Jerome Gambit: The Most Surprising Chess Opening for White

 

For an instructive look at the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) there is the new YouTube.com video from Shachar's Discoveries, "Jerome Gambit - The Most Surprising Chess Opening for White (A Full Guide + My Game Analysis).

Well worth checking out.

Jerome Gambit: Monster

 

Victor Frankenstein's research into life itself could have revolutionized medicine. Instead, he created a monster.

Similarly, the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) can revitalize your chess - but it can also unleash unexpected dangers.

The following is a horrowing example.

oaitseziom - mubangaalfredo

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 

5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc3 

Often we see White's Queen retreat with 9.Qe3. Why is that? From there it is prepared for aggression along the e-file. It also stays out of danger.

That said, the text move, which applies some pressure along the a1-h8 diagonal, was seen as early as Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1-0, 28).

9...Qf6 10.Qxc7 

“With how many things are we on the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries.” 

10...Nf4 

oaitseziom had already faced 10...N8e7, e.g. 11.O-O Kf7 12.d3 (12.Nc3 Rf8 13.d3 Kg8 14.f4 Bg4 15.h3 Bc8 16.Be3 b6 17.d4 Nh4 18.e5 Qg6 19.Rf2 Nef5 20.Re1 Rf7 21.d5 Rxc7 White resigned, oaitseziom -yodony, lichess.org, 2021) 12...Rf8 13.Nd2 Nf4 14.Nc4 Ne2+ 15.Kh1 Nxc1 16.Nxd6+ Kg8 17.Raxc1 Ng6 18.c3 b6 19.b4 Ne5 20.d4 Ba6 21.dxe5 Qxe5 22.b5 Bxb5 23.Nxb5 Qxb5 24.f3 Rac8 25.Qxa7 Rxc3 26.Rb1 Qe2 27.Qxb6 Rc2 28.Rg1 Rxa2 29.Rbe1 Qd3 30.Rd1 Qe2 31.Rd8 Ra8 32.Rxf8+ Rxf8 33.Qe6+ Kh8 34.Qe7 Ra8 35.f4 h6 36.f5 Qb2 37.e5 Ra1 38.f6 Rxg1+ 39.Kxg1 Qc1+ 40.Kf2 Qd2+ 41.Kf3 Qd3+ 42.Kf4 g5+ 43.Kg4 Qe2+ 44.Kf5 Qd3+ 45.Ke6 Qc4+ 46.Kd7 Qb5+ 47.Kd8 Qd5+ 48.Ke8 Qa8+ 49.Kf7 Qd5+ 50.e6 Black resiged, oaitseziom - VladimirV7, lichess.org, 2022. 

11.g3 

“Thus strangely are our souls constructed, and by slight ligaments are we bound to prosperity and ruin.”

11...Ng2+ 12.Kf1 Bh3 13.Kg1 Qf3 14.Nc3 Ne3 White resigned

Tactical Play

Tactical chess play is the theme of the Jerome Gambit and Jerome-related opening, as the following game (and its notes) can testify.

pare - guest_5736

standard, Chesstempo.com, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nf6 

I was wondering about this Bishop's Opening / Petroff Defense line a decade ago in "Turn About Is Fair Play". Who is trying to out-think whom?

4.Bxf7+ 

It was easy to label this opening "Not Quite the Jerome Gambit" a baker's dozen years ago. 

It also brings to mind the Jerome-Knight Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 

Brave or risky? Certainly 5...Kg8 was more circumspect.

6.d4 

The Database has 92 games with this position. White scores 69%.

6...Bb6 

Also seen by pare was 6...Bd6, which I present with some light notes: 7.d5+ (7.O-O!? Bxe5 8.dxe5 Kxe5 9.f4+ Ke6 10.f5+ Kf7 11.e5 +-) 7...Kxe5 8.Bf4+ (8.f4+!? Kxe4 9.Qd3#) 8...Kxe4 (8...Kxf4!) 9.O-O (9.Bxd6) 9...Kxf4 (9...Bxf4!?) 10.Qf3+ Ke5 (10...Kg5!?) 11.Re1+ Kd4 12.Qd3+ (12.Na3!? Kc5 13.Qc3+ Kb6 14.Qb3+ Bb4 15.Qxb4+ Ka6 16.Qb5#) 12...Kc5 13.b4+? (13.Nc3!?) 13...Kb6 14.Nc3 a6 15.Qd4+ c5 16.bxc5+ Bxc5 17.Na4+ Kb5 (17...Ka7!?) 18.Rab1+ Ka5 19.Qxc5+ b5 20.Qc3+ Kxa4 21.Rb4+ (21.Qb4#) 21...Ka5 22.Qa3+? (22.Rxb5+ Kxb5 23.Rb1+ Ka4 24.Qb4#) 22...Kb6 23.Qe3+ Ka5? (23...Kb7 -+) 24.d6 (24.Qd4 +-) 24...Nd5 25.Qa3+ Kb6 26.c4 Nxb4 27.Qxb4 Nc6 28.c5+ Kb7 29.Qe4 Qa5 30.h3 Qxa2 31.Qg4 g6 32.Qg5 Rf8 33.Rf1 a5 34.Qh6 Rf7 35.f4 Ka6 36.f5 Rxf5 37.Rxf5 Qb1+ 38.Kh2 Qxf5 39.Kh1 Qxc5 40.Qxh7 Qxd6 41.Qh6 Bb7 42.Qe3 Nd4 43.Qd3 Qd5 44.Qxg6+ Bc6 45.Qb1 Re8 46.Qg6 Re1+ 47.Kh2 Qe5+ 48.g3 Nf3+ 49.Kg2 Nh4+ 50.Kf2 Nxg6 White resigned, pare - guest_4641, Chesstempo.com, 2022. 

7.d5+ Ke7

Dangerous is 7...Kxe5 8.Nc3 (8.Qf3!? Nxe4 (8...Bxf2+ 9.Qxf2 Nxe4 10.Qe2 Kxd5 11.Qd3+ Kc6 12.Nc3 a6 13.Qd5+ Kb6 14.Be3+ c5 15.Nxe4 Ka7 16.O-O +-) 9.Bf4+ Kxd5 10.Nc3+ Ke6 11.Nxe4 +-) 8...Nxe4 (8...Qf8!? 9.O-O Kd6 10.e5+ Ke7 11.exf6+ gxf6 12.d6+ Kd8 13.Bf4 +-) 9.Qh5+ Kd6 10.Nxe4+ Ke7 11.Bg5+ Kf8 12.Bxd8 g6 13.Qh6+ Ke8 14.Bf6 Rf8 15.O-O d6 16.Qxh7 Bf5 17.Qe7 checkmate, harryanichkin - mariancelo, FICS, 2016 

8.Bg5

Another game continued 8.O-O Nxe4 (8...d6!? 9.Nc4 Bc5 10.Nc3 Re8 11.Na4 b5 12.Nxc5 bxc4 13.Na4 Nbd7 -+) 9.Qh5 (9. Nc3!?) 9...Nf6 (9...Qf8!? =) 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Nc4+ Kc5 12.b3 (12.Be3+!? Kxc4 13.Na3+ Kb4 14.Bd2+ Kc5 15.b4+ Kd4 16.Be3+ Ke4 17.Rae1 Bxe3 18.Rxe3+ Kf5 19.Rf3+ Ke5 20.Re1+ Ne4 21.Qf5+ Kd6 22.Nc4+ Ke7 23.Qxe4#) 12...a6 13.Be3+ Kb5 14.a4+ Kb4 15.Bd2+ Kc5 16.Nba3 Qf8 17.b4+ Kd4 18.Be3+ Ke4 19.f3+ Kf5 20.g4 checkmate thmavz - LorenzoDV, FICS, 2015

Consider 8.d6+ cxd6 9.Nc4 Bc5 10.Bf4 Qg8 11.Bxd6+ Bxd6 12.Qxd6+ Kd8 13.Nbd2 Qe6 with an edge to Black. 

8...Bd4 

A slip amidst the excitment.

9.Qxd4 Black resigned

Top 10 Chess Gambits to Try Out

I have previously posted about Grandmaster Igor Smirnov's Remote Chess Academy website - see "Something to Think About".

It was pleasant to see that in his recent "Top 10 Chess Gambits to Try Out" he mentions the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), if briefly. The Jerome is mentioned under gambit #5, one of the lines of the Giuoco Piano.

There is a whole lot of action to review on the site.

Jerome Gambit: Still Advancing... (Part 2)

 

[continued from previous post]

perrypawnpusher - joro_videv

3 d/move, "Giuoco Piano Game" tournament

Chess.com 2022

It is time for White to find a way to mobilize his "Jerome pawns". I decided to counter Black's dark square Bishop.

13.Be3 Bb6 14.f4 Bd7 15.Rae1 Bc6 

Now there are two annoying enemy Bishops...

The truth is that winning for White with the Jerome Gambit usually requires at least a little bit of help from Black. That is not forthcoming this time. 

16.Bxb6 axb6 17.f5 Qg7 18.fxg6 Nxg6 19.Rf5 Ra5 20.Ref1 Raxf5 21.exf5 Ne5 

White's Kingside pawn majority is not enough compensation for the sacrificed piece.

22.Ne4 Qxg3 23.Nxg3 Kf7 24.Ne4 Rg8 25.Kf2 Ng4+ 26.Kg1 Ne3 27.Rf2 d5 28.Ng3 Rg5

 29.Re2 

This drops a pawn, but it doesn't matter. The win for Black is close to a technical matter, especially given that the time control was 3 days per move.

29...Nxf5 30.Nxf5 Rxf5 31.d4 Bb5 32.Re1 Rf4 33.c3 Re4 34.Rxe4 White resigned

I was seriously out-played by my opponent, joro_videv.

Jerome Gambit: Still, Advancing... (Part 1)

Sometimes when I play a "refuted" opening - I lose.

This even happens with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), although The Database points out that in my 373 games with that opening, I have scored 83%.

[Insert discussion about various meanings of "refuted" here.]

Although my favorite opening appears to have failed me in the following encounter, I still have scored enough to take 2nd place in my group, and likely will advance to the 4th round of the Chess.com tournament.

The notes are worth looking at, for future alternative play.

perrypawnpusher - joro_videv

3 d/move, "Giuoco Piano Game" tournament

Chess.com 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7

Whistler's defense, referring to Jerome's correspondence match with Lt. G. N. Whistler, secretary of the Lexington, Kentucky Chess Club, was seen in Jerome - Whistler, correspondence, 1876 (0-1, 15).

Surpsisingly, I was 6-0-2 against Whistler's defense before this game

8.Qf4+ 

Capturing the Rook is objectively dangerous (because of the counter-attack 8...Qxe4+) but the play can be complicated. This is shown in The Database, where there are 632 games with 8.Qxh8, and White scores 62%.

8...Qf6 

8...Kg7 was seen in perrypawnpusher - tmarkst, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 43).

9.Qg3 

Allowing the exchange of Queens with 9.d3 Qxf4 10.Bxf4 has not been popular: I can find only a draw and a win for Black in The Database. Still, Stockfish 15 sees only about 1/4 of a pawn difference (at 35 ply) between 9.d3 and the text.

9...Ne7 

This move was seen in perrypawnpusher - yaku, 5 5 blitz, FICS, 2011 (1/2-1/2, 26).

This is not (yet) an exciting position for White, although the possibilities for the extra central (Jerome) pawns can already be seen.

10.Nc3 

This is a new move, but not necessarily best. It was intended to prevent 10...d5, and from that perspective it can be considered "successful" in that Black eventually played 10...d6 instead.

Still, Black could have played 10...d5 11.exd5 Bd6, which would point out the main failing of the text move. Indeed, Black could have played 10...Bd6 directly, suggesting that White's correct move was 10.d3, instead, in order to meet 10...Bd6 with 11.f4 (although Black would still have been better).

10...Rf8 11.O-O d6 12.d3 Kg8 

Black has wisely castled-by-hand.

Stockfish 15 now suggests that White try 13.Bg5, followed by Ne2, c3 and d4. It also takes a look at Na4, to exchange the Knight for the annoying enemy Bishop.

[to be continued]

Is the Jerome Gambit really that bad?

There is a brief discussion on the lichess.org website, wondering "Is the Jerome Gambit really that bad?"

Of course, the answer is both "yes" and "no". 

Readers are encouraged to add their opinions.