Jerome Gambit: When White Equalizes, He Has the Advantage

It is a curious thing - as is the Jerome Gambit - but when White equalizes in the Jerome, he appears to have the advangage.
The following game illustrates.

angelcamina - dumberovsky
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qf3+ Nf6 10.exf6 Re8+ 11.Be3 Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 gxf6 

Roughly an equal game. Dangerous for Black.

13.O-O-O d6 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Bh6 Re7 16.Rhe1 Rf7 

Black needed to bring his Bishop to e6.

17.Re3 Qd7 18.Rde1 Black lost on time

If he had enough time, Black would have to give up his Queen - and then be checkmated, anyhow.

Jerome Gambit: Keep Up!

Sure, you might be able to match moves with angelcamina in his specialty, online bullet chess (1 minute, no increment), when he throws the Jerome Gambit at you - but, can you keep up as the game goes on?

angelcamina - anthony_113_29
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

Same question as in the last post.

7.Qxe5 Nf6 

Black protects his Rook in a different way, but this allows White to collect a second piece, and go a couple of pawns ahead.

8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc4+ Be6 10.Qe2 Kg7 11.O-O Rf8 12.f4 Bg4 13.Qf2 Nxe4 14.Qd4+ Nf6 

White's Queen gets a lot of exercise, but the first player remains with the better game.

15.h3 Bf5 16.g4 Bxc2 17.g5 c5 18.gxf6+ Rxf6 19.Qc3 Be4 20.b3 Qd7 21.Kh2 Bf5 22.Bb2 Bxh3 23.Qxh3 Qf7 

Exchanging Queens would not have mattere.

24.Bxf6+ Qxf6 25.Nc3 d5 26.Nxd5 Qb2 27.Qc3+ Qxc3 28.dxc3 Re8 29.Rae1 Rd8 30.c4 Rb8 31.Re7+ Kh6 32.Kg3 g5 33.f5 Rg8 34.Rh1 checkmate

Nice!

Jerome Gambit: Sometimes Everything Goes Your Way

Sometimes everything seems to go your way in a Jerome Gambit bullet (one minute, no increment) game. Check out the following online game from angelcamina

angelcamina - MaynakmasteR
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

Interesting. Does Black plan to play the Blackburne Defense (7...d6), or the Whistler Defense (7...Qe7)?

7.Qxe5 Qf6

Ooops. Neither. Black is probably unfamiliar with the Jerome Gambit, and plays a move that protects his Rook - and even offers to exchange Queens.

8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Ne7 10.O-O Rg8 11.f4 g5 

Aggressive - key to bullet game success - but White has seen further.

12.fxg5 Nf5 13.exf5 Qxg5 14.Qxg5 Rxg5 

White is up a piece and some pawns. He just has to bring the game home. His opponent helps.

15.d4 Bxf5 16.Bxg5 Kg6 17.Bd2 Bxc2 18.Nc3 Re8 19.Rae1 Bd3 20.Rxe8 Bxf1 21.Kxf1 Kf7 22.Re2 Kg6 

Now, don't let the clock trip you up!

23.d5 Kf6 24.Re6+ Kf7 25.g4 c6 26.Re2 cxd5 27.Nxd5 Kg6 28.h4 Kg7 29.Re7+ Kf8 30.Rxb7 h6 31.g5 hxg5 32.h5 Kg8 33.h6 Kf8 34.h7 Black resigned

How to Trick the Trickster

I ran across a copy of GM Lev Alburt's "Back to Basics" column in Chess Life, titled "How to Trick the Trickster", featuring my Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+) blitz game against PunisherABD, on FICS.

I want to quote from GM Alburt, as it could be applied to the Jerome Gambit, as well.

When is it OK to use traps that may be somewhat unsound? First, the potential punishment your well-prepared opponent can mete out to you should be relatively mild, while your reward (should he fall into your trap) should be much bigger. Two, at least three out of ten (30%) of your current opponents should go wrong! (When you are faced with the unenviable task of repeatedly defending a worse position rather than enjoying the fruits of your cleverness, it's time to quit. You've outgrown this particular trap.) 

From my students' experience, the trap below (3...Nd4) works well up to the 1400 level. (Even higher in blitz: your opponent might be able to recall/find the right way, but it may cost him too much time for his comfort.)

Something to think about.

Jerome Gambit: Not Alone

I have posted my Jerome Gambit win against Al-der in the "Italian Game Classic" at Chess.com.

Something about the game may have tickled his imagination, as I just noticed that he is now playing the Jerome in the tournament, against PrestonRFD. (I will have to ask if he has played the opening before.)

I wish him good luck - and hope he hasn't spoiled my chances to play 4.Bxf7+ against PrestonRFD, when I have the white pieces against him.😃

Revision

Recently there was a discussion at Chess.com, about a Jerome Gambit-related line, that caught my eye. It "corrects" one of my recommendations, so it is very much worth sharing with Readers.

NUKE had questions about the defense 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5?!, specifically about the response 4.Bxf7+. Being of scientific mind, he set up a game between Stockfish 10 and itself, giving each side an hour, using the ECO opening book from droidfish.

Stockfish 10 - Stockfish 10
1 hour game, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5

Objectively best for White, here, as I have pointed out many times on this blog, is to capture the pawn that Black has un-protected: 4.Nxe5. Black can gain the "minor exchange" with 4...Nxc4 5.Nxc4, but even after something like 5...d5 6.exd5 Qxd5 7.Ne3 he does not have compensation for the sacrificed material.

More fun, however, especially in club play, is the Jerome-ish 4.Bxf7+, which I prefer, and which is what NUKE asked Stockfish 10 to explore. 

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 

6.d4 Qe8 7.O-O Kd8 

If this is "best" play for Black, I wonder how easy it would be for him to discover it?

8.Nc3 d6 9.Nf3 Be7 10.Re1 Bg4 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Nc6 13.e5 Qf8 14.Qe4 dxe5 15.dxe5 Kc8 

16.Qc4 Bb4 17.Rd1 Bxc3 18.bxc3 Nge7 19.Bf4 a6 20.e6 b5 21.Qe4 Qf5 22.Qxf5 Nxf5 

23.g4 Nfe7 24.Rd7 Ra7 25.Be3 Ra8 26.Bf4 Ra7 27.Be3 Ra8 drawn

Fascinating.

Jerome Gambit: Return of the Queen

In the following Jerome Gambit game, it looks like White will be punished for allowing his Queen to roam too far from home. She gets cut off from the action on the Kingside, then idles on the Queenside. But - just in time she returns to the action, and helps finish off the game.


Wall, Bill - Guest6808573
PlayChess.com, 2019

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qa5 

Bill Wall likes to experiment in the Jerome Gambit. After all, what's a little more risk, once you've sacrificed a piece or two?

9...Nf6 10.O-O b6 

This is not the first time that Her Majesty has relocated to a5. In Wall,B - Guest1151077, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 33), Black tried, instead, 10...Rf8.

11.Qa3 Bb7 12.d3 Kf7 

Black is doing fine, but he must not become complacent.

13.Qb3+ Ke7 14.Nc3 Re8 15.f4 Kf8 16.Bd2 d5 

Hoping to blow up White's center. He has not prepared for the next move, however.

17.e5 Ng4 18.d4 c6 

It looks as if Black wants to protect his d-pawn again, so that he can play his Queen over to the Kingside - but he never gets the chance, as White's "Jerome pawns" continue their advance.

19.h3 Nh6 20.f5 Nh4 21.Bxh6 gxh6 22.f6

22...Ng6 23.Ne2 Bc8 24.Qe3 Be6 25.Qxh6+ Black resigned

The Queen returns, and there will be checkmate.