Jerome Gambit: Maybe Yes, Maybe No

What can you say about a one minute, no increment, chess game?

Maybe yes, maybe no, maybe rain, maybe snow.

Unless the opening is the Jerome Gambit. Then, put your bets on angelcamina, playing White, whether he is better or worse off, "objectively".

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

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6 8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qe3 Qf6 

Sometimes in Jerome lines, it is useful for the defender to have his Queen on f6. In this case - with the King on the same file? Probably not. But, remember, this is a 1-minute game, and it will not be decided by nuances.

11.O-O Ne5

Reminds me of the Joker, in "The Dark Knight", saying he wants Batman to hit him.

12.f4

Hitting with the right. It might have been stronger to hit with the left, 12.d4.

12...Nc4 13.Qe2 Nb6 14.e5 

14...Qe6 15.d4 Ne7 16.f5 Qc4 17.Qg4 

Instead, 17.f6 works, but it allows Black to exchange Queens. Instead, White is going after the King.

17...Bxf5 18.Rxf5+ Nxf5 19.Qxf5+ 

19...Ke8 

Freeing the f-file for his h-Rook. Stronger was 19...Kg8, freeing the file for his a-Rook. Who has time to figure this all out?

20.e6 

Easy to understand (Attack! Attack!) but it leaves Black a way out.

20...Qxd4+ 21.Kh1 Rf8 22.Qg6+ Ke7 23.Bxh6 

Nice. White is objectively in trouble, but this offer of a sacrifice - a bluff? - intimidates Black, and turns the game around. (The Bishop must be taken.)

23...Qf6 24.Bg5 

Ow. Certainly the clock must have been a factor at this point.

24...Rae8 25.Bxf6+ Rxf6 26.Qxg7+ Kxe6 27.Re1+ Kf5 28.Rxe8 Kf4 29.Qg3+ Kf5 30.Qf3+ Black resigned

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: One Chance

In the following online blitz game, Black "surprises" White with the Blackburne Shilling Gambit - only to be surprised, in turn, by receiving the Jerome Gambit treatment. Things go steadily in White's direction, until he makes a slip, and that is Black's chance; but he misses it.

angelcamina - felix_paton
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ 

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Qf6  

Interesting, but 7...hxg6 had to be played.

8.Nxh8+ Ke7 9.e5 Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 Qxf2 11.Qf7+

With fast time controls, this kind of thing can happen. The safe path was to snap up the advanced Knight with 11.Kxc2.

Okay, Black has his chance. Can he exit the highway to oblivion? 

11...Kd8 

Inertia. Instead, 11...Qxf7 12.Nxf7 Nxa1 would give him the advantage.

12.Qxf2 Black resigned.

And so it goes. angelcamina doesn't give many chances.

Jerome Gambit: Different Line, Same Result

The latest internet game from Vlasta Fejfar shows that the Jerome Gambit is not just a one-time-surprise opening. Having fallen to the Jerome, his opponent reassesses his chances and his line of play, and tries something new. Alas, for the defender, White still triumphs.

vlastous - ADELAZIZ
internet, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

The Jerome Defense, courtesy Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, who also brings you the Jerome Gambit.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ Nf6 

ADELAZIZ varies from the 8...Qf6 that he played when the two contested a game earlier. Then, vlastous was willing to exchange Queens and make his extra "Jerome pawns" count.

9.O-O Bd4 10.c3 Be5 

Reminding me of perrypawnpusher - warwar, "Italian Battleground", Chess.com, 2019 - but in current game, things turn out better for White.

11.Qh4 g5 

A smart move. Taking the pawn would expose White to dangers along the g-file.

12.Qh6+ Kf7 13.d4 Bf4 14.Bxf4 gxf4 15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Nd5 17.Re1 Be6

Black still has a piece for two pawns, but the uneasy position of his King suggests that if anyone has an edge, it is White.

18.c4 Nb4 19.Nc3 Rg8 20.Ne4 Nd3

The Knight attacks White's Rook and pawns, while protecting his advanced pawn. However, a pin along the d-file will cause trouble. Better was 20...Qe7, Which could also be answered by 21.Rad1.

21.Rad1 b6 

Now the roof falls in.

22.Rxd3 Qxd3 23.Qf6+ Ke8 Black resigned

Black will lose his Queen (and more) or be checkmated.

Jerome Gambit: Faster and Faster

The following bullet (one minute, no increment, time control) online game starts off in regular Jerome Gambit fashion, but things then turn bad for Black, who keeps rolling down the hill, faster and faster. The King hunt at the end is brutal.

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

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

The players have reached a regular Jerome Gambit position - at breakneck speed.

10.O-O Ng4 11.Qf3+ 

A new move, according to The Database.

11...Nf6 12.d4 Ke7 13.Bg5 Kd7 14. Nc3 c6 15.Rad1 h6 16.Bc1 Qe7 17.Rfe1 Kc7

White is ready to go.

18.e5 dxe5 19.dxe5 Nxe5

The pawn is poisoned.

20.Bf4

This works, but so does 20.Rxe5 Qxe5 21.Bf4.

21...Nfd7 21.Qg3 

Again, a solid move. With more time, angelcamina would have found 21.Rxd7.

21...Kd8 

Black's position now collapses like a house of cards.

22.Bxe5 Ke8 23.Qg6+ Qf7 24.Bxg7+ Kd8 25.Qxf7 Kc7 26.Bxh8 Kb6

There is no place safe for Black's King.

27. Bd4+ c5 28.Nd5+ Ka6 29.Bc3 b5 30.Qe6+ Kb7 31.Nb4 Kb8 32.Rxd7 Bb7 33.Qe8+ Bc8 34.Rd8 Kb7 35.Re7+ Kb6 36.Qc6+ Ka5 37.Nd5+ b4 38.Bxb4+ Black resigned

All of White's pieces participate in the checkmate attack, while Black's remain, unfortunately, at home.

Jerome Gambit: Previously, In the Precomputer Era

!!!!!

Wandering the internet the other day, I ran across a Russian language chess site that teased

Previously, in the precomputer era, often against obviously weaker rivals, we played like this: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7 +?

My computer offered to translate the site to English, and I found it lots of fun.

(There is a link to this web site, as well as lichess.org.)

There is also some cogent advice

...Indeed, the dynamic capabilities of the position are a lot of trouble for Black.Therefore, it is useful to play this beginning against the engine both for whites and blacks - this will definitely contribute to the growth of tactical skill. 

The author has done his homework. The infamous game NN - Blackburne, of course, is given, but there is also with Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875; Lowe - Cudmore, corr, 1881; Keeble - Cubitt, Norwich, 1886; Sorensen - X,  Denmark, 1888; and even Wall - Bison engine, 2015. 

It is well worth a visit.

Jerome Gambit Declined: Grumping, Yet

While I'm on the topic of the Jerome Gambit Declined, I thought I would dig a little deeper...

MrJoker - david2play
2 12 blitz, Internet Chess Club, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kf8 

The Jerome Gambit Declined.

Certainly, strongest for Black was 4...Kxf7, but on rare occasions the defender decides If you want me to take the Bishop, I won't take the Bishop. That being the case in this game, the Black King is probably better off on f8 as opposed to e7.

5.Bxg8 

The typical argument can otherwise ensue, where best to retreat the Bishop, d5, c4 or b3?

MrJoker's solution, of course, is playable. I will leave the discussion of 5.b3, 5.c3, 5.Nc3, 5.d3, 5.d4, 5.Nxe5, 5.Qe2, 5.0-0, 5.Ng5 and 5.Bh5 (all are in The Database) for later posts.

5... Kxg8 6.O-O 

A reasonable move, played by HauntedKnight, Petasluk, shugart, Superpippo, Wall, and others, as well.

6...d6

For 6...Qf6 see Wall, Bill - Guest558953, PlayChess.com, 2017 (1-0, 15).

Looking at the diagram, you can ask yourself What does Black have for his gambitted pawn? Not very much - but he is playing his own game.

7.c3 h6 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 Bb4 

Better to have retreated the Bishop, as White shows.

10.Qb3+ Kh7 11.d5 Ba5 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.Nc3 Re8 14.Bd2 Bb6 15.Rad1 Ba6 

Black is developing, but White, as a Jerome Gambit player, must enjoy being the player with the extra piece.

16.Rfe1 Qf6 17.Be3 Ba518.Bd4 Black forfeited on time

Black's future was not bright, anyhow.

Jerome Gambit Declined: Still Grumpy

I'm still feeling grumpy about the Jerome Gambit Declined (see my previous post, "Jerome Gambit Declined: Table Turned"), but it's an even-handed grumpiness. Let me show you what I mean.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Ke7

This is how my most recent opponent played. Declining the offer of the Bishop is rare, and doing so by moving the King to e7, instead of f8, is even more rare.

5.Bxg8

This was a suggestion from my last post, and it should be considered, if only because it "solves" the issue of where, otherwise, to retreat the Bishop.

5...Qxg8

The correct recapture, but only seen in 1 of 8 games in The Database. The problem with 5...Rxg8, seen as early as Drewbear - AAlekhine, Jerome Gambit thematic tournament, ChessWorld.net, 2007 (1-0, 33) is that White replies 6.d4, threatening to skewer Black's King and Queen with 7.Bg5+, thus winning a piece.

Alas, only two players responded correctly to 5...Rxg8 - Drewbear, in 2007, and Bill Wall, in 2015 - the latter, the game ended after 10 moves.

As for the text, I have only one game to guide me, a lightning game from 2008. We can follow that for a bit.

6.d4

This is kind of funny. Stockfish 10 prefers 6.Nc3 d6 7.Nd5+ Kd8 8.d4 exd4 9.Bg5+ Kd7 10.0-0, giving up a pawn to do - what? He develops his Bishop, forcing Black's King to block Black's light-squared Bishop, which, in turn, blocks Black's Rook... Certainly a Jerome Gambit strategy if ever there was one.

6...exd4 

7.Bg5+

Striking at the King, although, with the Black Queen at g8, the move is not as strong. Probably 7.c3 was better, when Black could try 7...dxc3 or 7...d5. White would have the safer King, but he would be playing quite a different game than the usual Jerome Gambit.

7...Kd8 8.0-0

Reasonable, although the computer recommends 8.c3. 

8...Be7

Simply allows White to recover his pawn.

9.Bf4

Fine, but 9.Bxe7 Kxe7 10.Nxd4 was hard to argue with. 

9...Qf7

Now a tactical skirmish advanced White's game.

10.Bxc7 d6 11.Nxd4 Kd7 12.Nxc6 Kxc7 13.Nxe7 Qxe7 14.Re1 Rf8

Here, the clock seemed to step in.

15.e5 Qh4 16.Qe2

Instead, 16.Qxd6 was checkmate, but, remember, this was a bullet game. White won at move 32.

[This is blog post #2,750. Thanks for reading!]