Jerome Gambit: The Creeping Terror

The latest Jerome Gambit game from Cliff Hardy is a doozy. Cliff takes the white pieces and appears to give his opponent "Jerome Gambit odds". His higher-rated opponent, however, returns the favor with "Berserk" odds.

As Mr. Hardy quickly demonstrates, there is much to be said for knowing the basic Jerome strategy and tactics when the time control is "think fast!" The play with the heavy pieces at the end is quite instructive.

Notes are by Cliff Hardy. Diagrams are by me.

The following game was played in a tournament on Lichess. I must say it wasn't a totally fair game though: in Lichess tournaments, you have the option of pressing the "Berserk" button at the start of the game, which shortens your total clock time by 50%. IM Eric Rosen did this so he actually had only 2 and a half minutes for the game, while I had a whole 5 minutes.

Cliff Hardy (2105) - IM Eric Rosen (2297), 
Lichess, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6?! -+

6...Kf8 -++

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.0-0 Qe7 11.Nc3 Bd7?! =+

Attempting to artificially castle with the standard 11...Kf7 -+ would have been better.

12.f4 Bc6 13.f5 Ne5 14.Qg3?

Oops! I left the e-pawn unguarded so 14.d3 += instead would have been better!

14...Nf7? =+

14...Bxe4 -++

15.d3 h6?! =

Weakening the pawns in front of the king is not advisable; 15...Re8 =+ would have been a superior move here.

16.Bd2 Qe5 17.Qh3 Re8 18.Rae1 b5

19.Kh1 b4 20.Nd1 Kg8? 

Lol, another oops! Black leaves his b-pawn on but I missed that I could take it. Defending it with 20...a5 would have been best.

21.c3? Qa5 22.cxb4 Qxa2 23.Bc3 Ng5 24.Qh4 Kh7 25.Ne3 Re7 26.Ng4

26...Nxg4? ++-

White's kingside pawns will now savage Black in the usual Jerome style; whereas 26...Rf8 += would have defended much better.

27.Qxg4

Black is in huge trouble, as White intends to play 28.h4 and if Black then were to save the knight with 28...Nf7??, he would wander into 29.Qxg7 mate.

27...Rg8 28.h4 Nf7 29.Qg6+ Kh8

Black has successfully defended against Qxg7 mate, but now White's f-pawn is set to cause trouble by crawling down the board like a creeping terror.

[A while back, Cliff and I discussed so-bad-they're-almost-good movies. I expressed my support for Ed Wood's "Plan 9 from Outer Space" (1959). Cliff mentioned "The Creeping Terror" (1964). Neither is likely to improve one's chess play, but they may explain why we both like the Jerome Gambit. - Rick]

30.f6 Ne5

There was no adequate defence to both of White's threats of fxe7 and fxg7+.

31.Bxe5 Rxe5 32.fxg7+ Rxg7 33.Rf8+ Qg8

Unfortunately, 33...Rg8? would have lost to 34.Qxh6 mate.

34.Qxh6+ Rh7 35.Qf6+ Rg7 36.Re3 Re8 37.Rxg8+ Rxg8

38.g3 Kh7 39.Rf3 Bd7 40.h5 Bg4 41.Rf4 Bxh5 42.Rh4 Rg5 43.Qf7+ Kh6 44.Qf6+

44...R8g6??

Black makes it easy for me. As I was moving back and forth, I clearly couldn't work out how to win this position, even with the overwhelming advantage that I had. The IM perhaps saw that  44...R5g6?? would have lost to 45.Rxh5+! Kxh5 46.Qh4 mate and probably he was still hoping to win and didn't want to let me repeat for a draw with 44...Kh7 45.Qf7+, although there the superior 45.g4! R8g6 46.Qf7+ and then 47.Rxh5+ instead would have been crushing.

45.Qh8 mate

Jerome Gambit: Not Always Crash and Boom

The Jerome Gambit can produce a no-holds-barred attack that decimates the defender. It can also provide an opportunity for the creation of weaknesses in the defender's camp - followed by patient play to take advantage of the minor "destructions".

Wall, Bill - Alfaave
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6 

One of the nice things about defending against the Jerome Gambit is that you have so many ways to return one of the sacrificed pieces.

7.dxc5 Nf6 8.Nc3 Re8 9.O-O Kg8

Black has every reason to be content with his position: he has a piece for a couple of pawns, and his King has castled-by-hand.

His only problem is that his opponent isn't interested in resigning - he wants to play until he wins.

10.Qd4 b6 11.Bg5 bxc5 12.Qxc5 d6 13.Qd4 c5

14.Qa4 Bd7 15.Qa6 Qb6 

I suspect that Bill welcomed the opportunity to exchange Queens here, as he was able to create targets for his remaining pieces. His skill, and his experience with the Jerome Gambit, gave him a better understanding of how to play the game.

16.Qxb6 axb6 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Nd5

The game doesn't always have to be *Crash!* and *Boom!*. White's Knight targets weaknesses in Black's position, and the defender does not cover up well.

18...Rf8 19.Nxb6 Ra7 20.Rfd1 Bc6 21.Rxd6 Bxe4 22.Nd7 Rxd7 23.Rxd7 Bxc2 

Black has two pieces for a Rook - and two pawns. The pawns are going to cause problems.

24.a4 Ra8 25.a5 Be4 26.a6 Nf8 27.Rc7 Ne6 28.Re7 Bd5 29.a7 Nd8 

Black's Knight is almost to his defensive position at c6.

30.Rd1 Nc6 31.Rb7 Be6 

A slip. The tireless Knight needed to take one more defensive leap, 31...Nd4, to shield the Bishop.

32.Rd6 Bc8 33.Rc7 Black resigned

Black's Knight is en pris, but cannot move to safety, as it protects against Rd8 checkmate.

Jerome Gambit: In the Style of World Champions

I suppose that chess purists would recoil from me suggesting that the following Jerome Gambit game seems to be influenced by the recent Caruana - Carlsen match for the World Chess Championship. White is comfortable allowing a Queenless middlegame and heads for a quiet endgame. Why not? He has the better game. It almost looks like he turned play over to the automatic pilot in his brain.

Wall, Bill - Guest5649018
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Nf3+

I really like this move. It's no good, of course, and in the 7 games in The Database that contain it, White has 6 wins - and his lone loss was to a tricky checkmate in an endgame where the clock seems to have played a major part in stealing a well-earned "1-0".

Still, if Black has to give back a piece, you have to smile at his creativity - especially if he expected a pawn capture on White's next move.

7.Qxf3+ Qf6 8.dxc5 Qxf3 9.gxf3 Nf6 

Apologies to Guest5649018, but this is the kind of position Bill could play while working on the New York Times crossword puzzle - even the Sunday edition.

10.Nc3 Rf8 11.Bf4 Ne8 12.Nd5 c6 13.Nc7 Nxc7
14.Bxc7 Ke6 

The chances of reaching a drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame are very small.

15.Ke2 a5 16.a4 Rf6 17.Rag1 g6 18.h4 Black resigned

Perhaps Black has been following the World Championship match, as well. He sees that White is content to grind and grind... (It is also relevant, once again, to point out that Black's d-pawn blocks his Bishop, which blocks his Queen Rook - a fatal illness often found in Jerome Gambit games.)

Jerome Gambit: Overlooking Something

One of the scariest defenses to the Jerome Gambit is what I have called a pie-in-the-face variation. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 comes 6...Qh4!?, first seen, as far as I can tell, in Sorensen - Anonymous, Denmark, 1888 (see "Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter X").

By the way, I do not think that Alonzo Wheeler Jerome ever faced 6...Qh4, or covered it in his published analysis.

The following game shows the power of the counter-attack, as well as at least one of its weaknesses. After all, Bill Wall is playing White; and, for the record, he has faced 6...Qh4 34 times, scoring 87%.

Wall, Bill - Guest8885375
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

This was originally A.W. Jerome's choice, although he later moved on to 6.Qh5+.

6...Qh4 

Here we go. White has sacrificed, but Black attacks.

7.O-O Ng4 8.h3 d6 

Black's light-squared Bishop now hungrily eyes g4 and h3. How sad to see that Komodo 9 (welcome to the analysis team) sees the game as even.

9.dxc5 N8f6 

More development! White isn't the only player who can sacrifice a piece.

10.hxg4 Nxg4 11.Bf4 

White's Bishop arrives in time to protect h2.

The computer now suggests that Black retreat his Knight, and after 11...Nf6 12.Bg3 Qxe4 13.cxd6 cxd6 14.Qxd6 things have settled down, and White has an extra pawn. But why should Black's Knight retreat?

11...Rf8 12.cxd6 Kg8 13.Qd5+ 

Oh, okay, I get it: 11...Nf6 would have prevented this check.

13...Kh8 14.dxc7 Rxf4 

Overlooking White's snappy response.

15.Qd8+ Black resigned

I suspect in his analysis Black saw that the d8 square was covered by his Queen, and so White's check would be harmless, but he missed the fact (in his chess vision?) that White's Queen would be protected by the pawn at c7, waiting for its chance to promote, i.e. 15...Qxd8 16.cxd8/Q+, with mate to follow.

Jerome Gambit: Yet Again, I Would Prefer Not To

The Jerome Gambit brings along with its sacrifices a certain amount of psychology - many defenders are surprised and/or shocked at the brutal and crude attack (What did I overlook in my opening preparation?).

Some defenders choose a defense along similar grounds: if White wants me to take the piece, I won't. I don't this is a strong approach for Black, but it certainly changes White's situation and goals. As we saw in the previous game, suddenly it is Black who is the gambiteer, and White who needs to adjust.

Wall, Bill - Guest5240605
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kf8

So: no Bashi-Bazouk attack. As I wrote, previously

I was surprised to see 312 games with this position in The Database. I was even more surprised to see that White scores only 56%. Still, that is an improvement over the results for the main line 4...Kxf7 - 14,373 games in The Database, where White scores 46%. 

At the same time, it is useful to point out Bill Wall's statistics on the matter: for 4...Kxf7, Bill has 509 games, scoring 92%. It only gets better for 4...Kf8, with 6 games and White scoring 100%.

It is probably fair to add: I have only faced 4...Kf8 once, and I lost.

5.Bd5

White retreats his Bishop. Some day, I should look at games in The Database where White leaves the piece on f7, and pursues the attack as if the sacrifice had been accepted.

5...Qf6

More development, and preventing d2-d4. "How do you like being the defender, Mr. Jerome Gambiteer?" Black hurls.

6.O-O d6 7.c3 Bg4 8.b4 Bb6 9.Na3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 Qxf3 11.gxf3 Rb8 

A lot has happened. White still retains his 1 pawn advantage, but it is a doubled on on f3. Neither side has an attack - but only one has the advantage, and he knows how to use it.

12.Nc4 Nf6 13.a4 a6 14.b5 Nxd5 15.bxc6 Nf6 

We have seen an interesting skirmish on the Queenside, and I was surprised not to see White go for the Knight-for-Bishop exchange at b6. That is because Bill has a different idea, based on the location of Black's King.

16.Ba3 bxc6

It was a bit better to unpin the d-pawn immediately with 16...Kf7.

17.Nxe5 c5 

Blocking the diagonal of the White Bishop, and thus activating the pawn threat against the White Knight. However, this leads to both strategic (the Bishop is stifled) and tactical issues.

18.Nc6 Ra8 19.a5 

When we talk about annoying "Jerome pawns", we usually overlook the a-pawn. But, for today, a little applause.

19...Ba7 20.e5

Here you go.

20...dxe5 21.Nxa7 Kf7 

A sad necessity, for it 21...Rxa7, then 22.Bxc5+, picking up the Rook on the next move.

Now, White gets to play on with an extra piece, first consolidating his position. 

 22.Nc6 Rhe8 23.Bxc5 Kg8 24.d4 exd4 25.cxd4 Nd5 26.Rfe1 Rec8

 Black does not want to exchange Rooks and move a step closer to a bad endgame, but this move is unfortunate. The Knight fork on e7 is a constant threat.

27.Re5 Rd8 

Retreating the Knight falls to 28.Ne7+.

28.Rxd5 

Same idea.

28...Rxd5 29.Ne7+ Kf7 30.Nxd5 Black resigned

So: even in the Jerome Gambit Declined, there are tactics to beware of!

Jerome Gambit: I Would Prefer Not To

The Jerome Gambit, from an "objective" standpoint, has to be considered a wonderful gift to the defending player - the gift of at least one piece, sometimes two. After all, the opening has been refuted many times - what more could Black want?

Yet, sometimes, the gift is not accepted. Consider the following game.

Wall, Bill - Guest9273483
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kf8 

As Herman Melville's character Bartleby, the scrivener, said, "I would prefer not to."

I was surprised to see 312 games with this position in The Database. I was even more surprised to see that White scores only 56%. Still, that is an improvement over the results for the main line 4...Kxf7 - 14,373 games in The Database, where White scores 46%.

At the same time, it is useful to point out Bill Wall's statistics on the matter: for 4...Kxf7, Bill has 509 games, scoring 92%. It only gets better for 4...Kf8, with 6 games and White scoring 100%.

5.Bb3 Nf6

In this position we must imagine that Black is the gambiteer, and that he has given up a pawn for a slight lead in development (a somewhat larger lead, if we consider his King to be developed).

6.Nc3 Nd4 

Instead of the principled 6...d6, planning to develop his light square Bishop, Black decides to be a bit tricky, no doubt planning to answer 7.Nxe5 with 7...Qe7. Bill is not interested, though, and simply safeguards his King.

7.O-O Nxb3 8.axb3 d5 

You have to admire Black's confidence - open lines for his pieces, attack the center. Still, he did not get much for his first "sacrificed" pawn, and he does not get much for this next one, either.

9.exd5 Bg4 10.h3 Bh5 11.g4 Bg6 12.Nxe5 

12...Be8

The alternative, winning back a pawn, was not attractive: 12...Bd4 13.Nxg6 hxg6 14.Kg2 Bxc3 15.dxc3 Qxd5+ 16.Qxd5 Nxd5 White would be up a couple of pawns, have a Bishop for a Knight, and have pawn majorities on both sides.

13.d4 Bb4 14.g5 Nxd5 15.Qf3+ Black resigned

Black's Knight is attacked twice and defended only once; it wil perish.