The Jerome Gambit Re-Animated

The Jerome Gambit is dead. Everyone knows that. 

Dead, dead, dead.

Dead as, say, White's game, below, after four moves, or six moves, or eight moves or ten moves...

Funny thing, though: under the right circumstances, the dead can be re-animated. Then, it is time to be careful. They bite.

Ôèëèäîð1792 - Guest543
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 Bxd4 9.Bg5 Ne7 10.Bxe7+ Kxe7 11.Nc3

This is an improvement on the previous Ôèëèäîð1792 - Guest543 game.

11...Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 d6 13.Qh5 Bg4 14.Qh4+ Kd7 15.Qg3 Qf6 16.0-0 

16..Be2 17.Rfe1 Bc4 18.f4 Nc6 19.Rad1 Qg6 20.Qh3+ Kd8 21.e5 d5 22.f5 Qe8 

Black is still fine, but White has cranked up both the "Jerome pawns" and his Rooks. As long as White attacks, Black will have to defend.

23.f6 gxf6 24.exf6 Qf7 25.Qg4 Bxa2 26.c4 Bxc4 27.Qxc4 Qxf6

At last. Black's wobbly light-squared Bishop was one sign that he was weakening, but here's the key: compare the location of his Rooks with White's Rooks.

Smart play by White, or what the zombies would say, "Brains!"

28.Qxd5+ Kc8 29.Qd7+ Kb8 30.Re8+ Nd8 31.Qxd8+ Black resigned

Study the Classics

Serious chess players studying serious chess openings are often encouraged to study the classic games that illustrate thematic play. 

Likewise, less-than-serious chess players studying less-than-serious chess openings - the Jerome Gambit comes immediately to mind - still would benefit from studying the "classic" games from that line of play.

(That brings to mind an interesting challenge: what are the "classic" games in the Jerome Gambit praxis? Certainly this is fodder for discussion and a series of posts later on in the year.)

Ôèëèäîð1792 - Guest 543
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 Bxd4 9.Bg5 

This move comes from the classic game Tonetti - Ruggieri, Rome, 1863 (1-0, 23), which no doubt thrilled - or, at least, amused -  chess players around the world.

The alternative, 9.Na3, was seen in the earlier Jerome - Norton, correspondence, 1877 (0-1, 41); and updated in "An Intriguing Letter" Parts 1, 2 & 3 and "Some History of the Jerome Gambit" Parts 1 & 3.

9...Ne7 

This is a significant improvement over Ruggeri's 9...Nf6. Guest 543 has passed his first test.

10.Bxe7+ Qxe7 11.c3 Nd3+ 12.Kd2 Nxf2

Black is "winning all over the place" - but, didn't he forget something??

13.Qd5 checkmate

Oh, yeah, that's right...

Be Prepared!

The chessboard can be a scary place, and it is always a good idea to be prepared for what might show up there. This advice also refers to defenders who face the unbalanced Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Luckily for them, many refutations of the gambit have been published.

Lucky for the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde, chess games, do not, yet, "play themselves".

Wall,B - Guest3164644
Playchess.com, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Qf6 

A defense suggested by NM Eric Schiller in his 1998 Unorthodox Chess Openings.

8.Rf1

Unfortunately, this move is not covered in UCO.

8...g6 9.Qh3+

Threatening 10.fxe5

9...Ng4

Seen previously:

9...Kf7 10.fxe5 Qxf1+ 11.Kxf1 d6 12.Qc3 Black resigned, Wall, B - Guest1690223, Playchess.com, 2012; and

9...Ke7 10.Nc3 c6 d6 (10...c6, Wall,B - XCCY, FICS, 2011 [1-0,21]) 11.Nd5+ Kd8 12.Qg3 Qe6 13.fxe5 dxe5 14.d4 Ne7 15.dxc5 Nxd5 16.Bg5+ Ke8 17.exd5 Qxd5 18.Rf2 Be6 19.Rd2 Qxc5 20.0-0-0 Rf8 21.Qh4 h5 22.Bh6 Rf5 23.Rd8+ Rxd8 24.Rxd8+ Kf7 25.Rf8+ Qxf8 26.Bxf8 Kxf8 27.Qd8+ Kg7 28.Qxc7+ Kh6 29.h4 Rf1+ 30.Kd2 Rf2+ 31.Ke3 Rf5 32.Qd8 a6 33.Qh8 checkmate, Wall,B - Aburasian, Chess.com, 2010. 

10.Qxg4+ Ke7 11.Nc3 d6? 

12.Nd5+ Kd8 13.Nxf6 Bxg4 14.Nxg4 h5 

White is up two pawns.

15.Nf2 Kd7 16.Nh3 Re8 17.d3 Nf6 18.Ng5 Ng4

Black has done well in attending to his development. He should not try to mimic White's wandering Knight.

19.h3 Nh2 20.Rh1 Black resigned

Another Serving

Following up on the previous post, "More Russian Home Cooking" it is relevant to point out Yury V. Bukayev's article on the Evans-Bukayev Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 h6!? 5.b4!, which contains some Jerome Gambit accents such as 5...Bxb4 6.c3 Bc5 (6...Bf8 7.d4 Na5 8.Bxf7+; 6...Ba5 7.0-0 [7.d4 d6 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Bxf7+]]d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Bxf7+) 7.d4 exd4 8.0-0 Na5 9.Bxf7+; and 5...Bb6 6.b5 Nd4 7.Bxf7+.

Xороший appetit!

More Russian Home Cooking

I can always count on Yury V. Bukayev for new and interesting chess ideas. Check my link to Bruno's Chess Opening Articles, or "Something New in Something Old" or "Even in the Most Respectable of Settings" or "Update" or "Trick Fork" or "Improve Your Chess" or any number of other posts you can search this site for.

Here's the latest email that I have received. I have not dug deeply into the idea, but it is sure to put a sparkle in your play!

Dear Rick, 
I have the following new present for you! It's my discovery! 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 h6 5.a3 (White has the auxiliary threat: 6.b4.) 5...Nd4? 6.Bf7!! White has a very strong attack! (6.Ne5?! Qg5!-+; after 6.Na4 or 6.b4 black can play 6...Bd6! without fast white's winning.) If you agree, you may call it as "Bukayev GP Jerome counter gambit", where "GP" is the well-known words: "giuoco piano". Later I'll write you about interesting line: 5.Qe2 Nd4...

Best wishes! Yury V. Bukayev

Regicide

Although the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit leads to play that is "objectively" even, Black's King often suffers the consequences of a defender's mis-step.

Clydeco - chaparov
standard, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Ke6 

Black wisely decides not to feast upon any pawns. He has had a couple uncomfortable past experiences: 7...Kxe4 8.Qg4+ Kd5 9.Nc3+ Kc6 10.d5+ Kd6 (10...Kb6 11.0-0 Nf6 12.Qd4+ Bc5 13.Na4+ Ka6 14.Nxc5+ Kb5 15.a4+ Ka5 16.d3 b5 17.b4+ Kb6 18.a5 checkmate, Dropshot - chaparov, standard, FICS, 2011)11.d4 Ke7 12.Bg5+ Nf6 13.0-0-0 Kf7 14.Qf4 h6 15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.Qxc7 Bd6 17.Qc4 b5 18.Nxb5 Ba6 19.Nxd6+ Qxd6 20.Qb3 Rhc8+ 21.Kb1 Bc4 22.Qf3+ Kg8 23.Rhe1 Bxd5 24.Qh5 Bf7 25.Qa5 Qxh2 26.g4 Qxf2 27.g5 Qc2+ 28.Ka1 h5 29.Rf1 Bg6 30.Qd5+ Kh7 31.Qxd7 Rf8 32.Rh1 Rf2 33.Qb7 Re8 34.d5 Ree2 35.Rb1 Qa4 36.Qc6 Bxb1 37.Rxh5+ Kg8 38.Qxa4 Bxa2 39.Qe8+ Rf8 40.Kxa2 Rexe8 41.d6 Rd8 42.g6 Rf5 43.Rxf5 Rxd6 44.Rf7 Rxg6 45.Rxa7 Kh7 46.Ra3 Kh6 47.Rh3+ Kg5 48.b4 Kf5 49.Rf3+ Ke4 50.Rf8 Rb6 51.Kb3 g5 52.Ka4 g4 53.Ka5 Rb7 54.Rg8 g3 55.b5 Kf4 56.Ka6 Rf7 57.b6 Kf3 58.b7 g2 59.b8Q Rf6+ 60.Ka7 Rf7+ 61.Ka8 Kf2 62.Qh2 Kf1 63.Rxg2 Ke1 64.Kb8 Rf8+ 65.Kc7 Rf7+ 66.Kd8 Rf8+ 67.Ke7 Rf1 68.Qe5+ Kd1 69.Qa1 checkmate, Truntin - chaparov, blitz, FICS, 2012.

8.Nc3 Bb4

A casual move that brings much misfortune.

Previously played: 8...Kf7 9.Qh5+ (9.Qb3+ Ke8 10.d3 c6 11.0-0 d6 12.Bf4 Qf6 13.Ne2 Qe6 14.d5 cxd5 15.Nd4 Qf6 16.Qb5+ Kf7 17.Qxd5+ Kg6 18.e5 Qxf4 19.Ne6 Bxe6 20.Qxe6+ Kh5 21.Rae1 Black forfeited on time, papernoose - nuum, FICS, 2004) g6 10.Qf3+ Qf6 11.Qd3 Bg7 12.e5 Qa6 13.Qf3+ Ke8 14.d3 Ne7 15.0-0 Rf8 16.Qh3 h5 17.Qg3 d6 18.Bg5 dxe5 19.Bxe7 Kxe7 20.Nd5+ Kd8 21.dxe5 Bf5 22.e6 Qd6 23.e7+ Ke8 24.exf8Q+ Bxf8 25.Nxc7+ Kd7 26.Nxa8 Qxg3 27.fxg3 Bc5+ 28.d4 Bxd4+ 29.Kh1 Bxb2 30.Rab1 Bxb1 31.Rxb1 Ba3 32.Rxb7+ Kc6 33.Rxa7 Bc5 34.Rg7 Kb5 35.Rxg6 h4 36.gxh4 Kc4 37.Rg5 Be3 38.Rg3 Bf4 39.Rg4 Kd5 40.Rxf4 Kc6 41.h5 Kd6 42.h6 Ke6 43.h7 Ke5 44.Rf7 Ke6 45.h8Q Kxf7 46.g4 Ke6 47.g5 Kf7 White ran out of time and Black had no material to mate, draw, Randompl - Steftcho, FICS, 2012

9.Qb3+ 

The obvious move for White, but is there more for him than just a piece? He decides to find out.

9...Kf6 10.Nd5+ Kg6 11.Nf4+ Kg5

Where the King wanders matters: 11...Kf6 was necessary to keep Black's losses to only the Bishop on b4. Now the King himself is lost.

12.Qf7 Qf6 13.Qd5+ Kxf4 14.Ke2 Qg6 15.d3+ Kg4 16.h3+ Kh4 17.g3+ Qxg3 18.fxg3+ Kxg3 19.Qg5 checkmate

The Database - Updated

Although it still needs a bit of polishing, The Database has been updated through February 2013.

The Database is a free PGN database of  nearly 29,000 Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+), and Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3/4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) games; as well as games following the so-far-unnamed order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+. 

A good number of the games in The Database are either Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) or Semi-Italian Four Knight Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Nc3 / 5.0-0 Bc5 6.Bxf7+)

If you are interested, email me at richardfkennedy@hotmail.com.