A Scholarly Abrahams Jerome Gambit

Philidor 1792 - guest124
5 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qh5 

Philidor1792 would be having a lucky day, indeed, if he were now able to pull off the "scholar's mate" - 3...Nf6? 4.Qxf7#.

3...Qf6 4.Bxf7+ Qxf7 5.Qxe5+ Qe7 6.Qxe7+ Nxe7

The game has experienced an interesting transformation, almost transposing into an Abrahams Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qh5+ Ke8* 5.Qxe5+ Qe7 6.Qxe7+ Nxe7, like the game in the previous post.  (See "A New Abrahams Jerome Gambit", as well as "Abrahams Jerome Gambit" Part I and Part II).

Of course, Black's 4th move, above, is illegal, but if he were to play, instead, 4...Kf8, and the game proceeded similarly otherwise with 5.Qxe5 Qe7 6.Qxe7 Nxe7, that would be a legitimate Abrahams Jerome Gambit; and if Black were later to play ...Kf7 to allow castling-by-hand, as in Philidor1792 - guest543, www.bereg.ru, 2014, the transformation would be complete.

By the way, I have not been able to find many games starting 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qh5 Qf6 (or 3...Qe7) 4.Bxf7+ (although I did speculate about the line and Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in "Proto-Jerome Gambits? (Part 2)"), but all of them have been put into The Database. I plan on checking through my issues of Randspringer to see if there is any analysis there.

If all of this seems a bit egregious,  I should remind Readers of Emmanuel Lasker's best, if not the last, words on the Jerome Gambit, responding to a letter to “Our Question Box” in the March 1906 issue of Lasker’s Chess Magazine

No; the Jerome gambit is not named after St. Jerome. His penances, if he did any, were in atonement of rather minor transgressions compared with the gambit.

The picture at the top of this post is of St. Jerome.

7.c3 d5 8.d4 Bb6 9.e5 c5 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.f4 Nbc6 12.Nf3 Be6

You have to have faith in the "Jerome pawns" to play on in this kind of position.

13.Na3 Bxa3 14.bxa3 0-0-0 15.Be3 Rhf8 16.Ng5 Bf5 17.Kf2 h6 18.Nf3 Be4 

19.h4 Nf5 20.Rad1 b6 21.h5 Na5 22.Bc1 Nc4 23.Rh3 Kb7 24.g4 Ne7 

25.e6 Bxf3 26.Rxf3 Rd6 27.f5 Rfd8 28.Re1 d4 29.cxd4 Rxd4 30.f6 gxf6 31.Rxf6 Nd6 

32.Rf4 Rd3 33.Rf7 Re8 34.Bxh6 Kc6 35.Rf8 Rxa3 36.Rxe8 Nxe8 37.Bf8 Rxa2+ 38.Kg3 

Although both sides have passed pawns, White's are better placed, and Black's defense is difficult - especially at the end of a 5-minute game.

38...Nd5 39.h6 Ra3+ 40.Bxa3 Black resigned

A New Abrahams Jerome Gambit

The following game is typical of Philidor1792: an interesting opening line, pawn play against the extra piece, some sharp tactics - all executed at blitz pace. 

Philidor1792 - guest543
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ 

I have referred to this as the Abrahams Jerome Gambit (see Part I and Part II), after Gerald Abrahams, who, in his The Chess Mind (1951) and The Pan Book of Chess (1965) referred to the line as the Jerome Gambit or Jerome's Gambit. Other authors may have made this attribution, earlier - I would be glad to hear from Readers.

To date, I have not been able to find a game or analysis by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome with the line. My guess is that Abrahams decided that the presence of Bxf7+ was enough to make it Jerome's.

This kind of mis-attribution has occurred before. Joseph Henry Blackburne, in annotating his famous destruction of the Jerome Gambit (see "Nobody Expects the Jerome Gambit!"), referred to it as the "Kentucky Opening".

After some investigation (see "The Kentucky Opening" Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as "The Kentucky/Danvers Opening"), I ran across analysis of 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 - "the Kentucky Opening" - published in the Dubuque Chess Journal at around the same time the magazine was introducing the world to the Jerome Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+. My conclusion

[T]he Queen move in the Jerome Gambit, and the Queen move in the Kentucky Opening are an outstanding – but similar – feature in each opening, something which likely caught Blackburne's eye.

3...Kxf7 4.Qh5+ Kf8 5.Qxe5 d6 6.Qg3 Nf6

7.d3 Nc6 8.c3 Kf7 9.Ne2 Re8 10.f3 d5 11.d4 Bb6 12.e5 Nh5

13.Qf2 g6 14.g4 Ng7 15.Na3 Ne7 16.Nc2 h5 17.h3 Be6 18.Bg5 Qd7 19.Kd2 hxg4 20.hxg4 Rh8 

The position resembles an unusual French Defense Advance Variation!

21.Ne3 c5 22.Qg3 cxd4 23.cxd4 Ba5+ 24.Nc3 Rac8 25.a3 Bb6 26.Nc2 Nc6 

27.Kd3 Na5 28.Raf1 Nc4 29.Bc1 Ba5 30.Ne3 Bxc3 31.bxc3 Qb5 32.Kc2 Qa4+ 33.Kd3 Nxa3 34.f4 Qb3 35.Bd2 Nc4 

White is in trouble, and seeks counterplay against Black's King.

36.f5 gxf5 37.gxf5 Nxd2 

Just the break White was looking for! Now he has a forced checkmate, featuring a Queen sacrifice.

38.fxe6+ Kg8 39.Qxg7+! Kxg7 40.Rhg1+ 

Alas! White is short of time, and goes for the repetition of position and the draw. With a few more seconds he would have found 40.Rfg1+ Kf8 41.Rxh8+ Ke7 42.Rg7+ Kxe6 43.Rh6 checkmate.

40...Kh7

Black, in turn, misses the saving 40...Kh6.

41.Rh1+ Kg8 42.Rhg1+ 

See the note to White's 40th move.

Drawn

Tug-Of-War: Pawns vs Piece

I suspect that, given the choice of an extra piece or an extra couple of pawns, a chess master would usually prefer the piece - unless those were the only things left on the board besides the Kings, in which case the promotion power of the pawns would give them an edge.

As Philidor1792 shows in the following game, at the club level the pawns can be for choice in the tug-of-war with a piece. We have seen many times previously that Philidor1792 is not afraid to exchange Queens in the Jerome Gambit; and here he gives a good example of how to press ahead.

Just follow along.

Philidor1792 - mihailsoloha,
Casual Game, Chess-samara.ru, 2014

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qxe7+ Nxe7

9.c3 Bb6 10.d4 d6 11.Nd2 Bd7 12.Nc4 Bb5 13.Nxb6 axb6

14.Be3 Kf7 15.Kd2 Rhf8 16.f3 Kg8

17.b3 Ng6 18.c4 Bd7 19.Rhf1 Nf4 20.g3 Ng6 21.Rf2 Rf7 22.Kd3 Raf8 23.f4 Ne7

24.f5 g6 25.g4 gxf5 26.gxf5 Kh8 27.Rg1 Rg8 28.Rxg8+ Nxg8 29.Bg5 Nf6 30.h3 Nh5 31.Ke3 Kg7 32.Rg2 Kf8

33.Bd8 Be8 34.Bg5 Nf6 35.e5 dxe5 36.dxe5 Ng8 37.Kf4 h6 38.Bh4 Rg7 39.Rd2 Rd7 40.Rd5 c6 41.Rxd7 Bxd7

42.e6 Be8 43.Ke5 Kg7 44.f6+ Nxf6 45.Bxf6+ Kg6

46.Bd8 b5 47.cxb5 cxb5 48.Kd6 Kf5 49.Bh4 Kg6 50.Ke7 Bc6 51.Kf8 Kh5 52.Bd8 Kg6 53.e7 Kf5 54.e8Q Bxe8 55.Kxe8 Ke4

56.Ba5 Kf3 57.h4 Kg4 58.Be1 Kf4 59.Kd7 Ke3 60.Kc7 Ke2 61.Bb4 Kf3 62.Kxb7 Kg4

63.Be7 Kf5 64.a4 bxa4 65.bxa4 Ke6 66.Bd8 Kd7 67.Bb6 Kd6 68.a5 Kd5 69.a6 Ke4 70.a7 Kf5 71.Be3 h5 72.Bg5 Kg4 73.a8Q Kf3 74.Qa4 Kg3 75.Qf4+ Kg2 76.Qe3 Kf1 77.Qd2 Kg1 78.Kc6 Kf1 79.Kd5 Kg1 80.Ke4 Kf1 81.Kf3 Black resigned

Another Provocation

In my February 11, 2010 blog post, "Provoked", I noted about a chessfriend and Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member,

Welton Vaz de Souza is a nice guy. 

Sure, from time-to-time he crushes opponents with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), but he's a nice guy.

Suggestion: don't provoke him in a game of chess.

I was reminded of that when I ran into the following game.

Richad  - NeoNunes
blitz, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.0-0 

This is one of the orthodox treatments of the BSG, along with 4.Nxd4 or 4.c3. Not everyone wants to play the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, 4.Bxf7+!?

4...b5 

This move, however, proves to be too much provocation. White decides on a Delayed Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+

As I noted in that older post,

It turns out that 5.Bxf7+ is so strong (or 4...b5 so ill-advised) that White could simply grab back a piece here with the alternative 6.Nxd4. If Black responds 6...exd4 then White has 7.Qh5+ and a few checks later the Rook on a8 will be captured.

After 6.Nxd4 Nf6, White retreats his Knight with 7.Nf3 and is better.

6...Ke6

Instead, 6...Ke8 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Nxg6 was seen in Ghandybh - BoogieKnights, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 16) and mikelovell - rogerlovell, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 44).

The alternative, Black's strongest move, 6...Ke7, was seen in Rub - Wall,B, Palo Alto, 1989, (0-1, 12), mukund - jantonacci, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 10) and Chabus - AlfonsoX, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 14).

7.f4 

Stronger was 7.c3, as in mukund - jantonacci, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 10) and Chabus - AlfonsoX, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 14). 

7...Nf6 8.c3 Nc6 9.d4 

 9...Nxe5

Courting danger.

10.fxe5 c6 11.exf6 gxf6 12.Qg4+ Kd6 13.Bf4+ Ke7

14.Nd2

This move is good enough, but White misses the hilarious 14.Be5!?
when Black cannot capture the Bishop, as he will be checkmated; so the cheeky prelate can go on and capture at f6.

Black's next move hangs a piece, but White is in no hurry: he builds his attack and breaks through.

14...Bg7 15.Rae1 Rg8 16.e5 d5 17.exf6+ Kf7 18.Qh5+ Kf8 19.fxg7+ Rxg7 20.Bh6+ Kg8 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.Rf7+ Kg8 23.Qxh7 checkmate

(May 2014 was the highest visited month in the history of this blog, going back to 2008. Many, many thanks to readers - and please feel free to continue to visit. - Rick)

"Jerome pawns" - Clowning Around

After my discouraging loss with the Jerome Gambit in my previous Chess.com Italian Game tournament (perrypawnpusher - Buddy_Thompson), I knew that I had to cook up something new, or risk facing a future opponent who just "looked the refutation up" (and not even on this blog, mind you, but in my recent games on Chess.com).

I was happy that I did do the research, too, because in my third Jerome Gambit in my current tourney, my opponent went straight for the same line (leaving out the superfluous Queen check).

As often happens, the white "Jerome pawns" held a starring, if comic, role in the game, supporting me while mistreating the Black King horribly.

perrypawnpusher - djdave28
Chess.com Italian game tournament, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 

10.Qxe5+

This was my idea, to "surrender" to Black's plan. Exchanging Queens isn't much worse than leaving them on. I found only 30 examples of this line in The Database, including a few played by "Blackburne", Louis Morin and UNPREDICTABLE.

If we go back to the perrypawnpusher - Buddy_Thompson, Chess.com, 2014 game, however, with 8...Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6 thrown into the move order, there are two relevant precendents: NN - Kapil Gain, Internet, 2004 (1-0, 56) and perrypawnpusher - Kevin the Fruitbat, Jerome Gambit Thematic, ChessWorld.net, 2008.(1-0, 38). Both are discussed at "Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter XIII".

Likewise, if we use the opening approach 7.f4 (instead of 7.Qf5+) Qf6 8.Qxe5+ Qxe5 9.fxe5 Kxe5 we reach the same position as in the game, only a move earlier. There are 13 examples of this in The Database, but only one follows our main line (see below).

10...Kxe5 11.b4

This is the reason I went into the line - it looks hokey, and the next few moves by White don't suggest that I know what I am doing, either. (It's only showed up twice - three times if we count transpositions - before in The Database.)

I was pretty sure that I had discussed the line in an email with Stefan Bücker, editor of Kaissiber, years ago; but I have not been able to find our correspondence on the topic.

11...Bb6

The alternative, 11...Bd4, was seen in two games:

Spike1.2 - Fritz 6.0, USA 2006:  12.c3 Bb6 13.d4+ Kxe4 14.Nd2+ Kf5 15.0-0+ Ke6 16.a4 a5 17.b5 Nf6 18.Ba3 Re8 19.Rae1+ Kf7 20.Rxe8 Kxe8 21.Re1+ Kf7 22.Nc4 Nd5 23.Rf1+ Ke6 24.Re1+ Kf6 25.Rf1+ Kg5 26.Bc1+ Kh4 27.Rf5 Nxc3 28.Be3 Bxd4 29.Bxd4 Ne2+ 30.Kf2 Nxd4 31.Rf4+ Kg5 32.Rxd4 b6 33.Ne3 Ra7 34.Rc4 Kf6 35.Nd5+ Ke5 36.Nxb6 cxb6 37.Rxc8 d5 38.Rh8 h6 39.Rb8 Rf7+ 40.Ke3 Rf6 41.h3 h5 42.Rh8 Rh6 43.Re8+ Re6 44.Rc8 Kd6+ 45.Kd3 h4 46.Rc2 Re4 47.Rc6+ Ke5 48.Rxb6 Rxa4 49.Ra6 Ra2 50.b6 Rxg2 51.Rxa5 Rb2 52.Ra6 g5 53.Kc3 Rb5 54.Kc2 g4 55.hxg4 Kf4 56.Ra4+ Kg5 57.Rd4 h3 58.Rd2 Rxb6 59.Rxd5+ Kh4 60.Rd2 Rf6 61.g5 Kxg5 62.Rd5+ Kg4 63.Rd1 h2 64.Kb3 Rf4 65.Ka2 Rf3 66.Rc1 Kh3 67.Rc8 Kg2 68.Rg8+ Rg3 69.Rh8 h1Q 70.Rxh1 Kxh1 71.Kb2 Kg2 72.Kc2 Kf1 73.Kd2 Rh3 74.Kc1 Ke2 75.Kc2 Rd3 White resigned;

and in

Matacz CCT7 - Imp 0.74b, 2005: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Qf6 8.Qxe5+ Qxe5 9.fxe5 Kxe5 10.b4 Bd4 11.c3 Bb6 12.d3 d5 13.Rf1 dxe4 14.Bf4+ Ke6 15.dxe4 Nf6 16.Nd2 Bd7 17.a4 a5 18.b5 Rhf8 19.0-0-0 Rac8 20.h4 Bc5 21.Nb3 Bb6 22.c4 Nh5 23.g3 Nxf4 24.Rxf4 Ke7 25.Rxf8 Rxf8 26.Rd3 c5 27.e5 Rf1+ 28.Kb2 Re1 29.Rd6 Bc7 30.Nxc5 Bc8 31.Rd5 Rxe5 32.h5 b6 33.Na6 Rxd5 34.Nxc7 Rxh5 35.Nd5+ Kd6 36.Nxb6 Be6 37.Kc3 Kc5 38.Na8 Rh3 39.Nc7 Rxg3+ 40.Kd2 Bxc4 41.Na6+ Kd6 42.Nb8 Ra3 43.Nc6 Rxa4 44.Nd4 Kc5 45.Nf3 Kd5 46.b6 Ra3 47.Nh4 Ke4 48.b7 Rb3 49.Ng2 Rxb7 50.Ne3 Bd3 51.Nd1 Kd4 52.Ke1 a4 53.Kf2 a3 54.Kg3 Be2 White resigned

12.Bb2+ Bd4

The "idea" behind the line appeared in axykk - bromby, FICS, 2011: 12...Kxe4 13.Bxg7 Black resigned.

13.c3 Bb6 14.d4+ 

14...Kxe4

I wouldn't be surprised to find that taking the pawn isn't the strongest move (see Spike1.2 - Fritz 6.0, USA, 2006, above). It reminds me of the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit line, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ where Black has to think "homeward bound" for his King, or risk dangerous play. More prudent in our game seems 14...Ke6.

I suspect that my opponent saw the position as an endgame, in which case his King should be safe; while I saw it as a Queenless middlegame, where I still had tactical intentions. 

15.0-0 Nf6 16.Nd2+ Kd3 17.Nf3 d6 18.Rad1+ Kc4 19.Nd2+ 

I was hoping for 19...Kd3, when I was going to plan 20.Nf3+ and offer a draw. I know that's a bold thing to do, down a piece, but I thought Black's King might be feeling homesick.

19...Kb5

Again, a surprise. I thought that after 19...Kd5 I could play 20.c4+ and 21.c5 and win the piece back - hoping that my lead in development would compensate for my lack of pawns.

20.a4+

Played automatically, remembering a comment that Bill Wall once made to me, that certain moves just have to be played, not even thought over. Here, it either works, or White is doomed, anyway - I'm a piece down, and if Black's King escapes, I got nothin'... 

To my chagrin, when this game was over and I shared it will Bill, he suggested 20.c4+ instead.

20...Kxa4 21.c4 

The "Jerome pawns" do special duty, hemming in the King.

21...Kxb4 

This move, however, leads to a pie in the face. After the game, both Bill and Houdini suggested 21...d5.

22.Rf3 Black resigned

The King cannot escape checkmate.

Unsuccessful

My second foray into Jerome Gambit land in the current Italian Game tournament at Chess.com was a lot longer, and a lot less successful, than my first. As I note, below, the Gambiteer has to take the efforts of the defender seriously, or risk the consequences.

perrypawnpusher - starwex
Chess.com Italian game thematic, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

The Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O b6 

I have always been suspicious of this Bishop fianchetto against the Jerome, but, in general, I have taken serious steps against it. In this game, my skepticism made me lazy.

11.f4

An alternative pawn setup, which Bill Wall has used, is 11.d4 Bb7 12.f3.

11...Bb7 12.Nc3

After the game Houdini suggested 12.d3 Kf7 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc6 15.Qb3+ Kf8 16.Qd3 Qe7 17.Re1 Nb4 18.Qb3 Nc6 19.Qd3, which I guess it evaluated as even, as it has Black repeating the position. Interesting... 

12...d5 13.f5 

Sigh. I have many times gained from my opponents underestimating my chances with the Jerome Gambit. Here I repeat the same error, dis-respecting Black's plan. Better play (but still better for Black) would have been the simple 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Qg3. 

13...d4 14.Qg3 dxc3 15.fxg6 cxd2 16.Bxd2 Qxd2 17.e5 Qd4+ 18.Kh1 hxg6 19.exf6 Qd6

It is clear that White has next-to-nothing for his sacrificed material, and little changes over the rest of the game.

20.fxg7+ Kxg7 21.Qc3+ Kg8 22.Qc4+ Bd5 23.Qf4 Qxf4 24.Rxf4 Kg7 

25.c4 Bf7 26.b3 Rae8 27.Rd1 Re2 28.Rdf1 Be6 29.R4f2 Rxf2
30.Rxf2 Rd8 31.h4 Rd4 32.g3 Bf5 33.Re2 c5 34.Re7+ Kh6 35.Rxa7

Whistling by the graveyard.

35...Kh5 36.Ra6 Kg4 37.Rxb6 Kxg3 White resigned