I am always looking for something new in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ and friends) universe. Before I share any discoveries, though, I check to make sure that I haven't already passed the information along. With over 2,200 blog posts, I can't keep everything in my head. Here's a good example. Let's start with a Jerome-ish line from the Two Knight's Defense (or the Italian Game, or the Four Knights Game): 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ . It, and similar positions, are discussed under the "fork trick" in Pawn Power in Chess, by Hans Kmoch (1949).
For a brief introduction as it relates to the Jerome, see the post "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense (Part 3)". Follow that up with "Further Explorations" (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5). A few years ago, Tim Sawyer, a Blackmar Diemer Gambit expert, on his blog, gave the line that we are looking at today the descriptive name the "Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit". He was influenced by a game where "jeromed" played the OIFKJG against him. Tim mentioned that Bill Wall - no stranger to the Jerome Gambit - instead calls the line the "Noa Gambit". I am guessing that Bill is referring to the following game (there are probably others) by the Hungarian Chess master: Noa, Josef - Makovetz, Gyula DSB-07.Kongress, Dresden, 1892 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe4 d5 7.Ng3 e4 8.Ng1 h5 9.d4 h4 10.Nf1 Qf6 11.c3 Ne7 12.Ne3 Kg8 13.Ne2 c6 14.h3 g5 15.Rf1 Bh6 16.f3 exf3 17.Rxf3 Qg6 18.b3 Rh7 19.Ba3 g4 20.hxg4 Bxg4 21.Nxg4 Qxg4 22.Ng3 Rf7 23.Bxe7 Rxe7+ 24.Ne2 Qxg2 25.Rf2 Qg1+ 26.Rf1 Qg3+ 27.Rf2 Rf8 White resigned I am happy to now add that Examples of Chess Master-Play (1894), by Charles Thomas Blanshard, says of 5.Bxf7+ "The text move, a hobby of Dr. Noa, develops Black's game." (I have not turned up any more examples, however.) It turned out, however, that I was able to identify a precursor to Noa's play: Zoltowski, E - Zukertort, Johannes Berlin, 1869 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe4 Be7 7.Nfg5+ Bxg5 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxg5 d5 10.Qxd8 Rxd8 11.Ng5+ Kg7 12.d3 Nd4 13.O-O Nxc2 14.Rb1 Re8 15.b3 Bf5 16.Rd1 Nb4 17.Ba3 Nxd3 18.g4 Nxf2 19.Rxd5 Nxg4 20.Rbd1 Ne3 21.Rd7+ Bxd7 22.Rxd7+ Kh6 23.Nf7+ Kh5 24.Bc1 Nf5 25.Ng5 h6 26.Rh7 Rad8 White resigned To date, I have not found any references to the "Zoltowski Gambit". I also shared a game which was about as close as any sort of Jerome Gambit was going to get to a World Champion:
Fischer, Robert James - Ames, D. USA, 1955 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe4 d5 7.Neg5+ Kg8 8.d4 h6 9.Nh3 Bg4 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nf4 c6 12.h3 Nxf3+ 13.gxf3 Bf5 14.Be3 Bb4+ 15.c3 Ba5 16.Rg1 Qe8 17.Nxd5 Qf7 18.Nf4 Re8 19.Qb3 Bc7 20.Qxf7+ Kxf7 21.Nh5 g6 22.Ng3 Bxh3 23.O-O-O Rd8 24.Rxd8 Bxd8 25.Rh1 Bg2 26.Rxh6 Rxh6 27.Bxh6 Bxf3 28.Be3 drawn Of course, Bobby wasn't even a teenager when he played that game. So - what's new? I recently discovered, in Pollock Memories: A Collection of Chess Games, Problems, &c., &c., Including His Matches with Eugene Delmar, Jackson Showalter, and G.H.D. Gossip (1899), by William Henry Krause Pollock, edited by F. F. Rowland, an undated/unplaced game between Pollock and an Amateur, with the introduction: "The following is a very fine example, known in Dublin years ago as the 'Monck Gambit' ." 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe4 d5 7.Nfg5+ Kg6 8.Qf3 dxe4 9.Qf7+ Kxg5
"White now mates in ten moves." 10.d4+ Kh4 11.h3 Bb4+ 12.Kf1 g6 13.g3+ Kh5 14.g4+ Kh4 15.Qb3 Bc3 16.Qxc3 e3 17.Qxe3 Bxg4 18.hxg4+ Kxg4 19.Qe4 checkmate
I will have more on the Monck Gambit next post. For now, it will suffice to recall Monck's comment about the Jerome Gambit from thePreston Guardian, April 26, 1882, concerning the game Lowe,E - Cudmore,D, correspondence, 1881
Every form of the Jerome Gambit is, I believe, unsound and this is no exception.
The third of the recently-supplied games by shugart, at FICS, shows White confronting a difficult defense - and prevailing. You need only look in the notes and see others who lost in those lines - fehim, MrJoker, perrypawnpusher, wall - to appreciate the challenge. It is as if his attack sneaks up on his opponent. shugart - Invited FICS, 2016 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8
The Jerome Variation of the Jerome Gambit, played by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome against David Jaeger in correspondence, 1880. 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.Nc3 Be6
Black wants an open line for his Bishop, but this move actually allows White to keep things closed. White needs the time to work on his development. 16.e5 Nd7 17.d4 Qe7 18.f4 Kg8 Overlooking the potential of the "Jerome pawns". 19.f5 Bf7
Usually the out-of-play Rook for Black is the one on a8. This time it is the one on h8. 20.f6 Even stronger is Bh6!?, now or the next move. 20...Qf8 Black underestimates the attack. Stockfish 7 suggests, instead, returning the extra piece:20...Nxf6 21.exf6 Bxg3 22.fxe7 Bd6 23.a4 Bxe7 24.Nd3 when White would have a small advantage (Knight goes to e5, pawn weakness at c6) despite Black having the two Bishops.
21.fxg7 Qxg7 22.Qh3 h5 23.Qxd7 Kh7
24.Qxc7 Good enough. (Crushing was 24.Rxf7!?) 24...Rhg8 25.Rxf7 Black resigned
Here's another Jerome Gambit game from shugart, playing at the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS). Unlike the play in the last post (see"A Familiar Line Off The Beaten Path"), this features a novel line that is truly new to White, and quite rare in The Database (it is one of three games). shugart - bobbybo FICS, 2016 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
Curiously, the game has reached a position from the game featured in the previous post, with Black's Queen on d8 (here) instead of e6 (there). Black's faulty combination now hands the advantage over to White. (He probably overlooked that the capture at move 14 comes with check.) When you are playing against a bad opening, it is easy to see its many faults, real and imagined. 12...Bg4 13.f3 Nxe4 14.fxe4+ Kg8 15.Qxg4 c6
White now settles things down with some exchanges, magnifying his extra piece and pawn. 16.d3 Qb6+ 17.Kh1 Rad8 18.b3 Ne5 19.Qg3 Re6 20.Bf4 Rg6 21.Qf2 Rf8 22.Qxb6 axb6 23.Bxe5 dxe5 24.Rxf8+ Kxf8 25.Rf1+ Ke7
The endgame plays out as expected. 26.g3 Ke6 27.Kg2 b5 28.Nd1 c5 29.Ne3 h5 30.h4 Rh6 31.Rf5 Rh7 32.Rg5 b6 33.Rg6+ Kf7 34.Rxb6 g6 35.Rb7+ Kg8 36.Rxh7 Kxh7 37.Kf3 Kg7 38.g4 Kf6 39.gxh5 gxh5 40.Nf5 Ke6 41.a4 bxa4 42.bxa4 Black resigned
I recently received 3 interesting and original games from "shugart" who plays online at FICS. In return, I was able to send him the latest version of The Database, which has been updated with FICS games through February 2016. The following game features a line that shugart has shown a liking for. shugart - javannanda FICS, 2016 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ "The nudge", a sign that the player may be familiar with the games and analysis of this blog. 7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qb5+
The game has reached the same position reached in shugart - transitman, lightning, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 29), and others, although in the earlier game Black's Queen was at e8. 14.f4 Qc4 15.d3 Qc5 16.d4 Qh5 17.e5 dxe5 18.fxe5 Kg8
White now puts a bit too much faith in his "Jerome pawns" with his next move - although things turn out fine in the end. 19.exf6 Rxe3 20.f7+ Kf8 21.Bxe3 c6 22.d5 Bg4
Not the best defense. 23.Bc5+ Ne7 24.Rae1 cxd5 25.Bxe7 checkmate
