The Jerome's Gambit Trap and its refutation

I have been watching YouTube videos again...

Most commentators see the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) as a bit of fun that beginners, club players, and the occasional grandmaster trot out - usually at blitz time controls - for excitement, adventure, or at least a few grins.

Occasionally there are the more serious types who see playing the Jerome Gambit as a waste of time, an abberation, or a practice in self-delusion - one of those diagnoses found in DSM VI.

As if we didn't know the limitations of our opening.

That's why I am always looking for enjoyable Jerome Gambit videos, like the one featured at the top of this page. Here we have "The Jerome's Gambit Trap and its refutation!" 

In under 10 minutes you can see some entertaining lines of play, including an introduction to the silicon or annoying defense, which every Jerome Gambiteer needs to be aware of - forewarned is forearmed.

Beating max level Stockfish with the Jerome Gambit (Part 2)

 

[continued from previous post]

razornfs - lichess AI level 8

15 10 standard, lichess.org, 2021

31.Rag1 Kf7 32.Rg5 Rae8 33.Ke2 Nf6 

Stockfish 13 criticizes this move, and gives an alternative line of play where Black ultimately forces a draw by repetition.

34.Rc1 Rc8 35.Rc6 Rgd8 

Again, my computer - that did not suffer from the time contraints of the ones playing the game - preferred a line where White advances his e-pawn, and everything gets blown up, leading to equal play where Black will likely take advantage of the open position of the White King to check with his Rook, looking for a draw by repetition: 35...Ke8 36.e5 Nxd5 37.exd6 Nb4 38.Rxc7 Rxc7 39.dxc7 Kf7 40.f5 Rc8 41.Rxg6 Rxc7 42.Rxb6 Rc2+ 43.Kf3 Nxd3 44.Rd6 Nb2 45.Rd4 Rc3 46.Kf4 Ra3 47.b6 Rb3 48.Rd7+ Ke8 49.Ra7 Rxb6 50.Rxa5 Rb4+ 51.Kg5 

This is, of course, way over my head. 

36.Kf3 Ng4 37.e5 Rg8 38.e4 

Probably 39.d4 followed by 39.e4 was better. Those pawns!

38...dxe5 39. fxe5 Ke7 

An outline of the drama to come appears.

40.Ke2 Kd7 41.e6+ Kd8 42.d4 Ke7 43.e5 Rg7 44.d6+Kxe6 45.Kd3 Nf2+ 

The lichess computer labels this a mistake; 45...Kd7 was best. 

White wants to advance and promote one of his pawns, and an active King will help. Exchanging a pair of Rooks will cut down on Black's defense / counterattack options. Black will look to check towards a draw, if need be.

46.Kc4 Kd7 47.dxc7 Rxc7 48.d5 Ne4 49.Rg2 Rg8 50.Kd4 Nc5 51.Rf2 Kd8 52.d6 Rb7 53.Kd5 g5

Seeking counterplay, but White's center pawns are too powerful. They will force concessions.

54.hxg5 Nd3 55.Rf6 Nxe5 

Desperation - if computers could feel desperation.

56.Kxe5 Rxg5+ 57.Ke6 Rg8 58.Rh6 Rbg7 59.Rxb6 Kc8 60.Rxh5 Rg6+ 

When the checks stop, the game will be over.

61.Kd5 Rg2 62.Ra6 Kb7 63.Rh7+ R8g7 64.Rxg7+ Rxg7 65.Rxa5 Rg5+ 66.Ke6 Rg6+ 67.Ke7 Rg7+ 68.Kf6 Rg2 69.Ra6 Kc8 70.Ra7 Kd8 71.a5 Rf2+ 72.Ke5 Re2+ 73.Kd4 Rd2+ 74. Kc5 Rc2+ 75.Kb6

75...Rd2 76.a6 Kc8 77.Rc7+ Kd8 78.a7 Rxd6+ 79.Kb7 Rd7 80.a8=Q+ Ke7 81.Qf8+ Ke6 82.Qe8+ Kd5 83.Rxd7+ Kc4 84.Qe3 Kb4 85.Kb6 Kc4 86.Rd4 checkmate

Never underestimate the power of the "Jerome pawns".

Beating max level Stockfish with the Jerome Gambit (Part 1)

 

I was immediately interested in a title on Reddit: 

Beating max level Stockfish with the Bongcloud and the Jerome gambit

Seriously?

Game Analysis/Study

I was curious how strong lvl 8 Stockfish is on Lichess compared to a real engine running on a decent computer so i played some games where i essentially copied moves from Stockfish13. Here's the games:

...Win with the Jerome gambit: https://lichess.org/wqUokQSZ/white (the game had to be set up from position since stockfish prefers 3.Ng5 [3...Nf6] over 3.Bc5 [3...Bc5]) 

Since lichess.org was using Stockfish 13+ NNUE (Efficiently Updatable Neural Network) for its analysis, it looked like the game was a Stockfish vs Stockfish affair, but it turned out to be quite interesting, if a bit long... 

I have adjusted the move numbers to reflect a game that started with 1.e4.

This game should be titled "Beware the Jerome Pawns!"

razornfs - lichess AI level 8

15 10 standard, lichess.org, 2021

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

It is interesting that, in annotating the game, the lichess engine marked its own move here as an "Inaccuracy", preferring 6...Ke6. Probably 6...Kf8, a completely sound and reliable move, was in the engine's "book".

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.Nc3 Nh5 

Yeow. I checked in The Database and found three previous Jerome Gambit games with this move, two by Bill Wall and one by 2200 rated Chess-for-All, all losses for White.

10.Qf3+ Qf6 11.d3 

White agrees to the exchange of Queens and the breakup of his Kingside pawns. Previously

11.Qxf6+ Nxf6 12.d3 Be6 13.f3 a6 14. Ke2 d5 15.a4 Kf7 16.a5 Rac8 17.e5 Nd7 18.f4 g6 19.Kf3 h6 20.Ne2 Be7 21.Be3 c5 22.Rhe1 Nb8 23.c3 Nc6 24.h3 25.cxd4 cxd4 26.Nxd4 Nxd4+ 27.Bxd4 Rhd8 28.Ke3 Rc2 29.Bb6 Rdc8 30.g4 Bd5 31.Rf1 Rxb2 32.Kd4 Bg2 33.Rab1 Rxb1 34.Rxb1 Rc2 35.f5 Bh4 36.e6+ Ke7 37.fxg6 Kxe6 38.Ke3 Ke5 39.Bd4+ Kd5 White resiged,  Wall,B - Guest1780185, PlayChess.com, 2019; and

11.Qxh5 Qxf2+ 12.Kd1 Qxg2 White resigned, Chess-For-All-Makabe, GameKnot.com, 2017

11...Qxf3 12.gxf3 Be6 

Also 12...Bd7 13.Ke2 Bd4 14.Be3 Bf6 15.Nd5 Bd8 16.Rhg1 Kf7 17.f4 c6 18.Nc3 g6 19.f3 Be6 20.Rad1 Rf8 21.d4 d5 22.Kd3 Bc7 23.Ne2 Ke7 24.e5 Ba5 25.c3 Bb6 26.a4 Rae8 27.Ra1 Ba5 28.b3 Kd7 29.Rg2 Kc8 30.Kc2 Ng7 31.Kb2 Kb8 32.b4 Bd8 33.a5 Bh3 34.Rg3 Bf5 35.Nc1 Ne6 36.Kb3 Be7 37.Rg1 Bh3 38.Nd3 g5 39.fxg5 Rxf3 40.Rg3 Rxg3 41.hxg3 Rg8 42.a6 Bxg5 43.Rh1 Bf5 44.Bxg5 Bxd3 45.Bh4 Bxa6 46.Kc2 Kc8 47.Rh2 Kd7 48.Rf2 Ke8 49.Rf6 Rg6 50.Rf5 b6 51.Rh5 h6 52.Bf6 Kd7 53.Rh3 Bc4 54.g4 a5 55.bxa5 bxa5 56.Rh2 a4 57.Kb2 Nf4 58.Ka3 Bb3 59.Rh4 Nd3 White resigned, Wall,B - Ahmadi,S, Chess.com, 2010. 

Black has the two Bishops, and a Knight for two pawns. However, those are "Jerome pawns", and their future is brighter than it appears.

13.Rg1 Ke7 14.Ne2 Raf8 15.a4 a5 16.f4 g6 17.Be3 Rhg8 18.h4

On behalf of razornfs the computer adopts an anti-computer strategy: keeping the position closed.

18...Bb4+ 

The lichess computer's post-game analysis suggests 18...Bb6 instead. My own Stockfish 13 suggests that White castle Queenside, and Black do the same, by hand.

19.c3 Bc5 20.Kd2 Kf6 21.Rgb1 Bxe3+ 22.fxe3 Ra8 23.b4 b6 24.b5 Ke7 

25.c4 Nf6 26.Rg1 Nd7 27.Rg3 h5 28.Nc3 Nf6 29.Nd5+ Bxd5 30.cxd5 Nd7 

My Stockfish 13 assesses the position as equal. The position is still locked up. Black has possible Knight outposts at g4 and c5. White has that impressive pawn mass in the center. My guess is that most club players would prefer to play White here. 

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: GM Hikaru Nakamura Again

Chess friend Dan Middlemiss recently informed me of a significant Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) video

I noticed that you had several blogs on Hikaru playing the Jerome. However, I came across a very recent YouTube video ("How to win with the Jerome gambit") of Hikaru taking on all comers in a ‘Play the Jerome with Hikaru Arena’ played on 27 March 2021. I think about 115 players signed up, but the video only covers a few of the actual games, all starting from after the preset first 5 moves. Searching a bit more, I found 36 of the actual live games on Chess.com.

Imagine a Grandmaster stopped by your house, and decided to give you a couple of hours of instruction on the Jerome Gambit. Highly unlikely, you say?

Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura's recent video is a robust collection of his 3 0 blitz games where he plays and defends against the Jerome Gambit. It is not boring analysis, it is real live chess. Some of it is downright hilarious. (Even if it strays from actual Jerome theory.)

For example, watching him encounter Whistler's Defense - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7!? - for the first time, and listening to him ponder, Is taking the Rook a good idea, or is it falling into analysis?, is great.

Nakamura explains so much of each game as it progresses, a nice insight into the thinking of a GM. 

I challenge you to watch these games and not improve your understanding of the Jerome Gambit.

Oh, and thanks again, Dan, for the games.

Jerome Gambit: A Fun Game

I recently received a fun game. It wasn't perfect, it was a blitz game between a couple of club level players. In fact, at times it resembled a couple of wrestlers, wearing roller skates, on ice...

But - White played the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), he aggressively went after the enemy King, and he kept at it until there was a checkmate.

That's why we play the Jerome, right?

Play over the game. How much will you see? How much will you miss?

xLopap - Joaozin0016

3 2 blitz, Chess.com, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.Nc3 

An energetic alternative to 8.f4. The Database has 121 earlier examples, with White scoring 27% - but xLopap plans to improve on that.

8...Ne7 9.Nb5+ Kc6 10.Qxe5 Kxb5 

Black's King has wandered far from home. Is there a checkmate yet?

White can sacrifice a pawn with 11.d4 d6 12.Qg3 Bxd4 13.Qb3+ but that doesn't seem to be enough. He decides, rightly, to get a Rook pawn - and behind it, a Rook - involved.

11.a4+ Kc6 12.d4 

Which pawn, which pawn?

Do you go for the King, or do you stop and pick up a piece?

He could have tried 12.Qc3 b6 13.d4 d6 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.Qxg7, but that seems like a distraction.

Besides, he is playing against another average guy, not Stockfish. Let's get that center pawn out.

12...Bd6 

A good idea at a bad time. Simplest would have been to kick the enemy Queen with 12...d6. He still is going to surrender the Bishop after 13.Q-moves (Why?) but a long-term strategy will pull him through.

The problem? In a 3 minute blitz game, there often is not time to develop a long-term strategy. 

13.d5+  

Attack the King! 

White, however, overlooks his sudden good fortune and a chance to end the game... How?

13...Kb6 

It is still: Target the King.

14.Qd4+ 

The Queen continues her attack, and maintains her dominance over the Bishop - which, at least, no longer blocks the d-pawn, which blocks the light-squared Bishop, which hems in the Rook... Typical problem in defenses agaist the Jerome Gambit.

After the game, Stockfish 13 cooly suggested 14.a5+, instead, when 14...Ka6 15.Qc3 b6 (Black will lose a piece, anyhow) 16.axb6+ Kb7 17.bxa7 Nxd5 (saving the poor Bishop from e4-e5) 18.exd5 Qe7+ would be enough push back for Black to try to settle things down and have an edge.

14...Bc5 

The White Queen is doing a lot of moving, but so is the Black Bishop. It was not clear (tick, tick, tick...) that 14...c5 was the way out: 15.dxc6+ Kc7 16.cxb7 Bxb7 17.e5 Bxe5 (that poor Bishop!) 18.Qxe5+ d6 (stalwart pawn!) 19. Qc3+ Nc6 when Black would have the standard piece-for-two-pawns Jerome Gambit defender edge - and the King hunt would be over. 

15.a5+ Kb5

There are no good squares for the King to go to, but why is this worse than 15...Ka6?

16.Qa4+ 

This works. So does 16.Qd3+ Kb4 17.Qc3+ (or 17.Bd2+) checkmate.

16...Ka6 17.Qc4+

Piece or pawn?

After the game it will be good to look at 17.b4.  Black's best response would be 17...Bxf2+ (the Bishop simply can not escape tragedy) 18.Kxf2 c6 19.c4 (funny move) b6 20.axb6+ Kxb6 21.c5+ Kb7 22.dxc6+ dxc6 23. Qa6+ Kc7 (the King is escaping!) 24.Bf4+ Kd7 25.Rad1+ Nd5 26.Qc4 Rf8 27.exd5 Qh4+ 28.g3 Rxf4+ 29.Qxf4 Qxf4+ 30.gxf4. White has the endgame advantage of the exchange and a pawn - and that pawn is an advanced, protected passed one.

17...b5 18.Qxc5 

It was bound to happen.

18...d6 19.Qb4 

19...c6 20.c4 

Must... get... to... enemy... King...

20...cxd5 

Expecting 21.cxd5. He needed to find 20...Rb8, when White could try to blow things up with 21.c5, or sigh and play 21.0-0.

21.Qxb5 checkmate

Excelsior!

Jerome Gambit Declined: ChessBrah

 

Igor Bondari and Dan Middlemiss tipped me off that ChessBrah - Canadian Grandmaster Aman Hambleton - has posted another (be sure to see the first hilarious video) YouTube video on the Jerome Gambit, this time on the Jerome Gambit Declined. (You might want to check out "Jerome Gambit: First Steps [Part 5]" for some basics).

It seems that someone dared play the Jerome Gambit against the GM. You can guess how that went.

Actually, you don't have to guess, as here is the game.

dontcallmelab - ChessBrah

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kf8 

The Jerome Gambit Declined.

For the record, The Database has 340 games with this position, with White scoring 56%. However, only one of those games - this one - included a Grandmaster, with White scoring 0%. Just a bit of perspective. 

5.Bb3

Well, all right. If this were a Grandmaster vs Grandmaster game, I would put my money solidly on White. However, given that GM Hambleton is playing someone he might very well be able to give Queen odds to - I'll hang onto my Social Security, I think.

5...Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.d3 Bg4 

"You don't Jerome me, buddy."

White is up a pawn, Black's King is less secure, so far things are going okay for White.

8.h3 Bh5 9.O-O Nd4 

FaithBreaker_@chessbrah don't forget to send the declined theory to the blog guy 

Still fine, but things are about to get complicated. For example, White can (and should) now play 10.Nxd4, because if 10...Bxd1 then 11.Ne6+ Ke7 12.Nxd8 Bxc2 13.Nxb7 Bxb3 14.axb3 Bb6 15.Na5 would leave White a couple of pieces ahead. Of course, a GM would simply play 10...Bxd4, and look to complicate things further on.

10.g4 Nxg4 

alec044 Gotta send this match in to the blog

Instructive. Black wants to checkmate White's King, and so sidesteps the simple win of the "minor exchange" with 10...Nxb3 11.axb3. (If White survives, he can point that move out in the post mortem.) 

11.Nxd4 Bxd4 12.Qf3+ 

White attacks, and defends his Kingside. He could have taken time to collect the enemy Knight first, but he is concerned: there is no way that a Grandmaster would sacrifice a piece just for the heck of it, is there? 

Actually, the Knight offer by Black is worth it in terms of the anxiety it produces, as well as the loosening up of White's Kingside. Besides, someone started the game off with an opening that often sees him sacrifice a couple of pieces for the heck of it, right? I am pretty sure we left Kansas a while back.

12...Nf6 

"How are we going to prosecute this?"

13.Qg3 h6 14.Ne2 

Challenging the Bishop on d4 with an already developed piece. He might have considered 14.Be3 blunting the piece's impact on the diagonal.

14...Bb6

Yes, the ChessBrah saw the hanging Knight. No need to bother with it. He was already turning his mind to how the checkmate would look.

15.Re1 g5 16.c3 Rh7 17.Bc2 Rg7 

"My Bishop is going to be part of the mating attack this game, and you guys are going to understand why I kept that piece on the board, why I kept it on h5. Trust me, it will become apparent right now."

18.Kh2 Kg8 

19.d4 Qe7 20.Ng1 

The piece was more helpful where it was, not where it is going - to f3. More lines are going to open - for Black's pieces.

20...Rf8 21.Bd2 exd4 

22.e5 d3 

Opening the diagonal for the Bishop.

23.exd6 

A double attack on the enemy Queen.

White's last chance - which might only last for a move or two - was 23.Bb3+ Kh7 24.exf6 Qxf6. Black's position still looks quite menacing.

23...Qd7 24.Bb3+ Kh8 25.Nf3 

25...Ne4 

Black generously surrenders the Knight, anyhow. The rest is the stuff of nightmares.

26.Rxe4 Rxf3 27.Qg2 Rxf2 28.Qxf2 Bxf2 29.c4 Qxd6+ 30.Kh1 

"Guys do you remember when I said this Bishop on h5 was going to win me the game?"

30...Bf3 checkmate

Gulp.

A bit reminiscent of  the finish to Blackburne's treatment of the Jerome.

Hats off to dontcallmelab for challenging the Grandmaster. I would not have lasted half as long.

Jerome Gambit: Post Post Mortem

 

Yesterday's Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game (see "Jerome Gambit: Back to the Drawing Board") was a bit of a let down for me. I am more used to being the attacker than the attacked, more used to "1-0" than "0-1" - and this from playing an allegedly "refuted" opening.

I even wandered back to MrJoker's somber letter in "Jerome Gambit: Time For A Sobering Cup of Coffee".

But the mood didn't last long. 

For starters, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

instead of playing 7.f4 and encountering the silicon or annoying defense, I could return to my favorite 7.Qf5+.

Of course, there is also 7.Qh3, examined in depth by Yury Bukayev in his "JG: The New (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)".

I could even throw in 6.d4, if need be.

In the meantime, I have put the Lc0 engine to work, coming up with some new ideas, too. They will come in handy in the next round of the Chess.com "Piano Piano" tournament.