Revisiting a Strange, But Intriguing Path

The following miniature is a gift from Jerome Gambiteer shugart, of FICS, who has almost 100 games in The Database. I think his opponent tried to fool him with a tricky 5th move, but the joke was on Black when he missed a critical defense.

shugart - miatero
blitz, FICS, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6

There were 10 games with this position in the forerunner of The Database in early 2010 when I looked at "A Strange, But Intriguing Path (Parts 1, 2 & 3)". The Database now has 23 games and White's scoring has increased to 63%.

This game should boost that percentage for those who follow in shugart's footsteps.

6.Qg4+ Kxe5

Five years ago I wrote 

If White is going to have a chance in this variation, he must sacrifice the second piece [with 6.Qg4+]. If Black then wishes to play on, he must accept the piece.
If 6.Qg4+ Kf6, then 7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Nc4 checkmate.
If 6.Qg4+ Kd6 7.Nf7+ wins.
If 6.Qg4+ Ke7 7.Qxg7+ Kd6 8.Nf7+ wins.

7.d4+ Kxd4

Black's King takes one bite too much. The necessary capture was 7...Bxd4, after which White can win Black's Queen, i.e. 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kf7 10.Bxd8. The resulting Queen vs three pieces middle game is interesting, but probably favors White, e.g. 10...Nxd8 11.Qg3 d6 (or 11...Nf6 12.Nc3 d6 13.O-O-O Nc6) 12. Nc3 Nf6 13. O-O-O Nc6. There are currently no games with 7...Bxd4 in The Database.

8.Be3+ Kc4 9.Qe2+ Kb4 10.Bd2+ Ka4 11.b3 checkmate

Opening Discussion, Not Quite Closed

I have been looking at a Jerome Gambit-related opening line that does not appear to have a name. Although I have covered it a number of times on this blog -  "Offside!" "The Other Side" "Bishop in A Hurry", "Watch that last step...", "It Worked -- This Time", "A Line of Play Everyone Should Know About", "The Psychology of Error in Chess", "It Takes More Than Just One Move",  "Checking Back", "Huh?", "A Snack", "Betcha Can't Eat Just One", "Entertaining and Educational", "Barely Got His Coffee Sipped", "Crime and Punishment", "Hard to Believe", "Poison", "Puzzling", "A New Mate", "On the Other Hand", "Chess Marches On", "Chess Marches On (Again)", "Always Good To Remember", "Cure Worse Than the Disease", and "Repetition Helps Those Who Pay Attention" - I have only played it twice, and only faced Black's best response once.

I am talking about 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5,

which certainly can be met with 4.Nxe5 with an edge for the first player, but which I like to meet with 4.Bxf7+.

After 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ (there are 1933 games with this position in The Database, and White scores 72%) the strongest reply appears to be 5...Ke7  (although this move is seen only 371 times in The Database, that is less than 1/5 of the time, and White scores 70%).

How should White proceed?

As in "A Discussion Continued" I invited Stockfish 6, Houdini 3, Rybka 3 and The Database to consult with me. There were ideas and disagreements galore.

In my original notes to perrypawnpusher - wred, blitz, FICS, 2011, I pointed out that Rybka 3 preferred 6.Nc3. The move appeared 11 times in The Database. White scored 73%. The most recent game with the line continued 6...d6 7.Nd5+ Ke8 8.Qh5+ Black resigned, Alnischu - Kaliz, blitz, FICS, 2013.

On the other hand, 6.d4 was preferred by Stockfish 6. The move appeared 171 times in The Database. White scored 64%. The most recent game with the line continued 6...Nf6 7.Bg5 d6 8.Bxf6+ Kxf6 9.Ng4+ Kf7 10.Qf3+ Bf5 Black forfeited by disconnection, seinfeldaddict - JDZAAA, standard, FICS, 2014.

However, Houdini 3 preferred 6.Qf3. The move appeared in 27 games in The Database. White scored 70%. The most recent game with the line continued 6...Nh6 7.d3 Qe8 8.Bxh6 gxh6 9.0-0 Bg7 10.d4 d6 11.Nd3 Bxd4 12.c3 Bf6 13.Nd2 Rf8 14.Qe2 h5 15.Nf4 Bg4 16.Nd5+ Kd7 17.Nxf6+ Rxf6 18.f3 Be6 19.Rfe1 Rd8 20.c4 Kc8 21.b3 Qg8 22.Qf2 Nc6 23.Nf1 b6 24.Ng3 Ne5 25.Rad1 Ng4 26.Qd2 Ne5 27.Qd4 h4 28.Qf2 hxg3 29.Qxg3 Rg6 30.Qf2 Bh3 31.g3 Nxf3+ 32.Qxf3 Bg4 33.Qg2 Bxd1 34.Rxd1 Rf8 35.Qh3+ Kb8 36.Qd7 Rgf6 37.e5 Rf2 38.exd6 Rc8 39.dxc7+ Rxc7 40.Qd6 Rxa2 41.Rf1 Qe8 42.Rf8 Qxf8 43.Qxf8+ Rc8 44.Qf4+ Rc7 45.Qe5 Kb7 46.Qd5+ Kb8 47.b4 Re7 48.Qd8+ Black resigned, sadhamlet - whickmeister, blitz, FICS, 2014.

What did I actually play in my game against wred? Why, 6.Qh5. The move appeared in 107 games in The Database. White scored 73%. The most recent game with the line continued 6...Nh6 7.d4 Qe8 8.Bg5+ Kd6 9.Qxe8, Black resigned ffdallagnol - praiseanosyk, FICS, 2014.

The answer to the question of the best continuation for White in this line remains unsettled, although all four moves given have been successful in practice.   

Q.E.D.

While it is not from the longest or strangest Jerome Gambit game in The Database (see "The Longest (and Strangest?) Game in The Database") - for other numerical recreations, see "King in Peril: Comment & Reply" - the following end position shows the logical outcome of Black being happy with his extra piece, from 4...Kxf7 through 114...Kxa7, but not doing a whole lot with it in the 100-plus moves in the interim.

Mannixcannon - Ellema, FICS, 2014
Drawn after 114...Kxa7

[July 2015 was the third most-visited month in this blog's history. Thank you, Readers, for your attentions. Please visit regularly.]

The Jerome Gam' Again

Another player who likes the excitement of the Jerome Gambit is Louis Morin (MrJoker), whose earliest game in The Database dates from 2000.

He recently played the Jerome in the Quebec Open - and wishes others would answer with 3...Bc5 instead of 3...Nf6 or 3...Be7 so he could bring out the Jerome Gambit in over-the-board play more often. He gets most of his opportunites online at the Internet Chess Club.

Morin,L - Occillien,J 
Quebec Open, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

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

10.d4 Kf7 11.0-0

This looks like a slight improvement over 11.f4 Re8 12.e5 Nd5 13.Qb3 Be6 14.f5 Qh4+ 15.g3 Qe4+ 16.Kf2 Qxf5+ 17.Bf4 Ndxf4 18.Qxb7 Bd5 19.Qxc7+ Re7 20.Qxd6 Nh3+ 21.Ke1 Bxh1 22.Nc3 Qf2+ 23.Kd1 Qf1+ 24.Kd2 Qxa1 25.Nd5 Bxd5 26.Qxd5+ Kf8 27.Qxa8+ Re8 28.Qxa7 Qxb2 29.Qc5+ Kg8 30.a4 Nf2 31.Qc6 Rf8 32.e6 Qxd4+ 33.Kc1 Ne7 34.Qb7 Ne4 35.Qxe7 Qa1 checkmate,  MrJoker - bwhited, ICC, 2011. 

11...Rf8

Black presents a small improvement over 11...Re8 12.f3 Kg8 13.c4 Be6 14.b3 Qd7 15.Bb2 c6 16.Nd2 h6 17.f4 Bf5 18.e5 Nh7 19.Qg3 dxe5 20.fxe5 Qe6 21.Nf3 Be4 22.Rae1 Bxf3 23.Rxf3 Rf8 24.Rxf8+ Rxf8 25.d5 cxd5 26.cxd5 Qb6+ 27.Qe3 Qxe3+ 28.Rxe3 Nf4 29.d6 Ne6 30.Rf3 Nhg5 31.Rc3 Ne4 32.Rc4 Nd2 33.Rc1 Kf7 34.Ba3 Kg6 35.Re1 Rc8 36.Re2 Nxb3 37.axb3 Kf5 38.h3 Rd8 39.Kf2 Nd4 40.g4+ Ke6 41.Rd2 Nxb3 42.Rb2 Na5 43.Rb5 Nc6 44.Rxb7 Nxe5 45.Rxa7 Rd7 46.Rxd7 Kxd7 47.Kg3 Nc4 48.Bc5 Nxd6 49.Kf4 g6 50.Ke5 Nf7+ 51.Kf6 Ng5 52.Kxg6 Nxh3 53.Kxh6 Ke6 54.Be3 Kf7 55.Kh5 Kf6 56.Kh4 Black resigned, MrJoker- HarryP, ICC, 2011.

12.f4 Kg8 13.c4

White builds his "Jerome pawn" center before putting it in motion. Previously he tried a small variation with 13.f5 Ne7 14.c4 b6 15.h3 Bb7 16.Nc3 Nc6 17.g4 Qe7 18.Nd5 Nxd5 19.cxd5 Nd8 20.Bd2 Re8 21.Rae1 Qh4 22.Qf3 Ba6 23.Rf2 Nf7 24.Kh2 Ng5 25.Bxg5 Qxg5 26.e5 Rad8 27.e6 Bb7 28.Rc2 Re7 29.Rec1 Rc8 30.Kg3 Qf6 31.Qe4 g6 32.Kh2 gxf5 33.gxf5 Rg7 34.Rg1 Rxg1 35.Kxg1 Qg5+ 36.Kh2 Kh8 37.e7 Qg8 38.f6 Qf7 39.Rxc7 Rxc7 40.e8Q+ Black resigned, MrJoker - Zoli, ICC, 2011.

13...Ng4

Irresistible.

14.Qg3 Qh4 15.Qxh4 Nxh4

White's center and two extra pawns pretty much balance out Black's extra piece. How does the first player get more than equality?

16.h3 Nf6 17.Nc3 Ng6 18.Bd2 b6

After the game Louis said that at the time he did not fully appreciate the idea behind Black's Queenside actions.

19.e5 Nh5 20.Ne2 dxe5 21.fxe5 Rxf1+ 22.Rxf1 Ba6 23.b3 b5

I think I have seen something like this in Andras Adorjan's Black Is Ok!, but, of course, it was not in the context of the Jerome Gambit!

24.g4 bxc4 25.gxh5 cxb3 26.Re1

White also had something like 26.hxg6 Bxe2 27.Ra1 b2 28.Rb1 Rb8 29.Bc3 hxg6 30.Rxb2 Rxb2 31.Bxb2 but that seems to peter out into a drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame. 

26...Nh4 27.Kf2 Rf8+ 28.Nf4 bxa2 29.Ra1 Bc4 30.Ke3 Rb8 

The sacrificed piece has been regained.

From here on, Black, with the extra, advanced pawn, has what winning chances there are, but he cannot find them.

White plays confidently, outplays his opponent, and splits the point.

31.d5 Rb1 32.Bc3 g5 33.hxg6 hxg6 34.Kd4 Bb3 35.Kc5 Nf5 36.Nxg6 Ne3 37.d6 cxd6+ 38.exd6 Rxa1 39.Bxa1 Be6 40.h4 Nc2 41.Bc3 a1Q 42.Bxa1 Nxa1 43.Kb5 Drawn

The Jerome Gam'

As far as I know, Dr. Seuss never played the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) but I suspect he would have liked the zaniness of the chess opening. Who knows, he might have decided

Say! I like the Jerome Gam'!
I do! I like it, Sam-I-Am!
And I would play it in a boat.
And I would play it with a goat...
And I would play it in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
It is such fun, such fun, you see!
So I will play it in a box.
And I will play it with a fox.
And I will play it in a house.
And I will play it with a mouse.
And I will play it here and there.
Say! I will play it anywhere!
I do so like the Jerome Gam'!
Thank you! Thank you! Sam-I-Am!

Well, we all know that Bill Wall likes the Jerome Gambit, and here is his latest over-the-board effort, against someone who should have taken the opening a bit more seriously.

Wall,B - O'Toole,S
Abu Dhabi, 2015

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3

The Database has 218 games which reach this position.

9...Bg4

And 0 games - except this one - with this move.

It is not easy to figure the idea behind 9...Bg4. Bill suggests the alternative 9...Nf6.

10.0-0 c5 11.f4 Nh6 12.Nc3 Rf8 

If there were time, following this move by castling-by-hand with ...Kf7-g8 might be prudent. Bill suggests withdrawing the errant Bishop with 12...Bd7, but perhaps Black has a different plan for it.

13.f5 Ne5 14.d3 a6 15.h3 Bxf5

Bill suggests, instead, either. 15...Qh4 16.hxg4 Nhxg4 17.Qh3 Qxh3 18.gxh3 Nf6 19.Bg5; or 15...Nxf5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Qg3 g6 18.Bh6. In either case, White is for choice.

16.exf5 Rxf517.Rxf5 Nxf5 18.Qe4

Black has returned his extra piece for two pawns; the material is even. After his next move, he can even claim an advantage in development. However, his King is unsafe, and White's Queen will sow disorder. It is time to be very, very serious...

18...Qf6 

He might have tried 18...Qd7. 

19.Qxb7 Rd8 20.Ne4

From an email from Bill:

I just put this game in Fritz and it found this amazing drawing line for Black that I would not have found.  On move 20 I played 20.Ne4, but I also thought I could play 20.Qxa6 as well (I said to myself, what's the difference, I will play 21.Qxa6 next).  If I had played 20.Qxa6? first, then 20...Qh4 (threatening 21...Qe1 and a draw) 21.Bd2 (or almost anything else) Nf3+!  22.gxf3 Qg3+ 23.Kf1 Qxf3+ and a draw..  I would have to try 21.Qa4+ and trade queens to avoid this, which may still draw for Black.  In the line I played, 20.Ne4, if 20...Qh4?, then 21.Bg5 can be played as it is supported by the knight in this variation and the knight also prevents ...Qg3+, thus winning for White.  What a difference a tempo or an in-between-move makes.  It's amazing what these computers can find in 1 second that would take me 1 hour to see, if at all. 

20...Qe7 21.Qxa6 Qd7 22.Bg5 Rc8 23.Rf1 h6 24.Rxf5 Qxf5 25.Nxd6+  Black resigned

A nice finish - White forks King, Queen and Rook!

I don't think I have seen that in a Jerome Gambit game before.

How Goes the Second Decline?

The following game allowed me to both see what an interesting new Jerome Gambit player was doing, as well as check out another example of a defensive move by Black that I have sometimes underestimated.

ZahariSokolov - naijachampion
standard, FICS, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

Black decides that accepting one sacrificed piece is enough.

His King would be safer on f8, however. See "A Second Chance to Decline".

6.Qh5+

The text is thematic, but 6.Nxc6 is probably "objectively" stronger. See "Don't drive like my brother", "Ooops..." and "A Short Wall(k)".

6...g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+

At first glance a surprise, but Black counts the Bishop's time left as limited, and plans to get a pawn for it.

8.Kxf2

White escaped twice after declining the piece, but it is not a strategy that I would endorse:

8.Kd1 Nf6 9.Qf3 Rg8 10.Nf4 Bc5 11.c3 d6 12.d4 Bb6 13.h3 h5 14.Re1 Bd7 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5+ Ne7 17.Qxh5+ Kf8 18.Rf1+ Nf5 19.Bh6+ Ke7 20.Rxf5 Bxf5 21.Qxf5 Qd7 22.Bg5+ Ke8 23.Qe4+ Kf8 24.Bh6+ Kf7 25.Nd2 Rae8 26.Qf4+ Kg6 27.Kc2 Qf5+ 28.Qxf5+ Kxf5 29.g4+ Kg6 30.Bf4 c6 31.Bxd6 Re2 32.Kd3 Rge8 33.Nc4 Bd8 34.a4 b5 35.axb5 cxb5 36.Ne5+ Kg7 37.Kxe2 Bg5 38.Rf1 Rh8 39.Rf7+ Kg8 40.Rf3 Kh7 41.Nc6 Re8+ 42.Kf2 a6 43.Ne5 Bh4+ 44.Kg2 a5 45.Rf7+ Kg8 46.Rf5 a4 47.Rh5 Bd8 48.Bb4 Kg7 49.h4 Bf6 50.Kh3 Rf8 51.g5 Bd8 52.Kg4 Bc7 53.Bc5 Bb8 54.d6 Rd8 55.Nc6 Rd7 56.Nxb8 Kg6 57.Nxd7 Black forfeited on time, Petasluk - Klonkku, FICS, 2011;

8.Kf1 hxg6 9.Qxh8 Qf6 10.Qxf6 Nxf6 11.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 12.Ke3 d5 13.Nc3 Bf5 14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.d3 Bf5 16.Bd2 Kd7 17.Rhe1 Re8+ 18.Kf2 Ne5 19.h3 d4 20.Bf4 Kd6 21.Bxe5+ Rxe5 22.Rxe5 Kxe5 23.Re1+ Kd6 24.Kf3 Black resigned, jecree - lhoffman, FICS, 2008.

8...Qf6+

8...Nf6! is the correct move here, still unplayed as far as The Database is concerned.

9.Qf5

9.Nf4+ is the strongest rejoinder, as seen as far back as Blackstone,J - Dommeyer,C, Campbell, CA 1960 and as recent as Philidor 1792 - Guest834593, PlayChess.com 2014.

9...hxg6 10.Qxf6 Nxf6 11.d3 d6 

Black has the standard piece for two pawns. He has seen the Queens leave the board, and his King has escaped danger, but the game is not over.

12. c3 b6 13. Bg5 Ng4+ 14. Ke2 Be6 15.Nd2 Rxh2

A tactical oversight, not just the win of a pawn. 

16.Rxh2 Nxh2 17.Rh1 Ng4

Still missing something, or in shock. It was time to bite the bullet with 17...Bxa2.

18.Rh8+ Kd7 19.Rxa8 Bxa2

White is a clear exchange ahead. From here on he outplayed his opponent.

20.b3 Nge5 21.Rg8 Na5 22.d4 Nxb3 23.Rg7+ Kc8 24.dxe5 Nxd2 25.Kxd2 dxe5 26.Rxg6 a5 27.Be7 Kd7 28.Ba3 Be6 29.g4 c6 30.g5 b5 31.Rg7+ Kd8 32.Ra7 a4 33.Ke3 Kc8 34.g6 Black resigned

Mutual Royal Danger: Knightfall

I was playing over the following Abrahams Jerome Gambit game with Stockfish looking over my shoulder, when the computer made a comment that I didn't understand. It turns out that both players had overlooked something along with me and that only one of them was able to recover, and take advantage of the particular situation...

Korpav - Dagestan
standard, FICS, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ 

3...Kxf7 4.Qh5+ Kf8 5.Qxe5 d6 6.Qc3 Qg5 7.Qf3+ Nf6
8.Ne2 Nc6 

To my eyes, Black was doing a good job of dealing with the gambit, and his last move seemed solid and useful. However, Stockfish didn't like 8...Nc6 and suggested, instead, 8...Bg4 9.Qf4 Qxf4 10.Nxf4 Nc6.

Hmmm... First exchange Queens, then bring out the Knight. Okay... Why?

9.c3

The first thing both players (and the annotator) overlooked was 9.d4!, which allows White, after a bit of exercise, to win back his sacrificed piece with 9...Bb4+ 10.c3 Qg6 11.Nf4 Qxe4+ 12.Qxe4 Nxe4 13.cxb4 Nxb4 when

analysis diagram






Black's active pieces would give him only an edge.

Having missed the opportunity to take advantage of his opponent's Queen's danger, White Queen now experiences her own troubles at the hands of the enemy Knights.

9...Ne5 10.Qg3 Bxf2+ 11.Kxf2 Nxe4+ White resigned