Jerome Gambit: More Pie, Please

The following game tells an often-shared tale: it is not enough to know the move that "refutes" a line, it is necessary to know the follow up. This is especially the case in a very sharp, double-edged opening like the Jerome Gambit.

Wall, Bill - PassCapture
lichess.org, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4

Elsewhere I have referred to this a "pie-in-the-face" variation, and it is one that can come as a shock to the unprepared Jerome Gambiteer - but Bill Wall is hardly unprepared. He has had success against other lines in the 6.d4 variation, and is ready if someone wants to mix it up with the text.

7.O-O Ng4 8.h3 N8f6 

With this move (a novelty according to The Database) Black continues to pursue development over material, refusing to retreat.

Bill has faced other lines as well:

8...Bd6 9.e5 Bxe5 (9...Nxe5 10.dxe5 Bxe5 11.Qd5+ Kf6 12.Re1 d6 13.Rxe5 dxe5 14.Qd8+ Ne7 15.Qxh8 Qe4 [15...Kf7 16.Nd2 Ng6 17.Nf3 Qxf2+ 18.Kxf2 Nxh8 19.Nxe5+ Kf6 20.Nf3 Bf5 21.Be3 Ng6 22.g4 Be4 23.Bd4+ Ke6 24.Re1 Rf8 25.Rxe4+ Kd5 26.Ke3 c5 27.Bxg7 Rf7 28.c4+ Kd6 29.Be5+ Nxe5 30.Nxe5 Rf1 31.Nd3 Rh1 32.Nf4 Rh2 33.Re6+ Kc7 34.Re7+ Kb6 35.Rxh7 Rxb2 36.g5 Rxa2 37.g6 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016] 16.Qf8+ Ke6 17.Bg5 Qb4 18.Qxg7 Bd7 19.Qf6+ Kd5 20.Nc3+ Kc4 21.b3+ Kxc3 22.Qxe5+ Qd4 23.Bd2+ Kxd2 24.Qxd4+ Kxc2 25.Rd1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016) 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Qd5+ Kf6 12.f4 Ng6 13.Nc3 d6 14.Be3 Ke7 15.Rae1 Kd8 16.Nb5 Nf6 17.Qc4 Ne8 18.Bf2 Qf6 19.Bd4 Qh4 20.Rxe8+ Kxe8 21.Nxc7+ Kf8 22.f5 Ne5 23.f6 gxf6 24.Qd5 Kg7 25.Qxd6 Rg8 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 27.Bxe5 and won Sorensen,S - X, Denmark, 1888 

8...d6 9.dxc5 N4f6 10.cxd6 cxd6 11.Nd2 Nxe4 12.Nf3 Qh5 13.Ng5+ Qxg5 14.Bxg5 Nxg5 15.Qh5+ Kf6 16.f4 Ne4 17.Qe8 d5 18.Qe5+ Kf7 19.Qxd5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016. 

9.dxc5 Nxe4

I would have expected the consistent 9...h5!? with attack still on Black's mind, although Stockfish 8 prefers 9...Ne5 10.f4 Nc6 and White's advantage is slight.

Black's counter-attack evaporates.

10.Qd5+ Kf6 11.Qxe4 

Having surrendered a piece, Black realizes to his dismay that his Knight is pinned to his Queen - and lost.

11...d5 12.cxd6 cxd6 13.f3 h5 14.fxg4+ Black resigned

Black is down a piece - and faces checkmate.

The Jerome Life: Scrambled

The Jerome Gambit and related openings have their main lines and strategies, but it is important to remember that many times those games quickly become scrambled - and players have to ask themselves why they are trying to remember the "right" moves in the midst of all the chaos. It is important to remember that in many club games, the winner is the one who makes the next-to-last error. 

susant - seanypf
blitz, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Nc4 

This is an interesting idea - there are 140 examples in The Database. White scores 52%. The sharpest alternative is 6.c3.

6...Nf6 7.e5

Going right for the attack. White is most likely to decrease Black's advantage with 7.c3, however.

7...Nd5 

So simple - but so wrong. Stockfish 8 says this leads to an even game, preferring 7...d5, i.e. 8.c3 Nf5 9.exf6 dxc4 10.fxg7 Bxg7 with the advantage to Black. The extra White pawns don't compensate for the sacrificed piece, the computer believes.

As for game examples, The Database has only two, featuring 7...Ne4? Here they are, with light notes: 8.Qg4+!? (8.c3 Nf5 9.d4 [9.d3!?] 9...c6 [9...Kf7!?] 10. O-O b5 11. Ne3 g6 12. d5+ Ke7 13. d6+ Ke8 14. Nxf5 gxf5 15. Qh5 chekmate, DougDDG - nicapol, FICS, 2007) 8...Kd5? 9.Ne3+ (9.O-O!? d6 [9... Kxc4 10. Qxe4 d5 11. exd6 Bxd6 12. Nc3 c6 White is better] 10. Ne3+ Kxe5 11. f4+ Kf6 12. Qh4+ g5 13. fxg5+ Kg7 14. Qxe4 c5 White is better) 9...Kxe5 10.c3 (10. Qh5+!?) 10...d5 11.cxd4+ Kxd4 12.Nc3? (12. Qe2!?) 12...Bxg4 13.Nb5+ Kc5 14.Nc3 Nxc3 15.bxc3 Qe7?! (15...Qh4!?) 16.O-O? (16.Ba3+!) 16...Be2 17.Ba3+ Kc6 18.Bxe7 Bxf1 19.Bxf8 Rhxf8 20.Kxf1 Rae8 21Rb1 b6 22.Rb4 a5 23.Rh4 h6 24.Rg4 g5 25.Rg3 Re4 26.Rh3 Rh8 27.Nf5 h5 28.Ng7 h4 29.Nf5 Ra4 30.Nd4+ Kb7 31.Ne6 Rxa2 32.Nxg5 Rxd2 33.Nf7 Rd1+ 34.Ke2 Re8+ 35.Kxd1 Re7 36.Ng5 Rf7 37.Nxf7 c5 38.Rxh4 b5 39.Rh6 b4 40.cxb4 a4 41.Nd6+ Black forfeited on time, hest - alipax, FICS, 2010.

8.Qg4+ 

Not surprisingly, Stockfish 8 prefers 8.c3, with an even game.

8...Nf5 

An improvement over the earlier 8...Ke7 9.Qxd4 c6 10.d3 h6 11.Nc3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 g5 13.Ba3+ Ke8 14.Bxf8 Rxf8 15.Nd6+ Ke7 16.O-O Qb6 17.Qg4 Rf4 18.Qh5 Kd8 19.Qxh6 Kc7 20.Ne8+ Kb8 21.d4 d5 22.Qd6+ Qc7 23.Qxc7 checkmate, shredderchess - PsychoGod, FICS, 2011.

9.Qe4

Reasonable, as was 9.O-O Qh4 (9...h5 10.Qg6+ Nf6 11.exf6 Qxf6 12.Re1+ Kd5 13.Qxf6 gxf6 14.d3 Nd4 15.Ne3+ Kc6 16.c3 Ne6 17.b4 b6 18.Bb2 Bg7 19.a4 Kb7 20.Nf5 Bf8 21.c4 Bxb4 22.Re3 Rg8 23.Rf3 Kb8 24.Nd4 Bb7 25.Rxf6 Nxd4 26.Bxd4 Bxg2 27.Rh6 Be4+ 28.Kf1 Bxd3 checkmate, biased - suequntf, FICS, 2009) 10.Qf3 Bc5 11.c3 Qxc4 12.d3 Qh4 13.d4 Bb6 14.Nd2 Rf8 15.Ne4 d6 16.exd6 cxd6 17.Ng5+ Kd7 18.Qxd5 h6 19.Qe6+ Kc7 20.Qc4+ Kd8 21.Nf7+ Ke7 22.Re1+ Kf6 23.Nxd6 Nxd6 24.Qe2 Bf5 25.Qe7+ Kg6 26.Qxd6+ Rf6 27.Qe7 Raf8 28.Qxb7 Be4 29.Qxe4+ Qxe4 30.Rxe4 Rxf2 31.Be3 Rxb2 32.c4 Re2 33.c5 Ba5 34.Rg4+ Kh5 35.Rg3 Bc3 36.Rf1 Rxf1+ 37.Kxf1 Rxa2 38.Rxg7 a5 39.Rh7 a4 40.Rxh6+ Kg4 41.Rg6+ Kf5 42.Rg5+ Ke4 43.Re5+ Kd3 44.c6 Bxd4 45.Bxd4 Kxd4 46.Re8 Rc2 47.Ra8 Rc4 48.c7 Ke3 49.Re8+ Kd4 50.c8=Q Rxc8 51.Rxc8 a3 Black resigned, mhmf - JhondEdie, FICS, 2014.

White can't quite take advantage of the pin on the Knight at f5, as 9.Ne3 would be met by 9...Nxe3 10.dxe3 and now 10...d5 would prevent the new e-pawn from attacking the Knight, while 10...Qh4 would disrupt the pinning Queen.

9...Qh4 10.Qe2 

White's dilemma is that an exchange of Queens would allow Black's King to eventually escape his uneasy position in the middle of the board.

10...Nd4

11.Qd3 

Protecting c2 from the fork, but even the timid 11.Qd1 would fail - to 11...Qe4+ 12.Ne3 Nxe3 13.dxe3 Nxc2+, etc. White's game goes to pieces.

11...Nb4 12.Qb3 Nbxc2+ 13.Kd1 Nxb3 White forfeited by disconnection

Okay, so maybe it is a good idea to learn some opening theory.

Jerome Gambit: Jump!

I thought I would start 2017 with a Jerome Gambit game that got me chuckling. White is played by shugart, who has over 120 games in The Database. The time control is "lightning", and I am tempted to say that the players should know better than to try the Jerome at that speed - but then I was reminded of a scene in the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" where the two title characters are trapped at the edge of a cliff, and their only "escape" is to leap off, into the water below...

Butch Cassidy: Alright. I'll jump first. 
Sundance Kid: No. 
Butch Cassidy: Then you jump first. 
Sundance Kid: No, I said. 
Butch Cassidy: What's the matter with you? 
Sundance Kid: I can't swim. 
Butch Cassidy: Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill you. 
Sundance Kid: Oh... 

shugart - kisa
lightning, FICS, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

Play the Jerome Gambit?
The time clock will probably kill you, anyhow.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.Nc3 c6 10.d3 h6 11.Be3 Bb4 

We are getting to the part of the game where the clock dictates "Move first. Think later."

12.O-O Ba5 13.f4 d5 14.e5 

For example, White has a threat - but Black has an equal one. Given a few more ticks of the clock, White would have found the safer 14.Bc5+ Kg8 15.e5 

14...Bxc3

Fixing things for White, by missing the fork 14...d4. This move sugggests that time is now on White's side, and as long as he stays ahead on the clock he will win, regardless of what is happening on the board.

15.bxc3 Ne8 16.f5 Rg8 

17.Bc5+ Kf7 18.e6+

It is a bit impertinent to suggest the alternative 18.Qg6#, as White is not going to win via checkmate. He doesn't have to.

18...Kf6 19.Bd4+ 

Likewise, 19.Qg6+ Ke5 20.Rae1# is irrelevant. 

19...Ke7 20.Bc5+

It is the height of rudness to suggest, instead, that 20.Qg6 or 20.f6+ would have led to the win of Black's Rook. White has it all under control.

Black forfeited on time

That's okay. Time ran out on 2016, too. Happy New Year!

Jerome Gambit: White Beware

Not all of the traps and surprises are for Black in the Jerome Gambit. The following game has a nasty snare that White steps in; and it is doubly dangerous in a blitz game. Be aware: chessmanjeff is no stranger to the Jerome Gambit, either; The Database has 239 of his games.

chessmanjeff - hugore
5 0 blitz, FICS, 2016

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8

This very early defense to the Jerome could come as a surprise to an unprepared White. For some history of the line, see the post "Merry Christmas! A Hysterical/Historical Jerome Gambit Part 1".

6.Qh5

The Banks variation, most recently covered in the post "Jerome Gambit: Battle of Wits" where 6.Nxc6 was given as best - and then Black has the surprise 6...Qh4!?. Mayhem ensues. 

6...Qe7

Another surprise. Black offers the exchange. White should not accept!

7.Ng6+

An alternative, hoping to return to "normal" lines, was not successful: 7.Nxc6 dxc6 8.O-O Nf6 9.Qf3 Qxe4 10.Qc3 Bd4 11.Qb4+ c5 12.Qb5 c6 13.Qa5 b6 14.Qa3 Qxc2 15.Nc3 Be6 16.Ne2 Be5 17.d4 Bd6 18.dxc5 Bxc5 19.Qf3 Bd5 20.Qh3 Qxe2 21.Bg5 Qg4 22.Bxf6 Qxh3 23.Bxg7+ Kxg7 24.gxh3 Rhg8 White resigned, HooahMan - elidede, FICS, 2015.

Play should continue, instead, 7.Qf3+ Nf6 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.d3 d5 10.Nc3 Bg4 11.Qg3 dxe4 12.O-O exd3 13.cxd3 h5 according to Stockfish 8.

7...hxg6 8.Qxh8 Qxe4+

Checkmate is now forced.

This point was overlooked in an earlier game, which is given with light notes: 8...Qf6?! 9.O-O d6 10.d4? (10.c3!?) 10...Nxd4 11.Nc3 Nxc2 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.b4 Bd4 14.Rb1 c6 15.Bb2? (15.Nf4!?) 15...Bxb2 (15...cxd5) 16.Rxb2 Nd4 17.Rd1 Nb5 18.a4 cxd5 19.axb5 Qf6 20.Rb3 dxe4 21.f3 Be6 22.Ra3 d5 23.fxe4 Ke7 24.exd5 (24.Rf3!? Qe5 25.exd5) 24...Bg4 25.d6+ Kd7 26.Rf1 Qd4+ 27.Kh1 Qxb4? 28.Qxg7+ Ke6 29.Qxg6+ Kd5 30.Rd3+ Kc4 31.Qxg4+ Kxb5 32.Rf5+ Ka4 33.Qxb4+ (33.Qd1+ Qb3 34.Qxb3#) 33...Kxb4 34.Rf4+ Kc5 35.d7 Rd8 36.Rc4+?! Black forfeited on time, HooahMan - elidede, FICS, 2015.

9.Kd1

Another earlier cautionary tale: 9.Kf1 Qd4 10.Ke1 Qxf2+ 11.Kd1 d6 12.h3 Qxg2 13.Re1 Qf3+ 14.Re2 Bf2 15.d3 Nd4 16.Nc3 Qh1+ 17.Kd2 Nf3 checkmate, splott - mika76, GameKnot.com, 2008.

9...d6 10.Re1 Qg4+ 11.f3 Qxg2 12.Re8+ Kxe8 13.Qxg8+ Kd7 14.Qxg7+ Ne7

The "only move" to preserve the win, actually. Take a look at 14...Ke6 15.Qg8+ Ke5 16.Qg7+ Kf4 17.d4+ Kxf3 18.Qf7+ Bf5 19.Qd5+ Be4 20.Qf7+ Kg4 21.Qf4+ Kh5 22.Qh6+ Kg4 23.Qg5+ Kh3 24.Qh6+, drawn by repetition. Amazing!

15.c3 Qxf3+ 16.Kc2 Qe4+ 17.d3 Qe2+ 18.Bd2 b6 19.d4 Ba6 20.dxc5 Bd3+ 21.Kb3 bxc5 22.Bg5 Rb8+

Missing 22...Bc2+ 23.Ka3 Qa6 but it doesn't matter at all.

23.Ka4 Bc2+ 24.b3 Bxb3+

Or 24...Qa6 checkmate.

25.axb3 Qb5+ 26.Ka3 Qxb3 checkmate

Wow! Let's not do that again, shall we?

Jerome Gambit: Update The Database, Keep the Themes

I am updating The Database to include FICS games through the end of 2016. In the process, I ran across the following game which illustrates the ups and downs of playing the Jerome Gambit in blitz. White has over 200 games in The Database, and his play shows many Jerome themes - including a "sudden" mating attack to close the game.

snthor - AntonZ
blitz, FICS, 2016

1.Nf3 Nc6 2.e4 e5 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.O-O 

The "modern" Jerome Gambit, which skips the "classical" 5.Nxe5+ and is much more free form than forcing; the idea being that, given the freedom of choosing a line of play, instead of being forced into it, Black does not do his best.

5...d6 6.c3 h6 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Bb6 

White has the better center pawn structure, and hopes to make progress against Black's slightly weakened King, whose careful ...h7-h6 often proves to have some weaknesses.

9.Qb3+ Kf8 10.Be3 Nf6 11.Nc3 Bg4 12.e5 dxe5 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.dxe5 Nd7 

Here we see a situation typical of a blitz game. If he had more time, Black would probably have avoided the exchanges that brought White's pawn to e5, which threatens Black's Knight, which loosens Black's Bishop... 

15.Rae1

White builds his attack, and in the process misses the fork 15.Qb4+. Remember, this is a blitz game.

15...Qe7 16.f3 

I am trying out Stockfish 8, and here it recommends a breathless line of play that would probably appear in a slower time limit game: 16.Nd5 Qe6 17.Bxb6 axb6 18.Qb4+ c5 19.Qf4+ Qf5 20.Re4 Qxf4 21.Rxf4+ Kg8 22.Rxg4 Nxe5 23.Re4 Nc6 24.a3 Rd8 and White is a bit better.

16...Be6 17.Qc2 Re8 18.Bxb6 Nxb6 19.f4 

The "Jerome pawns", backed by Rooks, begin to look threatening. If he is careful, Black can handle them, but White knows they have power.

19...Qc5+ 20.Kh1 Nd5 21.f5 Bc8 22.Rc1 

Distracted by Black's Knight, for a moment White overlooks the thematic 22.f6!?


22...Nxc3 23.bxc3 Qxe5 24.f6 

24...g5

Fascinating. As if Black realizes that White wants to open up lines, so he refuses to (or so he believes). As if the pawn on h6 has been searching for justification for almost 20 moves, and now "explains" itself.

This is a blitz game, the perfect time for the Jerome Gambit, and here is what we see regularly: Black offers White a chance to get back into the game; in fact, White is now winning.

25.Qg6 Rg8 26.Qxh6+ Kf7 27.Qh7+ Ke6 28.Rce1 

Even more crushing is 28.f7, but White does fine without it, winning Black's Queen. Then comes the King hunt and the checkmate.

28...Qxe1 29.Rxe1+ Kd6 30.Qd3+ Kc6 31.Qc4+ Kb6 32.Rb1+ Ka5 33.Qb4+ Ka6 34.Qb5 checkmate

Nice!

Unlinked

Recently chessfriend Yury Bukayev pointed out that somehow, somewhere along the way, this blog had lost its "Links" section on the right side... Odd.

Thanks, Yury! I have started to repair the problem.

By the way, December 2016 is the month with the most visitors to this blog, since it began on June 10, 2008. Readers - thank you!

And - I'm sitting on top of the standings in the Chess.com Giuoco Piano tournament, one point ahead of the field (thanks, in part, to the Jerome Gambit). However, IlToscano has two games left, so he can catch and pass me... Serves me right: against the next-to-last-place player, I allowed a pawn fork of two of my pieces, and resigned. How strange, given that in the Jerome Gambit I routinely give up more material than that! What was I thinking??

Merry Christmas

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again... who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.

- Theodore Roosevelt

(Who knew that TR understood the Jerome Gambit player???)

Merry Christmas to the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde and to chess players everywhere.

(Readers: I have shared these pictures on earlier Christmas posts. 
If you remember them, you've been around here a long time!)