Black is doing fine in the following game until he decides to grab a pawn to increase his lead.
HauntedKnight - uwehah
standard, FICS, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Ng6
8.dxc5 Re8 9.0-0 Nxe4
This looks like a "freebie" as the Black King is not on the open e-file. However...
10.Nxe4 Rxe4 11.Qf3+ Rf4 12.Bxf4 Nxf4 13.Qxf4+ Kg8 14.Rfe1
Black resigned
Black is only down an exchange and a pawn, but it is difficult to find compensation.
The tension in the following game comes from the advance of Bill Wall's wall of "Jerome pawns". His opponent's return of a piece was an interesting idea, but it turned out not to be enough.
Wall,B - Guesty1960624
Playchess.com, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
White is usually happy to see this move, as it means that he will be able to capture Black's pesky dark-square Bishop, freeing the "Jerome pawns" to advance.
7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ N8e7 9.0-0 d6 10.Qc4
10...Bd7 11.d4 Nc6 12.f4 Qf6 13.f5 Nge7 14.Be3 Rc8 15.Nc3 Qf7 16.Qd3 a6
The game appears about even, although Black's King prevents his Rooks from communicating, and he may become ill at ease behind his Queen, if the f-file opens.
17.g4 h6 18.h4 Qf6 19.g5 hxg5 20.hxg5 Qf7
Black's plan is to show that White's pawns have advanced too far, leaving the White King at risk. He is willing to return a piece to make his point.
21.f6 Qh5 22.fxe7+ Kxe7 23.Nd5+ Kd8 24.Kf2 Rf8+ 25.Ke1 Qh4+
This gives White's King a jump on his escape. Probably better was 25...Rxf1+ 26.Qxf1 Qh4+ 27.Kd2 Qxe4 with a messy, but balanced, game.
26.Kd2 Qh2+ 27.Kc3 Rh8 28.Rf7 g6 29.Qf1 Ke8 30.Qf6 Black resigned
Even giving up most of his army will not save Black from mate: 30...Qh7 31.Rf1 Bf5 32.Rxf5 Qxf7 33.Qxh8+ Kd7 34.Rxf7+ Ne7 35.Rxe7+ Kc6 36.Qxc8 b6 37.Qe8+ Kb7 38.Rxc7#
As mentioned in the last post, I have suggested that those who play, and those who face, the Jerome Gambit, would benefit from becoming familiar with "the classics" of that line.
That got me thinking: What would those classics be?
Here are the additional games from a preliminary sketch.
6. Charlick - Mann, correspondence, Australia, 1881
The Australian player Charlick, who had already played an "Evans-Jerome Gambit" against Holloway in 1877, won a long correspondence game with the Jerome Gambit against John Mann in 1881. Again, an interesting game, and another example of the Gambit's spread around the world.
7. Jerome - S.A. Charles, correspondence, 1881
As I noted in "The Jerome Gambit Gemeinde (early)"
S. A. Charles, a member of the Cincinnati (Ohio, USA) Chess Club, wrote opening analyses, first for the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, then later for the Pittsburgh Telegraph. It is in the latter paper that in 1881 he presented his examination of the Jerome Gambit. That year he also played an incomplete Jerome Gambit correspondence match with Alonzo Jerome.
None of the games were completed before Jerome withdrew, because of "business engagements". This match has been given scant coverage in the blog. The situation will be rectified later this year.
8. Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885
The best-known Jerome Gambit game (even if Blackburne got the year wrong in his book), a crushing win by Black. Later analysis showed how White could get the advantage. Even later analysis showed how the game could have ended in a tense draw.
9. Sorensen, S.A. -X, Denmark, 1888
This game, the first that I have been able to find with the "pie in the face" defense, also celebrates Lt. Sorensen, who, in the May 1877 issue of Nordisk Skaktidende, wrote a very influential article on the Jerome Gambit, which was translated and republished widely.
10. Tonetti - Ruggieri, Rome, 1863
The King-hunt in this game makes the Jerome Gambit almost look like a legitimate opening. Almost.
In recent posts I have suggested that those who play, and those who face, the Jerome Gambit, would benefit from becoming familiar with "the classics" of that line.
That got me thinking: What would those classics be?
I have come up with a preliminary sketch. I think all of the games (except one) have appeared on this blog.
0. Jerome - Dougherty
Alonzo Wheeler Jerome has written that his first Jerome Gambit was played against George Dougherty. Although I have not yet been able to find the game, it most likely occurred before the April, 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal, where the first analysis of the Jerome Gambit was presented. Of Dougherty I know little, but the following notice occurred in the Dubuque Chess Journal, May 1875
Our Portfolio
Chess Challenge
George J. Dougherty, of Mineola, Queen's County, New York, hereby respectfully invites John G. Belden, Esq., of Hartford, Conn., to play him two games of chess by Postal Card, at his convenience, Mr. Belden taking the attack in one game and Mr. Dougherty in the other; the object being to test the soundness of Jerome's Double Opening, published in the April No. (50) of this Chess Journal.
1. Jerome - Shinkman, Iowa, 1874
The first published Jerome Gambit played by Jerome that I have been able to uncover (in the July issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal) was a loss by White.
2. Jerome - Whistler, correspondence, 1876
Largely lost to the chess-playing public, the correspondence match between Jerome and Lt. G.N. Whistler (one game survives) tested the latter's defense to the Jerome Gambit. Alas, a crushing defeat for White - who rarely, if ever, seemed to remember to mention the line thereafter.
3. Vazquez - Giraudy, exhibition, Mexico, 1876
In perhaps the most outrageous Jerome Gambit played, the Mexican champion, giving Rook odds, checkmated his opponent in 18 moves.
4. Vazquez - Carrington, 2nd Match, Mexico, 1876
This is actually a "composite" listing, as the Mexican champion played the Jerome Gambit three times (games 1, 5 and 9) in his match with William Carrington, winning them all.
5. D'Aumiller - A. P., Livorno, 1878
This miniature played in Livorno, Italy - lasting 19 moves, at which point White announced a mate in 4 - was published in the May 1878 issue of Nuova Rivista degli Scacchi, showing that the Jerome Gambit had already hurdled the ocean.
[to be continued]
A glance at a recent Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit Declined suggests that all is still well for White - although, perhaps not as well as the game would indicate.
Cydeco - Nikilady
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Ke7 5.Bc4 Black forfeited by disconnection
When I get a new bunch of games, I like to see what has been happening in some of the most important lines. The following game explores Whistler's Defense, a very dangerous line for White to deal with. Once again, we see that although a refutation may exist in the books, it may not easily make it to the board. The first player loses only after missing his chance to escape.
franciskov - danielhidrobo
blitz, FICS, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7
A wicked "improvement" on the 7...d6 of Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884 - first played almost a decade earlier, but largely forgotten.
8.Qxh8
White should not be able to take the Rook and live.
8...Qxe4+
An innocuous sideline is 8...Qf6 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.0-0 Black resigned, Wall,B - Sepoli, Chess.com 2010.
9.Kd1
9.Kf1 is better, as in Jerome,A - Norton,D, Correspondence 1876 (½-½, 20)
9...d5
Black does not realize what an opportunity he has in 9...Qxg2. See blackburne-perrypawnpusher/JG3 thematic, ChessWorld.net 2008 (0-1, 17), but don't overlook Wall,B - Mathieubuntu, FICS, 2011 (½-½,14).
9...Qg4+ 10.f3 Qxg2 is a similar kick in the head, Jerome,A - Whistler,G, Correspondence 1876 (0-1, 15).
10.Re1
Taking a shot at the enemy Queen, but overlooking his light-square weakenesses. Necessary was 10.Qxh7+ Kf6 11.f3, safe-guarding both his Queen and King, when he can cobble together a defense, according to Rybka: 11...Qg4 12.Rg1 Qd7 13.Qh8+ Qg7 14.Qxg7+ Kxg7 15.Re1. White is up the exchange and two pawns.
Now Black finishes things off.
10...Bg4+ 11.f3 Bxf3+ 12.gxf3 Qxf3+
13.Re2 Re8 14.Qxh7+ Kf8 15.Nc3 Qf1+ 16.Re1 Qxe1 checkmate
If you play the Jerome Gambit, some day you will be faced with one of its many refutations. The only thing you can do is gather up your resources, look at the defense or counter-attack, and start "Staring It Down"...
Yopsoe turns in a great game of fighting chess.
Yopsoe (2047) - lucylucy (1736)
standard, FICS, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4
Black's sharpest response, which I have referred to as "a pie-in-the-face variation".
7.0-0 Ng4
Black is going for the kill, but this is probably not his strongest move.
8.h3 Bb6
Instead, 8...Bd6 was seen in Sorensen,S - X, Denmark, 1888 (1-0, 27), the earliest example of 6...Qh4 in The Database.
9.hxg4
Not 9.Qf3+ as in Sir Osis of the Liver - perrypawnpusher, Jerome Gambit thematic, ChessWorld, 2008 (0-1, 38)
9...d6 10.f3 h5
Sheer aggression.
Development with 10...Be6 was seen in Wall,B - Rajiv, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 33).
11.g5 Ne7 12.Be3 Rf8 13.Nc3 Kg8
With the h-file closed to Black's Rook, he decides to castle-by-hand. Houdini gives Black a slight edge, but it must be annoying to the second player to have his counter-attack blunted.
14.Ne2 c5 15.c3 cxd4 16.cxd4 Bd8 17.Qc1
Black would like to target the White pawn on g5, while White wants to move the action to another part of the board.
17...Ng6 18.Qc4+ Rf7 19.Rac1 a5 20.Qd5 Nf8 21.Rf2 Be6 22.Qxd6 Be7
The game remains sharp, and Houdini gives White a slight edge, despite Black's active pieces.
23.Qb6 Bd8 24.Qb5 Bc8
A puzzling defensive idea: to kick out White's Queen, Black un-develops.
25.g3 Qh3 26.g6 Nxg6 27.Rh2 Qe6 28.Qxh5
Now White has the initiative, and his advantage grows, even as Black defends by exchanging pieces.
28...Rc7 29.Rxc7 Bxc7 30.Nf4 Nxf4 31.gxf4 Bd6 32.d5 Qe7
The "Jerome pawns" are going to show their worth.
33.e5 Bc5 34.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 35.Kg2 Bd7 36.Qh8+ Kf7 37.e6+ Bxe6 38.dxe6+ Kxe6 39.Qxg7
Taking Black's Rook at move 37 or 39 would have allowed a perpetual starting with ...Qc2+.
39...Qe7 40.Rh6+ Kd7 41.Qd4+ Kc8 42.Rh8+ Black forfeited on time
