Jerome Gambit: A Moment of Nostalgia

A recent Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game gave me a moment of nostalgia, as the unusual line was something that I had experienced a dozen (and more) years ago. It fits in with the recent game Arman-Avdalyan - Tal_y_Fischer, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022 (1-0, 21).

mr-beast-200 - Raz500

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+ 

This is another example of a Jerome Counter Gambit.

The Database has 35 games with this position. White scores 71%.

8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 

A bit stronger was 8...Qh4+ as in perrypawnpusher - superlopez, 2 12 blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 71).

9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.Nc3 Ke7 

Or 10...d6 as in perrypawnpusher - Lindal, 10 0 blitz, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 45).

11.Rf1 d6 12.Kg1 b6 13.d4 Bb7 14.Bg5 

This Bishop needs to be challenged immediately. Otherwise, the pin will doom the Knight

14...Rhf8 15.e5 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Another Step Along the Way

By winning my final game of the third round, I have finished tied for first in my group, in the Chess.com "Giuoco Piano Game" tournament. 

As predicted in "Jerome Gambit: Still, Advancing... (Part 1)", joro_videv and I, as the top two players in the group, will be six others advancing to the 4th round.

My score of 4 - 2 includes scoring 2 - 1 with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)

There remains the possibility that I will meet up with auswebby, who smashed my Jerome Gambit in 37 moves a few years ago. See "Toward Disaster".

Jerome Gambit: Countering the Counter

The following games walk in the footsteps of an almost 2500 rated player as he deals with a blunt attempt to disarm the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). 

Arman-Avdalyan - Tal_y_Fischer

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 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+ 

The Counter-Jerome Gambit, last looked at in "Jerome Gambit: How Bad Has It Gotten?". Black quickly returns material to be able to exchange Queens and blunt White's attacking chances.

8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 

The Database has 1,015 games with this line; White scores 61%.

9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 

White is a pawn up, but the kind of game he will need to play in order to win will be different than the usual wild attack.

10.d3 Kg7 

Or 10...d6 11.Rf1 Kg7 12.Kg1 Bd7 13.Bd2 Rhf8 14.Bc3 Rae8 15.Nd2 Bc6 16.h3 Re6 17.Nf3 Kg8 18.Nd4 Black resigned, Arman-Avdalyan - Jack_234, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022. 

11.Rf1 Nh5 

Also 11...Rf8 12.Kg1 d6 13.Bd2 (13.Nc3 Be6 14.Be3 Rae8 15.Bd4 Rf7 16.Rxf6 Rxf6 17.Rf1 Ref8 18.Rxf6 Rxf6 19.h3 Kf7 20.Bxf6 Kxf6 21.b3 c6 22.Kf2 d5 23.exd5 cxd5 24.d4 a6 25.Ke3 Bf5 26.Kd2 g5 27.Nd1 Be4 28.g3 Bg2 29.h4 gxh4 30.gxh4 Be4 31.Ne3 Kg6 32.c4 dxc4 33.Nxc4 Kh5 34.Ke3 Bc6 35.Ne5 Kxh4 36.Kf4 h5 37.Ng6+ Kh3 38.Kg5 Kg3 39.Kxh5 Kf3 40.Ne5+ Ke4 41.Nxc6 bxc6 42.Kg5 Kxd4 43.Kf5 Kc3 44.Ke5 Kb2 45.Kd6 Kxa2 46.b4 Ka3 47.Kc5 Ka4 48.Kc4 a5 49.bxa5 Kxa5 50.Kc5 Ka6 51.Kxc6 drawn, Arman-Avdalyan - Chess_legend_rus, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022) 13...Be6 14.Bc3 Rf7 15.Nd2 Raf8 16.h3 Kg8 17.Bxf6 Rxf6 18.Rxf6 Rxf6 19.Rf1 Rxf1+ 20.Kxf1 d5 21.exd5 Bxd5 22.g3 Kf7 23.Kf2 Ke6 24.Ke3 h5 25.c4 Bc6 26.h4 Kf5 27.Nb3 Kg4 28.Ke2 Kxg3 29.d4 Kxh4 30.d5 Bd7 31.Nc5 Bc8 32.Ne4 Kg4 33.c5 h4 34.d6 cxd6 35.Nxd6 Bd7 36.Nxb7 Bc6 37.Nd8 Bb5+ 38.Kf2 h3 39.Ne6 Bc6 40.Nd4 h2 41.Nxc6 h1=Q 42.Ne5+ Kf5 43.Nd3 Qh4+ 44.Ke3 Qe4+ 45.Kd2 Qd5 46.b3 g5 47.Kc3 g4 48.b4 g3 49.Nb2 Qf3+ 50.Kc2 g2 51.Nc4 g1=Q 52.Nd6+ Ke6 53.Nb5 Qff2+ 54.Kb3 Qgg3+ 55.Ka4 Qxa2+ 56.Na3 Qaxa3+ 57.Kb5 a6+ 58.Kc6 Qgf3+ 59.Kb6 Qa8 60.b5 Qb4 61.Kc7 Qxb5 62.c6 Qa7+ 63.Kd8 Qbb6+ 64.c7 Qc6 65.c8=Q+ Black lost on time, Arman-Avdalyan - DE11, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022

12.Kg1 d6 

13.Bd2 Rf8 14.Bc3+ Kg8 15.Rxf8+ Kxf8 16.Nd2 Be6 

17.Rf1+ Kg8 18.Nf3 Rf8 19.g3 Bh3 20.Rf2 Nf6 21.Ng5 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: More From An Old Friend

 

Boosting yesterday's post on the appearance of the old Sarratt Attack in the 2022 U.S. Championship, here is a site that has two videos featuring analysis of the game between Grandmaster Awonder Liang and Grandmaster Levon Aronian - including one featuring Grandmaster Liang himself.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5

It is fascinating to see a Jerome Gambit similar - and possible inspiration - line of play at the grandmaster level in 2022.

Jerome Gambit: Old Relative

In the fifth round of the U.S. championship, Grandmaster Awonder Liang uncorked an old Jerome Gambit relative, the Sarratt Attack, arising out of the Scotch Gambit, against Grandmaster Levon Aronian, and won in 29 moves.

(J. H. Sarratt, "Professor of Chess" is a good article by batgirl at Chess.com.)

The game is given a close look by Grandmaster Rafael Leitao in the "Game of the Day" at Chess.com.

Check it out.

(Also on this blog, the Sarratt or Vitzthum Attack, a possible fore-runner to the Jerome Gambit. See "A Bridge To... Somewhere?", "Another Distant Relative?", "The Sarratt Attack", "Another look at the Sarratt Attack" and "Sarrat Attack: No Way A World Champion...".)

Jerome Gambit: An Early Scare

 

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) blitz game shows how a surprise move in the attack can lead very quickly to an advantage that grows and grows...

It also shows how one slip in a "won" position can turn the game over to the opponent. 

Blitz. It happens.

makeller - Venkatsh1111

10 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qh3+

As I wrote in the notes to my game against Ryszak,

The earliest game in The Database with this move is Idealist - Bhima, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2000 (0-1, 20). 

Although about 30 players have played 7.Qh3+ (with White scoring 28%), the most significant contribution to the move has come from recent analyses and a game by Yury V. Bukayev, published on this blog

"JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Parts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10)" 

"Jerome Gambit: Analysis Leads the Way (Parts 1 & 2)"  

7...Kf6

Immediately losing his footing. The proper response was 7...Ke7

8.Qf5+ Ke7 9.Qxe5+ Kf7 10.Qxc5

White has recovered his sacrificed pieces and is a couple of pawns ahead - with a safer King.

10...Nf6 11.d3 Re8 12.O-O Kg8 13.e5 b6 

When your piece is attacked, don't move it away, attack a more important piece of your opponent. 

But, watch out for intermezzo checks.

14.Qc4+ Re6 15.exf6 Qxf6 16.Nc3 Bb7 17.Nd5 Qg6 

This should make matters much worse.

18.Be3 

Fine, although Readers might have noticed 18.Ne7+ Kh8 19.Nxg6+ winning the Queen.

18...Rf8 19.Nxc7 

Overlooking a couple of things - it happens in blitz play.

First, since White's Queen secretly pins Black's Rook, 19.Ne7+ would win the Black Queen.

Second, Black now has a chance to escape 

19...Qxg2 checkmate

Very unfortunate.

Jerome Gambit: That Is Not Possible

Years ago - perhaps as many as 90 - my mom, as a little girl, was walking with a friend when an airplane passed overhead. The friend pointed to the sky and said with all sincerity, "That is not possible".

I sympathize. Every day I play over wins with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), and say the same thing.

Yet, those wins exist - and in enjoyable numbers.

mbokhari - elbardo

lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Nf6 

I do not know a name for this defense, but the earliest player to try it who is listed in The Database is Whiskey, from Ireland.

All-in-all, the Database has 122 game examples, and White scores a shocking 53%.

"Shocking" because Black's great lead in development and extra piece should count for something. Indeed, Stockfish 15, at 35 ply, evaluates him as almost two pawns better.

7.dxe5 Nxe4 

Black grabs a pawn and doubly attacks f2.

This seems reasonable, but the consistently "inattentive" - the 6th move ignores White's pawn's attack on the Bishop and Knight, the 7th move should ignore the pawn's attack on the other Knight - would be 7...Qe7!? Grabbing material with 8.exf6 would be met with 8.Qxe4+ and Black would clearly be better.

The Database shows one win for White in four games, after 7...Qe7. 

Now White has the standard Queen fork.

8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Qxe4 Qe7 10.O-O Qh4 

A game-ending mistake.

11.Qxh4 Black resigned

If you are going to play the 6.d4 line for White, it is a good idea to be familiar with the play that develops. I can suggest some games by Bill Wall -

Wall, Bill - TenAndOnly10m lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 21)

Wall,Bill - MyDrunkAccount, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 20)

Wall,Bill - NN, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 16)

Wall, Bill - Szachowski, playok.com, 2017 (1-0, 20) 

Wall, Bill - Guest902091, PlayChess.com, 2017 (1-0, 17)

Wall, Bill - Guest371494, PlayChess.com, 2018 (1-0, 21)

Wall, Bill - Guest4660121, PlayChess.com, 2018 (1-0, 15)

Wall,Bill - Guest7889049, PlayChess.com, 2018 (1-0, 12)

Unfortunately, Bill has never encountered 7.dxe5 Qe7!?. Similarly, today's post is the first on this blog (over 3,800 posts) to take a look at that line in the defense.