JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 6)

 

JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 6)   

  

(by Yury V. Bukayev) 

 

 

In the Part 2 it was fixed that after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qh3+! Kf7 8.Qh5+! Black can play not only 8…Ke6, but also its alternatives including 8…Kf8 as the main alternative, although the explanation why a player’s psychology can prevent to do it here was given. Now we’ll consider my new invented way for White how it is possible to play after 8…Kf8 in a blitz game against the above cautious opponent. 

Let’s forget temporally about the sequence 6…Ke6 7.Qh3+! Kf7 8.Qh5+! Kf8, and we’ll consider the general sequence of moves: 6.Qh5+ Kf8 (the Jerome variation). Thus, my new invented way after 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 is 9.b4!? N (it’s an important theoretical novelty). Your opponent will be surprised a lot, so it maybe he’ll start to think in this moment already about when he should offer you a draw. Probably, he’ll make one of two strongest responses - 9…Bxb4 or 9…Bd4, but it will take his not little time. If there is no his offer in this moment, then you can continue: 9…Bxb4 10.Bb2 (or even 10.0-0!?), or 9…Bd4 10.c3, or 9…Bb6?! 10.Bb2. Your very fast play as White will cause his thought that your preparation is very good, so his chances in this blitz game are not very large. That is why he’ll make his response (it will take his not little time again) and offer you a draw, because he is a cautious player. This offer is what you want. But you should be ready also to not receive this offer here, especially in the first case: Black’s material advantage grows here.  

So let’s make the variation 9…Bxb4 10.Bb2 our first subject for consideration. Your opponent can create new threats rapidly as a result of the move 10…Qe8 (with the idea 11.f3 Qb5 or 11…Qa4), but its search will take opponent’s quite large time. After your very fast response 11.0-0! Black has a large temptation to capture White’s pawn - 11…Qxe4!?, because Black’s material advantage immediately grows further here. And after your very fast response 12.Nc3!? your opponent can start to consider different variations.  

It maybe, his first idea will be 12…Qxc2 13.Rab1! Qxd2? 14.Ne4!, and he will understand that White’s position is good as a result of this 14th move, the exchange Bb4xc3 instead is much better for him. But what moment for this exchange is the best? Here he can see that after 12…Bxc3 13.Bxc3! Qxc2?! (the weakness of this move can be discovered by a further analysis) 14.Rac1! Qxa2?? White gets a large advantage: 15.Bxf6! Qf7! (after 15…gf 16.Rxc7! White wins immediately) 16.Bd8!. Your opponent will see here that the position after 12.Nc3!? is enough sharp, your preparation is very good, and he has a very large lack of time in this blitz game, so he most probably will play here 12…Bxc3 or 12…Qxc2 13.Rab1 Bxc3 and offer you a draw. 

 

Jerome Pawns in Action

Petasluk is an early adopter of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). The Database has 535 of his games, going back to 2004.

In the following 5-minutegame he shows a grasp of the power of the "Jerome pawns" as well as deadly pressure along the f-file.

He makes it look easy.

Petasluk - laspac

5 0 blitz, FICS, 2021.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian opening.

4.O-O

A useful waiting move. 

4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Kf8 

This move is a bit stronger than other moves that Petasluk has faced,

7...Ng6 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.d3 Re8 11.f4 Kg8 (11...Ng4 12.Qe2 Qh4 13.h3 Nf6 14.Nc3 Nxf4 15.Bxf4 Bxh3 16.gxh3 Qxh3 17.Bh2 Ke7 18.Rf3 Qh5 19.Raf1 Kd7 20.Qg2 Rg8 21.Nd5 Rae8 22.Nf4 Qc5+ 23.Qf2 Qb5 24.c3 b6 25.Qg2 g5 26.Nh3 g4 27.Rxf6 gxh3 28.Rf7+ Kc8 29.Qg3 Rxg3+ 30.Bxg3 Qxd3 31.e5 Qxg3+ White resigned, Petasluk - Blixxx, blitz, FICS, 2011) 12.Nc3 d5 13.e5 d4 14.Qg3 dxc3 15.Qxg6 Nd5 16.b3 c6 17.Ba3 Qb6+ 18.Kh1 Ne3 19.Rf3 Nxc2 20.Raf1 Nxa3 21.Rg3 Re7 22.f5 c5 23.f6 Rf7 24.Qxh6 Kf8 25.Qh8 checkmate Petasluk - Jonfern, blitz, FICS, 2016; and 

7...Ke6 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.c3 g6 10.Qh3 Nf7 11.d4 Bb6 12.Bf4+ Ke7 13.Nd2 g5 14.Be3 Nf6 15.Qf3 d6 16.h3 Rg8 17.Rad1 Qf8 18.e5 dxe5 19.dxe5 Nxe5 20.Qe2 Nfd7 21.Bxb6 axb6 22.Nc4 Qf6 23.Rfe1 Kf7 24.Nxe5+ Nxe5 25.Qxe5 Qxe5 26.Rxe5 Black resigned, Petasluk - unana, blitz, FICS, 2014.

8.Qxe5 Be7 

Very interesting, in light of the crucial role that the f6 square (and the piece upon it) will play in the game. There is only one other game with this move in The Database. Komodo 10 sees the position as about equal.

9.c3 d6 10.Qg3 Nf6 11.d3 Be6 12.f4 

Often in the Jerome Gambit, Black's ...Be6 provokes White's f2-f4 with the idea of f4-f5.

12...Bf7 

Black's Bishop anticipates the pawn advance and steps aside, but it is now on the file with White's Rook and Black's King, and that gives White another idea.

13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 

Defenders often exchange off White's advancing e-pawn in the Jerome, almost as a reflex. In this case, a Knight retreat - as uncomfortable as it may be - was probably better.

14...Nd7 15.e6 

15...Nf6 16.exf7 Kxf7 

White is comfortably a pawn ahead. He now completes his development and makes use of the f-file.

17.Bf4 Bd6 18.Nd2 Bxf4 19.Rxf4 Qd6 

Allowing a further tempo for White's attack.

20.Ne4 Qe5 

Black's Queen wants to continue to provide support for the Knight.

Komodo 10 prefers 20...Qb3+, when 21.Kh1 Rhe8 22.Raf1 Re6 shows continued support for the pinned piece, but then 23.Rg4 g5 24.Rxg5! hxg5 25.Nxg5+ Kf8 26.Nxe6+ Qxe6 27.Qg6 Ke7 28.Qg7+ Kd8 29.Qxg6+ shows the ultimate success of the pressure on the f-file.

21.Raf1 Kg8 

Stepping out of the pin, but it is too late.

22.Nxf6+ Qxf6 23.Rxf6 Black resigned

Play Over and Examine

In the following blitz game White wins a miniature in a straightforward manner.

Since it is always useful to play over and examine every game - wins as well as losses - it is worth checking out the notes, as there are further checkmate ideas that might be valuable to Danny80 when he encounters this opening again. 

Danny80 - Antonlutum

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian opening.

4.d3

White is willing to be patient and see if Black plays 4...Bc5, when the game can transform into a Jerome Gambit with 5.Bxf7+ 

4...Nd4 

But this is too much. Black transposes into a Blackburne Shilling Gambit with the not-so-helpful ...h6.

Even Stockfish 13 knows what to do.

5.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

The computer assesses White as being more than a Rook better.

4...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8 

This apparently "safer" choice leads to checkmate.

Black would last a bit longer after 6...Ke6, but there is nothing pleasant about the straight-forward reply 7.Ng6 which will cost material, even if he fights back, e.g. 7...Rh7 8.c3 Nc6 9.Qb3+ Kf6 10.Qxg8 Kxg6 11.h4 (to chase the King away from its protection of the Rook) h5 (logical, but it does not fix things) 12.f4 and Black is already in a mating net.

7.Qh5+ Ke7 

8.Na3 

Bringing another piece into play.

A quicker resolution that relies on a pattern we have seen before is 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Nc4+ Kc5 10.Qd5+ Kb4 11.Qa5# 

Another sign that Black is in dire straits is 8.Bg5+ Nf6 9.Bxf6+ when White wins the Queen and then checkmates, i.e. 9...Kd6 10.Bxd8 g5 11.Qf7 Ne6 12.b4 a6 13.Nd2 b5 14.O-O-O Rh7 15.Ndc4+ bxc4 16.dxc4+ Kxe5 17.Qf5# 

8...Nf6 9.Qf7+ Kd6 

10.Nec4+ 

Winning, but so does involving the extra Knight White just developed: 10.Nac4+ Kc5 11.b4+ Kxb4 12.Rb1+ Ka4 13.Nb6+ Ka5 14.Qc4 Nxc2+ 15.Qxc2 Bb4+ 16.Rxb4 Kxb4 17.Qa4+ Kc5 18.Ba3+ Kxb6 19.Nc4#. 

10...Kc6 11.Ne5+ Kd6 12.Ng6 

Or as in the note above.

12...Nxc2+ 13.Nxc2 Qe8 

Hoping to swap Queens and slow the attack.

14.Bf4+ Kc6 15.Qc4+ Bc5 16.Nxh8 

This looks like a bit of psychology - "I can win any way that I want to" - although maybe White missed 16.Nd4+ Kb6 17.Qb5#. 

16...d5 

There really isn't anything for Black except to hope that his opponent's flag falls.

17.Nb4+ Kd7 18.Qxc5 c6 19.Qd6 checkmate

Crunch.

Jerome and Stafford Gambits: Spiritual Cousins

I have been exchanging emails with Dan Middlemiss, who is kind of partial to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) as White, but who is deeply committed to the Stafford Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6) as Black.

Although I am mostly familiar with the "reversed Stafford Gambit" - the Boden-Kiesertizky Gambit - (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3) - I think he has a very strong case to make.

What strikes me as a candidate for a possible future blog by you, is the striking similarity between the Jerome and the Stafford gambits. Both feature an early sortie by King‘s Bishop and both target the vulnerable King Bishop’s pawn, often coupled with the early developing move by KB Knight. One key difference, however, is that in the Stafford only a pawn is being sacrificed, at least initially. Another real departure is that an early copycat move by white with Bc4 brings disaster upon white...

 I am also struck by the extent to which the Jerome Gambit shares many of the same attacking features as the now popular Stafford Gambit played by black in the Petrov Defence. Some quite striking parallels in fact, with sacrifices all over the place! Like the Jerome, the Stafford has been "refuted" by careful analysis and high level play. But as some have noted, we don't play engines, we play people! The shock value of both gambits can be imposing for those not prepared...

As for the Stafford Gambit, I find it absolutely fascinating because there are so many really deep and tricky traps in for white. I was actually attracted to the Stafford because of my interest in the Jerome - they both appeal to my sense of danger and adventure, and both pack the same psychological punch against an opponent who is prepared for other lines. In the case of the Stafford, you will discover that natural looking moves for white are the most fraught with danger, and white’s move order is critical to his success or failure. I would also say that, from my considerable research, the Stafford seems to be far more playable, and I was not exaggerating when I said that GMs, IMs, and club players alike have been employing it since about August 2020, even though its pedigree goes back much further in time...

The reason for its wild popularity of late can be found in a bombshell YouTube video by IM Eric Rosen in August 2020. IM Jonathan Schrantz has also helped to popularize some very crucial theoretical lines – he posted a YouTube video in which he demonstrates how he defeated Stockfish 12 with his ‘Magic Line’. Both Eric and Jonathan (who goes by the handle zolpi on Lichess) are members of the same St Louis Chess Club and both are knowledgeable and articulate streamers. Eric has almost a dozen excellent videos online about the Stafford, and his initial one has been demonstrated to have quadrupled the amount of interest in Stafford chess. Several GMs, including Daniel Naroditsky, have videos claiming to have ‘refuted’ the Stafford, but it lives on and the refutations have themselves been refuted!

Certainly those who play the Jerome can find room in their opening repertoire for the Stafford. In fact, many have already have.

Why not give it a try? Be careful, though, as it's highly addictive.