Jerome Gambit: A Series of Shocks

I recently ran across a short YouTube video by Zaf Chess, presenting a Jerome Gambit game. It could easily have been titled "A Day in the Life of the Jerome Gambit", because it showed the ups and downs of playing the opening; or it could have been called "Once Again, Beware the e-file" because of the dangers therin.

The game contained a series of shocks, and White did well to maintain his composure and continue to play for the win.

Let's take a look.

NN - NN

Chess.com, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Nf6 

Black has been shocked by the opening, but he believes that he has the solution. This reminds me of the old aphorism: Act in haste, repent at leisure. It seems like such a great idea to develop a third piece to combat the enemy Queen -  but only if you don't give it much thought.

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Kf6 11.Qxe4 

Likewise, not mindful of the dangers of this capture.

There are no other exact examples of this position in The Database - but there are over 50 games with similar positions with the Black Rook pinning and winning the White Queen along the e-file.

I had warned about this kind of danger a long time ago in "Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter XVII" and more recently in "Jerome Gambit: e-file, Friend and Foe".

Instead of the text, White could have tried a useful Queenside fianchetto with 11.b4 Qe8 12 Bb2+ Kg6 followed by 13.O-O, or he simple could have castled right away.

11...Re8 

Shock.

12.Qxe8

It was probably a little better to try developing a piece, e.g. 12.Nc3 Rxe4+ 13. Nxe4+ Kf7 14.O-O Kg8 

12...Qxe8+ 13.Kf2 d5 

White has a Rook a Knight and a pawn for his Queen - not enough compensation, especially given his lack of development - but he rightly decides to continue to play and see what turns up. His opponent has already slipped up at least once.

14.Re1 Qh5 15.Nc3 d4 16.Ne4+ Kf5 

Jackpot.

Of course, the safer 16...Kf7 was called for, keeping his advantage, but Black eyes both the unprotected f-pawn an the unprotected h-pawn and decides that this "double attack" is worth pursuing. 

17.Ng3+ Kxf4 18.Nxh5+ 

Black resigned after losing his Queen.

By the way, it is worth noting that 18.d3+ Kg4 19.Re4 checkmate, instead, also put Black out of his misery.

Jerome Gambit: King Safety

White's Bishop sacrifice in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is designed to undermine Black's King's safety. One of Black's counters is to castle-by-hand. Another is to escape to a safe part of the board.

All of this plays out in the following blitz game, where the path away from danger is more difficult than the second player realizes.

alxaraya - sirpicha

3 0 blitz, FICS, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7  5.O-O 

This is one of the "modern" - as opposed to "classical" - variations of the Jerome Gambit, so-called because Alonzo Wheeler Jerome and those back in the time when the gambit was first being sorted out all played the main alternative, 5.Nxe5.

Some modern chess computer programs suggest that White does best to sacrifice only one piece. (Stockfish 13 goes back and forth between 5.Nxe5 and 5.0-0 before settling at 30 ply upon 5.Nxe5) 

By the way, a quick look at the position after 4 moves, considering games in The Database shows

5.Nxe5 is the most popular move, with White scoring 57%; the next two most popular moves are 5.d4 and 5.c3 - followed by 5.0-0 which scores 39 %.

To keep statistics in perspective, it must be noted that the highest scoring move is 5.a4, with 100% in 4 games. More interestingly, 5.b4 was played in 13 games and scored 54%. Not surprisingly, 5.Nh4, 5.g4, 5.Nd4 and 5.Rg1 were each only played in 1 game, and each scored 0%.

5...Nf6 6.c3 Rf8 

Black hopes to castle-by-hand, but he never gets the chance.

7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.e5 Ne8 

If you remember yesterday's post, I suggested that Black could have improved his defense by retreating his Knight. Here, I am going to suggest that the retreat is a bad idea. Different positions. In both cases, ...Nd5 is the best idea.

10.Qb3+ 

To interfere with Black's castling plans.

An interesting - and stronger - alternative is 10.Bg5, when Black returns a piece with 10...Nf6 or gets into a dangerously blocked up position after 10...Ne7 11.Qb3+ Kg6 12.Qd3+ Kf7 13.Qxh7 when White's center pawns can advance, White's Knight might find its way to e5, or his Rook to e1.     

10...d5 11.exd6+ Be6 

A logical move that suggests itself, especially in a 3-minute game.

However, it leads to White's advantage.

It is not immediately apparent that Black must save his King with 11...Kg6 when he needs to sacrifice the exchange after 12.d5 with 12...Rxf3 13.Qxf3 Nd4 maintaining the advantage.

12.d5 Qxd6 13.dxe6+ Qxe6 

A game-ending slip.

14.Ng5+ Black resigned

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.