There Be Monsters...

If the Jerome Gambit were simply a way for White to lose quickly – and at higher levels of play, it certainly is – then defenders would face it with calm assurance and not find its attacks to be frightening at all. On the other hand (or board), sometimes the Jerome can have a "bark" that is far worse than its "bite." For example...

Knight32 - Haroldlee123
Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament
ChessWorld, 2011


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

This is not the first exposure to the the Jerome Gambit for either player. Likely, they have heard tales...

4...Kxf7 5.c3 Nf6 6.Ng5+ Kg8 7.Qb3+ Black resigned

Wow! Black plays 7...Kf8 and then White plays 8.Qf7 checkmate. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

(Unless Black sees 7...d5, instead.)

My Horse is Faster Than Your Horse

If the finish of the following game can be considered somewhat of a horse race, then it proves to be a mismatch, and a victory for White (and the Jerome Gambit).


mckenna215 - DREWBEAR 63
Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament
ChessWorld, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4

This move, as opposed to 6.Qh5+, saw a bit of a revival in this tournament.

6...Bd6

Not a cautious move. mckenna215 scored two points against it in the Thematic Tournament.

7.dxe5 Bxe5 8.Qd5+ Kf8

8...Ke8 9.Qxe5+ Qe7 10.Bf4 Qxe5 11.Bxe5 d6 12.Bxg7 Black resigned, mckenna215 - Magni, Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, ChessWorld, 2011.

9.Qxe5 d6 10.Qf4+ Qf6

Perhaps Black is already thinking about finding safety in the endgame: so, off with the Queens!

11.Nc3 Qxf4 12.Bxf4 Nf6 13.0-0-0 Be6 14.Nb5

White's Knight abandons the e-pawn to go in search of larger prey. Black's Knight grabs the pawn, but cannot keep up.

14...Nxe4 15.Nxc7 Nxf2 16.Rhf1

The line-up of pieces on the f-file spell disaster.

16...Nxd1 17.Bxd6+ Black resigned

The double, discovered check assures that White will be a piece (and a pawn) ahead: 17...Kg8 18.Nxa8 h5 19.Kxd1 Kh7 20.Rf8 Rxf8 21.Bxf8

Here... No, There... No, Here... No, There...

The winner of the recent ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, AsceticKingK9, won 27 of his 28 games, primarily using the strategy: play ordinary chess until your opponent makes a mistake, apply the pressure, and when he falters, crush him.

The following game is a good example: Black's King keeps finding the wrong square to go to, and that proves lethal.

AsceticKingK9 - Luke Warm
Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament,
ChessWorld, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+ 7.c3

For a look at earlier coverage of this move, see "Gloom and Doom" and "On the Sidelines."

7...Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 Ng6 9.0-0 d6 10.f4 Ke8 11.f5 N6e7 12.Bg5 h6

With his extra King move, Black leveled the game (before that, he was winning) and with this impatient move (curiously, 12...Kf8 might have kept things even) he lets White's Queen in.

13.Qh5+ Kf8

Uncomfortable as it looks, the logical 13...Kd7 14.e5 Qe8 was the way to hang on.

14.f6 gxf6 15.Bxf6 Rh7 16.Bxe7+ Black resigned

The double, discovered check is enough for Black to strike his colors.

MacGyver

From Wikipedia: "MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series... [S]ecret agent Angus MacGyver... is a resourceful agent with an encyclopedic knowledge of science, able to solve complex problems with everyday materials he finds at hand, along with his ever-present duct tape and Swiss Army knife."

Playing over the following game, I got to thinking about MacGyver.

Bill Wall's opponent had navigated the game into a tricky, but draw-able, Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, where it seemed possible that Black might actually extract a half-point from White's Jerome Gambit (a rare event, to be sure).

What did Bill have to work with at the end?

Ah, but it is the "+" on White's last move that gives the win.

Wall,B - CKFM
FICS, 2012

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

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

7.Qd5+ Ke7 8.Qg5+

Something new! There are no other examples in The Database.

Black has a chance to slip, but the game transposes to more "normal" lines.

8... Ke8 9.Qxc5 Qe7 10.Qe3 Nf6 11.Nc3 Kf7

Or 10...d6 11.0-0 Ng4 (11...Be6 12.f4 Ng4 13.Qg3 Qh4 14.Qxh4 Nxh4 15.g3 Nf5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Re1+ Kd7 18.d3 Rae8 19.Bd2 c6 20.h3 Black resigned, Wall,B - Hirami,Z, Chess.com, 2011) 12.Qg3 Qe5 13.Nd5 Qxg3 14.fxg3 Kd7 15.Rf7+ Black resigned, Wall,B -CKSP, FICS, 2010.

12.0-0 Re8 13.d3 d5

Giving a pawn back to be able to exchange Queens.

14.Nxd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Qxe3 16.fxe3+ Kg8

White has three pawns for his sacrificed piece. Perhaps a super-GM like Magnus Carlsen would say that the game here is won for Black, and all that is left is a matter of (his) technique.

In the world of club players, however, it is not naive to see the game as balanced. The winner will be the one who handles his pawns/Knight better.

17.e4 Bg4 18.Be3 a6 19.Rf2 Rad8 20.h3 Bd7 21.Raf1 c6 22.Bb6 Rc8 23.d6

One "Jerome pawn" gets through. The game is still about even, but that's one more thing for Black to worry about, and one more thing for White to rely on.

23...Be6 24.d4 Nf8 25.g4 Bc4 26.Rxf8+

Possibly this Rook sacrifice was a surprise for Black.

26...Rxf8 27.Rxf8+ Rxf8 28.d7 Bxa2

Of course, White will get his Rook back when he promotes the d-pawn, so Black grabs some "compensation."

29.e5 Kf7 30.d8Q Rxd8 31.Bxd8 Ke6

The excellent placement of Black's King makes the Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame even, even though White has an extra pawn.

32.Kf2 Bb1 33.c3 Ba2 34.Kf3 Kd5 35.Kf4 Ke6 36.Kg5 Kf7 37.h4 Bb1

White looks to see what he can create on the Kingside. If he is able to advance his center two pawns, that will allow Black some counterplay with his remaining 2:1 pawn majority on the Queenside. Eventually White will have to exchange one of his center pawns for a Black wing pawn, and the other White center pawn will be safely blockaded.

38.h5 h6+ 39.Kh4 g6 40.hxg6+ Kxg6 41.e6 Ba2 42.e7 Bf7 43.c4

Things are looking a bit scary for Black right now. Suppose he loses a tempo with 43...Be8. White quickly advances in the center with 44.d5 cxd5 45.cxd5 and has those scary two passers.

But, what would happen next? After 45...Kf7 White can liquidate the Kingside with 46.g5 hxg5+ 47.Kxg5 but now Black starts rolling on the Queenside with 47...a5. Since swapping his Pe7 for the ambitious, but lowly, Pa5 is seriously draw-ish, White's King must persevere with 48.Kf5.

After 48...a4 49.Ke5 b5 50.d6 (50.Kd6 will face the same response) b4 51.Bb6 a3 52.b3 Bc6 53.Bc5 a2 54.Bd4 Bf3 

analysis diagram






Black's and White's advanced passers hold each other hostage and the point can be split, especially after 55.Bb2 Bd1 56.Kc5 Bxb3+.

That kind of pressure, though, searching for that kind of solution, can cause the defender to slip.

43...Kf6 44.e8Q+ Black resigned

The discovered check allows the pawn to Queen safely, and now White can force checkmate.

(Along with his Swiss army knife and duct tape, you had to figure that MacGyver had a discovered check on him, somewhere.)

Amounting to Very Little...

I have treated the entry of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxc7+) into the pages of the opening "encyclopedias" of its day (see "Jerome Gambit: Early Opening Tomes" Part 1 and Part 2) as a good thing. Certainly, the exposure of the gambit to a greater number of chess players was a positive turn.

Was the opening, however, refined as it passed from one analytical session to the other? Were the best defenses identified and polished? Were White's chances, as thin as they are, clearly identified?

In a word, "no."

Newer books largely copied what was in the older books and passed it along. Critical analysis was almost nonexistent.

True, some authors vied with each other for different ways to say "this opening is no good, but Black must stay awake and do his best or he could embarass himself", but that was about as forward as chess knowledge marched, at least concerning the Jerome Gambit...

I will return to these opening works, but for now, Dear Readers, a break from all this seriousness.

Full Circle (Part 2)

I have been using the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Na3 as the guide for a travelogue around the Jerome Gambit world.

It is worth staying "home" today, to look at Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's analysis, and then examine what Lt. Sorensen did with it.

After 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Na3 two of the three defenses that Jerome presented in his Dubuque Chess Journal article, 9…Ke7 and 9...Ne7 were given as sufficient for Black’s advantage, as they left the second player two pieces up.

Certainly 9...Ke7 10.Qh3 d6 11.Qh4+ Ke8 12.Bg5 Nf6 13.0–0–0 Bb6 14.f4 Ng6 15.Qg3 Nh5 16.Qf3 Qd7 17.f5 Nf6 18.fxg6, as Jerome gave, is not at all promising for White, and 15...h6 instead would have made his prospects even more dismal.

Still, when it was Sorensen's turn, he ignored 9...Ke7.

As for 9...Ne7, Jerome's main line, 10.Qh3 Qf8 11.0–0 Kc6 12.Nb5 Kxb5 13.Qb3+ Kc6 14.Bg5, it looks equally uncomfortable for White.

Sorensen repaired the second line for White by replacing Jerome’s 11.O-O with the consistent 11.Nb5+ which brings danger to Black’s King: 11...Kc5 12.Nxd4 Kxd4 13.Bg5. There are several corrections needed here, though.

First, 13.Qe3+ (not 13.Bg5) is the winning move, leading to mate. The text is an error, as it lets Black find 13...Nf3+, returning a piece to either allow the exhange of Queens or, after 14.gxf3 Kc5, block the White Queen and permit the Black King to escape.

Second, 10...c6 (instead of Jerome's 10...Qf8) stops the White Knight's troublesome leap (Sorensen's 11.Nb5+), showing that 9...Ne7 is good for Black, after all.

The third defense that Jerome gave, 9…Qf6, led to White’s advantage, in his opinion, after 10.Nb5+ Kc5 11.Nxd4 Kd6 12.Nb5+ Kc5 13.Qh3 Kxb5 14.Qb3+. However, this line, too, is a mess.

The position is even after White's 14th move, as he is forcing a draw by repetition.

On his 13th move, Black can show an advantage by playing 13...Nf3+, with ideas similar to the same defensive move in the 9...Ne7 defense.

The big problem for Black in the analysis, as we have seen (i.e. Jerome - Norton, correspondence, 1877) is his 11...Kd6 (instead of Norton's much stronger 11...d6). Jerome gives as a secondary line 11...Qxf5, but it also falls short of the strength of 11...d6.

Sorensen simply copied Jerome’s 9...Qf6 line, giving 10.Nb5+ Kc5 11.Nxd4 Qxf5 12.Nxf5 g6 13.Be3+ Kc6 14.Nd4+ Kd6 15.O-O-O Ke7 16.Nb5 and said “White has the best position” – but this would not be the case after the correct 13…Kb5; or after 12...d6 or 11...d6.

Full Circle (Part 1)

While Lt. Sorensen's article (see "Early Opening Tomes: Addendum") was making its rounds, Alonzo Wheeler Jerome was learning more about the line that we have been pursuing (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Na3), and about the dangers of having one's published analysis available for others to crack – as can be learned from the November 24, 1877 issue of News of the Week, that carried a Jerome Gambit correspondence game.

That game can already be found, thanks to Dr. Tim Harding, in "The Jerome - Norton Games (Part 4)", to which can be added the following notes:


Jerome,A - Norton,D
correspondence, 1877

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Na3

9...Qf6 10.Nb5+ Kc5 11.Nxd4 d6

Instead of Norton's 11...d6 in this game, Jerome's analysis in the Dubuque Chess Journal gave both 11...Qxf5 and 11...Kd6.

Филидор1792's recent game showed 11...Kxe4 to be playable, but very dangerous for Black.

As the News of the Week commentator pointed out, "This move decides the game. White reels from the shock, is henceforth pressed to the wall, and Black has an easy victory."

12.Nb3+ Kb6 13.Qg5 Qxg5 14.Bxg5 Nf6 15.f3 Be6 16.Nd4 Rhe8 17.0-0 c5 18.Nb3 Bxb3 19.cxb3 a5 20.Rfd1 Kc6 21.a4 b6 22.Rd2 Rad8 23.h3 Nf7 24.Bh4 g5 25.Bf2 d5 26.Rad1 dxe4 27.Rxd8 Rxd8 28.Re1 Re8 29.fxe4 Rxe4 30.Rf1 Re6 31.Be3 h6 32.g4 Ne5 33.Bd2 Ne4 34.Bc3 Nxc3 35.bxc3 c4 36.bxc4 Kc5 37.Rb1 Kxc4 38.Rb5 Kxc3 39.Kg2 Nd3 40.h4 gxh4 41.Kh3 Nc5 Black resigned