Complicated

In the third round of the Chess.com Italian Game Thematic tournament I was only able to play one Jerome Gambit. It turned out to be a complicated affair, but I was able to bring home the point.

perrypawnpusher - wuolong
Italian Game Thematic
Chess.com, 2013

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 Bxd4 

My opponent was not going to let me use anything that I had learned from watching Philidor1792 explore the 7...Bd6 line.

8.Qxd4 d6 9.Bg5 h6 

An earlier game of mine had continued 9...Nc6 10.Qd3 Re8 11.0-0 Kg8, perrypawnpusher - Philidork, blitz, FICS,2010 (1-0,17).

I planned to castle Queenside this time, an idea that I got from  Wall, Bill - Stayshot, Chess.com, 2010, which somehow has not made its way onto this blog until now (although it is in The Database): 9...Rf8 10.0-0-0 c6 11.f4 Ng6 12.e5 h6 13.exf6 hxg5 14.fxg5 gxf6 15.Ne4 fxg5 16.Rhf1+ Kg8 17.Nf6+ Kh8 18.Ne8+ Kg8 19.Qg7 checkmate

It turns out that Alonzo Wheeler Jerome played 0-0-0 in various Jerome Gambit lines, the first being Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1-0, 43). It does not look like that game has made it to this blog, either: 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 Nf6 11.d3 Ke7 12.Nc3 d6 13.Bf4 Qe6 14.0-0-0 Qg4 15.Qf1 g5 16.Bg3 Be3+ 17.Kb1 Bf4 18.Bf2 c5 19.h3 Qh5 20.h4 Be6 21.hxg5 Qxg5 22.Bh4 Qg4 23.Nd5+ Bxd5 24.exd5 Rae8 25.d4 Bg5 26.Bxg5 Qxg5 27.dxc5 dxc5 28.Qb5 b6 29.d6+ Kf7 30.Rhf1 Kg7 31.Qc6 Rhf8 32.a3 Rd8 33.g4 Nxg4 34.Qc7+ Kg8 35.Rxf8+ Rxf8 36.Qxa7 Qd8 37.Qa4 Ne5 38.Qe4 Ng6 39.Qe6+ Rf7 40.d7 Nf8 41.Qe8 Qxd7 42.Rxd7 Rxd7 43.Qb8 Black resigned

10.Bh4 Be6 11.O-O-O Qe7 12.f4 Nc6 13.Qe3 Qf8 

Black takes his Queen off of the d8-h4 diagonal, while keeping it on the a3-f8 diagonal. It is not a bad move, but it got me thinking that it was time to advance in the center.

White has three choices: f4-f5; Bxf6 followed by f4-f5; or e4-e5.

14.e5 Ng4

I expected this Knight challenge, as neither my opponent nor I thought that 14...dxe5 was playable. It turns out that Black can respond either 15.Qb4 or 15.Ng4 with a slight edge.

Still, I had prepared a surprise for my opponent.

15.Qe4 dxe5 

Perhaps expecting 16.fxe5, which is well-met by 16...Qb4, when White will simply be worse after the exchange of Queens, or will not have enough of an attack after 17.Rf1+ Kg8.

16.f5

Now, two of Black's pieces are hanging, and White will be better.

Black resigned, which may have been in response to his surprise, or frustration with his failed plan. 

Yet, after the necessary 16...Kg8, and the reasonable 17.fxe6, he could have tried 17...Qf4+, 18.Kb1 Qxe4 19.Nxe4 Re8 as White's advanced passed pawn on e6 will not prove very strong. In fact, it might be best for White to trade it off directly with 20.Rc7 Rxe6 21.Rxc7, when Black will have his own passed pawn on e5, even if he subsequently loses another pawn (say, the one at b7). White might have an edge, but not a large one...

A Gimme

One nice thing about the Jerome Gambit is that your opponent can make what at first quick glance might appear to be a reasonable move - and wind up giving the game to you.

Whether you consider the following game a "gift" or a "grab", it seems to be win number 201 for Bill Wall in The Database.  

Wall,B - Guest876397
playchess.com, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nf6? 

Develop  a third piece, attack the Queen. What's the problem?

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 Nxe4?

Making things even worse.

10.Qd5+ 

Here Black, about to be down a piece and a pawn, resigned in Wall, B - Meinherr, Chess.com, 2010

10...Kf8 11.Qxe4 Qh4+

Or 11...d5 as in Wall, B - Dani, Chess.com,  2010 (1-0, 20).

12.g3 Qg4 

13.b3 c6 14.Ba3+ Kf7

Threatening ...Re8

15.Qe7+ Kg6

Already: 15...Kg8?? 16.Qf8 checkmate

16.Qd6+ Kf7 17.Nc3 Re8+ 18.Kf2 b5 

 19.Rae1 Re6 20.Rxe6 Qxe6 21.Qf8+ Kg6 22.g4 

Threatening 23.f5

22...Qf6  23.Qe8+ Qf7

Or 23...Kh6 24.Qh5 checkmate

24.f5+ Black resigned

Black loses his Queen with 24...Kh6 or 24...Kg5; or falls to 24...Kf6 Ne4 checkmate.

Good Luck Is Better...

The old saying goes "Good luck is better than a license to steal."

As much as I would like to think that my success in this game was due to "superior skill", I have to attribute most of it to Dame Fortune.
perrypawnpusher - deceptionmaster
blitz, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Ne7 

A reasonable decision by Black: since he is going to lose a piece anyhow, he simply develops another. I was surprised to see only one example in The Database, Jabbaman - HrDoctor, PlayChess.com, 2003, (1-0, 16)

8.dxc5

Also possible was 8.Qh5+ N5g6 9.Qxc5, but I was planning to use my pawns for a central clamp.

8...Rf8 9.f4 N5c6 10.Nc3 Kg8 11.e5 

After the game Rybka 3 recommended, instead, advancing the f-pawn, i.e., 11.f5 b6 12.f6 Ng6 13.fxg7 Rxf1+ 14.Qxf1 Kxg7 with the idea of exposing Black's King, leaving the defender only slightly better.

I still prefer my move.

11...b6 12.Be3 bxc5 13.Bxc5 Ba6 14.Rf2 Rf5 

Black has been developing well, but I thought that this move was a bit provocative. Set to "blunder check" at 5 minutes a move after the game, Rybka 3 had nothing to say, however.

15.g4 Rf7 16.Qe1 

Probably better was 16.Qd2.

16...Nc8 17.f5 Nb6 18.Qe4 Bb7 

19.Rd1

I was almost beginning to like my position. The problem is that my planned e5-e6 is not going to amount to much.

19...Qe8 20.e6 dxe6 21.fxe6 Rxf2 22.Kxf2 Rd8 

White's e-pawn is a weakie (as 22...Nd8 would have shown), but I still had a few ideas about how I could use it - if my opponent let me.

23.Rf1 Rd2+

I had expected this aggressive move, and appreciated the tempo it forced upon me.

24.Kg1

This works, but technically 24.Ke1 was better.

24...Qd8 

I am not sure what - or how much - my opponent overlooked here, but this is an unfortunate blitz error. Perhaps he was returning some material - a Queen for a Rook and a Bishop - and figured the remaining imbalance of 2 Knights, Bishop and Rook would outplay my Queen and Knight; but there is an oversight in that evaluation.

25.Rf8+ Qxf8 26.Bxf8 Kxf8 27.Qf4+ 

Black's Rook is hanging. Now all I had to do was avoid blundering and avoid running out of time.

27...Ke7 28.Qxd2

After the game Rybka 3 harped that I should have played 28.Qf7+ Kd6 29.Ne4+ Ke5 30.Nxd2. Whatever. 

28...Ne5 29.Qe3 Nf3+ 30.Kf2 Nxh2 31.Qc5+ Kxe6 32.Qxc7 Nxg4+ 33.Kg3 Bc8 34.Kxg4 Black resigned

Think Fast!

If Black has enough time, he can "solve" the Jerome Gambit.

Philidor1792 - guest4181
5+0 www.bereg.ru, 13.02.0028

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 

First seen in Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's analysis in the Dubuque Chess Journal, April 1874, Vol. VI, No. 50, p. 358-9, "New Chess Opening".


6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.0-0 Be6

Jerome's analysis continued optimistically 7...Nf6 8.Qf3 Qd4 9.d3 Bg4 10.Qe3 Qxe3 11.Bxe3 Bxd3 12.fxe3 Ke7 "and White should draw by the judicious use of his pawns". A year later he varied from his own advice and played 10.Qg3, instead, in Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29).

Black's move in today's game is very reasonable.

8.d3 Qh4 9.Nd2 Bg4 10.Qe1 Nf6 11.Nc4 Kf7 

Preparing to castle by hand.

12.Bf4 Rhf8 13.c3 Kg8 14.d4 Be7 15.Bxc7 Be6 

White has three "Jerome pawns" for his sacrificed piece, and the game is about equal.

16.Nd2 Nh5 17.f4 Rac8 18.Qxh4 Bxh4 19.Be5 Black lost on time

("Objectively," of course, the position was even.)

Another bus

After Philidor1792's game against Guest 128, I found myself thinking "It's a shame that Black didn't play 11...Nxc1."

No problem. Sometimes checkmate in the Jerome Gambit is like a city bus - miss one, not to worry, another one will come along shortly. On the same day Philidor1792 got to play the following game.


Philidor1792 - guest4181
5+0 www.bereg.ru, 2013

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4

8...Bxd4 9.c3 Bb6 10.f4 Nd3+

 11.Kd2 Nxc1 12.Qe5+ Kc6 13.Qd5 checkmate

There you go.

Keep Up - Or Get Trampled

The Jerome Gambit lends itself nicely to blitz chess, especially 5-minute games. Black can keep up - or get trampled.

Philidor1792 - guest128
5+0 www.bereg.ru, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 

This move, less well known than 8.f4, is as old as Jerome - Norton, correspondence, 1877 (0-1, 41), as notorious as Tonetti - Ruggieri, Rome, 1863 (1-0, 23), and a favorite of Philidor1792, who has, by my count, 9 wins, 2 draws, and 0 losses with it.

White asks, "what's another pawn among frenemies?"

8...Bxd4 9.c3

Philidor1792 has also looked at 9.Na3. For coverage, see "An Intriguing Letter" Parts 1, 2 & 3; "Some History of the Jerome Gambit" Parts 1, 2 & 3; "Jerome Gambit: Early Opening Tomes" Parts 1, 2 & Addendum; and "Full Circle" Parts 1 & 2 

9...Bb6 10.f4 

10...Nd3+

Black no doubt feels good about being able to play a forward-going move, but this is not his strongest option.

11.Kd2 Nxf4

Black suddenly realizes that his intended 11...Nxc1 falls to 12.Qe5+ Kc6 13.Qd5 checkmate. Still, it is not time for despair.

12.Qxf4+ Kc6 13.e5 

13...d5 

"Luft!" Black imagines. 

14.Qa4+ Kc5 15.b4+ Kc4 16.b5+ Kc5 17.Qb4 checkmate

Chess.com Italian Game Tournament (Round 3)

The third round of the Chess.com Italian Game Tournament has begun, with seven players still in competition. In my 4-player group I am facing JoseSoza (2040), with an over-all record of 8-1-3, tops among players still active in the tournament;  wuolong (1749), with an over-all record of 7-3, fourth best among active players;  and Svarga (1287), with an over-all record of 5-5-0, sixth best among active players.
At 1823, with an over-all record of 8-3-1, I have the second best record among active players in the tournament. Of course, two of my three losses so far in the tournament have been with the Jerome Gambit, against JoseSoza, so nobody should be surprised how our next game (I have White in all three games to start this round) went - except me, of course: It started 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 (angling for an Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit) Be7. Oh, dear, no Jerome Gambit... Further bad luck, my game vs Svarga has concluded 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Black lost on time. That's another way to avoid the Jerome Gambit! However, wuolong has picked up the gauntlet, and allowed me an Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit!1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+.