Jerome Gambit: Top Speed

The following game is a good example of the excitement of the Jerome Gambit, played at top speed - 1 minute, no increment, time control.

angelcamina - shabba96jnr
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+ Ke8 8.Qxc5

angelcamina has reached this position previously, winning all 7 games.

8...Qe7 9.Qe3 

Stockfish 10 recommends, instead, 9.Qxe7+, although that is not angelcamina's style. The Database indicates the move was played in 9 games, and White was 8-0-1.

9...Nf6 10.Nc3 Rf8 

According to The Database, this is a novelty, but the game will ranspose to earlier lines after 11...d6. 

11.O-O d6 

12.f4 Ng4 13.Qf3 Nf6 14.d4 Bg4  

When in doubt, attack White's Queen. It is surprising how often this advice fails in the Jerome Gambit.

15.Qd3 Bd7 16.b3 Bc6 17.d5 Bd7 18.Ba3 Ng8 

Anticipating the advance of the "Jerome pawns".

19.Rae1 Kd8 20.e5 Kc8 21.e6 

21...Nf6 22.exd7+ Qxd7 23.f5 Ne5 

Allowing a nice, tactical finish.

24.Rxe5 dxe5 25.Bxf8
Black resigned

Black is down a piece and a pawn; he is behind in development; and his King is less safe.

Jerome Gambit: Often "Reasonable" Is Not Enough

In the following game, Black puts together a defense against the Jerome Gambit that appears, at first glance, to be quite reasonable. That is one of the problems in facing the Jerome - it appears to be so reckless that any "reasonable" response will be effective. Not so.

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

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bd6 

It seems reasonable to grab a pawn after returning one of the two gambitted pieces. The problem is the plan squanders most of Black's advantage.

7.dxe5 Bxe5 8.Qd5+ Kf8 

9.Qxe5 Qe7 

The exchange of Queens may cut down on White's attacking chances, but it gives the first player a simple game, a solid pawn up. We have seen a number of games where this strategy has failed against angelcamina.

10.Qxe7+ Kxe7 11.O-O Nf6 12.Nc3 d6 13.Bg5 Rf8 

14.f3 Kf7 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.Nd5 c6 17.Nf4 Rg8 18.Rad1 d5 

All things being equal, going down a second pawn is not a good idea, even in bullet chess. It might only work if the player is moving faster than his opponent, and is ahead on the clock.

19.exd5 cxd5 20.Rxd5 b6 21.Rfd1 Bb7 

A mistake that ends the game.

22.Rd7+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Against the Titans (Part 2)

[continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - Chess Titans

Casual Game, 2019

Black's move seems to be the most natural in the world, but, after the game, Stockfish 10 preferred 13...Kf7. Can you see why? The reason is covered in the next note.

14.Qg5+ Ke8 15.Qxd8+ 

I made this move quickly, seeing an opportunity to simplify things by getting the Queens off of the board, leading to a position where I would be a pawn up.

Had I looked closer - or been less anxious - I would have found the alternative, 15.Qxg7, which would scoop up another pawn, and leads, after 15...Qf6 16.Qxf6 Nxf6, to an exchange of Queens, anyhow.

Playing against computers makes me nervous. (Against human beings, too.)

15...Kxd8 16.Rxh2

16...Be6 

Instead, 16...Nf6 17. d3 Ng4 18. Rh4 Nf6 19. Be3 Bg4 20. Bd4 Bd1 21. Na3 Be2 22. Kf2 Bxd3 23. cxd3 c5 24.Bxf6+ gxf6 25. Nc4 Ke7 26. Ne3 Kf7 27. Rah1 Kg6 28. Rh6+ Kg7 29. Nf5+ Kg8 30.Rxf6 d5 31. Nh6+ Kg7 32. Rf7+ Kg6 33. e5 Rhg8 34. Rf6+ Kg7 35. Nf5+ Kh8 36.Rxh7+ Kxh7 37. Rh6 checkmate, was Born Loser - NN, 2005.

17.Nc3 g6 18.d4 h5 

The rest of the game, starting with this move, has a bit of an odd tinge to it. Some of Black's moves are hard to fathom. Readers may also be frustrated by my sudden intense caution.

19.d5 Bf7 20.e5 dxe5 21.fxe5 

The central "Jerome pawns" give White a winning advantage.

21...c6 22.d6 

It was better to advance the other center pawn.

22...Bd5+ 23.Nxd5 cxd5 24.Be3 

Safe development, but 24.e6 was stronger.

24...Kc8 25.Rd1 a5 26.Rxd5 Nh6 27.Bxh6 Rxh6 28.Kf3 a4 29.Re2 h4 30.gxh4 Rxh4 

31.e6 Rh3+  32.Kg4 Rh4+ 

Black throws away the Rook, in order to push even a more dire position from appearing on its analysis "horizon". I have seen examples of computers tossing piece after piece, just to make an even-more-unfavorable future position "disappear", only to have it "reappear" after the opponent makes a capture. In the end, more material is lost than in the "dreaded" situation it is trying to avoid. (The similarity to human clinical depression is notable.)  

33.Kxh4 a3 34.d7+ Kc7 35.e7 Rh8+ 36.Kg4 Rh4+ 

See the previous note.

37.Kxh4 g5+ 38.Kxg5 b6 39.d8=Q+ Kb7 40.e8=Q axb2 41.Re7+ Ka6 42.Qa4 checkmate 

Jerome Gambit: Against the Titans (Part 1)

Sitting at the computer the other day, I suddenly decided to challenge one of the programs to game of chess. I played the Jerome Gambit, of course. I've done this before - see "Jerome Gambit: Artificial Piffle" and "Contempt?!" 

Quickly we raced toward one of the more deadly refutations, a trip down memory lane for me that was lined with past escapes - and non-escapes. Suddenly, my opponent came up with a novelty that undid all of its hard work. The rest of the game was a combination of me timidly moving forward, while the computer seemed to lose much sense of things. Come, see. 

perrypawnpusher - Chess Titans
casual game, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 

The first example that I have found of this move appeared in the American Chess Magazine of June 1899, in a satirical piece titled "A CHESS SCRAP" by "R.F.", which presented a supposed new-fangled thing - a chess game played over the telephone. The move is not a joke, however.

Interestingly enough, when I reported on last year's game against Chess Titans, I noted

I was pretty sure that my opponent was not seriously booked up on the Jerome Gambit, and that the killer move 8...Qh4+!? was not going to show up now.

Back then, it played the insufficient 8...g6. This time, it appeared to be better prepared.

9.g3 Nf3+ 

Black can quietly remove his Queen to f6, but the text is more aggressive.

10.Kf1

I have also played 10.Kd1: perrypawnpusher - electrahan, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 35); perrypawnpusher - Banassi, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 28); perrypawnpusher - fortytwooz, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11); perrypawnpusher - javistas, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11); and perrypawnpusher - thinan, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11).

The text is best, but, it still leaves Black better.

10...Nxh2+

As I have suggested, "Black can get away with this, but it is not best."

I actually met 10...Qh3+ (likely a mouse slip) twice, perrypawnpusher - rjbriggs, blitz, FICS, 2011(1-0, 10) and perrypawnpusher - inansoy, blitz, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 51).

I have had trouble in the past with 10...Qh6 -  perrypawnpusher - Temmo, Jerome Gambit thematic, ChessWorld.net, 2008 (0-1, 43) and 10...Qf6 -  perrypawnpusher - james042665, blitz, FICS, 2008, (0-1, 18); and perrypawnpusher - HarlemKnight, blitz, FICS, 2014}(0-1, 24).

I was familiar with the text move, having found it in the game Born Loser - NN, 2005 (1-0, 37) in White's unique book, Unorthodox Chess (2005).

11.Kg2

11...Qd8 

An odd move. I have faced a number of alternatives:

11...Qg4 (probably best) in perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 68);

11...Nf6 12.gxh4 in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS 2011 (1-0, 12);

11...Qe7 12.Qd5 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - intssed, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 12);

11...Qh6 in perrypawnpusher - JTIV, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 32); 

11...Qf6 in perrypawnpusher - IlToscano, Chess.com, 2016 (1-0, 18); and

11...Ne7 in perrypawnpusher - constipatedguru, blitz, FICS, 2017 (1-0, 20)

12.Qd5+ 

This move is good and easy to find. After the game, however, Stockfish 10 recommended that I ignore both the Bishop on c5 and the Knight on h2, at least at first, and play 12.Nc3!? The point is that neither Black piece can move to safety effectively - and a couple of possible Bishop moves would lead to checkmate in 2 or 3 moves.

The computer recommends 12...Nf6, which falls right away to the fork 13.e5+. The alternative, 12...Qe8, simply allows 13.Qd5+, and the Bishop will fall next move, and the Knight soon thereafter. White is better, in any event, but the computer is always looking for a "better better."

12...Ke7 13.Qxc5+ d6 

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: How Much Do You See?

In a game with a time limit of 1 minute, no increment, you have to rely on a quick assessment of the board. It helps if you have had similar positions in past games, if you are familiar with relevant strategic and tactical themes, and if you have confidence in your ability to make your way through a complicated game.

angelcamina demonstrates.

angelcamina - danyielmagicianul
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

angelcamina has also faced 8...N8e7 in  angelcamina- southerngumbo, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 40)  and angelcamina - Claim1, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 31).

He met 8...Qe7 in angelcamina - mustapha1996, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 32).

9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O 

A small improvement over 10.Nc3, which he played in angelcamina - JsFlexWay, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2018 (1-0, 19) 

10...Qe8 

On the other hand, this is not quite as strong as 10...Ng4  that angelcamina faced in angelcamina -Kvngmicky, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 38) and angelcamina-Cubigami, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019(1-0, 27).

11.Nc3 c6

Designed to keep White's Knight of d5, but he would have been more prudent to castle-by-hand.

12.f4 Ng4 13.Qg3 h5 

14.h3 Bd7

A bold idea, and somewhat of an explanation why he did not castle-by-hand - he wants to use his Rook on a hopefully opened h-file. Will it succeed? Will White defend adequately? In bullet games, anything can happen.

15.hxg4 

Taking the piece, trusting in his attack on the enemy King.

15...hxg4 16.d4 Qe7

17.e5

White judges that it is time to break in the center. His preparations also would allow for 17.f5!?, which is sharp, if complicated, winning another piece.

17...d5

Stockfish 10 recommends, instead, that Black continue with pressure on the Kingside, i.e. 17...Nh4 18.f5 Nxf5 19.Qxg4 Kg8 20.Bg5 Qf7 21.Rae1 Qh5 22.Qxh5 Rxh5 23.Bf4 Nxd4 24.exd6 Ne6, when it is not very concerned about White's extra, passed pawn.

18.f5 Nh4 19.Qxg4 Ke8 

He could have tried, instead, to hold on by giving up two pieces for a Rook and a pawn, with 19...Nxf5 20.Rxf5+ Bxf5 21.Qxf5+ Kg8. White would still be better, but it would be a complicated win to achieve.

White now wins the offside Knight, and concludes the game quickly.

20.Bg5 Qb4 21.Bxh4 Qxb2 22.Qg6+ Kf8 23.f6 Qxc3 24.fxg7+ Kg8 25.gxh8=Q+ Kxh8 26.Bf6 checkmate