I have maintained The Database of Jerome Gambit games to help me get a sense of how certain lines or moves succeed or fail - from a practical (i.e. over-the-board play) point of view.
I have used chess analysis engines (currently Stockfish 8) to get a sense of how certain lines or moves are "objectively" strong or weak.
It is a joy when both the practical and the analytical agree. It can be confusing when they don't. Take the following game. It left me a bit confused...
Petasluk - givemeabreak
5 0 blitz, FICS, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6
Including this game, Petasluk has reached this position 7 times according to The Database (which, I admit, need some updating). Before this game he was 2-1 with the followup 7.Qf5+ and 2-1 with 7.f4. This compares with statistics from the whole Database - White scores 80% (35 games) with 7.Qf5+ and 80% (10 games) with 7.f4.
So, from a practical point of view, 7.Qf5+ and 7.f4 are both good move choices, according to Petasluk's experience; and both are excellent choices from the experience of those represented by The Database.
7.f4
So, no surprise here.
Yet the computer analysts, starting with Stockfish 8, leap directly for the straightforward 7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ Kf8 9.Qxc5+ picking up the two sacrificed pieces.
Why the discrepancy?
7...g6
Well, here is one reason: the defender in this game is human, and humans make mistakes. The alternative 7...Nc6, withdrawing the attacked piece, allows White to only recover one of his sacrificed pieces: 8.Qf5+ Ke7 9.Qxc5+ Kf7, with pressure on the enemy King, but not full compensation for his offerings.
8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxh8 Black resigned
Well, it looks like "Practical Experience 1, Computer Analysis 0".
But that is not the whole story. A number of Petasluk's games continued from the above "final" position:
9...Nf6 (9...d6 10.Qxh7+ Kf8 11.d3 Qf6 12.Qxc7 Be3 13.Nc3 Qxf4 14.Rf1 Qxf1+ 15.Kxf1 Bxc1 16.Rxc1 Black resigned, Petasluk - douthy, FICS, 2015; or 9...Qe7 10.Qxh7+ Kf6 11.Qxg8 Qxe4+ 12. Kd1 d5 13.Qh8+ Kf5 14.Qh3+ Kxf4 15.Rf1+ Kg5 16.Qg3+ Bg4+ 17. Rf3 Re8 18.c3 d4 19.h3 Qe2+ 20.Kc2 d3+ 21.Rxd3 Qd1 checkmate, Petasluk - kosten, FICS, 2013) 10.Qxd8 Black resigned Petasluk - skaks, FICS, 2015 and Petasluk - kaliz, blitz, FICS, 2014 Be7 11. Qh8 11... b6 12. e5 Bb7 13.Qxa8 Bxa8 14. exf6 Bxf6 15. O-O Be4 16. d3 Bc6 17. Nc3 Black resigned, Petasluk - TaccyChan, FICS, 2007.
That's 4 wins and 1 draw. More support for practical considerations.
But I expect the "Wait 'til next time!" bunch will want to look closer at 7.Qf5+.
(Where did the "extra" games come from? Petasluk - TaccyChan, FICS, 20017; Petasluk - Kosten, 2013 and Petasluk - douthy, FICS, 2015; all transposed from 6...Ke6.)
The following game is a riot of a 3-minute battle, as White takes risks and even more risks, while Black relies on his experience in the line - up to a point. This time, fortune favors the bold - but only half-way.
By the way, shugart has 140 games in The Database, scoring 60%. Nice.
shugart - boggus
3 0 blitz, FICS, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. White has alternatives, but this move is a lot of fun.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Qg4+
Tempting, as we have seen before (for example "Jerome Gambit: Missed by That Much") - especially in blitz games - but best, from experience and by analysis, is 6.c3.
6...Kxe5 7.f4+
In for a penny, in for a pound.
Boggus has grabbed the Knight before, for example: 7.c3 Nc2+ 8.Kd1 Nxa1 9.d4+ Kd6 10.Na3 h5 11.Nb5+ Kc6 12.d5+ Kxb5 13.Qe2+ Kb6 14.Be3+ c5 15.a4 Kc7 16.Qb5 d6 17.Bf4 Kb8 18.Qxc5 Qb6 19.Qc4 Qxb2 20.Ke1 Nc2+ 21.Kf1 Qb1+ 22.Ke2 Qxh1 23.Qb3 Qe1+ 24.Kf3 Bg4+ 25.Kg3 Qxe4 26.f3 Bxf3 27.gxf3 h4+ 28.Kh3 Qxf3+ 29.Bg3 hxg3 checkmate, Tigrann - boggus, FICS, 2008.
White could have tried 7.Qh5+ (e.g. 7...Kf6 8.d3 Ne7 9.Bg5+ Ke6 10.Bxe7 Nxc2+ 11.Kd1 Kxe7 12.Kxc2 d6) but he will eventually be done in by his generosity.
Better to remember the 6.c3 line for next time.
7...Kd6
The two likely reasons White likely sacrificed the Knight are these alternatives:
7...Kxe4 8.Nc3 checkmate; and
7...Kf6 8.Qh4+ Kf7 9.Qxd8.
Don't laugh. Such threats are the meat and potatoes of blitz chess.
8.e5+
White might as well keep attacking, as the more prudent 8.Na3 c6 9.c3 Nb5 10.Nxb5+ cxb5 doesn't get him out of his material deficit.
8...Ke7
Black played the stronger 8...Kc6 in two earlier games, but they were long ago: 9.Qd1 (9. c3 Nc2+ 10.Kd1 Nxa1 11.Qf3+ d5 12.b4 a6 13.a4 Be6 14.c4 Bxb4 15.Bb2 Qd7 16.Bxa1 Bg4 17.cxd5+ Qxd5 18.Qxg4 Ne7 19.Qxg7 Rhd8 20.Qf6+ Kc5 21.Qxe7+ Kc4 22.Qxc7+ Qc5 23.Qxc5+ Bxc5 24.Ke2 Bd4 25.Bxd4 Rxd4 26.d3+ Rxd3 27.Rc1+ Kd4 28.Rc7 Rd8 29.g4 Ke4 30.Rc4+ R3d4 31.Rxd4+ Rxd4 32.Nd2+ Kxf4 33.e6 Rd8 34.g5 Kxg5 35.Ne4+ Kf5 36.e7 Re8 37.Nd6+ Ke6 38.Nxe8 Kxe7 39.Ng7 Kf7 40.Nh5 Ke6 41.Ng3 b5 42.Nf1 b4 43.Kd2 a5 44.Kc2 Kd5 45.Kb3 Kd4 46.Nd2 Kd3 White forfeited on time, GROFVLAD - boggus, FICS, 2007) 9...d5 10.c3 Nf5 11.O-O b6 12.d4 Ba6 13.Rf2 Qh4 14.Nd2 Nge7 15.Nf3 Qh5 16.e6 Kb7 17.Ne5 Nc6 18.b4 Qxd1+ White resigned, GOH - boggus, FICS, 2009.
Still, if he keeps his wits about him, all will be well for Black.
9.f5 Nxc2+
Often in the BSJG the Rook on a1 is poisoned, but not in this case. You have to wonder though - was Black a little bit suspicious as to why White let it go? Did it nag at him: Maybe White is up to something...?
10.Kd1 Nxa1
True, 10...d5 is probably best, but Black is still better after the game move.
11.d4
Hopeful. If you don't have hope, you can't play Jerome lines.
11...h6
We know why Black played this.
It would be very impressive if it was because he remembered the following game: 11...d5 12.Bg5+ Nf6 13.exf6+ gxf6 14.Re1+ Kd6 15.Bf4+ Kc6 16.Re3 Bd6 17.Rc3+ Kd7 18.Bxd6 cxd6 19.Nd2 Qg8 20.Qh3 Qg5 21.Nf3 Qf4 22.Qh5 Qe4 23.Qf7+ Qe7 24.Rc7+ Kxc7 25.Qxe7+ Kb6 26.Qxd6+ Kb5 27.Qxd5+ Kb6 28.Qc5+ Ka6 29.b4 b6 30.b5+ Kb7 31.Qc6+ Kb8 32.d5 Bxf5 33.d6 Rc8 34.Qd5 Rc5 35.Qg8+ Kb7 36.Qxh7+ Kc8 37.Qg8+ Kb7 38.Qf7+ Kc8 39.Qe8+ Kb7 40.Qe7+ Kb8 41.Nd4 Bc2+ 42.Ke1 Bf5 43.Nc6+ Kc8 44.Qd8+ Kb7 45.Qc7 checkmate, GOH - boggus, FICS, 2004.
Black wants the Black Bishop to stay away from g5, but White now grabs the half-point on the table.
12.Qh4+ Ke8
The alternative, 12...g5, is met by 13.Bxg5+ hxg5 14.Qxg5+ Ke8 15.Qg6+ Ke7 16.Qg5+ etc.
13.Qh5+ Ke7 14.Qh4+ Ke8 15.Qh5+ Ke7 16.Qh4+ drawn by repetition
I got a good chuckle out of the following 3 0 blitz game, also by COMTIBoy (see "Jerome Gambit: The Jerome Treatment (Redux)").
Sometimes we can get so caught up in our ideas and plans that we overlook - something.
The essential skill a Jerome Gambit player needs to hone is an awareness of when that "something" arrives at the board.
COMTIBoy - BravoDelta
3 0 blitz, FICS, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.c3
As someone who generally plays the "classical" Jerome Gambit lines (i.e. 5.Nxe5), I am not very familiar with
this move, and I was sort of surprised to find 1,601 examples in The Database. In those games White scores 41%. However, with 36 games in The Database, COMPTIBoy has a more
respectible 53% outcome.
5...Kf8
Not the first move that comes to mind, and I think there is a bit of psychology behind it - not at all surprising in a 3-minute game.
Surprisingly, there are 48 games with this line in The Database. Perhaps not surprisingly, White scores 60%.
6.d4
exd4 7.cxd4 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 d6
White's pawn center and the uneasy position of Black's King almost - but not yet - compensates for the sacrificed piece. The attacker needs some open lines.
10.e5 dxe5 11.Ba3+ Nge7 12.d5 Na5
Just the kind of chaos White wants in a fast blitz game, especially when you consider that "best" for Black is something like 12...Kf7 13.dxc6 Qxd1+ 14.Rxd1 Nxc6, giving back the piece to be able to exchange Queens and remain a boring pawn ahead.
13.Nxe5 Kg8 14.Qa4
Blitz attacking rule #1: Keep making scary moves.
14...Qxd5
Blitz defending rule #1: Beware of poisoned pawns.
15.Qe8 checkmate
You are playing a blitz game against a player rated about 175 points above you. Even worse, he plays an unorthodox line almost immediately. What do you do?
Well, if you are a Jerome Gambit fan, you provide a little instruction on how wild play can become - and you wrap up the win in under 10 moves!
COMTIBoy - valentinbasel
3 0 blitz, FICS, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5
If you play the Jerome Gambit, you will eventually meet this move.
It looks like Black would like to see 4.Bb3, when he can win the Bishop pair with 4...Nxb3. Of course, White can play the straight-forward 4.Nxe5, instead, grabbing a pawn and protecting his Bishop - not to mention attacking Black's f7.
There is another option for White, one explored a number of times on this blog, starting with "A Snack" about 6 years ago.
4.Bxf7+
The Jerome treatment. This leads to a roughly equal game, although White's attacking chances are to be preferred in quick play.
By the way, for a couple of earlier games by COMTIBoy facing the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, see "Incomplete" and "The Missing Element".
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6
Of course, Black wants to evict the enemy Knight, even though this move gives White the edge. His safest, and best, move is 5...Ke7, which is somewhat counterintuitive, as it blocks the diagonals of his Queen and Bishop; but it maintains an even game.
If you do not have experience in defending this line, the nuances are liable to escape you.
6.d4 d6 7.Qg4+ Kf6 8.Bg5 checkmate
Gosh. That took less time than it takes to tell...
Certainly Black needed to try 7...Ke7, although after 8.Qg5+ Nf6 9.Nf3 Nc6 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5 Kf7 12.exf6 White would have recovered his sacrificed piece and retained an edge.
I have shared many games where White plays the notorious Jerome Gambit, patiently musters his forces, waits for the defender to make a mistake - and then pounces. After all, I like the Jerome Gambit, and it is fun to watch players use it and succeed.
Yet, I have not been shy about sharing the many refutations of the opening, as well. A line of play can be both exciting and dangerous for the user.
So, as a bit of balance, here is a three minute game that shows Black has chances, too. ☺ (He should: he is rated +200 above White.)
Readers should follow the links to see more alternative ideas for White.
Chess-For-All - Sveti14
3 0 blitz, lichess.org 2017
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
I was surprised to find only 13 games in The Database with this move, with White scoring only 46%. (Still, that is a bit of a step up from the 42% score for White after his 7th move.)
9...Kf7
Also seen: 9...Nh5 in Wall,B - Ahmadi,S, Chess.com, 2010 (0-1, 59) and 9...Ng4 in perrypawnpusher - klixar, blitz, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 33).
10.O-O Re8
Black has also done well with 10...Rf8 as in perrypawnpusher - truuf, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 32) and Wall,B - Guest874250, PlayChess.com, 2014 (0-1, 32).
11.d3 Kg8
Taking care of business by castling-by-hand.
Also seen: 11...Qe7 as in mrjoker - creeredes, Internet Chess Club,
2008 (0-1, 26)
12.h3
Adopting the come-and-get-me strategy that puts the onus on Black to make something out of his material advantage. Sometimes this can be a part of a psychological push by White that unsettles his opponent - but, not today. Perhaps he should have ignored the move and gone ahead with winning the "minor exhange" with 12.Na4.
12...Qe7 13.Kh1
This reminds me of the quote by the Joker in "The Dark Knight" movie: "Come on. I want you to do it. I want you to do it. Hit me. Hit me! I want you to hit me!"
13...Qf7 14.Be3 Nh5 15.Qh4 Bb6
16.Nd5 Nf6 17.Nxb6 axb6 18.a3 d5 19.f3 Be6
20.g4
Time to try to stir things up a bit.
20...Nd7 21.Bd4
A move that is easy to understand, but repositioning the Bishop might have been better done by playing 21.Rae1 first, and if 21...c5, then 22.Bd2, eventually coming to c3. This subtle idea is brought to you by Stockfish 8.
21...Rf8
22.f4
Impatient - but, remember this is a 3 0 game.
The recommended line by Stockfish 8 would have been hard to work out, even in a slower game, with White finally developing pressure on the Kingside to offset Black's gains on the Queenside: 22.Qg3 c5 23.Bc3 d4 24.Be1 c4 25.f4 Nc5 26.f5 Bd7 27.Rd1 Bb5 28.Rf3 Rac8 29.Bb4 cxd3 30.cxd3 Rfe8 31.Rd2 Qb3 32.Kg2 Nd7 33.Rff2 Rc1 34.Kh2 Ne5 35.f6 Qf7 36.Rf5 gxf6 37.g5 Qg7 and Black would still be better.
22...dxe4 23.dxe4 Bc4 24.Rf2 Rae8 25.Re1 Rxe4 26.Rxe4 Bd5
The a8-h1 diagonal is deadly.
27.Rfe2 Re8 28.Be5 Bxe4+ 29.Rxe4 Qd5
Again.
30.Qe1 Nc5 White resigned
Ouch.
The most well-known defense against the Jerome Gambit is the one that J.H. Blackburne used in a game over 130 years ago. As we have seen on this blog many times, however, it is a tricky defense, and the better player usually wins, despite the "objective" assessment of the line (i.e. it is dynamically equal). This caveat is especially apparent in the following game, where Black errs early - but White makes some later slips, only scoring the full point after much further work. It is not a safe game for Rooks.
ehmorris3 - F-Dynamics
10 0, lichess.org, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. Qh5+ g6 7. Qxe5 d6
Blackburne's Defense, famous since Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884. Black offers a Rook, with the plan to trap White's Queen, and, while she is entombed, to attack White's King.
8.Qxh8 Be6
It is difficult to grasp the idea behind this move, unless it is simply to follow up the sacrifice with further development. Perhaps Black believes that his opponent will need time to put his Queen back into play. White immediately moves to make sure his Queen will be free.
9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.d4
Sacrificing a pawn to prepare for further development.
Instead, 10.Qxg6 was seen in perrypawnpusher - saltos, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 40) and Wall,B - VJCH, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 16).
An alternative, 10.O-O, was seen in mosinnagant - mumbaII, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 38)
10...Bxd4 11.Bh6+
The idea. White has to be careful about his own Rook on the a1-h8 diagonal, however.
11...Nxh6
An earlier game had gone 11... Ke8 12.Nc3 Qf6 13.O-O Bf7 14.Nd5 Qe6 15.Nxc7+ Kd8 16.Nxe6+ Black resigned, Petasluk - cuadriculas, FICS, 2008.
12.Qxh6+ Ke8 13.Qxg6+ Bf7
A very dynamic position, with White better. The first player has the advantage of a safer King and is three pawns and the exchange ahead in material - but his Queenside is about to be demolished.
In the meantime, where should White's Queen go? There is only one safe square that keeps his advantage.
14.Qg3
White needed to play 14.Qf5!? in order to be able to answer 14...Bxb2 with the fork 15.Qb5+, when he can then pick up the Bishop. Once Her Majesty is safe, White can then play c2-c3 or Nb1-c3 to keep the enemy attack on b2 stifled.
14...Bxb2 15.c3 Bxa1 16.O-O Bxa2
White's original idea might have been to block Black's Bishop in at a1, and then capture it, but that will not work out.
This odd position is about equal.
17.Na3 Bxc3
Black surrenders his piece too quickly He could have tried 17...Bb2 18.Nb5 a6 19.Nd4 Qf6 20.f4 c5 and held the advantage - according to Stockfish 8. It is really hard for me to judge this unbalanced position.
18.Qxc3 d5 19.Qe5+ Kd7
Each side has 3 connected passed pawns!
20.Nb5 Kc8 21.Rd1 Kb8
Black has castled-by-hand, but in doing so has entombed his Rook. He will not be able to escape checkmate.
22.exd5 b6 23.d6 cxd6 24.Rxd6 Kb7
Yes, things are this bad. However, even after surrendering the Queen, there will still be checkmate.
25.Rxd8 Rxd8 26.Qe7+ Kc8 27.Nd6+
There was also 27.Qc7#, but White has the game in hand.
27...Rxd6 28.Qxd6 Kb7 29.h4 b5 30.h5 Black resigned
When I play the Jerome Gambit, I struggle to play the "right" move all the time. I have largely exhausted my creativity at moves 4, 5 and 6. From there, on, it's a question of survivial.
Some players have a different approach - they explore alternatives, within reason but with the idea of exploration for its own sake.
An example is the following game. The attacker strays and creates; the defender strays and does not survive.
Wall, Bill - Guest1061862
PlayChess.com, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4
Qf6 8.Qc3
Black's idea is to play ...Nf3+ and capture White's Queen, if it is unprotected, so that is White's primary concern - how to react to that threat.
Is there a "best" move here? I am not sure. In this position Bill has also tried 8.Qc5, 8.Qe3, 8.Be3, 8.Qd2 and 8.Nd2 - all successfully.
8...d6 9.Qxc7+ Ne7 10.O-O Rf8
Black prepares to castle-by-hand. This is a very good idea. His main concern should not be losing a pawn or two, but protecting himself against the dangers along the 7th rank and f-file.
11.f4 Ng4
Worrying about the wrong piece. Black could confidently play, instead, 11...Kg8 when White's annoying f-pawn is suddenly pinned (12.fxe5? Qxf1 checkmate), giving the defender time to retreat his Knight to c6.
12.e5 dxe5
Going along with White's plan. It was time for Black to safeguard his King and return a piece: 12...Qh4 13.h3 Kg8 14.hxg4 Bxg4, and the game is about equal. Instead, he gives up his Queen.
13.fxe5 Qxf1+ 14.Kxf1 Kg6+ 15.Kg1 Re8
Black has a piece and a Rook for his Queen. (He is also down a couple of pawns.)
16.h3 Nh6 17.Qd6+ Kf7 18.Bxh6 Black resigned
Black can see far enough - 18...gxh6 19.Qf6+ Kg7 20.e6 - to know that he will have to surrender another piece (20...Rf8 21.Qxe7 or 20...Bxe6 21.Qxe6), and there is no future in this game.
