There's always something interesting about a Bill Wall Jerome Gambit game. The following game has several enlightening points, but the most enduring one for me is the sad career of Black's light-squared Bishop that never leaves home, and is hardly ever able to - a tell-tale sign that the second player is in trouble.
Wall, Bill - Dad88
PlayChess.com, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
I was surprised to see that Houdini prefers this to 7.Qh5. Of course, Bill has played that, too. See Wall,B - Castro,S, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23) and Wall,B - Guest473534, PlayChess.com, 2011 (1-0, 21).
7...Bb6
Or 7...Bxd4 as in Wall,B - Merdiyev,F, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 17), Wall,B -Foman, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 16) and Wall,B -Ratebabb, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 28).
8.dxe5 Ne7 9.Nc3 c6
Bill suggests, instead, a step toward castling-by-hand with 9...Rf8.
10.Qh5+
He also offers 10.Kh1 followed by 11.f4.
10...Ng6
Casually giving the piece back, probably unintentionally.
11.Qf5+ Kg8 12.Qxg6 Qf8 13.Ne2 Qf7
14.Qg3
As an alternative, Bill mentions 14.Qxf7+ Kxf7 15.Be3. It is worth extending that line one move further, with 15...Bxe3 16.fxe3+. White's advantage in material then consists of tripled, isolated e-pawns, but they help him dominate the board
analysis diagram
14...Kh7 15.b3 Rf8 16.Bb2 Qg6 17.Qd3 a5 18.Ng3 a4 19.Nf5 axb3
Black would have done better to open his position with 19...d5 20.exd6 Bxf5 21.exf5 Qxf5 22.Qxf5+ Rxf5, as Bill notes.
20.axb3 Rxa1 21.Bxa1 Rd8 22.Nd6
Keeping things clamped down.
22...Bc5 23.Rd1
Or 23.Nxc8 Rxc8 24.Qxd7, but it seems a shame to relieve Black's light-squared Bishop of its misery.
23...Rf8
Making his own threat of 24...Rxf2. The alternative, 23...Bxd6 24.exd6 Re8 seems self-punishing.
24.Nf5 Qe6 25.h3 g6 26.Nd6 Bxf2+
Better says Bill, is 26...Rxf2.
27.Kh2 Bc5
Missing the line in the game that allows for winning simplification. His last try to hold on was 27...Qe7 28.Nxc8 Rxc8 29.Qxd7 Rc7.
28.Nxc8 Rxc8 29.Qxd7+ Qxd7 30.Rxd7+ Kg8 31.Rxb7 Re8 32.Rc7 Re6 33.g4 Be3 34.Kg3 Black resigned
The end may be a ways off, but it is inescapable.
Chessfriend Julio Alberto González (NotiChess Ediciones, Web: www.notichess.com.ar, Email: notichess@gmail.com) has published his "NotiChess Diario" newsletter (with chess news, games and tactical puzzles) since early 2005.
His website has recently been discontinued, but he will continue to publish the NotiChess Journal (and with it, the "Club del Gambito Jerome").
If you are interested, he will send via email - every day - the NotiChess Journal (with PDF, PGN and CBV files), for free.
You may subscribe to the NotiChess Group, at: https://ar.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/NotiChess/info
Highly recommended.
In the following game Black's pieces do not know what to do with White's advancing pawns, and so decide to retreat and jump out of the way - leaving the field open for White's Queen.
Philidor1792 - bichara22
Casual Game Online chess portal http://ch (1), 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Bb3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
Another delayed Jerome Gambit, as in Philidor 1792 - guest1063, blitz 3 0, www.bereg.ru, 2013 (1-0, 37) and Philidor 1792 - guest3, 3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013 (1-0, 22).
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Re8
Black'smove is reasonable, but there is only one other example in The Database, Cossyphus - HarryPaul, blitz, FICS, 2004 (0-1, 33)
8.0-0 Bd6 9.f4 Ng6 10.e5 Be7 11.f5 Nh4 12.Nc3 Ng8
The "Jerome pawns" advance, scattering all resistance.
13.Qh5+ g6 14.Qxh7+ Kf8 15.fxg6+ Black resigned
How does that horror movie voice-over go? "Just when you thought it was safe to play ...Bc5..."
In the following 3-minute game Philidor 1792 is so interested in playing the Jerome Gambit that he is willing to drop a tempo (4.Bb3) in order to allow Black another chance to play ...Bc5. The defender, apparently suspicious of the "free" pawn on e4, ignores the capture and moves right along with White's plans.
Philidor 1792 - guest3
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Bb3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
It should be noted that long-time Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member jfhumphrey has been arriving at this position with the tempo-eating 4.d3 and 7.d4; while equally-dedicated HauntedKnight has encountered 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4 Nf6!? (leaving White a tempo up on the text game) on a number of occasions. Both Jerome Gambiteers play on the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS) and their games can be found in The Database.
Philidor 1792 has been here as well, in Philidor 1792 - guest1063, blitz 3 0, www.bereg.ru, 2013 (1-0, 37)
7...Nxe4 8.Qh5+ Ng6 9.Qd5+ Ke8 10.dxc5 Qe7
11.0-0 c6 12.Qd4 d5 13.cxd6 Nxd6 14.Bd2 Qe5
Black, perhaps under-estimating the "strength" of White's Bishop's one-step, perhaps overly-focused on White's Queen (it happens in blitz), misses the "bigger picture".
15.Re1 Nf7 16.Nc3 Bf5 17.Rxe5+ Nfxe5 18.Re1
Encore!
18...Rd8
Collapsing.
19.Rxe5+ Nxe5 20.Qxe5+ Kf7 21.Qxf5+ Ke7 22.Bg5+ Black resigned
Philidor 1792's gambit play is out-running my naming nomenclature! In the game below, Black manages to decline the Evans Gambit, but accepts the Evans Jerome Gambit. I think...
Philidor 1792 - guest344
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4
The Evans Gambit. This time, Black declines the pawn.
4...Bb6 5.b5 Na5 6.Bxf7+
The Evans (Declined) Jerome Gambit?!
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Kf8 8.Bb2
Varying from 8.d3 as in Philidor 1792 - guest2019, 3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013 (1-0, 33) and 8.Qf3+ as in Philidor 1792 - guest343, 3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013 (1-0, 41).
8...Qh4 9.Qe2 Nf6 10.d3 d6 11.Nf3 Qh5 12.Nbd2 Kf7 13.0-0 Re8
14.Rfe1 d5 15.e5 c6 16.a4 Bg4 17.h3 Bxf3 18.Nxf3 Re6
This gives White a target, and his pieces quickly swing into action.
19.Qd2 Nd7 20.Ng5+ Ke7 21.Nxe6 Kxe6 22.Bc3 Black resigned
The following game is a beautiful example of the coordination of pieces and pawns that occurs in a deadly attack. Black's game slowly slips away, until he has nothing left but to face checkmate.
Philidor 1792 - guest1132
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4
4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ng6 9.Qd5+ Ke8
Instead, Charlick - Holloway, Australia, 1877 (1-0, 76),the earliest example of the Evans Jerome Gambit in The Database, continued 9...Kf8.
10.Qxc5 Nf6 11.0-0 Kf7 12.f4 Re8 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 d6
15.Qb5 Nc6 16.Nd2 Kf8 17.Qd3 Kg8 18.Bb2 Qe7
Black has castled-by-hand, while White has readied his "Jerome pawns".
19.c4 Bd7 20.Bc3 Qf7 21.Rae1 Rad8 22.e5 dxe5 23.dxe5 Bc8
24.Qg3 Nh5 25.Qh4 g6 26.e6 Qe7 27.Qg4 Qc5+ 28.Kh1
28...Ne7
Black might have done better by sacrificing the exchange to get rid of White's dangerous Knight, with 28...Rxd2.
Now White's attack crashes through.
29.Ne4 Qb6 30.fxg6 hxg6 31.Nf6+ Nxf6 32.Rxf6 Bxe6 33.Rxg6+ Kf7 34.Rf6 checkmate
In the following game Philidor 1792's discovers he must contend with the Evans Gambit, the Jerome Gambit, and the ever-ticking clock, in an aggressive 3-minute game.
Philidor 1792 - guest206
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4
4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.Bxf7+
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ng6 9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxa5 b6
Black varies from the equally good 10...Qe7 of Philidor 1792 - guest23, blitz 3 0, www.bereg.ru, 2013 (1/2-1/2, 63).
11.Qa3+ d6 12.d3 Nf6 13.0-0 Bb7
14.f4 Kf7 15.Qb3+ Ke7 16.e5 Nd5 17.d4 dxe5 18.fxe5
18....Re8
Likely a time-slip.
19.Bg5+ Black resigned
Black will have to give up a piece with 19...Nf6, and, after 20.exf6+ Kd7 21.fxg7 the advanced enemy pawn will also be a headache.
