Jerome Gambit: Who'd A Thunk It?

I just received another Jerome Gambit game played on the internet by Vlasta Fejfar ("vlastous"). The following game show the need for patience in certain lines of that wild, crazy attack. A certain amount of sitzfleisch helps, too. After a period of calm, White suddenly activates his Rooks, and Black does not react well to the danger.

[By the way, this is post #2,500 on this blog. As Mortimer Snerd - or Edgar Bergen - said, "Who'd a thunk it?"]

vlastous - Nyanyiwa
internet, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ Qf6

The defense 6...Kf8 is solid and sensible. It can lead to a position where the Queens come off the board before a dozen moves have been played. "Objectively" Black's extra piece is worth more than White's two extra pawns, but in the rough-and-tumble of club play - especially when the first player has knowledge or experience of such lines - there is play to be had for the gambiteer.

9.d3 Qxf4 10.Bxf4 Nf6 11.Nc3 

White has his two "Jerome pawns". Black's extra piece gives him the "two bishops" which are helpful in open positions.

From a psychological point of view, White should consider keeping the game closed, developing his pieces, increasing his control of space - but, otherwise, acting as if Black is the attacker, and letting him make the first mistake.

Other ideas:

11.c3 Bb6 (11...h6 12.Nd2 g5 13.Bg3 Nh5 14.d4 Bb6 15.Nc4 Nxg3 16.hxg3 Kg7 17.f3 Be6 18.Nxb6 axb6 19.a3 h5 20.Kf2 h4 21.gxh4 Rxh4 22.Rxh4 gxh4 23.Rh1 Rh8 24.f4 Bg4 25.f5 Kf6 26.Ke3 d5 27.Kf4 Be2 28.e5+ Kg7 29.g4 hxg3 30.Rxh8 g2 31.Rh3 g1=Q 32.Rg3+ Qxg3+ 33.Kxg3 Kh6 34.Kf4 Bh5 35.e6 Kg7 36. Ke5 c6 37.f6+ Kg6 38.f7 Kg7 39.Kd6 Bg6 40.Ke7 Black resigned,  Philidor1792 - guest2052, Internet, 2012) 12.Nd2 Bd7 13.Nc4 Kf7 14.Nxb6 axb6 15.f3 Rhe8 16.Kf2 b5 17.a3 Be6 18.Ke3 Rad8 19.d4 Bb3 20.Kd2 h6 21.Rae1 g5 22.Be3 Nh5 23.g3 Kg6 24.Re2 Rf8 25.Rf2 Rf7 26.f4 gxf4 27.gxf4 Rdf8 28.Rg1+ Kh7 29.f5 Rg8 30.Rxg8 Kxg8 31.Bxh6 Nf6 32.Rf4 Rh7 33.Bg5 Rxh2+ 34.Ke3 Kf7 35.Rh4 Rxh4 36.Bxh4 c6 37.Kf4 Bc2 38.e5 Nd5+ 39.Kg5 dxe5 40.dxe5 Nc7 41.Bg3 Bd3 42.e6+ Nxe6+ 43.fxe6+ Kxe6 44.Kf4 Kd5 45.Ke3 Bf1 46.Kd2 Kc4 47.Kc1 Kb3 48.Bf2 drawn, Philidor 1792 - guest2498, bereg.ru 2014; 

11.O-O Kf7 (11...Bg4 12.Nc3 Bd4 13.Be3 Bxc3 14.bxc3 b6 15.f3 Be6 16.d4 Re8 17.Bf4 Nh5 18.Be3 Kf7 19.Rfb1 Rhf8 20.Bc1 Kg6 21.d5 Bd7 22.Bd2 c6 23.c4 Nf4 24.Kh1 h6 25.Rb3 Rc8 26.g3 Ne2 27.Rd3 c5 28.c3 b5 29.Re3 bxc4 30.Rxe2 Rxf3 31.e5 dxe5 32.Bxh6 gxh6 33.Rxe5 Rxc3 34.Re7 Rd8 35.Kg1 Rc2 36.Rb1 Rxa2 37.Rb7 c3 38.Rb1 c2 39.Rbe1 Bh3 40.R7e5 c4 41.Rc1 Rb8 42.Re2 Rbb2 43.Kf2 a5 44.d6 Kf6 45.Kf3 c3 46.Ke3 Bf5 47.Kd4 Rb3 48.d7 Ra4+ 49.Kc5 Bxd7 50.Rcxc2 Rb5+ 51.Kd6 Rd4+ 52.Kc7 Rd3 53.Ra2 Bg4 54.Re4 Rd2 55.Rf4+ Kg5 56.Raa4 Bh3 57.Rf8 c2 58.Rc4 Rxh2 59.Rg8+ Kf6 60.Rf8+ Kg7 61.Rf3 Be6 62.Rcc3 Re2 63.Kd6 Rb6+ 64.Kc5 Rb1 65.Kd4 Rd1+ 66.Kc5 Re5+ 67.Kc6 Bd5+ 68.Kd6 Re6+ 69.Kd7 Rc6 70.Rfe3 Kf6 71.Rxc2 Bf3+ 72.Rd2 Rxd2+ 73.Rd3 Rxd3+ 74.Ke8 Rc8 checkmate, GNUChess - GNUChess, OS-RGCX-182777, 2003) 12.Nc3 Bd7 13.Be3 Bxe3 14.fxe3 Ke7 15.Rf3 Rhf8 16.Raf1 c6 17.d4 Ng4 18.Rxf8 Rxf8 19.Rxf8 Kxf8 20.Nd1 Be8 21.h3 Nf6 22.Nc3 Bg6 23.e5 dxe5 24.dxe5 Ne4 25.Ne2 Ke7 26.Nf4 Bf7 27.b3 g5 28.Nd3 c5 29.g4 c4 30.Nb2 cxb3 31.axb3 Ke6 32.Nd3 Kd5 33.Kf1 Nc5 34.c4+ Kc6 35.Ke2 Nxb3 36.Nb2 Nc5 37.Kf3 a5 38.e4 a4 White resigned, blackburne - Argento1960, ChessWorld.net, 2004; and

11.Be3 Bb4+ 12.Bd2 Bxd2+ 13.Nxd2 Kg8 14.O-O-O c5 15.Nc4 Ne8 16.Ne3 Be6 17.h4 Nf6 18.h5 b5 19.h6 g5 20.f3 Kf7 21.d4 b4 22.Rhe1 Rhe8 23.g3 Ke7 24.d5 Bd7 25.e5 dxe5 26.Nc4 Nh5 27.g4 Bb5 28.d6+ Kd8 29.d7 Rf8 30.Nd6 Bc6 31.gxh5 Bxf3 32.Rd3 e4 33.Rd5 Kxd7 34.Nxe4+ Kc6 35.Rxc5+ Kb6 36.Rc4 Rae8 37.Rxb4+ Ka5 38.a3 Rf4 39.Nxg5 Rxe1+ 40.Kd2 Re2+ 41.Kd3 Rxb4 42.axb4+ Kxb4 43.Nxf3 Re6 44.c3+ Ka5 45.b4+ Ka4 46.b5 Rxh6 47.c4 Rxh5 48.Nd2 Kb4 49.Nf1 Rh3+ 50.Ne3 Rxe3+ 51.Kxe3 Kxc4 52.b6 axb6 53.Ke4 b5 54.Kf4 b4 55.Kg5 b3 56.Kh6 b2 57.Kxh7 b1=Q+ 58.Kh6 Qf5 59.Kg7 Qg5+ 60.Kf8 Kc5 61.Ke8 Qg7 62.Kd8 Kd6 63.Ke8 Qg8 checkmate, GNUChess - GNUChess, OS-RGCX-182777, 2003. 

11...a6 12. f3 Kf7

Things quickly went south for Black after 12...Be6 13.Bg3 g5 14.e5 dxe5 15.Bxe5 Kf7 16.Bxf6 Kxf6 17.Ne4+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest2651667, PlayChess.com, 2015. 

13.Bg3 Re8 14.Bf2 Bb4 15.a3 Bxc3+ 16.bxc3 b6

Black has surrendered the Bishop pair to injure White's pawn structure. He still has a long way to go to collect more than a half point, however. In the meantime, White startssome action on the Kingside.

17.Kd2 Bd7 18.g4 h6 19.h4 d5 20.g5 hxg5 21.hxg5 Ng8 

White is ready for some action on the Kingside, starting with a surprise.

22.g6+ Kxg6

Immediately, Black slips. He would have done better side-stepping the pawn with 22...Ke6, but he misses White's plan (perhaps because White has been so "quiet" with his play. The capture allows White a useful gain of tempo in response.

23.Rag1+ Kf7 24.Rh7 Ke7 

You can see the rest of the game from here. Whites Rooks spring to life.

25.Rgxg7+ Kd6 26.Rxd7+ Kc6 27.Rxc7+ Kb5 28.exd5 Nf6 

Black is suddenly 4 pawns down, 3 of them passed, but he hopes to use this Knight fork to win one back. Alas he slips.

29.Rh6 Nxd5 30.c4+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: How Do You Know When The Game Is Over?

I am not a painter. I have always wondered: How do you know when a painting is finished? How do you know when you have made your last stroke, and it is time to put the brush down? When does a painting have exactly enough, and needs no more?

These thoughts came to me as I considered the final position in the following game, where Black resigned. How did he know that it was time?

Wall, Bill - Guest816337
PlayChess.com, 2017

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.O-O Nf6

An ordinary position for this line. I was going to say that Bill has reached it a gazillion times, but it turns out that the number is only 17. The position goes back to Jerome - Shinkman, Iowa, 1876 (1/2-1/2, 42).

9.Bf4

This is a bit unusual, however. The Bishop usually goes to g5 or b2. There are only 4 games in The Database with this move - two of them by guess who?

9...Re8

Also 9...Be6 10.Nc3 Re8 11.Rad1 Nc6 12.Qd2 Bg4 13.f3 Bh5 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Qxd5+ Kf8 16.Qxh5 Kg8 17.Qd5+ Kh8 18.c4 Nb4 19.Qb5 a5 20.a3 Nc2 21.Rf2 Qf6 22.Bg5 Nd4 23.Qxe8+ Rxe8 24.Bxf6 Nxf3+ 25.Rxf3 gxf6 26.Rxf6 Rxe4 27.c5 Re2 28.Rf7 Rxb2 29.cxd6 Kg8 30.Rxc7 Kf8 31.d7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest3687203, PlayChess.com,  2015.

10.Nc3 Nc6 11.Qd2

If you play the Jerome Gambit, you need to be a bit of a psychologist. You need to have an insight into what your opponent is trying to do (here: pressure and capture the e-pawn) as well as ideas on how to thwart his plans - or, on occasion, help them along. 

Ordinary play would be 11.Qd3, doubly protecting the twice-attacked pawn, when Black would continue to castle-by-hand andbe better.

11...Nxe4

Of course, reasons Black, anyone foolish enough to throw away pieces can hardly be expected to keep track of his pawns, too...
And so the defender falls for a small trick that, had he seen it in a book of chess puzzles, he would have identified immediately.

12.Qd5+

Oh, yeah, right.

12...Re6

A bit better - because it focuses on development - is 12...Be6 13.Qxe4 Qf6 14.Bg3 Kg8  when White has regained his piece and the game is about even.

13.Nxe4

13...Ke8

Black gets out of the pin on his Rook, and avoids the Knight fork of the Rook and his King (Ng5+). However, the situation required 13...h6 when White would only be a little bit better.

14.Rae1

White could play the Knight move, but prefers to develop a piece and build up pressure against the enemy King. 

14...Ne7

Defense is already a serious problem. Black decides to evict the enemy Queen. He could have reinforced his troops on the e-file with 14...Qe7, but White could have continued 15.Bxd6 cxd6 16.Nxd6+ Kf8 17.Nxc8 removing the Rook's other defender and forcing 17...Rxe1 18.Nxe7 Rxe7, when White would have a Queen and two pawns to Black's Rook and Knight.

15.Qh5+ Ng6 16.Ng5 Rxe1 17.Rxe1+ Kd7 18.Ne6 Black resigned

At first glance it it clear why Black is worse - while equal in material, he lags in development and his unsafe King blocks his Bishop, which in turn blocks his Rook - a typical Jerome Gambit ailment. But, is it time to resign?

The first thing to look at is that Black's Queen is attacked - where will she go? It is clear that 18...Qe8 or 18...Qe7 can be answered by 19.Nc5+ uncovering an attack on Her Majesty. On the other hand, the "safe" 18...Qh8 leads to checkmate after 19.Qd5 (intensifying the impact of the next move) Ne7 20.Nc5+ Ke8 21.Bg5, etc.

That leaves one last back rank move, 18...Qg8, which can masterfully be met by 19.Qb5+ c6 20.Qb3 when White again threatens Nc5+, winning the Black Queen a different way.

Perhaps Black's Queen doesn't need to cower? She could try 18...Qf6. White, however, would have 19.Qd5, again, with brutal pressure on the d-file, for example 19...Nxf4 20.Nc5+ Kd8 21.Qg8+ Qf8 22.Qxf8#. Black's best response to 19.Qd5 is 19...Ne7, when 20.Qc4 c6 21.Bg5 is simply too much pressure on his position, e.g. 21...Qf7 22.Nc7 winning the Rook.

That leaves only the Queen escape 18...Qh4, which falls, as well, to 19.Qd5, as Black will have to give up his Queen with 19...Qxf4 in order to prevent checkmate.

Wow. I can see Bill figuring all of this out, as he is a chess expert. But, his opponent - if he was smart enough to see enough to resign, how did he get into that mess in the first place? Ah, the mysteries of the Jerome Gambit!

Jerome Gambit: Pay Attention

In the Jerome Gambit, Black and White face the same challenge: paying attention. Black often is in an unfamiliar and risky situation, and must be aware of dangers as they arise. White has to apply pressure, and be ready to pounce when Black lowers his guard - and, the more the pressure he applies, the greater opportunity he has to pounce.

The following game shows this, as everything is calm and routine - until checkmate. Ouch.

Wall, Bill - Guest522870
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's first choice, before moving on to 6.Qh5+, and Bill's current preference. It is less forcing, which means, among other things, that it gives less direction for Black in preparing his defense.

6...Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.O-O Nf6 9.Nc3 Rf8 

Black is planning on castling-by-hand, a good defensive strategy. He should not allow himself to be distracted.

10.f4

A standard move in this kind of position: kick the Knight on e5 and get the "Jerome pawns" moving, with the possibility of a pawn advancing to e5 or f5. An alternative was the developing 10.Bg5. 

10...Neg4 

Bill has also faced the more restrained 10...Nc6 in Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016, (1-0, 19) and Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 46).

11.h3 c5 

It is often a good idea to meet an attack on one of your pieces with an attack on one of your opponent's pieces. Here, Black's pawn attack on the enemy Queen forces White to ignore the threat to the Knight on g4.

12.Qc4+ Be6 

How to answer the Queen check is a standard concern in some lines in the Jerome Gambit. Black is happy to respond to the check by developing a piece, probably a bit better than the alternative, 12...d5.

13.Qd3 Nh6 14.f5 Bd7

Black plans on giving up his pawn on d6, in order to reposition his Bishop on c6, pressuring White's pawn on e4. There is a problem with this idea, however, which means that the proper move was 14...Bc8.

15.Qxd6 Bc6 6.Qe6 checkmate

Oh, yeah, that.

Jerome Gambit: More or Less (Part 2)

[continued from previous post]

perrypawnpusher - scarsetto
5 5 blitz, FICS, 2017

What is going on?

Here we have the position from a recent blitz game of mine, before I played the decent 11.Nc3, believing that an extra piece would help weave a mating net. This is opposed to Stockfish 8's suggestion of 11.Qb3+, which would lead (perhaps after a long and winding road) to a win of material and a simple advantage for White. 

Years ago, I had played 11.d4, which, I later noted on this blog, was insufficient, as 

after 11...Bb4+ 12.c3 Bf8 it is not clear that White has anything more than checking his way repeatedly to a draw.

That is such an annoying assessment, let me show the position:

Drawn??

analysis diagram





I let Stockfish 8 analyze until a depth of 30 ply, without finding anything better than forcing a draw. I suspect, though, strong Jerome Gambiteers would simply castle and figure out the rest later...

By the way, instead of entering the recommended line in that 11.d4 game, my opponent immediately returned his extra piece with 11...Bxd4 and I was able to win the game in 46 moves, perrypawnpusher - hotintheshade, blitz, FICS, 2009. Once again, my "unscientific" opening was assisted by my opponent's "scientific" response - in this case, following the notion that a sacrificial attack can be blunted by returning material.

Back to the recent game.

11...Qh4+ 

There is something really silly about me going through a pile of analysis - after the game, in preparation for this post (and the previous one) - only to have it all wiped out by the reality of what really happened. Perhaps I was right to "move first and think later" after all.

Black can definitively show that there is no checkmate by playing the alternative 11...a5, when White gets his piece back with 12.Na4+ (the idea behind 11.Nc3, which is why I played the move in the first place) Ka7 13.Qxc5+ b6 14.Qd4 Bb7 15.0-0 when White would still be better.

Years earlier, I had faced 11...d6, which should have led to the quick 12.Qb3+ Bb4 13.Qxb4+ Ka6 14.Qb5 checkmate, but led, instead, to the obvious 12.Na4+ Ka6, when I missed 13.b4!? - but won the game, anyhow,  perrypawnpusher - Ondras, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 31). I'm always so much smarter after the game.

It is worth playing over the lines until you, too, can decide - mate or material?

12.g3 Qh3 

While a sudden Queen check can often upset a position, the problem here is that the enamy Queen has to dodge the pawn, and my attack can continue. Still, if the Black Queen can get to g2...

Interestingly enough, the text is not an improvement over the previous 12...Qf6 13. Na4+ (even stronger 13.Qb3+!? Kc6 14.Qb5+ Kd6 15.e5+ winning the Queen) 13...Ka6 14.Nxc5+ Kb5 15.a4+ Kb6 16.a5+ Black resigned, sabreman - Lovebuzz, FICS, 2014.

13.Na4+ 

Winning material, but missing the move 13.b4!?, which leads to mate: 13...Bf2+ 14.Kxf2 Qh5 15.f5 Ng4+ 16.Kg1 Qxf5 17.exf5 a5 18.Qc5+ Ka6 19.Qxa5#.

White is still much better after the text, and it is possible that in the game (blitz) I didn't have (take) time to analyze the position out to checkmate - but for sure this kind of position should yield deadlier results next time.  

13...Kb5 

Black is in a bad way. He would last longer with 13...Ka6, and in a blitz game - with clocks ticking - that would have given him chances to survive, if my time expired. Nonetheless, against that move White can grab back material, build an attack, and eventually checkmate: 14.Nxc5+ Kb6 15.Na4+ Ka6 16.b4!? b5 17.Nc5+ Kb6 18.a4 (I need another piece in the attack) c6 19.Qd6 a5 20.d3 (opening a line for another piece) Qe6 (nothing works for Black now) 21.bxa5+ Rxa5 22.Qb8+ Bb7 23.Qxb7+ Kxc5 24.Ba3+ Kc4 25.Kd2 b4 26.Qxb4+ Qc4 27.Qxc5 checkmate.

That's a long line, but pretty straight-forward.

14.Qxc5+ 

Funny. I had my mind set on one thing, and one thing only. Of course, White had, instead, 14.c4+ Kxa4 first, then 15.Qxc5 Qf1+ (delaying the inevetible) 16.Rxf1 b6 17.b3#.

A win is a win is a win; but a checkmate is a good idea, too.

14...Kxa4 

The ultimate psychological slip. So many of us have grown up playing over games of the masters featuring sacrificial frenzies that lead to glorious finishes. How easy it is, when on the receiving end, to figure "I am lost!" and succumb in classic style.

Again, if time were not a factor, Black could choose a tougher line of defense: 14...Ka6 15.Qxc7 b6 16.b4!? Qe6 17.Nc5+!? bxc5 18.b5+!? Kxb5 19.Rb1+ Ka4 20.0-0!? Qc4 21.Rf3 (that's why White castles) Qd4+ (delaying the inevitible) 22.Kg2 Qxd4 23.Qxc5 Qe2+ 24.Kg1 Qe1+ 25.Rf1 Qxf1+ 26.Kxf1 Ba6+ 27.Kg1 d6 28.Rb4#

All these tactical lines were uncovered by Stockfish 8 after the game.

If the reality is that my opponent did not find the most spirited way to defend, it is even more true that I did not find the most effective way to attack. We both stumbled; he fell. The Jerome Gambit is very much like that.

15.b3 checkmate

(If you ignore the analysis in the notes, it looks like a killer game. More or less.) 

Jerome Gambit: More or Less (Part 1)

I still haven't had many opportunities to play chess lately, and when I have had the chance, I haven't been able to reach the Jerome Gambit. This has been a bit frustrating, as I know that in the earlier years of this blog I was able to share my adventures - good and bad - and trace out a path, as it were, sharing history, perspective and analysis, through this strange chess land.

Fortunately, readers of this blog have shared their games and analysis, and that has kept things moving. I hope you have appreciated their play. I certainly have.

Just the other day I was finally able to play an online blitz Jerome Gambit. As with many of my matches, there is both more and less there than meets the eye. Let me see if I can explain... 

Certain themes show up over and over in the game, the notes, and earlier games, and choosing among them is the challenge.

perrypawnpusher - scarsetto

blitz 5 5, FICS, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ 

I know that Alonzo Wheeler Jerome initially preferred 6.d4, but he never ran into the "pie-in-the-face variation" 6...Qh4!?.

I think I have tried 6.d4 only once, and, managed to swindle my way to a draw, after, of course, 6...Qh4. - perrypawnpusher - 4xe1, Chess.com, 2017 (1/2-1/2, 29).

For the record, The Database has 3,850 games with 6.Qh5+ (White scores 55%) and 1,608 games with 6.d4 (White scores 54%). Pretty even results.

6...Ke6 

The only other time that I have played scarsetto, a few years ago, he tried 6...Ng6 here. A dozen moves later, I hung my Queen: 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O Kf7 11.f4 Rf8 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Neg4 14.Qd3 Kg8 15.h3 Bxf5 16.Rxf5 d5 17.hxg4 dxe4 18.Qxe4?? Nxe4 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - scarsetto, FICS, 2014. Ouch.

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Nh6 

Black develops a piece, attacking White's Queen, making room for his Rook to come to f8, and not preventing his Queen from coming, if she wishes, to f6. Taken separately, these are good things, but they do not fit well in the current position - a sign of a defender who has either been surprised by the Jerome Gambit, knows little about it, or treats it with disdain.

Those who play the Jerome Gambit should take a look at the diagram and decide what they would do next. For encouragement, I can point out that there are 8 examples of this position in The Database. White scored 100%.

(It should be pointed out that there are only 3 games in The Database that contain Stockfish 8's recommendation, 8...Kc6, simply giving up the Black Knight. However, Black won all of them.)

9.Qxe5+ Kc6

Here perrypawnpusher - GPP, blitz, FICS, 2010 was awarded to White by ajudication. I was surprised, acutally, as previous ajudications that I had encountered seemed to have been based on simply counting up the material each side has - and here Black still has a piece for two pawns. That raises a couple of important questions: What is White's advantage? How does he win? 

10.Qd5+ Kb6 

It seems pretty clear at first glance that White has the advantage - Black's unsafe King is more significant than White's small material deficit. But does White have a checkmate, or will he merely win back another piece and hold a small advantage? In a blitz game, it is important to know which goal you are chasing after.

11.Nc3 

I was betting on "checkmate", although I hadn't analyzed how.

If Bobby Fischer ever said "Long analysis, wrong analysis" he probably also said "No analysis - you better have a ton of experience in that position and an awesome memory" (or, maybe not).

The computer places its bet on "win back another piece". Best according to Stockfish 6 is 11.Qb3+!?

To understand the recommendation move (beyond "patzer sees check, patzer gives check") it is only necessary to look at Black's possible response, 11...Kc6, when a reasonable continuation would be 12.Nc3 d5 13.Qb5+ Kd6 14.e5+ Ke6 15.Qxc5 and White is up a couple of pawns while Black's King is still uneasy.

A steadier response for Black is 11...Ka6, when White has to find 12.Qa4+ Kb6 13.b4!?, threatening to win the Bishop outright and making it possible to put his dark-squared Bishop on the long a1-h8 diagonal. Stockfish 8 recommends the return of the piece immediately with 13...Bxf2+, which shows a pretty good sense of humor for a computer.

Bishop retreats for Black complicate the position, and one example will show how. After 11...Ka6 12.Qa4+ Kb6 13.b4!? Be7 White has a whole lot to figure out, in a short amount of time: 14.Qa5+ Kc6 15.Nc3 a6 16.b5+ Kd6 17.Qb4+ Ke6 18.Qb3+ d5 19.Nxd5 Kf7 20.Nxc7+ Kg6 21.f5+ Nxf5 (returning the piece is best) 22.exf5+ Bxf5 

analysis diagram




Here, White is a couple of pawns up, and should continue to pressure Black with 23.Qg3+, or at least 23.0-0. He should not grab the a8 Rook, as that would be a delightful blunder, leading to immediate crushing pressure on his own King, starting with 23.Nxa8? Bh4+ 24.g3 Re8+, etc, and if White's King survives, his Queen won't. 


Eight years ago I played, instead of 11.Nc3 or 11.Qb3+, the central push 11.d4 - but that leads down another road, so perhaps that is best looked at in the next post.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Casual Play

One of the biggest criticisms of the Jerome Gambit is its early Queen play by White. In the following game, White is able to use his Queen to win back material - and then has her wander around, apparently doing little. Yet this "casual" play by White seems to inspire equally "casual" play by Black - with deadly consequences.

Wall, Bill - Guest1018320
PlayChess.com, 2017

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bd6

FYI, Bill is 15-0 against this line. It is playable, but it is not a "refutation" of the Jerome Gambit.

7.dxe5 Bxe5

Best is 7...Bb4+ with a slight edge to Black.

8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Qxe5 d6 10.Qa5

Bill's Queen likes to wander:

10.Qd4 Nf6 11.O-O c5 12.Qd3 Bd7 13.Bf4 a6 14.Bxd6+ Kf7 15.e5 Bb5 16.c4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest5856753, PlayChess.com, 2016; and

10.Qb5 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.Qd3 Be6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 Ke7 16.O-O-O Ne8 17.f4 g4 18.Bh4+ Nf6 19.e5 dxe5 20.Qg6 Qf8 21.fxe5 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016.

By the way, please note: White has recovered his sacrificed material and is a pawn ahead. He is in no hurry to "force" things, but, instead, allows Black to come up with "something".

10...b6 11.Qb5 a5 12.Nc3 Ba6

To prevent White from castling Kingside.

13.Qf5+ Qf6 14.Qh3 Ne7 15.Be3 Bc4 16.O-O-O

No hurry. No hurry. 

16...Be6 17.Qg3 h6 18.f4 g5

Opening the f-file when the Black Queen is in front of her King should be inherently risky, but this move also opens up the a1-h8 diagonal, where the Queen is in front of one of her Rooks.

19.Bd4 Qxf4+ 20.Qxf4+ gxf4 21.Bxh8 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: It's Hard to Believe

The following game defies appearances. A glance suggests that Black is doing okay - although the game has begun to move against him. Another glance - and all looks fine, but definitely is not. A final glance - Black is being crushed.The whole battle reflects upon the skill of the Jerome Gambiteer - and highlights the strangeness the opening often brings.

Wall, Bill - Uli
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 

8.Nc3 Nf6 9.O-O Be6 10.b3 

Planning to put the dark-squared Bishop on the long diagonal. Bill has also played the straight-forward 10.f4 in Wall,B - Guest3746555, PlayChess.com, 2015 (1-0, 35). 

10...c5 

Or 10...Rf8 11.f4 Nc6 12.Qd3 Kg8 13.Bb2 Bg4 14.Rae1 Kh8 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Bf5 17.Qg3 Qd7 18.dxc6 bxc6 19.Qg5 Bxc2 20.Re7 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016. 

11.Qd2 Qc7 

It is tempting for Black to kick the White Queen with the c-pawn, but this always risks making Black's d-pawn weak (backwards on an open file). In this particular position, the pawn loss would not be critical, and Black would still hold the advantage - but it makes a world of a difference if he is simply "letting go" of the pawn or "overlooking" its fate.

12.f4 Nc6 13.Nb5 Qb6 14.Nxd6+ 

14...Ke7

Interestingly enough, this is an error. Black would have kept things mostly even with 14...Kg8.

15.e5 Nd5 

Again, Black's extra piece and advantage in development would suggest that he is fine. Alas, he is losing.

16.c4 Ndb4 17.Bb2 Rad8 18.f5 Bg8 

In a curious mirror image, Black's light-squared Bishop is on its home rank, preventing the development of the other Rook. This bodes poorly for the defender.

19.Qg5+ Kf8 20.f6 

20...Rxd6 21.fxg7+ Ke8 22.exd6 Qd8 23.Rf8+ Black resigned

White has a checkmate in 3. Brutal.