Jerome Gambit: Learn From Your Games

It is a good idea to play over your games, win or lose. You can pick up tactical tricks that you missed during the contest. You can learn more about your openings and prepare for the next time they show up on the board.

The following game is a good example. Bill's experience with the Jerome Gambit is significant, and his experience with the particular defense that his opponent constructed means that the number of moves that were "new" was quite small. 

Wall, Bill - MYGZ
FICS, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+ 

This is a reasonable way to deal with White's pawn fork: Black will move one piece and return the other for a pawn. The Database has 314 game examples; White scores 57%. (Since there are 2,018 games with the position after 6.d4, where White scores 55%, Black's choice in this game - from a practical point of view - is, if anything, better than average.)

7.c3 Bxc3+

Bill has already seen 7...Be7 8.dxe5 Nh6 9.Qf3+ Ke6 10.Bxh6 gxh6 11.Qf5 checkmate, Wall, Bill - ChrSav, FICS, 2010.

8.Nxc3 Ng6 

Instead, 8...Nc6 was seen in Wall, Bill - Caynaboos, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 26) and Wall, Bill - ChessFlower, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 27).

9.O-O Nf6 

Black tried 9...N8e7 in Wall, Bill - NN, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 18) and Wall, Bill - Jamato, lichess.org, 2017 (1-0, 55).

10.e5

An improvement over 10.Bg5, as in Wall, Bill - Shatskov, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 16).

10...Ne8

No more effective was 10...Ng8, seen in Wall, Bill - Guest2372880, lichess.org, 2018: 11.f4 d6 12.e6+ Bxe6 13.f5 Bxf5 14.Rxf5+ Nf6 15.Qb3+ Ke8 16.Bg5 Rf8 17.Re1+ Ne7 18.Bxf6 Rxf6 19.Rxf6 gxf6 20.Nd5 f5 21.Nxe7 Qxe7 22.Qg8+ Kd7 23.Rxe7+ Kxe7 24.Qxa8 Black resigned

11.f4

Stronger than 11.Qf3+, seen in Wall, Bill - Boris, SparkChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 31).

11...Rf8

12.f5 Ne7 

This loses quickly, but the "best" move, 12...Kg8, just tosses a piece.

13.Qb3+ d5 14.exd6+ 

Here, Black resigned in Wall, Bill - FJBS, FICS, 2015.

14...Kf6 15.Ne4 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: No Slow Mo

The following Jerome Gambit game was played at a time control of one minute, no increment. Yet, it plays like one conducted at a much slower pace - absent the wild flying and dropped pieces. It appears to be a serious Jerome - if there is such  a thing.

angelcamina - Skulmar
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 Qf6 

Sometimes the Queen belongs here, sometimes it doesn't. Black builds a do-it-yourself defense.

10.O-O N8e7 11.f4 Kg8 

12.d4 h6 13.f5 Nf8 14.Nc3 Kh7 15.Bd2 Rg8 

Interesting. When the "Jerome pawns" start rolling, the game will become a fine battle.

16.Rae1 b6 17.Ne2 Ba6 18.b3 Re8 19.c4 Nd7 

20.Bc3 Qg5 21.Qd2 Qxd2 22.Bxd2 Nf6 23.Ng3 c5 24.e5 dxe5 25.dxe5 Ng4 26.h3 Nxe5 27.Rxe5 Bb7 

Black has returned the sacrificed piece, and does not appear concerned about being a pawn down - his King is well-placed for defense, and the Bishops-of-opposite-colors suggest a draw is possible.

Unfortunately, he has overlooked something, as White immediately shows. After recovering the piece, angelcamina shows that opposite colors Bishop middle games are often not drawn.

28.Rfe1 Bc6 29.Rxe7 Rxe7 30.Rxe7 Rf8 31.Bf4 Rf6 32.Be5 Rf8 33.Rxg7+ Kh8 34.Rxa7+ Kg8 35.Rg7+ Kh8 36.Rc7+ Kg8 37.Rxc6 Kf7 38.Rg6 Black resigned

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