JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 11)

JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 11) 

  

(by Yury V. Bukayev) 

 

 

As a further development of my Part 9 (the post of October, 12, 2021 on Rick Kennedy’s blog), this continuation of my theoretical research on the standard line of the Jerome gambit (JG) is about position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qh3+! Ke7 8.Qc3 Bd6!?. 

 

After 9.f4 Ke8 it isn’t clear, what of possible White’s ways is the strongest here, but the following White’s attack is very serious: 10.d4! N (This my new move-invention has the same general idea as my Part 9 shows, White’s sequence of moves plays a role.) 10…Nc6 11.0-0! Bf8 12.e5!. It’s enough rare case in theory of JG, where on this opening stage White regains no pieces and lets opponent’s King retreat back from the centre, but creates very large difficulties for the opponent! White’s practical chances are very large here, although all Black’s moves are very strong or enough strong! It maybe, 12…Qe7!? is the most active answer here, but it can require a lot of time and large efforts to find it. 13.Be3 (13.a3 Nxd4! is normal for Black) 13…Qb4 14.Qd3!, and White’s serious attack continues.  

 

These theoretical difficulties for Black can be mortal for him in your game, even without very large difficulties of other kinds, which are present always at games. So I recommend you to play this line, if you are lover of the Jerome gambit with 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+. You can get it also by my other sequences of moves: 9.d4 Nc6 10.0-0 Ke8 11.f4 (11.e5!?) 11…Bf8; 9.0-0 Ke8 etc.; 9.f4 Ke8 10.0-0! Nc6 11.d4 (please, look at my Part 9) 11…Bf8.   

 

 Of course, the Natural star Jerome gambit deferred (the strong deferred line of JG - the post of September, 17, 2021 on Rick Kennedy’s blog) will be much more attractive for a lot of experts of the modern chess opening theory than the standard line of JG, but the defence 6…Ke6 after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ requires their new attention and large revision already now, we can understand finally.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jerome Gambit: Questionable Innovation

In the following game, Black plays - or starts to play - a reliable defense to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), only to switch to attacking, wherupon his game falls apart.

Idusha2010 - Egor_Shtanko

30 0, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4... Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.f4 d6 

The "silicon" or "annoying" defense which calmly returns one of the two sacrificed pieces and leaves the Black King in his advanced post, often untouchable.

The Database has 362 games, with Black scoring 53%.

8.fxe5 Qf8

Black decides he can switch plans and pursue an attack on White's King. The Database has only one other game with this line - played about a month earlier.

9.Rf1 

Defending and attacking.

9...Qe7 

Responding too quickly.

Sadly, perhaps the best move was 9...Ne7 which gives up the Queen with 10.Rxf8.

10.Qf5 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Refutation

I just finished going through "Refute Jerome's Gambit (Lifetime Repertoire) One shot Kill!" at lichess.org, and I recommend it to Readers of this blog.

You might say "But, Rick, it's a refutation, you should bury it or at least ignore it, not point it out".

No need.

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) has been "refuted" almost from the day it was introduced by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in the pages of the Dubuque Chess Journal, April 1874.

Oh, well.

Besides, it is good to know what your opponent has prepared for you.

I have addressed this issue many times on this blog of some 3,760 posts. You can start with the early "But - Is this stuff playable??" (Parts 1 & 2).

I like the earlier discussion, in "It's hard to explain...", 
"More to the Point...", "And yet..." and "Still".

Check out "What Makes A Gambit Playable?"

I summed things up more recently in "Jerome Gambit: This 'Refuted' Thing (Part 1, A Basic Truth)" and "Jerome Gambit: This "Refuted" Thing (Part 2, What to Do?)"

While it is primarily an opening for club players - at blitz or bullet speed - you can try it out at your favorite time control and see how it goes. (I have scored around 80% in games ranging from 1 day per move to 3 days per move. YMMV.)

So - play the Jerome Gambit, have fun, don't worry about it's reputation.

Then, send me your games, so I can add them to the 77,000 Jerome and Jerome-ish ones in The Database.

Jerome Gambit: Advancing Under Fire

Bullet chess, played under the time control of 1 minute per game, often features threat upon threat, allowing players to make use of their tactical skills as opposed to deep positional analysis.

It is educational to see how angelcamina - who has over 230 games in The Database - assembles an attack amidst distracting threat after threat.

angelcamina - CyrilF

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

When Black plays this move, he puts the Rook at h8 at risk. See "Jerome Gambit: What About the Rook?"

7.Qxe5 Nf6

In protecting his Rook, Black lets his Bishop go.

White will recover his sacrificed material and be two pawns up.

8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Ng4 

The clock is ticking. Make a threat.

10.Qf3+ Nf6 11.d4 Bg4 

And again.

12.Qg3 Kg7 13.Nc3 Bd7 14.O-O Nh5 

And again.

15.Qd3 Qh4 16.g3 Qh3 17.f4 Bg4 18.Bd2 c5 

White is making progress.

19.dxc5 dxc5 20.e5 Rad8 21.Qe3 Kh6 22.f5+ 

The "Jerome pawns" advance and create chaos.

22...Kg7 23.f6+ Kf7 24.e6+  Ke8 25.f7+ Ke7 26.Qxc5+ Kxe6

Black captures one of the central pawns, but this reveals another aspect of andvancing pawns - they open lines for pieces.

27.Rae1+ Kd7 28.Bg5 Rdf8 29.Re7+ Kd8 30.Qc7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: For Giggles

From a recent email

Today I decided to play the Jerome Gambit for giggles and surprisingly, it destroyed my opponent in this high elo game. I hope that you can add to your research with this game.

Readers, see for yourself.

WaterBottleOne - ZeruHmyz

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

The game has quickly reached a standard Jerome Gambit position - found in over 500 games in The Database. 

White has two center pawns for his sacrificed piece. Advancing the pawns will move his attack forward. Black's King can not castle, although he can spend a few moves castling-by-hand. His extra piece should give him a small advantage.

10.d3 Kf7 11.O-O Re8 12.f3 Kg8 

White's pawn phalanx is usually played in response to ...d5. Soon, his f-pawn is encouraged forward.

13.Nc3 Be6 

Vulnerable to f3-f4.

14.f4 Bd7 15.h3 

This move brought a smile to my face, and is probably better than my 15.f5 - in perrypawnpusher - stcamillis, 10 0 blitz, FICS, 2010, (1-0, 19) - which was met by 15...Ng4.  

15...Bc6 16.Qg3 Qd7 17.f5 

White's pawns will soon be compliented by a Bishop on the a1-h8 diagonal. 

17...Ne5 18.b3 Kh8 19.Bb2 Qf7 20.d4 

20...Nc4 

This is a slip. It could be due to the time control - a 3-minute blitz game - or it could be an oversight, as White's dark-sqare Bishop usually goes to g5, not b2.

Black could have dissolved the position with 20...Bxe4 21.dxe5 Rxe5 22.Nxe4 Rxe4 23.Rae1 Rae8 24.Rxe4 Nxe4.

21.bxc4 Qxc4 22.d5 Bd7 23.Qd3 

White is fine with the exchange of Queens.

23...b5 24.Qxc4 bxc4 

White is ready to play this position, in which the computer says says he is about 3 1/2 pawns better.

25.Rae1 c6 26.g4 cxd5 27.exd5 h6 28.Kf2 

White is rated 2578, Black is rated 2494. White activates his King to lead his pieces like a boss.

28...Kg8 29.Ba3 Rab8 30.Bxd6 Rb2 31.Rxe8+ Nxe8 32.Be5 Rxc2+ 33.Ke3 Nd6 34.Rb1 Kf7 35.Kd4 

Give the position a good look. Stockfish sees White as being almost a Queen better. This is the Jerome Gambit played at the GM level.

35...Rd2+ 36.Kc5 Ne8 37.Rb7 Ke7 38.Rxa7 Rd3 39.d6+ Kd8 40.Nd5 c3

About all Black has left is the distraction of promoting his c-pawn.

41.Ra8+ Bc8 42.Nb6 Nxd6 43.Bxd6 Ke8 44.Rxc8+ Kf7 45.Rf8 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: When It Works, It Works Well

 

Why do club players use the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)?

Because, when it works, it works well, especially at fast time controls.

The following game is another example.

Mothaolo - nike22

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022

1. e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

6...Nc6 7.dxc5 Nge7 8.Qf3+ 

White's Queen acts quickly, to disrupt Black's plan to castle-by-hand.

8...Kg8 

Black's King has been tucked away, but in the way of his Rook.

9.O-O Qf8 

To exchange off the enemy Queen.

10.Qb3+ d5 

11.exd5 

Tempting, and understandable in a bullet game, but the other pawn capture of the d-pawn, 11.cxd6+, was stronger: 11...Qf7 12.dxe7

11...Ne5 

This justifies White's last move. A Knight on the rim, 11...Na5 would have been safer, by comparison.

12.d6+ Qf7 13.Qxf7+ Kxf7 14.dxe7 Kxe7 

The position has simplified and White has a 2 pawn advantage.

The excitement is not over yet.

15.Re1 

The Knight begins to take heat.

15...Kf6 16.Bd2 Re8 17.Bc3 b6 18.f4 Black resigned

The Knight will fall.