The Jerome Gambit is not a drawish opening. Only 3% of the Jerome Gambit games in The Database are draws. Only 3 of the completed games in the current ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament have been drawn. It would seem, therefore, that splitting the point would be difficult, but the following game argues against that: White sacrifices a piece, Black gives it back, they draw. Q.E.D.
Rikiki00 - shm19cs
ChessWorld, Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.d3
One of the "modern" (non 5.Nxe5) Jerome Gambit lines.
5...h6 6.0-0 d6 7.Nc3 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.Be3 Nd4 10.Bxd4 Bxd4 11.Nxe5+ Bxe5 12.Qxh5+
White has grabbed a second pawn as partial compensation for his sacrificed piece.
12...g6 13.Qf3+ Kg7 14.Rad1 c5 15.Nd5 Qd7 16.c3 Rf8 17.Qe3 Nf6 18.Nxf6 Rxf6
A slip that forces Black to return the piece.
19.f4 Rhf8 20.fxe5 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 22.Kxf1 dxe5
White's extra pawn does not mean a lot.
23.Ke2 b6 24.Qf3 a5 25.Qg3 Qe6 26.b3 b5 27.Ke3 Qd6 28.Qg4 b4 29.cxb4 axb4 30.Qe2 Qd4+ 31.Kf3 Kf6 32.Qc2 draw
Anyone familiar with the Kentucky Derby horse race has heard Stephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home", its official song.
Many chess players familiar with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) know that it was referred to by Joseph Henry Blackburne as "The Kentucky Opening".
Blackburne's reference is a bit obscure, but less so since the advent of this blog: see "The Kentucky Opening" parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and "The Kentucky / Danvers Opening".
In any event, I recently stumbled upon a Kentucky Opening /Jerome Gambit tournament played at Chess.com. The tournament is interesting in a number of respects, not the least of which is the winner, GazzaT, was rated 2468.
So, in addition to monthly samplings from FICS, and the games from the ongoing ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, I now have Chess.com games to share with readers!
That is a lot to be thankful for.
As an addendum to yesterday's post (see "Do Not Wander Too Far From Home"), when considering a risky line (for Black) in the Jerome-ized Italian Gambit, White, too, must make the right move.
augmented - MAHG
standard, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.d4 Nxd4 6.Nxe5+ Ke6
The same adventurous stroll as in Darrenshome - WildErmine, blitz, FICS, 2006.
7.Bf4
The direct route to the finish line is 7.Qg4+, as we saw yesterday.
7...d6
Instead, backing the King away with 7...Ke7, or preparing for that move with 7...Nf6, each let Black keep his advantage.
Now White can checkmate.
8.Qg4+ Ke7
8...Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kxe5 10.f4+ Kxe4 11.Nc3+ Ke3 12.f5+ Qxg5 13.Qxg5#
9.Qxg7+ Ke8 10.Qf7 checkmate
Yesterday's post (see "Still An InterestingGame") got me thinking about an early d2-d4 for White in the Jerome Gambit and related openings. That, in turn, got me thinking about the Italian Gambit (see "Brilliant but not sound" too) and helped me turn up the following game.
Darrenshome - WildErmine
blitz, FICS, 2006
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4
The Italian Gambit.
All three of Black's captures of the d-pawn can lead to a roughly equal game, but the second player should remain attentive.
4...Nxd4 5.Bxf7+
Transposing to the Jerome Gambit, i.e. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 Nxd4.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke6
Black either does not believe in what he sees, or he is careless and does not watch where he is going. In either event, it is risky to wander too far from home...
7.Qg4+ Kxe5 8.Bf4+ Kxe4 9.Nc3 checkmate
Here is the latest Jerome Gambit game from Bill Wall, who writes
After seeing your article on Utterly Fascinating, I decided to play the 5.d4 line as well, but my opponent took with the bishop instead of the pawn. Still an interesting game.
Wall,B - Guest1366999
Playchess.com, 2011
notes by Bill [comments by Rick]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.d4!?
[The Database has over 1500 games with this move. White scores 38%. Also check out "A Closer Look At the Big Picture (Part 3)"]
5...Bxd4
This may be better than 5...exd4
[See "Brilliant but not sound".]
6.c3 Bc5?
This gives me the piece back.
6...Bb6 should be played, then I may play 7.Qb3+.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 Qe7
9.Qc4 Nf6 10.0-0 d6 11.Be3 Be6 12.Qb5 Qd7
12...Nxe4 13.Qxb7
13.Ng5
13.Qxb7 Rb8 14.Qa6 Rxb2
13...a6?!
Now not as effective as I will have more threats and win another pawn; perhaps 13...Nd8
14.Qxb7 Rb8 15.Qxa6 Ke7
Not 15...Rxb2 16.Nxe6 Qxe6 17.Qxc6+ winning a piece.
16.Nxe6 Kxe6 17.Qc4+ Ke7 18.a4
Passed pawns must be pushed.
18...Rxb2 19.a5 Ra8 20.a6 Ng4 21.Bg5+ Nf6
Not 21...Ke8?? 22.Qg8#
22.Nd2 h6 23.Bxf6+ gxf6 24.Nf3 Rb6
25.Nh4 Qe6 26.Nf5+ Kd7 27.Qd3 h5 28.Ne3 Qb3 29.Nd5 Qb5
30.Qh3+! Kd8 31.Qe6 Rbb8 32.Qg8+ Kd7 33.Qf7+ Kd8 34.Qf8+
34.Nxf6 may have been quicker, but I was in time pressure with 30 seconds left.
34...Kd7 35.Qg7+ Kd8 36.Nxf6 Ne7 37.Qf8+ Qe8 38.Qxe8 checkmate
graphic by The Wizard of Draws
Little has changed at the top of the standings in the ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, where almost 90% of the games have been completed.
AsceticKingK9 remains the un-catchable winner with 25 points out of 28 games.
He is followed by mckenna215, with 23.5 points out of 28 games.
Rikiki00 has snagged a point in the race for third, fourth and fifth place, now having 16.5 points in 24 games. He is hoping to bypass Knight32 with 18.5 points out of 28 games and Braken with 18.5 points out of 27 games.
White surprises Black.
Black surprises White.
Sometimes it is not only "who surprises who" that counts, but who recovers from the surprise first, as the following game from the soon-to-be-finished ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament shows.
braken - klonka59
ChessWorld
Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kf8
The Jerome Gambit Declined, a rare bird.
White surprises Black with the gift of what is, objectively, a won game. Black, in turn, surprises White by preferring to be a pawn down, with an ill-at-ease King.
5.Bd5 Nf6 6.Ng5
This attacking move opens the diagonal for White's Queen while preparing a fork of Black's heavy pieces. Nonetheless it has its downside.
6...Nxe4
Perhaps Black has become disoriented, overlooking, for starters, that the White Bishop that should have disappeared at f7 is now protecting the pawn he just grabbed.
Or, perhaps he was aware that the Bishop was still on the job, and expected, after 7.Bxe4, to play 7...Qxg5.
In either case, he missed the more effective 6...Nxd5 7.exd5 Qxg5.
7.Nxe4
Saving the White Knight, and putting the heat on the Black King.
7...Ne7 8. Qf3+ Black resigned
Black will lose his Knight and Queen, for starters.
