A Look at the "Modern" Jerome Gambit: 5.c3

When Alonzo Wheeler Jerome played his gambit in the late 1800s and early 1900s, he aways followed up 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 with 5.Nxe5+, the move that I use to mark the "classical" side of the opening. 

More recently, we have seen a selection of 5th move alternatives for White - 5.c3, 5.d3, 5.0-0, to give a few examples - so I have referred to the "not-5.Nxe5+" lines as those leading to the "modern" Jerome Gambit.

In "Ask Houdini" I indicated that it was time to take a closer look at the "modern" 5.c3. The earliest examples that I have of the move in the nearly 29,000 games of The Database are some blitz and lightning games played online at FICS by JeffreyOM from 1999 and 2000. Admittedly, this finding is of only slight historical interest, as my games collection is overwhelmingly drawn from FICS games, starting in 1999; although it can be pointed out that I have yet to find an over-the-board game with 5.c3, from any year.

In any event, here is a modern game with the modern line by a couple of modern players.

Wall,B - Zois
Chess.com, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.c3

Here we go. White decides to limit his generosity and not sacrifice a second piece. He prepares for a large pawn center, and, in some cases, he can bring his Queen to that a2-g8 diagonal.

5...d6

A reasonable response, although Houdini 3 prefers 5...d5. Interestingly enough, The Database has 162 games with 5...d6 (White wins 44%) and only 38 with 5...d5 (White wins 20%). This is reminiscent of Bill's reflection: why worry about a refutation if no one plays it?

6.d4 Bb6 

7.dxe5 dxe5 

A couple of alternative moves:

7...Nxe5?! 8.Nxe5+ dxe5? (8...Kf8 9.Qf3+ Nf6 10.Nc4 Bc5 11.e5 dxe5 12.Nxe5 Qe7 13.Bf4 h6 14.0-0 Kg8 15.Ng6 Black resigned, thmavz - miomatteo, FICS, 2011) 9.Qxd8 Black resigned, thmavz - Richad, FICS, 2012; and 

7...Bg4?! 8.Ng5+? Kf8? 9.Qxg4 Qe7 10.e6 Nf6 11.Qh3 h6 12.0-0 Ne8 White resigned (this looks like a loss on time - Rick), manago - savage13, Chessworld.net, 2008. 

8.Nxe5+ Ke8 9.Qh5+ g6 10.Nxc6 gxh5 11.Nxd8 Kxd8 

Objectively, Black's extra piece outweighs White's 2 extra pawns, especially if you consider that he has the two Bishops. However, this is the kind of position for White that a Jerome Gambiteer is likely to be both familiar and comfortable with.

12.a4 Nf6

That didn't take long. Black is happy with his advantage, he sees nothing to fear on the Queenside, so he confidently develops his Kingside - and drops a piece. Even when defending against the Jerome Gambit, your game will not play itself.

13.Bg5 Ke7 14.e5 Rg8 15.Bxf6+ Ke6 16.g3 c5 17.f4 Bd7

18.Rf1 Bc6 19.f5+ Kd5

Black's King should stay on the Kingside to help defend against the "Jerome pawns". He can probably keep them from Queening, but only at the cost of significant material.

20.c4+ Kxc4 21.Rf4+ Kd5 22.Nc3 checkmate

Ask Houdini

A while back I bought Houdini 3, and have been enjoying its assessments, having placed it next to Rybka 3 as an analysis partner.

For fun, I set up the original Jerome Gambit sacrifice (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7) and asked Houdini the best follow-up for White. Not surprising, after 3 hours of "infinite analysis" it chose the classical 5.Nxe5+ as its top line, but only about a quarter of a pawn behind that move were 5.c3 and 5.d3.

Checking The Database, I noticed there were 1040 games with 5.c3, and White scored 44% with it. By comparison, there were 842 games with 5.d3, and White scored 31%. (There were 4165 games with 5.Nxe5+, with White scoring 54%)

I again challenged my silicon assistant, how to follow up after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5, and after 3 hours of "infinite analysis" it chose 6.Qh5+ (heading for the "boring defense"), but only by a bit less than a half-pawn over 6.d4.

There were 2,886 games with 6.Qh5+, with White scoring 55%, versus 1,075 games with 6.d4, with White scoring 50%.

Allowing for all the cautions associated with statistics, and there are many, I think it's time for me to take a closer look at 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.c3, and maybe give a second glance at 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4.

Jerome Gambit: Winning Strategy #1

The following game illustrates the Number One "winning strategy" for the Jerome Gambiteer, what I like to call "Lose Slowly"; to which my son Jon, no stranger to the Jerome added, "Give your opponent time to make a mistake."

perrypawnpusher - trombose
blitz, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Nc6

This is one of a number of ways for Black to return a piece (see "Chances", "Follow Your Friends", "No Need to Get a Big Head" and "Charlatan" for others), that, while not "best", still leaves him with an advantage.

9.Qd5+ 

This move is an improvement over 9.e5+,  which was seen in Superpippo - MattMeister, FICS, 2002 (1-0, 60) and Ghandybh - ishahir, Chess.com, 2009 (1-0, 17), the only precedents for 8...Nc6 in The Database.

9...Ke7 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qe3 

After the game, Houdini 3 suggested 11.Qf2 as another way of retreating the Queen.

11...Nf6 12.O-O Rf8 13.e5 

Probably premature.

13...Ng4 14.exd6+ Kxd6 

15.Qa3+ Kd7 16.Nc3 

I tend to get lost in these nebulous positions. After the game, Houdini 3 suggested 16.h3 Nf6 17.Rf3!? with the kind of attacking ideas your can find in Bill Wall's games.

16...Qe7 

A Queen exchange will blunt White's "attack", and there is little that I can do - so I try to ignore it. Curiously, for a while, so does my opponent.

17.Qa4 Qb4 18.h3 Nf6 19.b3 Qd4+ 20.Kh1 

As will be seen, 20.Kh2 was more prudent.

20...a6 21.Bb2 Qxa4 22.Nxa4 Nb4 

23.c4 

More to the point was the tactical skirmish, 23.Ba3 a5 24.c3 Ne4 25.Rfe1 Rxf4 26.cxb4 axb4 27.Bxb4 Nf2+ 28.Kg1 Nxh3+ 29.gxh3
Rxb4, when Black would have a slight edge.

23...b6 24 d4 Nd3 25.Bc3 Nh5 26.Bd2 

Focusing on trapping Black's Knight, I overlooked the loss of the exchange.

26...Ng3+ 27.Kg1 Nxf1 28.Rxf1 c5 

Instead, 28...Bb7, which must have been on Black's mind (perhaps he was spending too much time wondering what I was up to, or how he was going to retrieve his Knight), would have steadied his winning game - a Rook up.

29.Rf3

Correct was 29.Nxb6+, as White actually needs his Bishop to help his own Knight escape, when Black's edge would be minimal.

Both my opponent and I were suffering from "nerves" at this point.

29...Nb4 30.Bxb4 

Same criticism as above:  30.Nxb6+ was a better move, and winning.

30...cxb4 31.Nxb6+ Black resigned

Black must have been discouraged, seeing himself drop the exchange, as I had, earlier. The fact is, after 31...Kc6 32.Nxa8 Kb7 (or 32...Bf5) Black will gather in White's Knight, and, with a piece for three pawns, the game would be dynamically equal.

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One Step Ahead

I remember that in the first years that I played chess, I would occasionally checkmate an opponent, only to hear him say, "It's a good thing that you did, because I was going to checkmate you the next move," as if that were going to come as a surprise to me - like the many bogus chess games on TV or in the movies that end with one player announcing "Check" only to have the other one surprise him completely with "Check and mate".

In the following game, Black has a similar "consolation."


Wall,B - Josti 
Playchess.com, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

The Jerome Defense to the Jerome Gambit.

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ Qf6 9.Qg3 

As Bill notes, not 9.Qxc7? Qxf2+ 10.Kd1 d6 

9...d6 10.Nc3 Ne7 11.0-0 Be6 12.d3 Kf7

Black prepares to castle-by-hand, holding the advantage. It is up to White to provide enough mischief to make a game of it.

13.Bg5 Qg6 14.Nb5 Bb6 15.Kh1 Rhf8 16.c4 

16...Nc6 17.c5 dxc5 18.Nxc7 Bxc7 19.Qxc7+ Kg8 20.Qxb7 

20...Nd4?! 

Bill suggests 20...Nb4 21.Bd2 Nxd3 as better.

21.f4 h6 22.Bh4 Qg4?! 

Black sees the opportunity of either grabbing a pawn or turning White's Bishop into a large pawn. There was more heat in 22...Rfb8 23.Qc7 Rxb2. 

23.Bg3 Ne2 24.Rf3 

It looks for all the world like Black is attacking - and he is. Now, however, he overlooks a critical line.

24...Nxg3+??

Instead, Houdini 3 shows the road to advantage for Black, but it is a surprisingly rocky one, and a Jerome Gambit player might not be at all unhappy with the resulting position for White: 24...Rfb8 25.Qc7 Rxb2 26.f5 Rxa2 27.Rxa2 Nxg3+ 28.hxg3 Bxa2 29.Qb7 Re8 30.Qxa7 Bf7 31.Qxc5 Rb8 32.Qc2 Qg5 33.Kh2 Ra8. 

25.Rxg3 Qxf4 

Threatening mate with 26...Qf1+ 27. Rxf1 Rxf1 mate, but...

26.Qxg7 checkmate

("I was winning," an opponent once told me in one of my games; and I agreed, "You were, right up until the point where you resigned."

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws

Yet Another Day in the Life of the Jerome Gambit

I like to use the "day in the life" games to show just how other-worldly the Jerome Gambit can become.

pigsfeet - chessnyc
blitz, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

There are over 900 examples of this Jerome Gambit version in The Database.

5...Ke7

Black is not interested in the piece, however, at least for now. Already he has exchanged a winning advantage for a losing one. Yawn.


6.c3

White insists, however, and Black doesn't have to be asked twice.

6...Kxf7 7.b4 Bxf2+

Why should White have all the fun?

8.Kxf2 Rf8 9.Ba3 d6 10.Qb3+ Be6

This "aggressive counter" falls to a known tactic. The game would be roughly even after 10...Ke7.

11.Ng5+ Kg6 12.Nxe6 

White grabs back a piece, and will next win an exchange.

12...Qe7 13.Nxf8+ Rxf8 14.Rf1

Planning to castle-by-hand, White relaxes too soon. He is saved when Black's Knight moves to the left instead of to the right.

14...Nxe4+

Rybka 3 point out that 14...Ng4+ was the way to go, i.e. 15.Ke2 Rxf1 16.Kxf1 Qf6+ 17.Ke2 Qf2+ 18.Kd1 Ne3+ 19.Kc1 Qe1+ 20.Kb2 Qe2+ 21.Kc1 Kg5 22.h3 Qe1+ 23.Kb2 Qf2+ 24.Kc1 b5

Analysis Diagram

when White's pieces are all tied up, and Black will win with a timely ...a5, when his other Knight can enter the game (or simply capture White's Kingside pawns and Queen one of his own). Weird!




15.Kg1 Nd2

As you might expect from the analysis above, Black had a draw here with 15...Rxf1+ 16.Kxf1 Qf6+ 17.Ke1 Qf2+ 18.Kd1 Nxc3+ 19.Nxc3 Nd4 20.Qb2 Qg1+ 21.Kd2 Qf2+ 22.Kd1 Qg1+ etc.

The move in the game looks like a slip, perhaps a hallucination.

16.Nxd2 Rxf1+ 17.Rxf1 Qh4

Here Black resigned, as he has only a pawn for his missing piece. Indeed, White has a forced mate in 6.

Entertaining, Maddeningly Short Video

For an entertaining, maddeningly short video (with tense background music) on a sprightly Blackburn Shilling Jerome Gambit Game, here's the whole story in 23 seconds.

Luckily, the game is available below, as well.

Peter Šoltýs (1863) - Anton Škrivánek (1808)
Žilina, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Qh5  Qf6 7.Ng4 g6 8.Qd5+ Black resigned.


(Why am I not surprised to find that Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member DragonTail played the same attack against annina  in 2006?)