I just stumbled over a web page by Mato Jelic titled "Is Jerome Gambit Sound?" which asks the eternal question, referencing a game that had appeared on this blog previously. If you visit the page, you will find a video that no longer works - but there is a link to YouTube.com, however, so you can still check it out there. Enjoy.
The following game, the latest from chessfriend Vlasta, shows White "getting away with" the kind of behavior that usually dooms the acceptor of gambit material, let alone the donor. I can well imagine his online opponent yelling at the computer screen "He can't do that! Can he???" Vlastous - cesarotiz internet, 2017 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.d3
The main alternative is 7.0-0, going back to Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29). Another early alternative was 7.c3 in Vazquez - Carrington, 2nd match, Mexico, 1876 (1-0, 43). 7...Qf6 8.O-O Nh6 9.c3 Bg4 10.Qe1 Kf7 11.d4 Bb6 12.f3 Bd7
White has an impressive pawn center, but he is behind in development - dangerous for a gambiteer. 13.a4 a6 14.Qg3 Rhf8 15.a5 Ba7 16.Qxc7 Rae8
Black can hardly believe his luck: his opponent's Queen is pawn-grabbing! So the "defender" develops his last piece and expects to take over the game. After all, he has an "extra" piece he can afford to give back, right? 17.Qxb7 Bb8 18.Qxa6 Kg8 19.Nd2 Qh4
This looks scary for the first player, but the computer already says he is better. Vlasta knows what he is doing. 20.e5 Rf7 21.Ne4 Rf5 22.Qb6
Because the solution to being behind in development is - a passed pawn?! Amazing! 22...Ref8 23.Rf2 Rh5 24.g3 Qe7 25.a6 Bf5 26.a7 Bc7 27.Qxc6 Black resigned
White is the exchange and 5 pawns (4 of them connected and passed!) better.
Pushing a Rook pawn can be wise or unwise; you can't always tell. A lot depends upon the position. A quick look will not always let you know. You might just reject such a move, on principle, only to learn later that it was best. Wall, Bill - Szachowski playok.com, 2017 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Nf6
7.dxe5 Bxf2+ I referred to this move as "interesting" in a previous post. An alternative is the straightforward 7...Nxe4 8.Qd5+ Kf8 (8...Ke8 9.Qxe4 Bxf2+ 10.Kxf2 Rf8+ 11.Kg1 d5 12.exd6+ Kd7 13.Nc3 Qf6 14.Bf4 g5 15.Rd1 cxd6 16.Rxd6+ Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016) 9.Qxe4 d6 10.O-O Be6 11.Nc3 a6 12.Be3 Bb6 13.Rad1 d5 14.Nxd5 Bxd5 15.Rxd5 Qe7 16.Bxb6 cxb6 17.Rfd1 Qe6 18.Rd6 Qxa2 19.Qf5+ Qf7 20.Rd8+ Ke7 21.Qd7 checkmate, Wall,B - TenAndOnly10, lichess.org, 2016 Stockfish 8 prefers 7...Qe7. 8.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 9.Kg1 d5 10.Qf3+
On par with the earlier 10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Qxc3 Be6 13.Be3 c6 14.Rd1 Rf8 15.h3 Qh4 16.Rd4 Qg3 17.Rd3 Qg6 18.Kh2 Kd7 19.Qb4 b5 20.Qd6+ Black resigned, Wall,B - MyDrunkAccount, lichess.org, 2016. 10...Kg6 11.Nc3 Rf8 12.Qd3 Bf5 13.Nxd5 c6
Stockfish 8 suggests that Black would maintain a slight edge with 13...h6, which is not the kind of move one usually chooses against a gambit. 14.Nf4+ Kf7 15.Qc4+ Ke8 16.Be3 g5 17.Nh5 Bg6
The reinforcement arrives - just in time to face a forced checkmate. 18.Qe6+ Qe7 19.Ng7+ Kd8 20.Rd1+ Black resigned
Gambits are all about development and attack. Failing to defend against gambits is often about lack of development, and its consequences. Witness the following game. Wall, Bill - WGMS FICS, 2017 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
Despite Black's dogged Kingside defense, it is likely that White's four pawns are worth more than Black's extra piece. 13...c6 14.Nd2 Qc7
Getting out of the pin on the Knight, but Black needed the freedom that would come with 14...d5. 15.Nc4 Targeting the d6 square, which Black overlooks. 15...a5 16.Nd6+ Black resigned
The classic development problem for Black in the Jerome Gambit is to have his d-pawn stay unmoved, which blocks in the light-squared Bishop, which keeps a Rook at home. The following game shows an interesting variant: a Knight retreats to the back row, un-developing, keeping the Rook out of play. The result is an exciting sacrificial attack on Black's King. The defender can return material, but the imbalance that would result would favor White - enough so that Black resigned. Wall, Bill - Number555777 lichess.org, 2017 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Nc6 8.Qd3
A novelty, according to The Database, which is a bit of a surprise. Bill has played a couple of other Queen moves: 8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.Qc4 d6 11.O-O Ne5 12.Qb3 c6 13.f4 Nf7 14.Be3 Qe7 15.Rae1 Be6 16.Qb4 a5 17.Qd4 Ng4 18.Bc1 c5 19.Qd3 h5 20.h3 Ngh6 21.f5 Bd7 22.Nd5 Qd8 23.f6 g6 24.Ne7 Ne5 25.Qxd6 Nhf7 26.Qxc5 b6 27.Qd5 Be8 28.Bf4 Qxd5 29.exd5 Bb5 30.Rf2 Nd7 31.Nxg6+ Kg8 32.Nxh8 Kxh8 33.Re7 Kg8 34.Be3 Rc8 35.b3 Nde5 36.Bxb6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest7503555, PlayChess.com, 2017; and 8.Qc4+ Ke8 (8...Kf8 9.O-O Qf6 10.Nc3 Qd4 11.Qe2 Nge7 12.Nb5 Qb6 13.Be3 Qa5 14.c4 a6 15.Bd2 Qb6 16.Qf3+ Kg8 17.Qb3 axb5 18.c5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest526975, PlayChess.com, 2016) 9.O-O d6 10.Nc3 Qe7 11.Re1 Ne5 12.Qd4 c5 13.Qd2 Nf6 14.f4 Nc4 15.Qe2 Be6 16.e5 Bg4 17.Qxc4 Black resigned, Wall,B-Kas55, lichess.org, 2016. 8...Nf6 9.Nc3 d6 10.O-O h6 11.f4 Re8 12.Bd2 Kg8 13.Rae1 a6
Black has wisely safeguarded his King by castling-by-hand. The moves of his a- and h-pawns, however, all in the name of defense, could eventually prove troublesome if development becomes an issue. For now, the defender still has the better position. 14.Nd5 Be6 15.Bc3 Bxd5 16.exd5 Nb8
How suddenly things change! The retreat allows White to attack. 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Qg6+ Kf8 19.Qxh6+ Kg8 20.Qg6+ Kf8 21.Re5
Very nice! When your opponent can play a move like this, you know you are in deep trouble. 21...dxe5 Or 21...Rxe5 22.fxe5 dxe5 23.Rxf6+ Qxf6 24.Qxf6+ Ke8 25.Qxe5+, etc as the Queen dominates the opponent's two pieces; or 21...Qe7 22.Rxe7 Rxe7 23.Rf3 and the other Rook penetrates. 22.fxe5 Nd7 23.exf6 Black resigned
Black will have to give up Knight and Queen for White's Rook, and then White's Queen plus three extra pawns should outplay Black's two Rooks.
Sometimes a player will find a path through the forest that is the Jerome Gambit. Later, others will clarify the way. In the following game, Bill Wall makes the way a bit clearer. Wall, Bill - Nikelin lichess.org, 2017 1.e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bd6
7.dxe5 Bxe5 The best response was 7...Bb4+. 8.Qh5+ Ke6 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.Na3
This is right, the Knight should go to a3, not c3, as we shall see. 10...Qf6 In HauntedKnight - VSRajput, FCIS, 2015, White had the right idea in responsing to 10...Bf6, but then lost his way: 11.Nc4+ Ke7 12.Bf4 d6 13.Qb5 Qe8 14.O-O-O Qxb5 15.b3 Be6 16.Ne3 Qb4 17.g4 Qa3+ 18.Kd2 g5 19.Bg3 h5 20.h4 gxh4 21.Bxh4 hxg4 22.Bxf6+ Nxf6 23.Rxh8 Rxh8 24.f4 gxf3 25.Rf1 Nxe4+ 26.Kd3 Ng5 27.c4 Qxa2 28.Re1 Qxb3+ 29.Kd2 Ne4+ 30.Kc1 Qc3+ 31.Nc2 Nf2 32.Kb1 Kf6 33.Rf1 Rh1 34.Rxh1 Nxh1 White resigned 11.Nc4+ Ke7 12.Bg5 White missed his chance after 12.Qxe5+ Qxe5 13.Nxe5 d6 14.Bg5+ Ke6 15.Nc4 b5 16.Ne3 h6 17.Bh4 g5 18.Bg3 Nf6 19.f3 b4 20.b3 Ba6 21.O-O-O Bb5 22.h4 Nh5 23.Be1 Nf4 24.hxg5 hxg5 25.Rxh8 Rxh8 26.Bxb4 Rh2 27.Rg1 Ne2+ 28.Kd2 Nxg1 29.Bc3 Nxf3+ 30.Kc1 Rh1+ 31.Kb2 Nh4 32.g3 Ng6 33.Nd5 c6 34.Ne3 Rh3 35.Nf5 Ne5 36.a4 Be2 37.Nd4+ Kd7 38.Nxe2 Rh2 39.Nd4 c5 40.Nf5 Nd3+ 41.Ka3 Nb4 42.Bxb4 cxb4+ 43.Kxb4 Rxc2 44.Nd4 Rg2 45.e5 dxe5 46.Nf3 Rxg3 47.Nxe5+ Ke6 48.Nc4 Rg4 when White forfeited on time, noatun - Papaflesas, FICS, 2008. 12...d6 13.Bxf6+ gxf6 14.Qf3 Black resigned
I have said this before, many times: It is not enough to know that the Jerome Gambit is refuted; it is not enough to know the move that refutes it; it is not enough to play the refutation - as Black, you have to win the game. It is helpful for the defender to know that out of 12,686 games in The Database that start 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, White wins only 45%. The following game, however, is one of those times. Wall, Bill - Guest7715764 PlayChess.com, 2017 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4
This is probably the strongest response to 6.d4, although you wouldn't know it by Bill's record against it: 13 - 0 - 1. 7.O-O Nf6 This is one of a number of continuations for Black, here focusing on development rather than saving a piece - one has to go, anyhow. 8.dxc5 Qxe4 9.Nc3 Qb4
You may ask yourself, "What does White have here?" Good question. The game will be over in a dozen moves, so watch closely. 10.Nd5 Qxc5 11.Nxf6 Kxf6 12.Be3 Qc6
This seems simple enough, but it allows White to win back his sacrificed piece and achieve an even game. Remember the old adage: When White has equalized in the Jerome Gambit, he has the advantage. 13.Bd4 Rf8 14.f4 Kg6 15.Bxe5
Who is better now? Look at Black's d-pawn blocking his light-squared Bishop which is blocking his Rook... While Black works on this situation, his King falls deeper into danger. 15...d6 16.Qd3+ Bf5 17.Qg3+ Kf7 18.Qxg7+ Ke8 19.Rfe1
