Jerome Gambit: Strangeness Awaits

The following Jerome Gambit game is not an exemplar, but it has an appearance of strangeness that makes it fun to play over. 

Wall, Bill - Faave, Al
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nf6

This is not the way to return the sacrificed material - Black gets little for it.

Just as the game was not "over" after White's 4th move, it it not yet over after Black's 7th. (Although White is up a couple of pawns.)

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qa5 b6 11.Qg5 h6 12.Qb5 a6 13.Qb3+ Be6 14.Qe3

White exaggerates the errors of his opening - more than half of his moves are with his Queen! She has bounced around, encouraging Black to loosen the positions of his pawns.

14...Ng4 

Harassing the enemy Queen further. 

15.Qg3 Nf6 16.Nc3 Rf8 17.f5 Bd7 18.d3 Bc6 19.Qg6+ Ke7 

It is understandable tht Black did not want to castle-by-hand with 19...Kg8, as White can respond with 20.Bxh6, but the King will not be safe in the center of the board.

20.Qxg7+ Rf7 21.Qxh6 Qg8 22.g3 Qg4 

Black has an advantage in development, and wants to put it to use by pressuring White's King and Queen. (I am not ready to refer to this line of play as "the four pawns defense".)

23.Bg5 Rg8 24.Bh4 Rgg7 

I was surprised to see that Stockfish 8 assesses this position to be vastly favorable for White - "+13", which is equivalent to the 4 extra pawns White has, plus and extra Queen. Clearly White is about to win back some material, but still...

25.h3 Qf3 26.Rf1 Qg2 


27. Bxf6+ Kd7 28. Bxg7 Qxg3+ 29. Ke2 Rxg7 

Eventually White's extra Rook - and pawns - will mean something, but for now his King still has to be careful.

30.f6 Rf7 31.Qh5 Rf8 32.Qh7+ Kc8 33.Qg7 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Their Majesties

Here is the latest Jerome Gambit from Vlasta Fejfar, featuring two wandering Queens. White's Queen successfully attacks, while Black's Queen is a few steps slow in defending. In a surprise twist, the player who loses his Queen, wins the game!

vlastous - Marwan 86
internet, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4

This move is at least as old as D'Aumiller - AP, Livorno, 1878 (1-0, 19), appeared in 2 of the Jerome - Charles correspondence games in their 1881 match (both games incomplete), and appeared in 6 of the games in the legendary (to Jerome Gambit players, anyhow) Fisher-Kirshner - KnightStalker match of 1993.

4...Qf6 8. Rf1 g6 

We have seen a couple of Vlasta's opponents try other ideas:

8...Nd3+ "creatively returning a piece" in Vlastous - Kombe, internet, 2017, (1-0, 22); and

8...Nc6 "cold-blooded, but playable" in Fejfar,V - Vins, corr Czech Republic, 2015, (1-0, 23). 

9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.fxe5 Qxe5 11.Qf3 Qf6 

A common criticism of the Jerome Gambit is that White moves his Queen too early and too often. So far in this game, however, Black has kept pace with White.

Vlastous 2344 -Daboa 1799, Chessmaniac.com, 2016, (1-0, 42) saw the alternative, 11...Nf6.

12.Qe2 Qa6 

You can almost hear Black sigh "Enough, already!". The threat to exchange Queens is easily parried, though, and Her Majesty soon finds that she needs to get back in the fray.

13.d3 Ke8 14.Nc3 Ne7 15.Nd5 Qc6 

To protect against the threatened Knight fork at c7.

Black's best defense was 15...Kd8, when a typical messy game can continue with 16.Bg5 c6 17.b4 cxd5 18.bxc5 dxe4 19.Rf7 Re8 20.Qxe4 Qe6 21.Qxe6 dxe6 22.Rxh7 when White clearly has compensation for his sacrificed material, although the game is about even. (Who is more comfortable, though?)

16.Qf3 Nxd5 

Opening the e-file with the enemy Queen facing the King is pretty risky, but the best move, 16...Nf5, still loses. (And it turns out that White doesn't need the e-file after all.)

17.Qf7+ Kd8 18.Bg5+ Be7 

Black does not want to give up his Queen with 18...Qf6.

White decides to give up his.

19.Qf8+ Rxf8 20.Rxf8 checkmate

Very nice.

Tournament Update

With one game left - with the white pieces - in the first round of the "Italian Battleground" tournament at Chess.com, I have scored 7 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw. This includes a win and a draw with the Jerome Gambit.

This result is probably good enough for me to (eventually) move on to the next round, with more possible chances to play the Jerome.

In the meantime, I am waiting for my opponent in the final game to move - will I get to play one more example of the "worst chess opening ever"?*

Be sure, good, bad or indifferent, if it's a Jerome, I will share the game here. 

(*Yes! It's a Jerome Gambit. Now all I have to do is win the darn thing... - Rick)

Jerome Gambit: Everything is Fine for Black, Until...

One of the attractions for White in the Jerome Gambit is that things can suddenly fall apart for his opponent. One moment, Black is doing fine; the next moment, he is turning his King over.

The following game is a fine example.

Wall, Bill - Guest866139
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

Bill prefers 6.d4 to 6.Qh5+. He has had a lot of success letting Black figure out how to defend, instead of going into a forcing line.

6...Bb4+ 7.c3 Ba5

For the record,  the energetic 7...Qh4!? is best, and The Database supports this by pointing out that Black is 10-0 in the games it contains.

8.dxe5 Bb6 

Not 8...d6 because 9.Qd5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016. 

9.a4 a6 10.a5 Ba7 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.O-O Ne7 

 White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece. Black has to be watchful that his King, stuck in the center, remains safe.

13.Bg5 d6 14.Na3 Be6 15.Rad1 Qd7 16.exd6 cxd6 17.Qg3 Rd8

Stockfish 8 and 9 each give Black an edge in this position, which begs the question: Which position would you prefer to play?

Black's position is cramped, and it doesn't take much to push it into the danger zone.

18.e5 d5 19.Nc4 Bb8 

Here we go. The silicon solution, of course, is now for White to force a draw...

20.Nb6 Qb5 

I suspect neither player was interested in 20...Qc7 21.Na8 Qd7 22.Nb6 Qc7, etc, repeating the position and splitting the point. 

However, Black's move in the game leads to immediate disaster. The salient point is that his Queen needs to stay on the 7th rank to provide eventual protection for the g-pawn - or White will invade there.

21.Bxe7 Kxe7 

The sad reality is that Black cannot afford to capture the Bishop, as he has to guard g7 with 21...Kf7. That leaves White with the straightforward followup 22.Bxd8, coming out the exchange and a couple of pawns ahead; or White can play 22.c4!? and after 22...Qxb2 everything blows up after 23.cxd5!?.

What a difference a couple of moves make.

22.Qxg7+ Bf7 23.Qf6+ Black resigned

Black is going to lose a Rook, and it will cost more material to delay the inevitable checkmate.

Jerome Gambit: Checkmate

In the Jerome Gambit, White activates his Queen to attack - and, ideally, checkmate - the enemy King.

The following game illustrates.

Wall, Bill - Guest6199747
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 

The Two Knights defense. Bill has had a lot of success transforming games into the Jerome Gambit, however.

4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

Tranposing to the "modern" Jerome Gambit line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d3 Nf6.

5...Kxf7 6.Nc3 d6

Black seems safe. Black feels safe. Black is safe.

For the moment.

7.h3 Be6 8.Ng5+ 

The first step in drawing the enemy King out into the center. It is a simple idea - perhaps so simple that Black feels no sense of danger.

8...Ke7 9.Nxe6 Kxe6 10.O-O Qe7 

11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.exd5+ Kxd5 

It is interesting to see here that Stockfish 8 sees the game as even.

If you compare material, Black is "simply" a  piece ahead, so the computer's assessment is either very concrete - White can win back a piece - or very abstract - White has a much better position.

You need only look at the position of Black's King to know that "something" is up.

13.Qg4

Do you see the threat?

13...Nd8 

Giving the King some breathing room. The computer suggests returning a piece to achieve a messy, but even, position: 13...Nd4 14.c3 h5 15.Qe4+ Ke6 16.cxd4 Bxd4 17.Qxb7 c5

14.b4

To win the Bishop. There is also a hidden drop of poison in the move, as Black will discover. It is time for the defender to defend: 14...Kc6 15.bxc5 b6, when the King can escape, although White will be better.

14...Bd4 15.c3

Cute.

15...Bxc3 

The game needed to go something like 15...h5 16.Qe4+ Ke6 17.cxd4 Kd7 when after 18.d5 Rf8 19.Be3 White has regained his piece and it looks like he has a better position - starting with a safer King. 

16.Qc4 checkmate

Once again, this is why we play the Jerome Gambit.

Jerome Gambit: The Science of the Draw?! (Part 2)

[continued from previous post]

Part 1, the last post, ended with my computer assistant, Stockfish 9, in a rage at foolish human behavior...

In the above position I captured Black's Knight on d5. The silicon choice for White was, instead, 17.Qh3+!?, preferring to capture the Bishop after 17...Kb8 with 18.Rxf7. This doesn't gain a pawn immediately, as Black has 18...Nb4 19.Nc3 Nc2 20.Rb1 Qd4+ 21.Kh1 Qxc4. 

Analysis diagram





Stockfish 9 now sees White as almost 4 pawns better - it took me a while to see that it does not think that Black's Knight on c2 will escape. Yet the computer rates lines without the mischief-making 18...Nb4 followed by 19...Nc2 as even worse.

By the way, in the analysis diagram the Knight at e7 is not hanging, due to the threat of checkmate at f1. White's best is 22.e6!? - but then I am back trying to figure out why the first player is "clearly" winning.

Oh, well, back to the game. From the first diagram on this page:

perrypawnpusher - Krisstianes_017

"Italian Battleground", Chess.com, 2018

17.cxd5 Bxd5 18.Nc3 Bc6 

White's development is better, but he has that nagging pawn on e5 that looks more weak than strong. Stockfish 9 sees an advantage for the first player after 19.Qh3+!? Kb8 20.Be3 b6 21.e6!? but, during the game, I didn't see it - and began to look for a draw. Clearly a failure of nerve!

Consider that: the "psychology" of the Jerome Gambit had been turned on its head. Again, props to Krisstianes_017.

19.Qg5 Ng6 

My opponent is no fool. His King will be safer after an exchange of Queens, even if his Rook is still trapped at a8.

20.Qxd8+

This is silly, but according to my plan.

20...Rxd8 21.Bg5 Rf8 22.Rad1 Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 b6 24.Rd8+ Kb7 25.Rxa8 Kxa8

By dint of brute force (and ignorance) I have turned a won position into a (probably) drawn one. My next goal was to get rid of the pesky Knights.

26.e6 Kb7 27.Ne2 h6 28.Bd2 Bd5 29.Nf4 Bc4+ 30.Kf2 Nxf4 31.Bxf4 Bxe6 

My opponent has reached a pawn-up endgame, and was pleased. I could tell, because in a few moves I offered a draw, and he declined.

32.a3 c5 33.h4 Kc6 34.Be5 g6 35.Ke3 Kd5 36.Bg7 h5 37.Kd3 Bf5+ 38.Kc3 b5 

Black can advance his pawn majority, but White's King and Bishop (which can operate on the intersecting a1-h8 and b8-h2 diagonals) have the blockades in place.

39.g3 a5 40.Bf8 b4+ 41.axb4 axb4+ 

Or 41...cxb4+ 42.Kb3 Kc6 43.Ka2 Be6+ 44.b3 and the game will still be drawn.

42.Kd2 Kd4 43.Be7 b3 Drawn (my opponent offered)

Jerome Gambit: The Science of the Draw?! (Part 1)

I just completed my second Jerome Gambit game in the ongoing "Italian Battleground" tournament at Chess.com. It put me very much in mind of the questions raised in the recent post "Jerome Gambit: The Eternal Question of Draws".

It felt, at first, like I was dropping 1/2 a point, but by the end of the game it appeared like I had won 1/2 a point. In any event, it is appropriate to speak well of my opponent, Krisstianes_017, whose scientific approach to defending against the opening was successful - if you call achieving a draw against a "refuted" opening a success. (Another "eternal question".)

(Although my "escape" into a drawn endgame a pawn down was very much "scientific" as well, as it involved knowledge and experience with Bishops-of-opposite-colors.)  

perrypawnpusher - Krisstianes_017

"Italian Battleground", Chess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

The same line chosen by Abhishek29 in my other Jerome Gambit (so far) in the same tournament. For a short while I was worried that I would be playing the same game, twice.

7.Qd5+

Again, the "nudge".

7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O Be6

Black is developing his minor pieces, but this move is probably not best, as it summons the move f2-f4 (threatening a pawn fork with f4-f5) from White.

After the game, in preparing this blog post, I asked Stockfish 9 to evaluate the move 10...Be6. At a depth of 30 ply, it saw the resulting position as equal. That is worth thinking about. Should Black be happy? Should White be happy?

It is funny to note, however, that after White plays 11.f4, Stockfish 9 - again, at 30 ply analysis depth - recommends returning the Bishop with 11...Bc8!? and evaluates the result as a slight edge to Black!

I have just recently begun using version 9 of Stockfish to help me understand my completed games, and this is not the only quirky output it has provide me.  

In any event, the computer prefers 10...Nh5!? (preventing f2-f4?) instead of the text.

11.f4 Ne7 

Interesting and good.

I faced 11...Bc4 in perrypawnpusher - avgur, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 43) as well as 11...Ng4 in perrypawnpusher - Verlen, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 23) and 11...Kd7 in perrypawnpusher - dirceu, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 16).

12.d4

Stockfish 9's recommendation is 12.f5 Bc8 13.c4 Nc6 14.d3, apparently seeing ...d7-d5 as worth preventing.

12...Kd7 

Courageously planning to castle-by-hand on the queenside. I can see why my opponent would not want to strike at the center until his King was safe.

Still, the computer's suggestion is 12...d5, and I faced that move in perrypawnpusher - nmuffjgp, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 22).

13.d5 Bf7 14.c4 Kc8 

15.e5 

My plan was to open the center and use my "Jerome pawns" to cause havoc amongst Black's minor pieces.

Amazingly, after the game Stockfish 9 recommended the line 15.Bd2 Kb8 16.Nc3 h5 17.Rae1 a5. I was reminded of my ancient Fidelity Chess Challenger 7, that, when it assessed its King to be safe (wherever it was) and the position balanced, couldn't "think" of what to do, and so would advance its Rook pawns...  

15...dxe5 

This seems natural to me, but the computer doesn't like it, and prefers 15...Ng4 with an even game.

16.fxe5 Nfxd5 

Again, in the post mortem Stockfish 9 had a fit with this idea. I thought it was rather "scientific" to give back the sacrificed material and leave me with an isolated pawn.

17.cxd5 

Sigh. After the game, the compter had a fit with this move, too. I am glad I wasn't working with the old "talking" Fritz computer program that had a whole CD full of insults and sarcasm!

[to be continued]