It is very common for a chessplayer to look at White's first few moves in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and ask himself, "What is White thinking??" Sometimes the first player has a head full of fever dreams like the following games, which I turned up while looking through The Database for 8-move contests containing the "essence" of the Jerome Gambit, or at least an insight into how it "works".
decent - fulldecent
lightning, FICS, 2003
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.Ng5+ Kf8 7.Qf3+ Ke8 8.Qf7#
soulman - tobinskov
standard, FICS, 2007
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.Qf3 h6 8.Qf7#
drumme - jherman
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.Qf3 h6 8.Qf7#
Odizzel - narciso
blitz, FICS, 2005
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d3 d6 6.Ng5+ Kf8 7.Qh5 Nf6 8.Qf7#
braken - klonka59
2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kf8 5.Bd5 Nf6 6.Ng5 Nxe4 7.Nxe4 Ne7 8.Qf3+ Black resigned
Yes, indeed, things frequently go differently, if Black defends properly; but these games reinforce the lesson Tartakower liked to pronounce about some opening ideas, that is "dubious, therefore playable". Black relaxed and told himself that he would get around to defending, any time now – to his misfortune.
Referring to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ as "The Jerome Gamble", Gary K. Gifford put his finger on the uncertainty and the risk of loss vs risk of gain in this particular opening.
Quite possibly Gifford would refer to the subsequent line 4...Kxf7 5.d4 as the "Jerome Gamble Gamble".
Once again looking for the "essence" of the Jerome Gambit, or at least an insight into how it "works" (as I have been doing in the "Return" series), I ran into an 8-move game that utilized that gambling center pawn sacrifice.
EstonianBear - Lesic
blitz, FICS, 2002
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4
White's second "gamble" in the classical "Jerome Gamble" line comes when he plays 5.Nxe5+. In this modern "Jerome Gamble" line, White's second "gamble", instead, is 5.d4.
This move has several points (starting with not sacrificing a second piece), not the least of which is making the move Nf3-g5 possible without risking the Knight's capture – see "The Return of Jerome Gambit for Dummies (Part 2)".
This position shows up about 1,540 times in The Database (scoring 38%), the most recent time being in the game Bill Wall - Guest1366999, Playchess.com, 2011 (1-0).
5...Nxd4
Of Black's 3 possible captures of the d-pawn, taking with the Knight seems least strong. Currently, The Database shows White scoring 27% against 5...Bxd4, 36% against 5...exd4, and 45% against 5...Nxd4.
6.Nxe5+ Kf8 7.Qh5
Continuing to go for the jugular. Robots might recommend the pedestrian 7.Be3, instead.
7...g6 8.Nxg6+ Black resigned
For some reason this got me thinking about the old song Little Ole' Man, sung by Bill Cosby, which I heard about 45 years ago.
A little ole' man was sittin' on a step
And a tear trickled own his cheek.
I said "What's the matter?"
He said "A train just ran over me."
I said "Hmm. How often does this happen?"
He said "Everyday about this time."
I said "Well, why do you just sit out here then?"
He said "Cause I cannot believe that this happened."
I said "Reach out, take my hand, you'll understand."
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, outta sight. Baby, everything is alright, uptight, outta sight.
Little ole' man was sittin' on the step, same ole' man.
And a tear trickled down his cheek.
I said "What's the matter?"
He said "A herd of elephants just stampeded over me."
I said "Hmm" same "Hmm."
I said "How often does this happen?"
He said "Everyday, a half hour after the train runs over me."
I said "Reach out, take my hand, you'll understand."
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, outta sight. Baby, everything is alright, uptight, outta sight.
Little ole' man sittin' on a step, same ole' man.
A tear trickled down his cheek.
I said "Hey, how ya doin' after that train ran over ya?"
He said "WHAT train?"
I said "The train that ran over ya a half hour before the elephants stampeded over ya."
He said "What elephants?"
I said "Hmm" same "Hmm."
He says "You're a young boy."
Says "Ya got a lot to learn."
He says "Reach out, take my hand, you'll understand."
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, outta sight. Baby, everything is alright, uptight, outta sight
Erik Knutson (USCF 2080) has recently posted a couple of videos at YouTube, introducing the Jerome Gambit. They are well-produced and give a good introduction to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+.
Video 1, (3 minutes), March 15, 2012
Video 2, (9 minutes 30 seconds), March 20, 2012
Erik promises a third video soon, with a couple of illustrative games. Watch for it!
My thanks to Edward Winter, of Chess Notes, for sending me a copy of the Jerome Gambit analysis from Henri Delaire's Les échecs modernes; histoire, théorie complète, 1914
"Jerome Gambit"
Imagined in 1871 by an American player, A.-W. Jerome, of Paxton, this gambit can surprise by the brusqueness of its attack; but an attentive defense is rightly without great difficulties. Also it is seldom tried.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
The essential blow
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5
5...Kf8! this second defense is also good and less dangerous 6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Qf3 (8.d4 Bg4 9.Qe1 Qxd4 etc) 8...Qd4 9.d3 Bg4 10.Qg3 Bd6 11.Bf4 g5 12.Bxd6+ cxd6 13.h3 Be6 14.Qxg5 Rg8 better
6.Qh5+
6.d4 is less agressive 6...Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 (7...Qf6 8.Qd1 d6 9.0-0 g6 10.f4 Nc6 better) 8.0-0 Nf6 9.f4 Nc6 (9...c5 10.Qc3 Neg4 11.Nd2 b5 12.h3 h5! etc) 10.Qd3 Re8 11.Nc3 Be6 better]
6...Ke6
6...Kf8! 7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ Ke8 9.Nc3 d6 10.Qg3 Qf7 better; 6...Ng6? undergoing an awkward attack 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc3 Nf6 10.d3 c6 11.0-0 Kd7 12.f4 Qb6+ 13.Kh1 Kc7 14.Qe1 Re8 even;
6...g6? a vain attempt to block the white Queen 7.Qxe5 d6! 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Qd8 Bb6 11.e5 dxe5 12.Qd3 better
7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4
8.f4 does not lead to a better offensive result 8...Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 Nf6 11.d3 Kc6 12.Nc3 d6 better
8...Bxd4 9.Na3 c6
9...Ne7? incorrect defense 10.Qh3 Qf8 11.Nb5+ Kc5 12.Nxd4 Kxd4 13.Bg5 better;
9...Qf6? worse 10.Nb5+ Kc5 11.Nxd4 Qxf5 12.Nxf5 g6 13.Be3+ Kc6 14.Nd4+ Kd6 15.0-0-0 Ke7 16.Nb5 and wins
10.c3 Qf6 11.cxd4 Qxf5 12.exf5 Nf7 13.Bf4+ Ke7
Black, free from danger, has the advantage of a piece for a pawn.
One theory of chess play is that each person has a set of imaginary "blunder bombs" inside of himself or herself that explode rarely if the player is very strong, but explode frequently, if the player is not so strong. Under this model, a stronger player can expect to win if he or she plays simple, safe moves, waiting for the weaker player's "blunder bomb" to go off first. Of course, if the stronger player introduces an unusual and tricky opening such as the Jerome Gambit, the opponent's bomb might go off even sooner...
DeDrijver (1401) - billwall (2488)
Play The Jerome Gambit Quad
Chess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.h4
Preparing for a Knight's excursion to g5. See "The Return of Jerome Gambit for Dummies (Part 2)".
5...Bb6 6.c3 d5 7.Ng5+
7...Ke7 8.Qf3 Nf6 9.exd5 Bg4
10.Qd3 e4 11.Nxe4 Ne5 12.Nxf6
Boom.
12...Nxd3+ White resigned
White has not only lost his Queen, he also faces checkmate in 8.
Around the corner, as it were, to the "1st Jerome Gambit Race" at Chess.com, mentioned in yesterday's post, is Chess.com's Play the Jerome Gambit Quad,
which includes long-time Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Bill Wall.
I'd like to share some of the rock 'em sock 'em games, starting with the first one finished.
bfcace (1619) - DeDrijver (1388)
Play The Jerome Gambit Quad
Chess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Qf6 8.Nc3
There are only 8 examples of this gambling move (Will Black withdraw his Knight? Will he capture the pawn on f4?) in The Database, with the oldest being from a game between Hiarcs8 and Fritz7 in 2002 (0-1, 59), and the most recent from a game between Yigor and mrdenetop (1-0, 10) from the Kentucky Opening /Jerome Gambit tournament played at Chess.com last year (see "My Old Kentucky... Opening" and "Sunday Tournament Update").
8...g6 9.Qh3+ Kf7 10.Nd5 Qc6
Allowing White to capture at e5, which opens the floodgates.
11.fxe5 d6 12.Rf1+ Kg7 13.e6 Bxe6
Black is in trouble, but this move leads to mate.
14.Qc3+ Kh6 15.d4+ Kg7 16.dxc5+ Nf6 17.Qxf6+ Kg8 18.Ne7 checkmate
I noticed that Chess.com recently held its 1st Jerome Gambit Race.
The players, how they finished, and their scores
#1 calcot (1448) 4-2-0
#2 Merlin-Pendragon (1393) 3-3-0
#3 Jordi-I (1430) 3-3-0
#4 couchpotatoe (1345) 2-4-0
Sadly, there was only one win by White (against what could have become a Blackburne or Whistler Defense).
Jordi-I (1497) - couchpotatoe (1539)
1st Jerome Gambit Race
Chess.com, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Nf6 9.Rf1 Ng4+ 10.Kg1+ Kg8 11.Qd5+ Kg7 12.Rf7+ Kh6 13.d3+ g5 14.h4 Rg8 15.Qf5 d6 16.Qxh7#
In addition, in the following games White had commanding advantages until move 17 (first game) and move 24 (second game)
Jordi-I (1489) - calcot (1490)
1st Jerome Gambit Race
Chess.com, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 c6 11.d3 Qf6 12.Qg3+ Qe5 13.Bf4 Bd4 14.Bxe5+ Bxe5 15.Qe3 Bxb2 16.d4 Bxa1 17.e5+ Kc7 18.Qg3 g6 19.0-0 Bxd4+ 20.Kh1 Ne7 21.Qf4 Bc5 22.e6+ d6 23.Qf7 d5 24.Qg7 Bxe6 25.Nc3 b5 26.Re1 Raf8 27.g3 Kd7 28.Ne2 Rhg8 29.Qxh7 Rf7 30.Qh6 d4 31.Rd1 Bd5+ 32.Kg1 d3+ 33.Nd4 Bxd4+ 34.Qe3 Bxe3#
couchpotatoe (1352) - Merlin-Pendragon (1386)
1st Jerome Gambit Race
Chess.com, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0 g5 6.d3 h6 7.h3 Be7 8.d4 Bf6 9.d5 Nce7 10.Nc3 d6 11.Be3 Ng6 12.a4 h5 13.Qd2 h4 14.Nxg5+ Ke7 15.a5 Rh5 16.Nf3 Kf7 17.Qe2 Rh7 18.b4 Rg7 19.Qd2 Bxh3 20.gxh3 Nf4+ 21.Kh2 Qd7 22.Bxf4 exf4 23.Qxf4 Rf8 24.Ng5+ Rxg5 25.Rae1 Ne7 26.Re3 Ng6 27.Qf3 Ke8 28.Qe2 Be5+ 29.Kh1 Nf4 30.Qb5 Bxc3 0-1
All of the games from the 1st Jerome Gambit Race have been added to The Database.
