On the first day of 2010 I offered interested Readers a PGN database of 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 (see "Happy New Year!") – over 17,000 games, at that time.
I have updated the file over the year. It is still available for free – just email me: richardfkennedy@hotmail.com.
On January 1, 2011, I will add games with the move order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+ (variation so far unnamed) to the database (which I will start referring to as "The Database".)
This seems like a logical expansion, as in this line of play Black tries with his third move to avoid a possible Jerome Gambit, only to face the Bishop sacrifice anyhow. White's chances are similar to those in the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. (Of course, White can also simply play 4.Nxe5 with advantage.)
The database will then contain about 22,222 games, which seems fitting for its second version.
(By the way, today marks the 900th consecutive post to this blog. The Jerome Gambit and its variants have not gone away, and neither have I.)
I was feeling pretty good about the following game until I played it over and almost choked on the winning 21st move. I wonder if my opponent had the same experience? Oh, well, strange things happen in blitz...
When I'm in a Jerome Gambit mood at FICS I want to play White, so I take my turns with Black at a quicker time control like 3 0 – probably too fast for me – to get back to a chance for my favorite opening as soon as possible.
In the following game, however, I noticed that my opponent was fmarius, who I recall has a gazillion games in the updated New Years Database (okay, about 130), so I decided to see if he wanted to play the Jerome against me.
fmarius - perrypawnpusher
blitz 3 0, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4
That's right, he also likes to go into the Jerome out of the Italian-Gambit-turned-Scotch-Gambit (as well as the regular Jerome Gambit move order)...
Yes, he'll also play 4.Bxf7+ against your Blackburne Shilling Gambit, too.
In fact, he'll play it against the Semi-Italian Opening, not even waiting for ...Bc5.
4...exd4 5.c3 dxc3 6.Bxf7+
6...Kxf7 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5
Oddly, Fritz8 recommends the intermediary 8.Qh5+, seeing the position after 8...g6 9.Qxc5 cxb2 10.Bxb2 as even. I am sure that fmarius would have been thrilled with that position, though, with the white pieces.
8...d6
I had no interest in 8...cxb2 9.Bxb2 Nf6 10.0-0 d6
9.Qxc3 Nf6 10.0-0 Bg4
White has an edge here, but I noticed that my opponent was going through his time even faster than I was. I figured that if I gave him a few more things to think about, that problem might only get worse.
11.Bg5 h6 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.e5 dxe5
I think he was expecting ...Nxe5, so this elicited more thought.
14.Nbd2 Rd8 15.Rae1 Kd7
Queenside castling-by-hand. Probably not best, but safest; and something to do as the clocks tick.
16.Nxe5+ Nxe5
17.Qd4+
Time pressure slip. Instead, 17.Rxe5 kept White's edge.
17...Kc8 18.Rxe5 Rxd4
In lost position, White forfeited on time
White was better most of the game. I am not sure that I am ready to face fmarius and his Jerome repertoire at a slower time control
I peeked in on a blackburne game at ChessWorld.net the other day, and was surprised to see his opponent respond to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) by declining the sacrificed Bishop.
While this is well in line with a recent game of mine (see "Here's My Plan...") as well as all of the "Jedi Mind Tricks" that I have been observing in the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+), where Black also declines the Bishop, it can hardly be called more than a psychological ploy.
It is as if Black declined being given "Jerome Gambit odds" and offered, instead, odds of "pawn and two moves" himself!
Watchwords for White in such cases must be: The price of victory is eternal vigilance...
blackburne - Talwhu
Chess.com, 11.2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kf8
A hint from the updated New Year's Database: If Black is going to decline the Bishop, this is probably how he should do it. In 161 games, White scored only 54% as opposed to when Black played 4...Ke7, when, out of 26 games, White scored 71%.
5.Bb3 Nf6
Instead, perrypawnpusher - ibeje, blitz, FICS, 2010 continued in exciting fashion with 5...h6 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.d4 Qh4 although I blundered in the endgame and lost (0-1, 46).
6.Nc3 d6 7.d3 Bg4
blackburne had an earlier battle with some similar themes: 7...Bd4 8.Bg5 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 h6 10.Be3 Bg4 11.0-0 Qe7 12.h3 Bh5 13.Kh2 a5 14.a4 Nd7 15.Qd2 Bxf3 16.gxf3 Nf6 17.Rg1 Rd8 18.Rg2 g5 19.Rag1 d5 20.Bxg5 hxg5 21.Rxg5 Rd7 22.Rg7 Qd6 23.R7g6 Ne7 24.Rg7 Rh7 25.Rxh7 Nxh7 26.exd5 Nxd5 27.Bxd5 Qxd5 28.Qh6+ Ke8 29.Rg7 Rxg7 30.Qxg7 Nf8 31.Qxc7 Ng6 32.Qc8+ Kf7 33.Qc7+ Kf6 34.Qb6+ Kf5 35.Qe3 Nh4 36.Qe4+ Qxe4 37.fxe4+ Ke6 38.Kg3 Ng6 39.c4 b6 40.c3 Nf4 41.d4 Nd3 42.h4 exd4 43.cxd4 Nb4 44.Kf4 Na6 45.d5+ Kd6 46.h5 Nc7 47.h6 Black resigned, blackburne - BrainFreeze, Chessworld.net, 2008.
8.Bg5 Nd4
This move should fail due to the tactical shot 9.Nxd4, as 9...Bxd1 is well answered by 10.Ne6+ Ke7 11.Nxd8 Bxc2 12.Nxb7 Bxb3 13.Nxc5 Bf7 14.Na6 when White remains a piece up.
9.0-0
9...Nxf3+ 10.gxf3 Bh3 11.Re1
This move seems okay to me, but Rybka was uncomfortable enough with it to suggest instead an exchange sacrifice: 11.f4 Bxf1 12.Qxf1 even giving White an edge after 12...Qd7 13.f5 c6 14.Be6 Qe8.
11...h6 12.Bxf6
It seems risky to invite the enemy Queen to join the party.
Rybka suggests 12.Be3 Bxe3 13.fxe3. Blackburne may have been wary of a further 13...Nxe4, as 14.fxe4? (or 14.dxe4?) loses quickly to 14...Qg5+. Still, 14.Nxe4 would provide a defense, e.g. 14...d5 15.Ng3 h5 16.f4, covering the critical g5 square.
12...Qxf6
13.Re3
Again, jettisoning the exchange with 13.Kh1 Bxf2 14.Rf1 Bxf1 15.Nd5!? was probably the best way to get some counterplay, even thought Black would have an edge in the resulting position.
13...Qg5+ White resigned
I'm well aware that some players are uneasy when being attacked, across-the-board, even when they are facing a refuted, disrespected opening like the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). All-in-all, they'd really rather not...
Still, I think that my opponent's resignation in the following game was a bit premature.
perrypawnpusher - VGxdys
blitz, FICS, 2009
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3
Black resigned
If a chess game is like a puzzle, the following contest shows that my opponent and I could find only pieces of it, never quite putting together the full picture.
perrypawnpusher - richiehill
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+
Last year my opponent tried his hand with this opening and scored quickly: 6.Ng5+ Ke7 7.d4 exd4 8.Nd5+ Nxd5 9.exd5 Kd6 10.Nf7+ Black resigned, richiehill - SullenKhan, FICS, 2009.
He also had a successful go with the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, richiehill - PlatinumKnight, FICS, 2009.
6...Nxe5 7.d4
7...Nxe4
An interesting defensive idea that I've looked at in "Nothing Much Happened" and "Navigating On One's Own".
Most often seen is 7...Bxd4 and best is 7...Bd6.
My opponent once tried 7...Bb4 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxe4 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 d5 12.Qf4+ Kg8 13.0-0 c6 14.Qg3 Bf5 15.Bg5 Qd7 16.f4 Bxc2 17.Qe3 Bf5 18.Rf3 Re8 19.Rg3 g6 20.Bf6 Kf7 21.Bxh8 Rxh8 22.Qd4 Re8 23.Qxa7 Be4 24.Qe3 Kg8 25.Rg5 Rf8 26.Rf1 Ra8 27.c4 Rxa2 28.cxd5 cxd5 29.Qb3 Rc2 30.Re1 h6 31.Rg3 Qc6 32.Rxe4 Rc1+ 33.Kf2 Rc2+ 34.Re2 Qc5+ 35.Rge3 Rxe2+ 36.Kxe2 Black resigned, jfhumphrey - richiehill, FICS, 2009.
8.Nxe4 Bb4+
This is actually better than either 8...Bxd4 (yorgos -josephjorkens, FICS, 2009, [1-0,45]), 8...Be7 (perrypawnpusher - sdockray, blitz, FICS, 2010 [1-0, 28] or 8...Bb6 (perrypawnpusher - BallsOfFire, blitz, FICS, 2010, [aborted by adjudication, 9]).
9.c3 d5
10.Ng5+ Kg6
The King would be safer at g8.
11.dxe5 Bc5
Since Black removes a piece from danger and points it at f2, it is not immediately clear that this move makes his situation worse.
After the game Rybka suggested 11...h6 12.Nh3 Bxh3 13.gxh3 Bc5 14.Rg1+ Kh7 15.Qd3+ Kg8 16.Be3 Bxe3 17.Qxe3 c6 18.0-0-0 Qe7 when White is stll better, but his advantage is less than after the text.
12.h4
I was so happy with the "boldness" of this move that it took me a while to realize that I had actually moved the wrong pawn.
After 12.g4, Black has no time for 12...h6, as 13.Qd3+ Bf5 14.Qxf5 is mate. His best defense, 12...Qf8, still would lose a piece to 13.Qc2+ and after 13...Bf5 White can even throw in the gnarly 14.h4! just to see if Black is paying attention.
analysis diagram
Of course, if Black now takes the Queen it is 15.h5 mate. However, after 14...h5 the King is okay for the moment, and White has to settle with winning the Bishop after all with 15.gxf5+.
12...h5
13.0-0
Rybka prefers 13.Qd3+ but there are still some fireworks left in the position.
13...Bg4
My opponent understandably guards against dicovered checks.
Again, Rybka, which, after the game, understood more than either richiehill or I did, suggested 13...Bf5. After 14.Qf3 Be7 White has the leap 15.Nf7 which either wins the exchange or, after 15...Kxf7 16.Qxf5+ Kg8 allows White to build the pressure with 17.Bg5.
analysis diagram
14.Qd3+ Bf5 15.Qg3 Bg4
Again, the Bishop shields the King. Against what? Rybka gives a peek: if instead 15...Qe7, then 16.Bf4 Rhf8 17.Ne4+ Kh7 18.Bg5 Bxe4 19.Bxe7 Bxe7 and White has won the Queen for two pieces.
16.Be3
Still worrying about that Bishop on c5!
It turns out that there was another Knight leap available to White: 16.Ne6 Qe7 17.Nxc5 Qxc5 18.Be3 Qe7 19.f3 and the shield (Black's Bishop) has become the target!
16...Qe7 17.f4
Hoping to get something going by advancing the "Jerome pawns", but Black's heroic Bishops can again thwart much of that with 17...Bxe3+ 18.Qxe3 Bf5.
17...c6
Taking a breath to shore up his position, Black lets the pawn distract the powerful prelate...
18.f5+ Bxf5
If 18...Kh7 then 19.f6 rips the position open. The text move finally allows a discovered check, winning a piece.
19.Ne4+ Black resigned
In chess it has been said that from a practical point of view "a bad plan is better than no plan at all". This may be true, but it will more often be the case that "a good plan is better than a bad plan."
perrypawnpusher - walkinthespirit
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Ke7
Possibly played with the idea: If you want me to take the Bishop, then I won't take the Bishop.
5.Bc4
I had forgotten that last year we had contested the same line: 5.Bb3 Nf6 6.Nc3 Na5 7.Nxe5 Nxb3 8.axb3 d6 9.Nf3 Rf8 10.d4 Bb4 11.Bg5 Kf7 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.0-0 Bg4 14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5 Qe6 16.Ng5+ Kg8 17.Nxe6 Bxd1 18.Nxf8 Bxf8 19.Raxd1 Re8 20.Rfe1 Bc5 21.e6 a5 22.Nd5 c6 23.Nc7 Re7 24.Rd7 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - walkinthespirit, blitz, FICS, 2009.
Earlier still, the idea had been successful for my opponent: 5.Bd5 Nf6 6.Bc4 Nd4 7.Nxe5 Nxe4 8.0-0 Qe8 9.Re1 Nxc2 10.Qxc2 Bxf2+ 11.Kh1 Bxe1 12.Qxe4 Kf8 13.Qxe1 d6 14.Qf1+ Ke7 15.Bf7 Rf8 16.Qe1 Qb5 17.Nc3 Qxe5 18.Nd5+ Kxf7 19.Qf2+ Kg8 20.Qxf8+ Kxf8 21.Ne3 Qf6 22.d3 Qf2 23.b3 Qe1+ 24.Nf1 Qxf1 checkmate, tintagel - walkinthespirit, blitz, FICS, 2008
5...Nf6 6.Nc3 Bxf2+
Again, more psychology, similar to the "Anti-Bill Wall Gambit": Whatever White gets from his sacrifice at f7, Black will now get from his sacrifice at f2.
Of course, what White typically gets from his sacrifice at f7 is a lost game.
Except in this case, Black did not capture the Bishop at f7. I am not going to make the same mistake, so I will be ahead in material.
Still, from a practical point of view, I have already been shown to be vulnerable to psychological attacks, so there is still a little bit of hope for my opponent.
7.Kxf2 Ng4+ 8.Kg1 Rf8 9.h3 d6
Counting on the attack at f3 to regain material, but this is a mistake.
10.hxg4 Bxg4 11.d3 Nd4
This is Black's plan: look at the concentration of forces on my King's Knight.
12.Bg5+
This is what my opponent missed.
12...Kd7 13.Bxd8
I suppose that it is being picky to point out that Rybka preferred 13.Nxe5+ dxe5 14.Qxg4+ first snaring a pawn, followed by capturing the Queen.
13...Nxf3+ 14.gxf3 Bxf3 15.Qf1 Raxd8
Black has some uncomfortable pressure against my King and Kingside, but, after all, I am up a piece and a Queen...
16.Qh3+ Kc6 17.Bd5+ Kc5 18.Rh2 Rf6 19.Rf2 Rg6+
20.Kf1 Rf8
Black keeps pressing. He has to. He is facing checkmate in a dozen or so moves.
21.Ke1
Once again (see "Idées Fixes et Manqués"), I start missing checkmates. If I had found 21.Qd7 (not that difficult to discover) then whatever loss of material I would have experienced on the Kingside would have been meaningless.
21...Rh6 22.Qxh6
Coming to my senses. Although the proper move was still 22.Qd7 the text is a reasonable choice: by giving up my Queen for a Rook and a Bishop, I put an end to my opponent's aggression once and for all.
22...gxh6 23.Kd2 h5 24.Raf1 h4 25.Rxf3 Rxf3 26.Rxf3
Now the game winds down to its inevitable conclusion.
26...c6 27.Bb3 b5 28.Rh3 a5 29.a3 a4 30.Ba2 b4 31.axb4+ Kxb4 32.Rxh4 a3 33.bxa3+ Kxa3 34.Rh6 Black resigned
