BSJG: The Pieces Do Not Fit

Some openings have thematic moves that have to fit together if they are going to be effective.

The following game shows a time where the pieces did not fit.

pablosko - ChessFever73

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6

The Queen check. The pawn block. The Knight sacrifice. All pieces of the BSJG.

7...Nf6 

Clever. Black does not want to play 7...hxg6 and let his Rook hang.

The problem is that taking the Knight is the right move, nonetheless.

8.Qe5+ Be7 

Developing a piece and preparing for 8.Qxd4 hxg6 when Black would be better.

Buckling up with 8...Ne6 was the way to go, although it would cost the Rook with 9.Nxh8.

9.Nxh8

Capturing the Rook after all.

Stronger play by White allows Black to threaten to capture a Rook, as well (another piece in the BSJG puzzle): 9.Nxe7 Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 Qxe7 11.Qxe7+ Kxe7 12.Kxc2 White is better.

9...Nxc2+ 10.Ke2 d6 11.Qg5 

The game has shifted. Black has the advantage, especially after he captures the a1 Rook - although 11...Be6, protecting the g8 square, would be prudent.

11...Ng4 

Unleashing the power of his two Bishops against the enemy Queen. However, White shows that there are still safe diagonals.

12.Qh5+ Kf8 

Ooops.

Stockfish 15 suggests that the game should play out 12...Kd7 13.Qxg4+ Kc6 14.Qg7 Bf6 15.Qxh7 Qxh8 16.Qxh8 Bxh8 17.d4 Nxa1 18.Be3 Kd7 19.Kd2 c5 20.dxc5 Bxb2 21.Nc3 dxc5 22.Rb1 Bxc3+ 23.Kxc3 Kc6 24.Rxa1 The Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame is not enough to save Black.

13.Qf7 checkmate

JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 15)

 JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 15)

(by Yury V. Bukayev)

In this part of my research on the standard system of the Jerome gambit (JG) we’ll consider my new invented way for White how it is possible to play after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qh3+! Kf7 8.Qh5+! g6 9.Qxe5 Qe7 10.Qd5+!? Kg7!?.

Let’s forget temporally about the sequence 6…Ke6 7.Qh3+! Kf7 8.Qh5+! g6, and we’ll consider the general sequence of moves: 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7 (the Whistler defence) 8.Qd5+!? (of course, White avoids the famous trap 8.Qxh8? Qxe4+) 8…Kg7!?. The modern theory considers 8…Kg7 as the strongest response. Thus, my invention is the following way: 9.b4! N. Of course, it will be a strong psychological blow for your opponent (Black). Probably, your opponent will see that 9…Bxf2+ 10.Kxf2!? Qf6+ (with the idea 11…Qxa1) and 9…Qf6 (with the ideas 10…Qxf2+ or 10…Qxa1) require to be analysed at first, because 9…Bxb4 10.Bb2+! Nf6 leads to a very complicated fight where Black’s material advantage isn’t very large and where White gets an attack. Let’s consider these two opportunities at first.

I)9…Bxf2+ 10.Kxf2 Qf6+ 11.Ke2

A)11…Qxa1 12.Qb3! (12.Nc3?! Nf6!), and White stands better

B)11…Ne7 12.Qb3!, and White stands better.

II)9…Qf6 10.bxc5! (10.Qxc5!? Qxa1! 11.0-0, and White attacks) 10…Qxa1 (10…Ne7? 11.e5 or 11.Qb3!; 10…c6? 11.e5 or 11.Qb3) 11.Qb3 Nf6 12.c3! (White prevents the retreat of Black’s Queen to e5 or d4.)

A)12…Nxe4 13.0-0! Nxc5 14.Qc2 d6 (14…Na4 15.Qxa4 Qxb1 16.Qd4+, and White has a strong attack; 14…Nd3 15.Qxd3 Qxa2 16.Qd4+ Kg8 17.c4, and White has a strong attack) 15.Bb2! (15.c4! Kf7 16.Bb2 Qxa2 17.Qc3! – 15.Bb2! Qxa2 16.c4+ Kf7 17.Qc3!) 15…Qxa2 (15…Bf5 16.c4+ Kh6 17.Qc3!; 16…Kf7 17.Qc3!, and White has a strong attack in both cases) 16.c4+ Kf7 17.Qc3! Rf8 18.Qf6+!, and White has a strong attack

B)12…d6 13.0-0 Be6 (13…Re8 14.Bb2 Be6 15.c4! Bxc4 16.Qc3! Qxa2 17.Qxf6+, and White wins) 14.Qxe6! Qxb1 15.Qe7+ Kg8 16.Qxf6, and White has a strong attack.

I think, your opponent will not solve all the problems during a game.

Of course, ‘the Great Complex Jerome Gambit’, ‘the Fantastic Star Jerome Gambit Deferred’ and ‘the Triumphant Jerome Gambit Deferred’ (these are my most strong deferred lines of JG, real parts of JG, they were invented and published in 2022-2023 in my analytical research ‘Lose Never with a Strong Deferred Jerome Gambit’ (Part 2, Part 3)) will be much more attractive for a lot of experts of the modern chess opening theory than the standard line of JG

UltraCorr 2023

 ICCF Senior International Master Tim Harding has been mentioned on this blog a number of times.

Past columnist ("The Kibitzer") for the ChessCafe website, and later, WorldChess, he is known for his devotion to correspondence chess, including editing and publishing 82 issues of "Chess Mail" magazine.

He has also written a large number of chess books:

• Steinitz in London
• British Chess Literature to 1914: A Handbook for Historians
• Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography 
• Eminent Victorian Chess Players: Ten Biographies
• Correspondence Chess in Britain and Ireland, 1824-1987 
• The Write Move 
• 50 Golden Chess Games 
• Red Letters with CC-GM Sergey Grodzensky
• 64 Great Chess Games 
• Startling Correspondence Chess Miniatures
• Why You Lose At Chess 
• Four Gambits To Beat The French (Chess Digest, 1998).
• Chess Openings for the Average Player 
• Play The Evans Gambit 
• Winning at Correspondence Chess 
• Better Chess For Average Players 
• Evans Gambit and a System v Two Knights Defense, Revised 2nd Ed 
• The Fighting Fajarowicz 
• The Classical French 
• Dynamic White Openings and Dynamic Black Defenses 
• The Games of the World Correspondence Championships I-X 
• Openings for the Club Player 
• Irregular Openings for the 1990's
• The New Chess Computer Book 
• Ponziani Opening 
• Philidor's Defense, A Reappraisal 
• Why You Lose At Chess 
• Nimzowitsch Defence 
• The Chess Computer Book 
• Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Slav 
• The Games of the World Correspondence Championships I-VII (1979).
• French: MacCutcheon and Advance Lines
• French: Classical Lines 
• Colle, London and Blackmar-Diemer Systems
• Spanish (Ruy Lopez): Marshall 
• The Italian Game
• The Leningrad Dutch 
• The Batsford Guide To Chess Openings 
• Sicilian: …e5 
• Vienna Opening 
• The Sicilian Richter-Rauzer
• The Sicilian Sozin 
• The Marshall Attack 
• Counter Gambits
• Bishop's Opening 

Dr. Harding's UltraCorr 2023 correspondence database has just been released. As he notes, it

is the only CC database edited by an acknowledged expert in chess history and correspondence chess...

The UltraCorr2023 database has over 2,452,000 games, about 100,000 more than last time [i.e. earlier edition], which are mostly games completed in 2022 but also include the fruits of more historical research. As usual, a considerable amount of work has been done to improve the player and event metadata and make it consistent for players who are active on more than one of the main CC platforms... 

UltraCorr2023 is a ChessBase-format database which has been created using ChessBase16 to guarantee backwards compatibility for people using earlier versions (back as far as CB10 at least and probably to CB8) and other programs such as Fritz which use the same file format.

Moreover we have checked that the database opens and functions in the recently released ChessBase 17 program. 

Correspondence games are often neglected by chess game databases (or under-reported, as is the case with the ChessBase correspondence CD, which doesn't quite compare). They are a great source of innovative moves and lines of play to sharpen and improve your play.

You can even find Jerome Gambit games in UltraCorr2023. 

Jerome Gambit: Brilliant and Brutal

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) always holds the possibility of a brutal attack.

The following game - a dozen moves - is a brilliant example. White gives and gives - and then gets the win.

Selrah - Gwaeren

5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6

Black declines the second piece. The earliest example I have of 5...Ke6 is an internet game from 2002, which clearly shows the limits of The Database - there has to be more out there.

On the other hand, the alternative 5...Kf8 is as old as Jerome's analysis in the Dubuque Chess Journal of April 1874, endorsed by Lt. Sorensen in his 1877 article on the Jerome Gambit in Nordisk Skaktidende and illustrated by the game Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1/2 - 1/2, 29).

For some significant background on this position, see "Jerome Gambit: The Way It Is" and "Jerome Gambit: More Concrete".

6.Qg4+ 

The right, aggressive response.

6...Kxe5 

This capture is risky, but the alternatives are far worse.

7.d4+ 

Another sacrifice.

7...Bxd4 8.Bf4+ Kxe4 

What does White have for his two pieces?

A forced checkmate.

Yes, he can also now win Black's Queen with 9.Bxc7+ followed by 10.Bxd8, but he is hunting bigger game.

9.c4 

A quiet move that helps weave the mating net.

9...Qf8 10.Nd2+ Kd3 11.Qe2+ Kc2 12.Nf3 checkmate 

Very, very nice.

Jerome Gambit: Deadly Pin

The following game shows a deadly pin on Black's Knight at f6. It seems almost an afterthought that Black's King is hounded across the board and checkmated on the Queenside.

Once again, blitz time control, Jerome Gambit.

oaitseziom - Uzeir_Bajrami

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Qf6 8.Rf1 g6 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.fxe5 Qxe5 11.d3 

Black's King has remained safe, despite the excitement, and his Queen and Bishop dominate the dark squared.

It is surprising that out of 27 games in The Database, the second player has only scored 52% from this position.

Attribute that to blitz play - and the Jerome Gambit.

11...g5 

This is what I mean. Earlier, oaitseziom faced the stronger 11...d5 (8 - 8 in The Database), but still prevailed: 12.Bg5+ Ke8 13.Qf3 Qxg5 14.Qf7+ Kd8 15.Nc3 Bg4 16.Nxd5 Ne7 17.h3 Nxd5 18.Qxd5+ Qxd5 19.exd5 Re8+ 20.Kd2 Be3+ 21.Kc3 Bd7 22.Kb3 c6 23.Rf7 cxd5 24.Rxh7 d4 25.Rf1 Rc8 26.Rf6 Bg5 27.Rxg6 Bf5 28. Rd6+ Black resigned, oaitseziom - konstartyom, lichess.org, 2021. 

He was not as successful against the less powerful (but still good for Black) 11...Nf6, e.g. 12.Qh4 d5 13. Nc3 dxe4 14. Nxe4 Bf5 15. Kd1 Bxe4 16. dxe4 Rad8+ 17. Bd2 Be3 18.Rxf6 Qxf6 White resigned, oaitseziom - Theorist1234, lichess.org, 2021. 

The text move appears designed to prevent 12.Bf4, challenging the Black Queen, but it has a few flaws. Once again: blitz time control, Jerome Gambit.

12.Qh5 

Increasing pressure on the enemy King. White is better now.

A bit more intense would have been 12.Rf5.

12...Nf6 

At this point the pawn at g5 must have felt abandoned.

13.Bxg5 Rf8 

The pin at f6 is bound to bring pain.

14.Nc3 Bb4 15.Kd2 

Getting out of the way of the other Rook.

Capturing with check was and is still on the table: 15.Bxf6+ Qxf6 16.Rxf6 Rxf6. 

15...Kd8 16.Rf5 

According to plan. Also, see the note above.

16...Qe7 17.Qh4 c6 18.Raf1 

The poor Knight.

18...Kc7 19.Bxf6 Qe6 20.Be5+ Kb6 21.a3 Rxf5 

Abandoning the 8th rank means that White now technically has a mate in 14 moves - 22.Qd8+ Ka6 23.axb4 Qh6+ 24.Bf4 Qxf4+ 25.Rxf4 Rg5 26.Qc7 Rxg2+ 27.Ke3 Rg5 28.Rf1 b6 29.b5+ Rxb5 30.Nxb5 Kxb5 31.c4+ Ka4 32.Qd6 c5 33.Qf6 b5 34.Ra1+ Kb4 35.Qc3# - but the game will not last that long. 

22.Rxf5 Be7 23.Qf2+ Ka6 24.Bc7 d6 25.Ra5 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: A Mess, But A Good Mess

Success with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) often requires the ability to make one's way through the mess on the board.

When the mess favors you, it is time to embrace it.

 

pablosko - Jean-neige

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 d6 

Black has to return a piece. This is how he chooses to do so.

7.dxe5 

Better was to grab the often annoying Bishop with 7.dxc5. 

7...Bxf2+ 

Black give up the Bishop to complicate things and make a mess. 

There was nothing wrong with the straightforward 7...Qh4 8.O-O Qxe4 keeping him better.

8.Kxf2 Qh4+ 9.Ke3 

The King is bold.

pablosko later played the stronger 9.g3 but the game did not go well. Qxe4 10.exd6 Bg4 11.Qd3 Qxh1 12.Qc4+ Be6 13.Qf4+ Nf6 14.Nc3 Qxh2+ 15.Kf3 Bg4+ 16.Ke3 Rhe8+ 17.Kd3 Rad8 18.Qc4+ Be6 19.Qxc7+ Rd7 20.Qc5 Red8 21.Bf4 h6 22.Ne4 Nxe4 23.Kxe4 Qe2+ 24.Kd4 Qf2+ 25.Be3 Qf6+ 26.Kd3 Rxd6+ 27.Ke2 Bg4+ 28.Ke1 Rd1+ 29.Rxd1 Rxd1 checkmate, pablosko - Jean-neige, lichess.org, 2023. 

9...Bg4 10.Qd5+ Ke7 

In a 3-minute blitz game, it might not be clear that advancing with 10...Kg6 was stronger.

Now things shift violently in White's favor. 

11.exd6+ cxd6 12.Qxb7+ Ke6 13.Qxa8 Qg5+ 14.Kd3 Qb5+ 15.c4 Qh5 16.Bf4 Be2+ 17.Ke3 Nf6 

Developing another piece costs another piece.

18.Qxh8 Nxe4 19.Qc8+ Kf6 20.Qd8+ Kg6 21.Qe8+ Black resigned

The Knight at e4 will fall.

The position is a mess, but it is a mess that White can win with.

Jerome Gambit: Gift Horses

There is the old saying "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth".

That doesn't always apply well to sacrifices in chess, especially those in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

Black can accept the sacrifice of a Bishop, and then Knight - if he knows what he is doing.

Likewise, White can survive the return of some of that material - in fact, he should. Being skeptical can leave him short-handed.

Unless it doesn't...

Consider the following blitz game.

Cruse1 - EfeKoralay

3 2 blitz, 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+

See "Jerome Gambit: LPDO Lesson"

This is known as the "Counter-Jerome Defense" or the "Counter-Jerome Gambit". It is one part psychology - If you are going to sacrifice a piece to disturb my King, then I am going to sacrifice a piece to disturb your King - and one part side-step from the main lines of the Jerome; for the price of a pawn, Black exchanges Queens and turns White's hopes of a smashing, crashing attack into a tedious task.

8.Kd1

White refuses the return gift, but this is a mistake - see "Jerome Gambit: Secret No More" and "Jerome Gambit: Wild".

The Database has 15 games with 8.Kd1, with White scoring 7 - 8, which is surprising and optimistic, as Stockfish 15 rates Black as more than a Rook better.

After the alternative 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qxf6 Nxf6 10.Rf1!? Nxe4 11.Kg1+ White will maintain the initiative and have a better game.

8...Qf6 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 

The Queens have been swapped, White's King has been displaced, and Black has a lead in development and an extra piece for White's extra pawn. It is not surprising to find 370 games with the Counter-Jerome in The Database. 

10.e5 d6 

This is an offer of a gift horse that White should have examined more closely.  

11.exf6 Bg4 checkmate

Ow.

This game is another stark warning, like the recent "Jerome Gambit: I Should Have Stood In Bed", that White cannot play on automatic pilot.

It serves as a ripost to the notion that if White mis-plays the attack, he loses the initiative, while if Black mis-plays the defense, he loses the game. Keep in mind the mythical book All or Nothing! The Jerome Gambit by Chaim Schmendrik.