In a recent Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, Bill Wall and his opponent headed for a topical position evaluated as roughly even. Bill then showed that there was still a lot of danger in the position.
A hope of the Jerome Gambiteer is to chase the enemy King into the middle of the board and then force a checkmate. Although my opponent uses a solid defense, he does not play well enough to escape disaster.
perrypawnpusher - OverwiseMan
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+
Or 5.0–0 Nf6 6.d4 exd4 7.Ng5+ Ke8 8.Re1 h6 9.e5 Nd5 10.Qh5+ Ke7 11.Qf7 checkmate, dondan - OverwiseMan, FICS, 2010.
5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6
7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qe8
9.fxe5+ Kc6
A surprise and a mistake. Best was 9...Qxe5
10.c3 Ne7
11.Qg5 g6
After the game Stockfish recommended 11...Ng6, and Black's King gets to safety, e.g.: 12.d4 Be7 13.d5+ Kb6 14.Qe3+ Bc5 15.Qe2 a5 16.b4 axb4 17.Be3 Bxe3 18.Qxe3+ Ka6 19.cxb4 b6 20.0-0 Kb7 – You castle your way, I'll castle my way!
analysis diagram
12.d4 h6
13.Qg3 Bb6 14.d5+
14...Kb5
Leading to checkmate. It was necessary to return the piece with 14...Nxd5 15.exd5+ Kxd5, although Black's King is still in great danger after 16.Qf3+ Kxe5 (other moves lead to mate) 17.Kd1 (threatening Re1).
analysis diagram
15.Na3+
15...Ka6 16.Qd3+ Ka5 17.Qb5 checkmate
Looking through the latest batch of Jerome Gambit games played at the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS) I ran across a particularly interesting one...
MIDASMAN - korppi
blitz, FICS, 2010
At this point Black ran out of time and White had no material to mate, so the game was drawn
Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member drumme (who has over 250 games in the updated New Year's Database), performs a bit of a magic trick in the next game. Equally entertaining are the suggestions made by super chess-playing programs Stockfish and Rybka.
drumme - Conats
FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.Bxf7+
A bit more "orthodox" in Jerome Gambit-like openings would be a waiting move like 4.0-0 or 4.Nc3, in order to allow Black to play 4...Bc5 before making this sacrifice.
On the other hand, drumme has scored 64% in the 28 games with this line in the Database, so he has a pretty good idea of what he's doing.
4...Kxf7 5.d4 d6
Black's King feels a draft, so he doesn't open the position further with 5...exd4.
6.dxe5
This may not be the best move, but drumme was 4-0 with it coming into this game – so why not try it again?
6...Nxe5
Played without much thought. Safer was 6...dxe5, but much better than that was 6...Qd7, giving the Black Queen additional protection, followed by 7...dxe5, with a clear advantage.
7. Nxe5+
The Black d-pawn is pinned, and "suddenly" White has a strong attack.
7...Ke6
This leads to a mate in 5.
Against the better (but still insufficient) 7...Kf6 the two computers have different attacking ideas.
Stockfish likes the piece sacrifice 8.Qf3+ Kxe5, followed by 9.Qf7 Nf6 when it believes that Black's King is more awkwardly placed than White's Queen.
analysis diagram
Continuing 10.Nc3 d5 Stockfish sacs another piece 11. Bf4+ Kxf4 (if 11... Kd4 12. O-O-O+) 12. Nxd5+
analysis diagram
and here answers 12...Ke5 and 12...Kxe4 with 13.O-O-O. Best for Black is considered to be 12...Qxd5.
On the other hand, Rybka answers 7...Kf6 with the trappy 8.h4, as 8...Kxe5 is well met by 9.Qd5+.
analysis diagram
After 8.Qe8 (best) 9.Bg5+ hxg5 10.hxg5+ Kxg5 11.Nf3+ Kg6 12.Rxh8 Qxe4+ 13.Kf1 White is the exchange ahead and Black has a piece hanging.
analysis diagram
8. Qd5+ Ke7 9. Qf7 checkmate
Not as flashy as the two computers, but it gets the job done quickly.
The Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament at ChessWorld has started – with a bang. The thirteen-player, double round robin, has seen top-rated Daves111 quickly complete more than half of his games, with 12 wins in 13 games!
Behind him is long-time Gemeinde member blackburne, with 6 points out of 9 games.
Of the 156 games being played, all but one have followed 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ with 4...Kxf7.
Players are again showing their preference for modern Jerome Gambit lines, as in only 22% of the games has White followed up his Bishop sacrifice with the classical Knight sacrifice, 5.Nxe5+.
Further coverage and games will follow, as available.
If you overlook the fact that I hung my Queen on move 13 in the following game – and you might as well, since both my opponent and I did, too – it's a pretty interesting game in a pretty interesting variation.
Even if that 13th move wasn't pretty at all.
perrypawnpusher - tuffmom
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+ Ke6
8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.d4 Bxd4
Not 9...Qf6 10.dxe5+ Qxe5 11.Rd1+ (11.Bf4 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - joejox, blitz, FICS, 2009) 11...Bd4 12.Qf8+ Ke6 13.Qe8+ Kf6 14.Qf8+ Ke6 15.Qe8+ Kf6 Game drawn by mutual agreement, perrypawnpusher - Joyus, blitz, FICS, 2007;
Nor 9...Ne7 10.Qxe5+ Kc6 11.Qxc5 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - GabrielH, blitz, FICS, 2010; and perrypawnpusher - StockholmMoskva, blitz, FICS, 2010.
10.Rd1 c5
11.c3 Ne7 12.Qh5
The Queen can go elsewhere: 12.Qf4 Qf8 13.cxd4 Qxf4 14.Bxf4 cxd4 15.Rxd4+ Kc5 16.Bxe5 Nc6 17.Rd5+ Kb6 18.Na3 Nxe5 19.Rxe5 d6 20.Re7 Bg4 21.f3 Bh5 22.Rc1 Rhe8 23.Rcc7 Rxe7 24.Rxe7 Rc8 25.Rxg7 Rc1+ 26.Kf2 Ra1 27.Rh7 Rxa2 28.Kg3 a5 29.Rxh6 Bf7 30.Rxd6+ Kc5 31.Rd2 b5 32.Kf2 b4 33.Nb1 Ra1 34.Rc2+ Kd4 35.Rd2+ Kc5 36.Rc2+ Kd4 37.Nd2 Kd3 38.Rc7 Kxd2 39.Rxf7 Kc2 40.e5 b3 41.e6 Kxb2 42.e7 Kc1 43.e8Q Ra2+ 44.Kg3 b2 45.Rc7+ Kb1 46.Qe1 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Xasquete, blitz, FICS, 2010; or
12.Qh3 Qb6 13.cxd4 cxd4 14.Qa3+ Ke6 15.f4 N5c6 16.f5+ Kf7 17.Nd2 Re8 18.Nc4 Qc7 19.Nd6+ Kf8 20.Nxe8 Kxe8 21.Qf3 Ne5 22.Qg3 Kf8 23.Bf4 d6 24.Rac1 Qa5 25.f6 N7g6 26.Bxe5 Qxe5 27.Qxg6 Be6 28.Qxg7+ Ke8 29.Qe7 checkmate, joev6225 - liverpool, GameKnot.com, 2006.
12...Qe8
Stronger than: 12...Kc7 13.cxd4 cxd4 14.Qxe5+ d6 15.Qxd4 Nc6 16.Qxg7+ Bd7 17.Bf4 Rg8 18.Qxh6 Qe7 19.Bxd6+ Qxd6 20.Qxd6+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Lakritzl, blitz, FICS, 2009.
13.cxd4
Ooops...
13...cxd4
Double oops...
14.Rxd4+
14...Kc7
As uncomfortable as it looks, Black's King needed to take shelter at e6 where he could protect the Knight at e5. It is not a good time for Black to return the sacrificed piece.
15.Qxe5+ Kd8 16.Nc3 Nc6 17.Qxe8+ Rxe8
18.Rd6 b6 19.Bf4 Bb7 20.Rad1 Re7 21.e5
Stronger, maintaining more of the bind, was 21.Rg6.
21...Nxe5
An oversight.
22.Bxe5 Rxe5 23.Rxd7+ Ke8 24.Rxb7 Rd8 25.Rxd8+ Kxd8 26.Kf1 Black resigned
With the time control being a speedy 5 5, the following "Delayed Jerome Gambit" game was more of a brawl than anything like serious chess. I'm glad that I got the last clout in.
perrypawnpusher - Tlslevens
blitz 5 5, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 a6
Okay, this is not a "proper" Jerome Gambit, but there is always the possibility of a "Delayed Jerome Gambit," should my opponent choose.
4.0-0 Bc5
Other delayed Jerome Gambits arrived after 4...Bb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.Bxf7+ (perrypawnpusher - dabbling, blitz, FICS, 2009); and
4...h6 5.Nc3 Nf6 (5...Bc5 6.Bxf7+ perrypawnpusher - angelosgoulianos, blitz, FICS, 2007) 6.d3 Bc5 7.Bxf7+, perrypawnpusher - tschup, blitz, FICS, 2010.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke6
I've looked at this move in the regular Jerome Gambit, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6, in "A Strange, But Intriguing, Path (Part 1)", "(Part 2)" and "(Part 3)".
It's funny that in two subsequent games (perrypawnpusher - johnde, blitz, FICS, 2010 and perrypawnpusher - crayongod, blitz, FICS, 2010) I forgot my recommended continuation, 6.Qg4+!?.
It should come as no surprise that I forgot it in the current game in the Delayed Jerome Gambit, too...
7.Qh5
White gets the advantage with 7.Qg4+ Kxe5 8.d4+, whereas the text allows Black to keep his advantage – and transpose back into more "normal" Jerome Gambit lines.
7...Nxe5 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.d4
The position is similar to one from the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, where Black has played 3...h6 instead of the 3...a6 in this game. Because the Black Bishop is still alive at c5, White has to make the less effective d-pawn move, instead of being able to play f2-f4.
9...Bxd4 10.Rd1 c5 11.c3 Nh6
Who invited him to the fight? Black chooses an "aggressive" move, when he should have stayed with the more purposeful 11...Kc7.
12.Qh3
White would have an edge after the complex 12.Bxh6 Rf8 13.Bg5 g6 14.cxd4 gxf5 15.dxe5+ Kxe5 16.Bxd8 Rxd8 instead.
12...Kc6 13.cxd4 cxd4 14.Rxd4 d6
White has a pawn for his sacrificed piece, but Black's vulnerable King makes the game close to even.
15.Qc3+ Kd7 16.Bf4 Nhg4
This Knight can provide its support more effectively from f7.
17.h3 Nxf2
A wild sacrifice – but this kind of thing can be successful in fast games, where attacking is everything.
After the game Fritz8 recommended 17...Qf6 18.Bg3 Nh6 19.Bxe5 Qxe5 20.Nd2 Qe7 when White is better.
18.Kxf2
Sloppy. Best was 18.Bxe5, as the Knight on f2 has nowhere safe to go. After 18...Qh4 19.Bg3 Nxh3+ 20.gxh3 White is up a piece and clearly better.
18...Qh4+
Swinging wildly. The proper way to counter-attack was 18...Qf6 leading to a balanced game.
19.g3
Better 19.Bg3.
19...Qxh3 20.Bxe5 Rf8+ 21.Ke2
As smart as poking myself in the eye. Instead, 21.Bf4 kept White's advantage, while now Black has a forced checkmate.
21...Qg2+
Now Black is landing the punches, but he missed 21...Qf1+ 22.Ke3 Rf3+ 23.Kd2 Rf2+ 24.Ke3 Qe2 checkmate. We were moving quickly.
22.Kd3 Rf3+ 23.Kc4 Rxc3+ 24.Nxc3
White has only a Knight and a Rook for his Queen, and his King is in more danger than Black's.
24...Qxb2 25.Rxd6+ Ke7
A blitz slip.
26.Nd5+ Kf7 27.Bxb2
Whew! Now I'm winning again.
27...Be6 28.Rf1+ Black resigned
In a recent Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, Bill Wall and his opponent headed for a topical position evaluated as roughly even. Bill then showed that there was still a lot of danger in the position.
