Jerome Gambit: Stumbles

One factor supporting the Jerome Gambit is that many defenders are unaware of the best lines of play. Finding the right way takes time, and often invoves stumbles.

Wall, Bill - Marquitos

Internet, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

There are a lot of choices for Black here. Which to choose?

6...Bb4+ 

This is a standard response, and the natural move by White, 7.Nc3, would be very good for Black.

7.c3 Bd6 

This move is still okay for Black, although he could have tossed everything into the wind with 7...Qh4. Also playable were 7...Be7 and 7...Ng6.

8.dxe5 Bxe5 

This move is a stumble, as the danger to the Bishop is not worth the pawn it captures. The retreat 8...Be7 was more to the point. 

9.Qh5+ Ke6 10.Qf5+ Kd6 11.Na3 

This move shows that White knows what he is doing. The first impression is that a "Knight on the rim" cannot be the the strongest move in a wild gambit - but it is.

11...Qf6 

Things go poorly for Black even after the better 11...Bf6, i.e. 12.e5+ Ke7 (12...Bxe5 13.Bg5 Nf6 14.O-O-O+) 13.exf6+ Nxf6 14.Bg5 Kf7 15.O-O-O, when White would have better developmant while Black would have the more at risk King.

12.Nc4+ Ke7 13.Bg5 d6 

Black's response to the attack on his Queen is an attack on his opponent's Queen - but it falls to a check that must be addressed.

14.Bxf6+ Bxf6 15.Qa5 Black resigned

Black has two pieces for a Queen and a pawn. It is not enough.

Jerome Gambit: Don't Say That I Didn't Warn You

 

Although I enjoy playing and analyzing the Jerome Gambit, I also think it is fair to point out opposing points of view.

Therefore I would like to direct Readers towards a new YouTube video, "Refute the Jerome Gambit Easily"

The presenter, Watson, illustrates his ideas using, among other things, the sillycon defense, the annoying (or silicon) defense, and the pie-in-the face variation; as well as referring to the games GMHikaruOnTwitch - GM_xAhmedx. 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 and Jerome - Shinkman, 1874.

If you defend against the Jerome Gambit, don't say that I didn't warn you.

Jerome Gambit: Cliff Hardy With A Bullet

 

Here is another Cliff Hardy Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) chess battle - a bullet game against a grandmaster.

As always, the time control adds an additional factor to the game - Black must not only defeat the Jeorme Gambit, he must do so before his flag falls. As Cliff comments

It's just that today was very unusual in that I got to play a GM with the Jerome Gambit and won. Although I must admit, it's not that good - I got outplayed but was a bit quicker.

The notes are by Cliff. I have added diagrams.

Cliff Hardy (2458) - GM Andrey Sumets (2442), 

1 0 bullet, Lichess, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.Nc3 Qe7 10.d3 c6

11.Be3 Bxe3 12.Qxe3 g6?! -++

The Ukrainian GM wants to put his king on g7 and castle artificially but that could have been slightly better achieved by playing 12...Kf7 -++.

13.0-0 Kg7 14.f4 Re8 15.Qg3 b5

16.Rae1 b4 17.Nd1 Bb7? -+

The bishop was best left where it was to help cover the f5-square and defend against the white kingside attack. Best was to counterattack in the centre with the risky looking 17...d5! -++.

18.f5?! -++

The attack could slightly have been improved by playing first 18.Ne3 (threatening to win the queen with 19.Nf5+!) e.g. 18...Kh8 19.f5 -+.

18....Qe5 19.Qh3? -++

19.Qh4 -++ would have better covered both the weakened dark squares of g5 and h6.

19....d5 20.Nf2 dxe4 21.dxe4 Rad8 22.g4 g5 23.Qe3 h6 

24.Kg2?

I missed the capture of the a-pawn with the queen again! 24.Qxa7 -++ would have been best here.

24...c5 25.h4 Qd4 26.Rh1?

Much better would have been 26. hxg5 Nxe4! (26...hxg5? Qxg5+ =) 27. gxh6+ Kh7 28. Nxe4 Qxe3 29. Rxe3 Rxe4 -++.

26...Nxe4 27.Qxd4+ Rxd4 28.Kg1 Kf7 

29.hxg5 Nxg5 30.Rxe8 Nf3+? -++

30...Bxh1! -++ would have been best.

31.Kf1 and Black lost on time but still had a winning position

At least my kingside attack slowed the GM up a bit...

Jerome Gambit: More Cliff Hardy

 

Here is another recent Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) bullet game by the mysterious Cliff Hardy. 

The notes are by Hardy. I have added diagrams.

Cliff Hardy (2453) - NN (2369), 

1 0 bullet, Lichess, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qe7 9.Qe3 Nf6

[This position appears in 103 games in The Database. White scores 68% - Rick]

10.Nc3 d5 11.d3 dxe4 12.dxe4 Be6 13.0-0 h5

14.f4?

14.h3 -++, to stop ...Ng4, would have been wiser, before pushing the feared Jerome f-pawn.

14....Bf7 15.e5 Re8??

15...Ng4 -++ would have been better.

16.Qg3?? -++

Since Black's rook has left the a-pawn unguarded, taking the little guy with 16.Qxa7 would have left White with a slight advantage.

16....Nd7? -++

16...Ng4 -++ would have been a more active posting for the knight.

17.Be3 h4 18.Qf2 Kg8 

19.Rae1 c6 20.Bd4 Nb6?? ++-

20...c5 -++ would have pushed White back on the defensive, whereas now the f-pawn runs riot.

21.f5 Nf8 22.f6 Qe6 

23.Ne4?? ++-

23.fxg7! Kxg7 24.Qxf7+!? Kxf7 25.e6+! Kg6 26.Rxf7 ++- would have led to a much stronger position for White.

23....Rh5??

23...g6 ++- would have kept the kingside closed and given Black better chances of hanging on.

24.fxg7 Ng6?!

24...Nh7 would have covered f6, although then after 25.Qxf7+!? Qxf7 26.Rxf7 Kxf7 27.Nd6+ Kxg7 28.Nxe8+ ++-, White's material lead and powerful e-pawn would have still yielded a dominant advantage.

25.Nf6+ Kxg7 26.Nxh5+ and Black resigned. 

Jerome Gambit: Cliff Hardy Redux

 

Cliff Hardy is the hard-boiled private eye featured in over 40 novels by Peter Corris.

"Cliff Hardy" is also the name I have given to a mysterious Australian chess player who enjoys playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ) in adventurous style.

Here is the first of several Cliff Hardy games that I have recently received. It was a 1-minute game, and Mr. Hardy played blindfold.

The notes are by Cliff. I have added diagrams.

Cliff Hardy (1957) - NN (1919)

1 0 bullet, blindfold, Lichess, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

I was playing blindfolded (and thus on my blindfold account) in this one-minute-each bullet game. My opponent had the advantage of sight of the board but I may have had the advantage of familiarity with this gambit. 

7.Qxe5 Bd6??

That being said, the Lichess database came up with one other game that my opponent has had this position in and in that game he played the correct rook sacrifice 7...Qe7! here.

8.Qxh8

Unfortunately, the sacrifice just doesn't work in this position for Black as he can't try to trap the queen in with 8...Nf6?? (due to 9. Qxd8, of course),

8....Qg5 9.Qxh7+ Ke6? 10. Qxg8+ and Black resigned.