Jerome Gambit: Roller Skating on Ice

The following game brings to mind the notion of roller skating on ice - the defender never seems to get his balance, and a fall is always expected. It is useful to play over the game, move-by-move, and ask yourself what White should do, next - someday you may have such an opportunity, and it is good to be ready.

Wall, Bill - Guest2756586

PlayChess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d5 

The move ...d7-d5 is often helpful in double e-pawn openings, and that includes the Jerome Gambit, but here the defender has overlooked the fact that his Knight is en prise. Better 7...d6.

8.Qxe5 Qd7 

Creative. Safer was 8...Nf6. 

9.Qh5+ Kf8 10.Bg5 

Komodo 10 recommends 10.Qxd5, but there has to be more to the position, from a human point of view, than entering a Queenless middlegame after 10...Qxd5 11.exd5.

10...Nh6 

No doubt avoiding White's intended 10...Nf6 11.Bxf6, but the time for psychology was well passed.

11.Bxh6 gxh6 12.Qxh6+ Ke8 

13.Nc3 Rg8 

To support the Queen when she comes to g7 to make the exchange...

14.Nxd5 Qg7 15.Nf6+ Black resigned

Disrupted to the end: Black can move his King and protect his Rook, only to realize that after 15...Kf7 16.Nxg8 White has protected his own Queen, and 16...Kxg8 17.Qxg7+ Kxg7 is not survivable, unless White's clock is ready to flag. 

Jerome Gambit: Classical vs Hypermodern

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is a fascinating battle between classical attack - featuring pawns in the center - and hypermodern defense - utilizing pieces that are often willing to retreat, yield ground, and then return to apply pressure.

Bill - Guest_1410

ChessTempo, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 Nf6 

Black decides to forego the usual 8...d6.

9.O-O b6 10.Qc3 Bb7 

Black takes a hypermodern approach to the defense, planning on controlling the center with his pieces, not his pawns.

11.d3 Rf8 

Anticipating Bg5.

12.f4 c5 13.f5 Nh8 14.e5 Ng8

Are the "Jerome pawns" over-extended?

15.Nd2 Ne7 16.Nc4 Qc7 

More consistent would have been 16...Nf7, although the move would have been met by 17.Nd6+ anyhow. 

17.Nd6+ Kd8 18.Bg5 Nf7 19.Bh4 Bd5 

20.f6 gxf6 21.Rxf6 Rg8 

Counting on the counter attack.

22.g3 Nh8 23.Nf5 Nhg6 24.Rxg6 hxg6 25.Nxe7 g5 26.Nxd5 Qc6 27.Bxg5+ Rxg5 

The tactical dust is beginning to settle. White has 3 pawns for the exchange. His Knight is more useful that Black's Rook at a8.

28.Qc4 Qh6 29.Qe4 Rb8 30.Rf1 Rg8 31.Nf6 Rf8 

32.Rf4 Rh8 33.h4 Qg7 34.Kg2 Rf8 35.h5 d6 

Finally, the center pawn advances, but White finishes off with a flurry of moves.

36.h6 Qxh6 37.Qc6 Qg7 38.Qxd6+ Kc8 39.Nd7 Rxf4 40.Qxb8+ Kxd7 41.Qxa7+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Scaring the Daylights?!

 

My first game to finish in the Chess.com tournament "Piano Piano"(time control: 1 move / 3 days) went something like this:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ White won on time

In fact, it went exactly like that.

I would love to say that the Jerome Gambit simply scared the daylights out of my opponent, but a glance at the tournament standings - which show other timeout losses - suggests that the demands of the real world may have intruded upon his playing at this time. I wish him well.

By the way, the Chess.com computer analyzed my game and was a bit skeptical, rating my moves with 53.7 accuracy (not sure what that means) against my opponent's 99.7 accuracy, while noting You outlasted your opponent even after making a mistake.You outlasted your opponent even after making a mistake.

Jerome Gambit: Rage Quit

The following game arrived with the note: jerome gambit made my opponent rage quit!! won in less then 17 moves

Oh, my.

It can be hard to sit down to a game that features an opening known as the "quiet game", only to face the wild attacking Jerome Gambit - especially when it disrupts your play and enlivens your opponent.

Hard to continue in those circumstances.

Ommanipadmehum - NN

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Bd6 

In blitz you have to move quickly, which means you have to think quickly - and one of the quickest thoughts is When in doubt, attack the Queen. In this case, the result is not good.

What is involved in Black playing 6...g6 - the offer of a major piece - was discussed in "Jerome Gambit: What About the Rook?"

8.Qxh8 Qg5 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.O-O 

White's Queen has escaped after capturing the Rook, and his King has castled. He is ahead the exchange and 3 pawns. This isn't exactly what Black had planned.

10...Be7 11.d4 Qf6 12.e5 Qf5 13.Nc3 b6 14.Bh6+ 

Develop a piece, exchange off a defender, check with the Queen - this move does a lot.

14...Nxh6 15.Qxh6+ Ke8 16.Nd5 Bb7 

A final slip.

17.Nxc7+ Black left the game

JG: The New (Part 5)

 

JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 5)   

  

(by Yury V. Bukayev) 

 

 

As a development of my Part 2, this continuation of my theoretical research on the Italian Game, Jerome Gambit (JG) is about another White’s good way after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qh3+! Ke7 8.Qc3!? Bxf2+!. Thus, White can play 9.Ke2!? N too (this my invention allows to get an extraordinary position of JG). After 9…d6!? the best White’s move is 10.Kxf2. [It maybe, your too cautious opponent as Black will be afraid of your possibility to play 10.d4 Bxd4!? 11.Qxd4 too, although Black wins here, in fact. The way 9.Ke2 d6 10.Kxf2 isn’t weaker than 9.Kxf2, because the move d7-d6 permits to make the blow Qc3xc7+! (if Black’s Queen isn’t on the line “d” already) and then Nb1-c3!] 10…Qf8+!? [Black tries to attack similarly to the way of the Part 2. But the simplest way is 10…Nf6 11.d3 with a more calm play.] 11.Ke1! Qf4!? 12.Qxc7+! Ke8 [12…Bd7 13.Nc3] 13.Nc3. [It creates White’s very active playing, there are no simple ways for Black here. It should be noted that after 13…Ne7?? White stands better: 14.Qxe7+! Kxe7 15.Nd5+.] 13…Qh4+!? 14.g3. The move 14…Qh3 is probably the best, but it leads to a very sharp play which is difficult for Black’s mental analyzing, evaluating on the 7th move. White keeps enough chances to fight, and it’s a new serious argument for your too cautious opponent to prefer 7…Kf7 to 7…Ke7.