game where Bill stares a Jerome Gambit refutation in the eye: and his opponent blinks first.

Wall,B - Sepoli
Chess.com, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

7.Qxe5 Qe7

Whistler's Defense, a powerful anti-Jerome Gambit gambit. 

8.Qxh8

Wow! He takes the Rook...

8...Qf6

As far as I know, 8...Qxe4+ instead here is crushing.

Has Bill discovered something new?? Or is this another "Jerome Gamble"?

We can't tell from this game, as Black is playing only "half" a Whistler Defense.

9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.0-0 Black resigned

Nothing Much Happened

Sometimes when my opponent innovates against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) I am content to take my opening advantage (in this case, a pawn or two) and slowly reduce it to an endgame advantage. In such games it seems like "nothing much happened" – only a win for White.

perrypawnpusher - sdockray
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...Nxe4

The same defense used by kfollstad earlier this year (see "Navigating on One's own"). It is at least as old as Alby - asalamon, FICS, 2000, which continued 8...Qh4 9.dxc5 Qxe4+ 10.Kf1 Qc4+ 11.Kg1 Qxc5 12.Qf3+ White resigned.

8.Nxe4 Be7

A new idea. Also possible was 8...d5.

9.dxe5 Re8 10.0-0 d6

11.exd6 cxd6 12.Bf4 Bf5 13.Nxd6+ Bxd6 14.Qd5+ Be6 15.Qxd6 Bc4 16.Qxd8 Raxd8

I have simplified the game: all Black has for his two missing pawns is the hope that he can make it to a drawish Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame.

17.Rfe1 Rd4 18.Rxe8 Kxe8 19.Be3 Rd7 20.b3 Be2 21.Bxa7 Bd1 22.c4 Rd2

23.Kf1 Bc2 24.Be3 Bd3+ 25.Ke1 Re2+ 26.Kd1 h6 27.Rc1

Sloppy play, as Black can now capture the a-pawn, reducing White's advantage. Instead...

27...Kd7 28.Rc3 Black resigned