The latest issue (#33) of Gary K. Gifford's ever-interesting and always-enlightening "Unorthodox Openings Newsletter" (in pdf format; see "UON", among others) is now available.
Among many topics, "UON #33" contains material from the "Dany Sénéchaud" post to this blog - an interesting game by the French chessplayer (and openings explorer) with notes, and speculation about possible early influences on Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's creation of the Jerome Gambit.
Well worth checking out.
Why turn down a gift? Why choose a line of play in an unsound gambit that gives away the advantage? Black's defensive strategy in the following game might be due for some reconsideration.
perrypawnpusher - Hensel
blitz, FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+
I have been skeptical about this approach to defending the Jerome Gambit, having written before
Just about everyone who plays the Jerome Gambit faces this "bail out" variation at one point or another. Black manages to exchange Queens at the cost of returning a piece, and with the prospect of playing on, a pawn down. White can no longer play "his" attack; but he also no longer has an "objectively" lost game.
As the following game shows, it will take a long time for White to turn his advantage into a winning game; so perhaps there is more to say in favor of Black's strategy than I have previously admitted.
8.Kxf2 Qh4+
The direct 8...Qf6+ has been seen in many games, in this blog and in The Database.
9.g3
9.Kf1!? was tried in Wall,B - Guest1443273, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 36).
9...Qf6+ 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6 11.Nc3 Re8 12.d3
12...c6
Or 12...d6 as in Wall,B - Guest2115687, PlayChess.com, 2014, (1-0, 21).
13.Kg2 Kg7 14.Bg5 Ng4 15.h3 Nh6 16.Rhf1 d6 17.Rf2 Be6 18.Raf1
White is a clear pawn up, but Black can continue here with 18...Nf7 19.Be3 b6 and the game is far from over, with the prospect of a Bishops-of-Opposite-Colors endgame.
18...Rf8
A slip. Oddly, in response I remembered a tactic from perrypawnpusher - Dubnobase, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 49), and double-checked things before playing...
19.Bxh6+
Black resigned, as he will lose a Rook.
In an early article on the Jerome Gambit in the July 1874 issue of The Dubuque Chess Journal, it was noted
It should be
understood that Mr. Jerome claims in this New Opening "only a pleasant
variation of the Giuoco Piano, which may win or lose according to the skill
of the players, but which is capable of affording many new positions and
opportunities for heavy blows unexpectedly."
The same can be said for the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, as the following game illustrates. White triumphs in a blitz game - but, afterwards, as he played the game over, he must have smiled at a few of the missed "heavy blows".
TrippL - boggus
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+
The Database has 18 Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit games by TrippL, with White scoring 58%. (That's above the average of 56%
for all 4,454 BSJG games in The Database.)
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3
TrippL has played 2 games with 6.Qh5 against the same opponent: 6...Nf6 (6...Nxc2+ 7.Kd1 Nxa1 8.Qf5+ Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Qd5+ Ke7 11.Qf7+ Kd6 12.Qd5+ Ke7, drawn, TrippL - boggus, FICS, 2008) 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Nc4+ Kc6 9.Nba3 Qe7 10.Qxe7 Bxe7 11.c3 Bxa3 12.cxd4 Be7 13.d5+ Nxd5 14.exd5+ Kxd5 15.Ne3+ Kc6 16.0-0 d6 17.b3 Bf6 18.Rb1 Be6 19.Re1 Rae8 20.Nc4 Bf5 21.Rxe8 Rxe8 22.Na5+ Kd7 White resigned, TrippL - boggus, FICS, 2013.
He has also played 6.f4 against boggus: 6...h5 7.c3 Nc6 8.Qb3+ Kd6 9.Nf7+ Ke7 10.Nxd8 Nxd8 11.d4 d6 12.f5 Nf6 13.h3 Ke8 14.Nd2 Be7 15.Qc2 Nc6 16.Nf3 Bd7 17.Bg5 a6 18.0-0-0 Kd8 19.e5 dxe5 20.dxe5 Black resigned, TrippL - boggus, FICS, 2012.
6...Kxe5
This is the strongest continuation, although the two players have tried
6...Nc6 7.Qh5 Nxe5 8.d4 Nd3+ 9.Kd2 Nxc1 10.d5+ Kd6 11.Kxc1 h6 12.Na3 Qg5+ 13.Qxg5 hxg5 14.Nc4+ Ke7 15.Kc2 d6 16.f3 Nf6 17.h3 Nd7 18.Rae1 b5 19.Na5 Ne5 20.Rhf1 Bd7 21.f4 Nf7 22.f5 Ne5 23.Nb3 a5 24.Nd4 c5 25.Nb3 a4 26.Nd2 Kd8 27.a3 Kc7 28.Nf3 Nxf3 29.Rxf3 Be7 30.g4 Bf6 31.Rd3 Rh7 32.Rde3 Rah8 33.Rh1 Be5 34.Kd2 Bf4 White resigned, TrippL - boggus, FICS, 2008; and
6...Qg5 7.cxd4 Qxg2 8.Qf3 Qxf3 9.Nxf3 Nf6 10.d3 h6 11.Nc3 c6 12.Be3 d5 13.e5 Ng4 14.Bf4 g5 15.Bg3 h5 16.h3 Nh6 17.Nxg5+ Kf5 18.h4 Be7 19.Nf3 Bb4 20.Kd2 Kg4 21.Ng5 Rf8 22.f3+ Kxg3 23.Rag1+ Kf4 24.Kc2 Bxc3 25.bxc3 Nf5 26.Rb1 Nxh4 27.Rxh4+ Kxg5 28.Rbh1 Rh8 29.Rg4+ hxg4 30.Rxh8 gxf3 31.Rg8+ Kf4 32.Kd1 Ke3 33.Ke1 Kxd3 34.Kf2 Kxc3 35.Rf8 Kxd4 36.e6 Bxe6 37.Rxa8 Bg4 38.Rxa7 b5 39.Rc7 Kc5 40.Rb7 Bh5 41.Rh7 Bg6 42.Rh6 Be4 43.Ke3 Kb4 44.Rf6 c5 45.Rb6 c4 46.Ra6 Kc5 47.Ra8 b4 48.a4 bxa3 49.Rc8+ Kb4 50.Ra8 Kb3 51.Ra5 a2 52.Rb5+ Kc3 53.Ra5 Kb2 54.Rxa2+ Black forfeited on time, TrippL - boggus, FICS, 2009.
7.cxd4+ Kxd4 8.Nc3 Qg5
White's 8th move was mentioned in the last post, "Caught Out".
Black's 8th move (thematic in the Blackburne Shilling Gambit) has already been scolded a number of years ago in "Gorilla Chess".
9.Qb3
This wins. Even better 9.Qa4+ Ke5 10.f4+ (or 9...Kc5 10.d4) as Black will lose his Queen. Check it out, play a few variations.
9...c6 10.d3 Qxg2
Deadly - but for the wrong side.
11.Be3+
This is good, but who could resist the double Rook sacrifice: 11.Bf4 Qxh1+ 12.Kd2 Qxa1 13.Qc4# ? Resisting the second Rook requires Black to sacrifice his Queen - and he will still be checkmated.
11...Ke5 12.f4+
Instead, 12.Qf7 would box the enemy king in, e.g. 12...Qxh1+ 13.Ke2 Qxh2 (13...Qxa1 14.Bf4+ Kd4 15.Qc4#)14.Nb5 Nf6 15.Bd4+ Kf4 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qxf6+ Kg4 18.Qf5+ Kh4 19.Nd4 Qg2 20.Nf3+ Qxf3+ 21.Kxf3 Rg8 22.Rh1 checkmate, anyway.
12...Kf6
Black's King appears to be getting away.
13.0-0-0 Ne7
Houdini suggests that after 13...Ke7 Black would be better, but that is hard to see. Now the game concludes quickly.
14.Rhg1 Qxh2 15.Bd4 checkmate
Very pretty!
Despite the fact that I devote a lot of time to this blog, I am always worried that I won't remember enough of its information, and that I will be caught out in my next game. Luckily, as the following game shows, even when I forget particular lines, my sense of "what is going on" is sometimes enough for me to prevail over my opponent.
perrypawnpusher - michon
blitz, FICS,2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. Accepted.
My opponent and I contested a couple of Declineds, 4...Ke7 (see "Jedi Mind Tricks"), last year: perrypawnpusher - michon, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 8) and perrypawnpusher - michon, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 41).
5.Nxe5+ Ke6
Or the related 5...Ke7 as in perrypawnpusher - michon, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 18).
6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxd4
A dangerous meal. Safer is heading for home with 7...Ke6.
8.d3
Equally playable are 8.Nc3 and 8.Qb3.
8...d5
Instead, 8...Ke5 is the safest way to go, although White still keeps the pressure on with 9.Qh5+ as in perrypawnpusher - PunisherABD, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 27).
Alternately, 8...Bb4+ was seen in perrypawnpusher - AdamRou, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 28); and 8...Nf6 was seen in perrypawnpusher - RVLY, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 26).
9.Be3+ Ke5
10.d4+
The proper continuation was 10.Qh5+! as in an earlier game 10...Ke6 (better 10...g5 11.Bxg5 Nf6 12.f4+ Ke6 13.f5+ Kd7 14.Qf7+ Qe7 15.Qxf6) 11.Qf5+ Ke7 (better 11...Kd6 12.Qxd5+ Ke7 13.Bc5+ Ke8 14.Qxd8+ Kxd8 15.Bxf8) 12.Bg5+? (Losing the thread. Correct: 12.Bc5+! Ke8 13.Qxf8+ Kd7 14.Qxg7+ Ne7 15.Bxe7) 12...Nf6 13.Qe5+ Be6 14.exd5 Qxd5 15.Qxc7+ Ke8 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.0-0 Qxd3 18.Re1 Qd7 19.Qc4 Kf7 20.Qh4 Rd8 21.Nc3 Bb4 22.Qxb4 Qd6 23.Qxb7+ Rd7 24.Qe4 f5 25.Qh4 Qd2 26.Rad1 Qxd1 27.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 28.Nxd1 Bxa2 29.Ne3 Be6 White forfeited on time, ghosty - smenke, FICS, 2004.
10...Kd6 11.e5+
Concentrating on development (11.Nc3 or 11.0-0) looks better in retrospect. I had to figure out a plan at this point, and decided to go with the "Jerome pawns"
11...Kc6
12.Qc2+ Kd7 13.Nc3 c6 14.0-0 Kc7 15.f4 Ne7 16.f5 Bxf5 17.Rxf5 Nxf5 18.Qxf5
Black has the extra exchange, but White's lead in development gives him chances.
18...Qd7
A slip we both overlooked.
19.Qf3
After the game Houdini pointed out that 19.Nb5+!? cxb5 20.Rc1+ Kd8 21.e6 with threats against the King and Queen was crushing.
19...c5
Nerves. Better was 19...Bb4.
20.Nxd5+ Kd8 21.dxc5 Rc8 22.Rd1 Qa4
Black is in trouble, and this does not help.
23.Nc3+
Winning Black's Queen, and Black resigned.
After the game Houdini recommended a direct attack on the Black King instead: 23.Bg5+ Be7 24.Bxe7+ Ke8 25.e6!? Qxd1+ 26.Qxd1 Rc6 27.Qh5+ g6 28.Qe5 Rxe6 29.Qxe6 Rf8 30.Bh4 checkmate.
Philidor 1792 returns with a topical Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit game, in which White keeps the heat on the enemy King - until the enemy Queen falls!
Philidor1792 - u_prolazu
Chess.com 3 d/move, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Nf3 h6 5.O-O
Also: 5.Qe2 Nf6 6.c3 d6 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Bg4 9.Qc4+ Ke7 10.Nc3 Na5 11.Qa4 b6 12.Be3 Bd7 13.Qc2 Nc4 14.O-O-O Nxe3 15.fxe3 g5 16.e5 Ng4 17.Nd5+ Kf7 18.Rhf1 Kg7 19.h3 c6 20.Nf6 Nxf6 21.exf6+ Kxf6 22.Ne5+ Ke7 23.Qg6 Be8 24.Qf6 checkmate, Philidor 1792 - guest278, www.bereg.ru 2014.
5... Bc5
Starting off with a Bishop's Opening, the game has transposed to a Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit!
6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ke6 8. Qf5+ Kd6 9. Na3
"TN". Houdini sees this as slightly better than the much more popular 9.d4.
Philidor 1792 has investigated Na3 in similar situations - see"An Intriguing Letter" Part 1, 2 and 3; "A Fan of the Jerome Gambit"; "If It's A Good One"; and "It Is Easier to Attack Than Defend."
9...Qf6 10.Nc4+ Nxc4 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qxc5+ Qd6
It is understandable that Black wants to ease his King's stress by exchanging Queens, but a better defense was to be found in 12...Nd6.
13.Qxc4 b6 14.d4 Bb7 15.f3 Re8 16.Bd2 Kd8
Black castles-by-hand, and White quickly moves to make the enemy unsafe again.
17.a4 a5 18.b4 Qc6 19.Qd3 axb4 20.a5 bxa5 21.Rxa5 d6 22.Rb1 Kd7
The Black King, uneasy, makes room to allow his Rook to contest the a-file. Little does he realize the danger in this! Better was the developing 22...Ne7.
23.Rxb4 Ra8 24.d5
The Queen is trapped.
24...Qb6+ 25.Rxb6 cxb6 26.Rxa8 Bxa8 27.Qb5+ Ke7 28.Qxb6 Nf6 29.Qc7+ Nd7 30.Bf4 Rd8 31.Qxd6+ Kf7 32.Qe6+ Black resigned
The title of this blog post says it all.
Wall, Bill - Guest2474397
PlayChess.com, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
Probably a bit stronger than 7.Qh5+, but Bill has played that, too: Wall,B - Guest473534, PlayChess.com, 2001, (1-0, 21); Wall,B - Castro,S, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23); Wall,B - Foman, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 16); Wall,B - Merdiyev,F, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 17); Wall,B - Ratebabb, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 28); and Wall,B - Dad88, PlayChess.com, 2014, (1-0, 34).
7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.f4 Nc6 10.Qd5+ Be6 11.Qd3 Ke7 12.Bd2 Nf6 13.Nc3
Except for his centralized King, Black is doing OK. Now, however, he is tempted to waste time to harass the White Queen. If he lets White open the position, he risks a KO [knock out].
13...Nb4 14.Qg3 Rg8 15.e5 dxe5 16.Rad1 exf4
17.Bxf4
White's attack is well worth the sacrificed piece.
17...Qc8
Houdini suggests returning material while bringing Black's King to safety with 17...Qe8 18.Bxc7 Kf7 19.Qh4 Qc6 20.Bd6 Kg6 21.Qxb4 Rgd8 22.Qf4 Kh7, but I don't think Bill's opponent thought he was in that much trouble.
18.Bxc7 Nfd5
This leads to a bad end. Bill suggests 18...a5, which he would have answered with 19.Nb5.
19.Bd6+
The text is winning, although Bill points out that both 19.Rxd5!? and 19.Nxd5+!? would lead to checkmate.
19...Kd7 20.Bxb4 Qc6
Of course, if 20...Kc6 21.Qd6#.
21.Nxd5 Bxd5 22.Rf7+
Punches are raining down on the Black King, and the end is near.
22...Kc8 23.Rxd5 Qxd5 24.Qc7 checkmate
This is the kind of game that Alonzo Wheeler Jerome was thinking of when he invented his gambit!
Even when I can not play the Jerome Gambit, I can sometimes find echoes of it in the play of the game.
perrypawnpusher - TheAlbatros
5 12 blitz FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nh6
Wow. That certainly is one way of saying "No. Jerome. Gambit." I mentioned the move on this blog about 5 years ago. Recently, I was astonished to find that the online ChessBase database has 330 games with this position.
The oldest example of the line that I could find, at the online ChessCube site, is Frazer - Taubenhaus, Paris, 1888: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nh6 4.d4 Bd6 5.Bg5 f6 6.Bxh6 gxh6 7.Nxe5 fxe5 8.Qh5+ Kf8 9.Qf7 checkmate. Echoes, here, of Damiano's Defense.
The most recent example I turned up is Heverson Silva Pereira - Erika Figuei Toledo Martins, Juiz de Fora op Juiz de Fora (3), 27.09.2014: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nh6 4.d3 g5 5.Bxg5 f6 6.Be3 b6 7.Qd2 Rg8 8.Bxh6 Bxh6 9.Qxh6 d6 10.Bxg8 Ne7 11.Qxh7 Nxg8 12.Qxg8+ Ke7 13.Qg7+ Ke8 14.Nc3 Bd7 15.Nd5 Rc8 16.Nxf6+ Qxf6 17.Qxf6 Rd8 18.Ng5 b5 19.Qf7 checkmate. Odd.
4.d4
I was not surprised to see that Bill Wall had faced the line before:
4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Nxf7 6.d3 0-0 7.Nc3 Nd4 (7...d6 8.Nd2 Nh6 9.Nb3 Bg4 10.Qd2 Qh4 11.Nxc5 dxc5 12.f3 Be6 13.b3 Qf6 14.Rb1 a5 15.a3 Qg6 16.Rb2 Ra6 17.Qe3 Bh3 18.Rf2 Ne7 19.Kh1 Raf6 20.gxh3 Qh5 21.Qg5 g6 22.Qxh6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Chair, Chess.com 2010) 8.Na4 Nxf3+ 9.Qxf3 Bd4 10.c3 Bb6 11.Qg3 d5 12.b3 dxe4 13.dxe4 Ba5 14.Ba3 Re8 15.Rad1 Qe7 16.Bxe7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Jag, Chess.com 2010;
4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxh6 gxh6 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nc3 Qf6 8.Nd5 Qd6 9.Nh4 b6 10.Qf3+ Ke8 11.Nf5 Qg6 12.Nxc7+ Kd8 13.Nxa8 Bb7 14.Nxb6 Bxb6 15.0-0-0 d5 16.d4 Bxd4 17.exd5 Bxb2+ 18.Kxb2 Nd4 19.Nxd4 exd4 20.Qf4 Qb6+ 21.Ka1 Kd7 22.Rb1 Qa6 23.Qg4+ Kd6 24.Qe6+ Kc5 25.Qe7+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Alexaantic, Chess.com, 2010.
4...exd4
My one game with the line continued 4...Nxd4 5.Nxe5 Qf6 6.Qxd4 d6 7.Nf3 Qxd4 8.Nxd4 Be6 9.Bxe6 fxe6 10.Nxe6 Kd7 11.Nxf8+ Rhxf8 12.Nc3 c6 13.Be3 Ng4 14.0-0 h5 15.Bg5 b5 16.Rad1 a5 17.f3 Ne5 18.f4 Nc4 19.f5 Nxb2 20.Rd4 b4 21.Nd1 c5 22.Rd5 Nc4 23.Ne3 Nxe3 24.Bxe3 a4 25.Bxc5 Ra6 26.Rfd1 Kc8 27.Rxd6 Rxd6 28.Rxd6 Re8 29.Rd4 h4 30.Bxb4 Rg8 31.Ba3 g6 32.fxg6 Rxg6 33.Rxa4 h3 34.g3 Rc6 35.Ra8+ Kb7 36.Rh8 Ra6 37.Bb4 Rxa2 38.Rxh3 Rxc2 39.e5 Rb2 40.Bd6 Kc6 41.g4 Rb1+ 42.Kg2 Rb2+ 43.Kg3 Rb3+ 44.Kh4 Rb7 45.g5 Rh7+ 46.Kg4 Kd5 47.Rxh7 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Xasquete, blitz, FICS, 2009.
Black does not have to take White's d-pawn. For example, 4...Bd6 5.Bg5 f6 6.Bxh6 gxh6 7.Nxe5 fxe5. 8.Qh5+ Kf8 9.Qf7 checkmate, from Wall,B - Kerazag, Internet 1996 (and Frazer - Taubenhaus, Paris, 1888)
5.Nxd4 Bc5 6.Nxc6 bxc6
The two "Italian Bishops" give an echo of the Jerome Gambit - if only that Knight were not on h6...
7.Bxh6 gxh6
Interestingly enough, Black has a better defense in 7...Qh4!? with his own threat of checkmate. White can keep an edge with 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.Qf3+ Kg6 10.Bf4.
8.Bxf7+
This is an improvement over 8.Qh5 of Patrick Gregoire - Gauthier Lille, Loire-ch op 2005, which continued Qf6 9.0-0 Bb7 10.Qxc5 Qxb2 11.Nc3 d6 12.Qd4 d5 13.Qxh8+ Ke7 14.Nxd5+ cxd5 15.Qxb2 Bc8 16.Bxd5 Bb7 17.Qxb7 Rd8 18.Qxc7+ Rd7 19.Qe5+ Kd8 20.Rab1 Kc8 21.Rb8 checkmate
8...Kxf7 9.Qh5+ Kg7 10.Qxc5
Down a pawn, with an exposed King, my opponent resigned a few moves later.
