There is an old saying, a caution about the risks of walking in the footsteps of bad companions, "Follow your friends to Hell, and your reward will be a place there with them."
While I find the members of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde to be great company, we all suffer from the same, dangerous affliction that can sometimes be lethal: playing the Jerome Gambit.
Philidor1792 - NN
casual game, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4
A quick look at The Database shows that there are 170 games that reached this position, and White scored 60%. This far more reflects the practical play of the Jerome Gambit than it does any objective evaluation of the situation on the board.
8...Kc6
A new move, as far as I can tell. When you are two pieces up, as Black is, you can simply give one back, and remain with the advantage.
White must now stir up some mischief, or be doomed.
9.Qxe5 Nf6 10.d4 d6 11.d5+ Kb6 12.Qc3 Qe8
White's King is in more trouble than Black's.
13.Qb3+ Ka6 14.Nc3 Nxe4 15.Qc4+ b5 16.Qxe4 Qxe4+ 17.Nxe4 Re8 White resigned
Improvements for White? I'll have to get back to you on that...
Having finished yet another endgame in one of my two Italian Game tournaments at Chess.com (my next move would have been 70...c1/Q checkmate, had not my opponent resigned), I started my final game with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, only to see 3...Nf6, a perfectly good move, but one sliding away from the Jerome Gambit... I have hopes for 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, but, otherwise, I will have to wait for the second round of the other tournament to see if I can improve on my 3-1 record with the Worst Chess Opening Ever.
The following game, my most recent Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, is the kind of encounter where I made a move, then my opponent made a move, then I made a move... Afterward, Rybka criticized most of them. It's a lazy game.
perrypawnpusher - zimmernazl
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Ke7 5.Bxg8
Of course, it is also possible to retreat the Bishop with 5.Bc4 as in perrypawnpusher - zadox, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 14), perrypawnpusher - PlatinumKnight, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 9); and perrypawnpusher - vlas, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 84); or with 5.Bb3 as in perrypawnpusher - Roetman, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 12).
5...Nxf3+
More routine is 5...Rxg8 as in perrypawnpusher - TheProducer, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 16) and perrypawnpusher - issamica, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 8).
Downright strange was 5...Ke8 6.Nxe5 (6.Bb3) Qg5 7.Nf3 Qxg2 8.Nxd4 Qxh1+ 9.Ke2 Qxd1+ 10.Kxd1 Rxg8 as in perrypawnpusher - zadox, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 29).
6.Qxf3 Rxg8 7.Nc3 g6
Or 7...d6 like in perrypawnpusher - zadox, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 49).
8.d4 Ke8 9.Be3
At this point I realized that I was just making moves, and so decided to focus on development and King safety, trusting that my extra pawn and my opponent's unsafe King would decide the game.
9...Bb4 10.0-0 Bxc3 11.bxc3 exd4 12.cxd4 Rf8 13.Qe2 d6 14.f4
In the "Jerome pawns" we trust.
14...b6 15.e5 dxe5 16.fxe5 Bb7 17.Rxf8+ Kxf8 18.Rf1+ Kg7 19.Qf2 Qe7 20.c3 Ba6 21.Qf6+ Qxf6 22.Rxf6 Rf8 23.Rxf8
A little to routine. With 23.Bh6+ I could have won the exchange and made the endgame easier.
23...Kxf8 24.Kf2 Ke7 25.Kg3 Bb7 26.h4 c5 27.dxc5 bxc5 28.Bxc5+ Ke6 29.Bxa7 Kf5 30.Bd4 Black resigned
My guess is that my opponent resigned here when he noticed that he was just making moves here, too, and could have played 29...Kxe5, instead. It would have made a difference.
I was willing to go into the notoriously drawish Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, and 3 pawns up, I think White would win; but 2 pawns up, I think Black had a draw...
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit frequently leads to positions with a high level of danger.
For example, the Black Knight that has thematically leaped to d4 often goes on to c2, where sometimes it captures the White Rook at a1 with advantage; sometimes it captures the White Rook at a1 causing a disadvantage; and sometimes the White King walks over and captures it before it can get to a1.
Too, there are the lines where Black's King grabs material in the center of the board, then creeps away. Or not.
jorgemlfranco - FoldZero
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nd4 4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Kxe5
7.f4+
Varying from the recommended 7.cxd4+, when Black then does best to head his King homeward with 7...Ke6 with a balanced game.
7...Kxe4
Grabbing material is not as wise as heading the King homeward with 7...Ke6.
An earlier game, featuring 7...Kxf4, illustrated similar dangers, although the play could have been improved in different places 8.Rf1+ (8.0-0+) 8...Ke5 9.cxd4+ Kxd4 (9...Ke6) 10.Qa4+ (10.Rf5) 10...Ke5 11.d4+ Ke6 12.Qb3+ Kd6 (12...d5) 13.Qd5+ Ke7 Black resigned, drakorg - borodin, FICS, 2002.
8.cxd4
Likewise, grabbing material.
White could keep an edge by focusing on the enemy King, as Rybka suggests: 8.Qh5 Nc2+ 9.Kd1 g5 10.Qf3+ Kf5 11.fxg5+ Kg6 12.Rf1 Qe8 13.Kxc2 d6 when White's pawns and attack are adequate compensation for the sacrificed piece.
8...Kxf4
More material = more risk. This is a complicated line!
Another uneven instructive tale: 8...Kxd4 9.0–0 Bc5 (9...Nf6) 10.Kh1 (10.Nc3) 10...Qh4 (10...Be7) 11.Qa4+ Kd5 12.Nc3+ Kd6 13.d4 (13.Qe4) 13...Bb6 14.Bd2 (14.Qb4+) 14...Nf6 (14...Ke6) 15.Qb4+ Ke6 (15...c5) 16.Rae1+ Kf7 17.Qc4+ (17.Qe7+) 17...Kg6 (17...Kf8) 18.f5+ Kh5 19.Ne2 d5 20.Qd3 Ne4 21.Nf4+ Kg4 22.Qf3+ Kxf5 23.Ng6+ Kxg6 24.Qf7 checkmate, richiehill - steadylooking, FICS, 2011
Rybka prefers 8...Nf6 9.0-0 Kf5.
9.Rf1+ Kg5 10.d3+ Kg6 11.Qg4+ Black resigned
The following game, between Philidor 1792 and a friend, starts out like any friendly game. White plays the Jerome Gambit, and Black does his best to fashion a suitable defense.
Then, things become violent...
Philidor 1792 - NN
friendly game, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
Black's Knight at f6 rules out any 7.Qh5+ lines, but it also eliminates 7...Qh4 as a response to the text.
7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 d6
9.Bg5 Re8 10.0-0-0 Kg8
White has castled Queenside while Black has castled-by-hand.
Black has the advantage, but White has the advantage (from experience) of knowing where the weak points might develop in the defense.
11.f4 Nc6 12.Qf2 Bg4 13.Rd3 Qc8
Black reinforces his Bishop, but removes support from his Knight. That is enough to move the advantage to the first player.
14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Qh4
Here comes trouble.
15...Rf8 16.Rg3 h5 17.h3 Kf7 18.hxg4 hxg4 19.Nd5
Sealing the enemy King's fate.
19...Qd8 20.Qh5+ Ke6 21.Qf5+ Kf7 22.Rh7+ Ke8 23.Qe6+ Ne7 24.Rxe7+ Qxe7 25.Qxe7 checkmate
It is fun to start the day off reading a new discussion at Chess.com with the title of today's post, "What well known gambits are unsound?"
The original poster started off with the Latvian Gambit and the Albin Counter Gambit.
The very first responder chimed in with the Jerome Gambit!
As I've posted before, P.T. Barnum (a contemporary of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome) liked to say that “there’s no such thing as bad press, as long as they spell your name right.”
I am taking time out from my "passionate" savoring of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) to offer congratulations to my son, Matt, and his bride, Melanie, as they marry today. My heart swells, and my eyes overflow.
Readers who are familiar with the "Kennedy Kids" know that "big brother Matt" has grown from "A Fool Proof Plan" through "Little Capablanca".
As I have shifted to writing about Mary, Jon, and Matt in their "older" years, I guess that I owe my new daughter-in-law, Dr. Melanie, a story as well.
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