Black is by no means doomed in the Jerome Gambit. (That's a joke. The Jerome has multiple refutations.) However, the defender needs to stick to the basics of defense (or rampant counter-attack) and not neglect an ingredient or two - an oversight can turn the game around and bring about a painful ending.
Wall, Bill - Guest2783012
PlayChess.com, 2018
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
Black is doing fine. White has to pull a few tools out of his "toolbox", perhaps Bg5 or f4, to keep pursuing his chances.
10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Nb4
The position of White's Queen is too tempting, Black's Knight must kick it. There is the bonus attraction of the chance to attack White's Rook at a1, so Black dives in. He only risks arriving at an even game, but that is too much to give up - he should have continued the typical castle-by-hand with ...Re8 and ...Kg8.
12.Qb5 Nxc2 13.f5
This looks like desperation, but White knows what he is doing.
13...Nxa1 14.fxe6+
14...Ke7
Black suddenly realizes that something is up, but 14...Kxe6 or 14...Kg8 were ways to stay in the game. Putting his King where the Knight can be pinned to it is asking for trouble.
15.Bg5 Rf8 16.e5 dxe5 17.Qxe5 Ke8
This probably looked like some kind of solution, but it is not.
18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Qh5+ Ke7 20.Qxh7+ Kxe6
Checkmate follows.
21.Re1+ Kd6 22.Qd3+ Kc6 23.Qc4+ Kd7 24.Qe6 checkmate
It is nice to surprise your opponent with the Jerome Gambit.
Sometimes, though, that opponent is not only not surprised, he has prepared a special reception. Then, the attacker has to rely upon his knowledge of the Jerome, plus his own skills, to make sure that the game turns out right.
Wall, Bill - Guest2773994
PlayChess.com, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6
8.Qd5+
White is willing to go after the b-pawn - and Black encourages him to do so.
8...Be6 9.Qxb7 Nf6 10.Nc3 Bc4
A tricky move that appears to be a novelty, according to The Database. Black does not want his opponent to castle. He also limits White's Queen's retreat squares. Previously, Bill has seen 10...Qe7, 10...Qd7, 10...Re8 and 10...Rf8.
11.b3 Rb8 12.Qxa7 Nd3+
Wow.
Black seems to have a low opinion of the Jerome Gambit, or his opponent, or both. This is a very optimistic sacrifice of a piece - but, in all fairness, Black does have an "extra" one to give back.
13.cxd3 Bxd3
White's King is still in the center, Black's pieces attack the pawn at e4, and Black's Rook and Queen are ready to swing over to the e-file.
14.Bg5 Qe7 15.Rc1 Rhe8 16.f3
Black's attack is beginning to look a bit scary, although the computers are not impreseed. Unfortunately, Black's next move appears to overlook the pin on his Knight.
16...d5
Now White strikes quickly.
17.Nxd5 Qe5 18.Rxc7+ Kg8 19.Rxg7+ Kh8 20.Bxf6 Black Resigned
There is an old saying (more of a warning): If you keep on heading in the direction you're going - you'll get there.
The following game shows Black taking an interesting step toward the unknown - but he does not continue. As a result, the game ends pretty much as expected.
Wall, Bill - Guest2781227
PlayChess.com, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8
Black decides that the gift of one piece is enough, thank you very much. This is not a "refutation" of the Jerome Gambit, but it is the kind of move that can set White to thinking, if he is not familiar with it.
6.Nxc6 dxc6
The recommended move, instead, is the wild 6...Qh4!? which would lead to a complicated game where White might have a small edge. Not surprisingly, The Database still has no game examples.
The problem with the "normal" text is that it allows the first player to just go about his business.
7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qxc5 Qd6
An exchange of Queens might break White's attack, and straighten out Black's Queenside pawns, but it would simply leave him down a couple pawns. Still, Bill is not interested in helping out.
9.Qc3 Qf6 10.d4 Qe6 11.O-O Nf6
If this game were a scary movie, this is about where the ominous background music would begin.
The e-file and the a1-h8 diagonal have problems for Black, and resolving those issues will open up other points of danger.
12.d5 cxd5 13.exd5 Qd6 14.Re1+ Kf7 15. Bg5 Bf5 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Qxc7+ Kf8 18.Qxb7 Black resigned
White is 4 pawns up. Black's King remains at risk. The direction that the game will take is clear.
Round 3 has started in the Chess.com "Italian Battleground" tournament, and I will be battling with docfb, 275Jukka,warwar, Abhishek29 and XristosGikas.
In my first 5 (concurrent) games, I have the black pieces 4 times, and in my 1 game with White, I am playing a Hungarian Defense - so, no Jerome Gambit so far.
In Round 1, I scored with the Jerome against Abhishek29, and in Round 2 I did the same against warwar. It will be interesting to see if they let me play my refuted opening again - and, if so, what improvements they have come up with.
In Round 2, docfb played a Two Knights Defense, and beat me. I wonder if he will be satisfied to repeat, or if he will go with the easy win against the Jerome.
As for 275Jukka, we have not played before, but he went for the Hungarian Defense 3...Be7 right away. He must have a really good track record with the Hungarian, to turn down the offer of two pieces that allowing the Jerome Gambit would have achieved.
XristosGikas is new to me, as well, so perhaps he will oblige me and "blunder" into a win after 4 moves...
As I have explored the history, games, and analysis of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), I have also looked for earlier opening examples that might have inspired Alonzo Wheeler Jerome to create and share his opening. This blog has many examples of possible Jerome Gambit instigators.
In this post I want to share some lines that most likely were not precursors of the Jerome. Purists can move on to the next blog post. Those who like fun chess - well, stick around.
For Christmas, my wife gave me Tim Sawyer's book Queens Knight 1.Nc3 & 1...Nc6 Second Edition Chess Opening Games (2018). I am familiar with Tim's work on the Blackmar Diemer Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.e4) but I see, of late, he has expanded to coverage of a whole range of openings.
Early on in the book, I encountered
The game Laird vs Bullockus began 1.Nc3 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5. What can Black do? The answer is a bishop sacrifice 3...Bxf2+! 4.Kxf2 Qh4+ and the Black queen will regain the piece on e5.
This was a postal game between two California players. Scott W. Laird was a master in correspondence and in tournament play.
Dr. Theodore Bullockus was an international arbiter and longtime postal chess player. His peak ICCF rating was 2299.
Ted Bolluckus was a teammate of mine in the Correspondence Olympiad. We represented the USA in the 1980s.
The Queens Knight Attack opening line is actually the reverse of an Alekhine Defence variation. Ted Bullockus was an expert in the Alekhine. In fact he influenced me to study it for many years.
The Alekhine line goes 1.e4 Nf6 2.Bc4 Nxe4 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qh5+ when White regains the piece on e4 with equal chances. In the Queens Knight Attack White has the added useful move 1.Nc3.
1.Nc3 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 4.Kxf2 Qh4+ 5.g3 Qd4+ 6.e3 Qxe5 7.Qf3 Nf6 8.d4 Qe7 9.e4 d6 10.h3 0-0 11.Bc4 Nc6 12.Be3 Re8 13.a3 Kh8 14.Bd3 Be6 15.g4 Nd7 16.d5 Black resigned
Enjoyable, if not successful chess - this time.
I recently did a followup article to my posts on my Jerome Gambit article, lamenting the lack of information about how an author, or authors, came to label the Jerome Gambit player in Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884 - referred to as "Mr M" v Blackburne, in the May 10, 1884, Illustrated London News - as "Millner". A Facebook post led to a return post with a couple of links suggesting a couple of possible "Milner" players, and some bibliographical suggestions.
Alas, my InterLibraryLoan sleuthing has returned little.
The book Amos Burn: A Chess Biography, by Richard Forster (McFarland, 2004) does, indeed, list a "J. Milner" as playing (color not given) the 13th board in a 31 board match between Yorkshire and Lancashire, at Hudderfield, on March 11, 1899. He accomplished a draw against A. C. Haines.
That's it. (In a book of almost 1,000 pages.)
Add that to finding no "Millner" or "Milner" in Henry Joseph Blackburne: A Chess Biography (McFarland, 2015), by Tim Harding, and I pretty much have what my father used to call "a whole lot of nothing".
InterLibraryLoan also brought me Idel Becker's Manual de Xadrez, which Brazilian chess master Hindemburg Melão, Jr. in his article for the online chess site, SuperAjedrez, and, most recently, in the Facebook post, suggested might have the information I sought. Alas, I found only the game "Amador - Blackburne", that is Amateur - Blackburne. It could be that I was consulting the 4th edition, from 1969, which may have been changed since Becker's 1st edition, from 1948.
It could also be that the information was in the other book suggested by Hindemburg Melão, Jr., Ajadrez a la ciega, by Benito Lopes Esnaola - which the InterLibraryLoan was not able to provide for me.
I sense an upcoming visit to the White Collection, in Cleveland, to further research the issue.
I enjoyed my recent online Jerome Gambit game, and even though the computer had plenty to say about my play, afterward, I enjoyed that, too.
perrypawnpusher - atomsymbol
10 0 blitz, FICS, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
This is a solid move, but I am always glad to see it, because it seems to have a "do it yourself" feel. It is as if Black has reasoned "nobody would seriously sacrifice two pieces in the opening, so it seems reasonable, if not downright scientific, and, maybe, even necessary, to give one back, right away". Thank you.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 N8e7
The knight usually goes to f6, but the text is something that Jerome Gambit regulars such as AsceticKing, Bill Wall, chessmusings, MrBlack, MrJoker, shugart, vlastous and I have faced before, so it is worth being ready for. The Knight provides some protection for the King along the e-file, and leaves the f-file open for Black's Rook.
9.O-O d6 10.Qe3 Rf8 11.f4 Qd7
Komodo 9.02, in blunder check mode, does not object to this move, but it seems to block Black's Bishop, which blocks Black's Rook - a classic weakness in the Jerome.
On the other hand, it provides some restraint on White playing e4-e5, once his Queen has been enticed to the d-file, since the exchange of Queens would dampen any kind of attack. Perhaps Black should have tried 11...Nc6, as in perrypawnpusher - taman, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-30).
12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc4 14.Qd3
Done almost as a reflex, and providing support for the pawn at f5, should I play e4-e5, but I probably should have looked at and evaluated 14.Qe2. (14...d5 would have been a good response to any of my choices.) Interestingly, last year shugart chose 14.Qb3 in his game against oritelgavi (0-1, 36).
14...b5 15.b3 Nb6 16.Bg5 a6 17.Nc3 h6 18.Bxe7 Kxe7 19.Rae1 Kd8
Komodo now sees White as having equalized, meaning that it gives the first player some positional plusses in its evaluation to balance out the 2 pawns vs piece material disadvantage. Black lags in development (but he will quickly fix this) and his King is riskily placed.
20.Nd5
Komodo's preference shows how chess computers have improved in their positional play: my move allows opening the e-file, but the computer prefers to see the Knight posted on e6, and suggests, even at the cost of time: 20.Ne2 Bb7 21.Nf4 Rg8 22.Ne6+ Kc8 It then anchors the Knight with 23.d5, with an even game. I need to learn to see the quieter moves.
20...Nxd5 21.exd5 Bb7 22.c4 Re8
Contesting the e-file. It is enlightening to see that Komodo prefers that Black castle-by-hand on the Queenside. The whole line of recommended play - well beyond my during-the-game investigations - ends up with a very unbalanced position which it assesses as better for Black, although White clearly has practical chances: 22...Kc8 23.Qe3 Qf7 24.Qe7 Kb8 25.Qh4 Re8 26.Re6 Bc8 27.Rxe8 Qxe8 28.f6 gxf6 29.Qxh6 Bb7 30.Qxf6 Qe3+ 31.Qf2 Qc3 32.Qf3 Qxd4+ 33.Qf2 Qd3 34.Rc1 Bc8 35.h3 Kb7 36.Kh2 Bd7 37.cxb5 axb5 38.Qc2 Qxc2 39.Rxc2
analysis diagram
I might not be able to hold this position with White, but a good number of stronger Jerome Gambiteers probably could.
23.Re6 Rxe6
This Rook exchange gives up too much. It is fascinating to see what Komodo believes is a better line of play, with Black forcing a draw: 23...Rg8 24.Rfe1 Kc8 25.Re7 Qd8 26.Qg3 Kb8 27.Rxg7 Rxg7 28.Qxg7 bxc4 29.bxc4 Qh4 30.g3 Qh5 31.f6 Ka7 32.f7 Qf3 33.g4 Rf8 34.Re7 h5 35.Rxc7 hxg4 36.Qxf8 Qd1+ 37.Kf2 Qf3+ 38.Ke1 Qe3+ 39.Kd1 and White cannot escape the checks, leading to a draw. Nice, but this was all beyond my assessments.
analysis diagram
24.fxe6 Qe7
White's control of the f-file, his Rook invasion point at f7, the possible invasion by the Queen at h7 (I missed that in the game) and Black's weak back rank all support the assessment that White is winning.
25.Rf7
Even stronger was 25.Qh7 with back rank mate threats, as well as plans to pin Black's Queen with a Rook. Giving up a piece gives temporary respite 25...Bxd5 26.cxd5 Kc8 27.Qc2 The new weakness is the 7th rank and the c-pawn 27...Kb7 (27...c5 28.dxc6 Qxe6 29.Qd2 Qe8 30.Re1 Qd8 31.Re6 Ra7 32.Qe1 Qg5 33.d5 or 27...Qe8 28.Qc6 Qxc6 29.Rf8+ Kb7 30.dxc6+ Kxc6 31.Rxa8) 28.Qc6+ Ka7 29.Rf7 Re8 30.Rxe7 Rxe7 31.Qd7 Rxd7 32.exd7 Kb7 33.d8=Q It will soon be "curtains" for Black.
25...Qe8 26.Qf3
This move is fine, but 26.Qf5 was more precise. Why? Because, after the text my opponent could have surprised me with 26...Qxe6, and, while the move wouldn't have saved the game (27.dxe6 Bxf3 28.gxf3 Ra7 29.d5!?) any kind of suprise can be a weapon in blitz.
26...bxc4
This leads to a quick end.
27.Rf8 Bxd5 28.Rxe8+ Kxe8 29.Qf7+ Kd8 30.Qd7 checkmate
