Jerome Gambit: Short Lesson

Even a short Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game can include a number of lessons. 

Here we see the effort of DutchLiLi, playing at lichess.org. He is a Jerome Gambit veteran, with 760 games in The Database - scoring 51%.

DutchLiLi - OlafGunter

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

Black is happy with just one of the offered pieces.

Stockfish 15.1 is not convinced, rating the position as 3/4 of a pawn better for White (31 ply).

Furthermore, the Database has 225 games with this position, with White scoring 71%.

DutchLiLi is 7 - 4 - 1 (63%) in his games against 5...Ke8. 

6.Qh5+ 

In a bullet game, it pays to be aggressive.

For the record, stronger was 6.Nxc6, when the sharp response 6...Qh4!? (edge to White) remains unplayed.

Either way, White should have something prepared for 5...Ke8. Jerome Gambit players from angelcamina to ZahariSokolov have faced it.

6...g6 7.Nxg6 

The best chance.

7...d6 

In a 60-second game it might have been hard to find his way through to the computer's suggestion: 7...Bxf2+ (getting a pawn for the hanging piece) 8.Kxf2 Nf6 9.Qh4 Rg8 10.Rf1 Rxg6 11.Kg1 Qe7 12.d3 Qg7 13.Nc3 d6 14.Kh1 Be6 15.Ne2 Kd7 16.Nf4 Rg8 17.Nxg6 Qxg6 18.Qg5 Qxg5 19.Bxg5 Nxe4 20.Be3 Ng5 where his extra piece would outweigh White's extra pawn.

The text move allows checkmate.

8.Nxh8+ Black resigned

He Should Have Played the Jerome Gambit

In the following game an inventive and aggressive bullet player finds that his creativity takes him a bit too far - with unfortunate results.

It didn't have to go that way. 

Jerome.

Yasin_SUST - frastornante

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nxe5 

We have seen this relative to a Chicago Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nxe5) played by Yasin_SUST in "Jerome Gambit: Wandering (Parts 1 & 2)"

Now, after 4...Nxe5, Yasin_SUST has scored 5 - 2; and he was 4 - 0 with the followup 5.Bxf7+ - and three of those games transposed to the Jerome Gambit with 5...Kxf7.

4...Qf6 

Counter-punching. It looks primative, but in 1-minute games surprise moves can have their impact.

5.Nxf7 

Clearly, a piece must capture on f7, but the (Jerome) way was 5.Bxf7+ Kf8 6.Nd3 Qxf7 7.Nxc5 Qg6 8.O-O and White has a couple of extra pawns. Less good for Black would be an alternate King move, i.e. 5.Bxf7+ Kd8 6.Nxc6+ bxc6 7.Qf3.

5...Qxf2 checkmate

A reversed form of the Scholar's Mate. Ouch.

Such things can happen when you have only 60 seconds for a whole game.

In fact, it has happened before in the game Do, Nguyen Bao - Khuu, Dich Tai, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 2014, although, to be fair, that was an under-7 game.

Jerome Gambit: Hounded by the Clock?

Blitz games can be fun to play over, especially when they are chaotic, like Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games.

Carlos_Ricardo - DragonPatronus

3 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4  Ng6 

Earlier games with this line were covered in the games SensGuy - ad7976, 3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2020 ("Jerome Gambit: An Extra Move Always Helps") and Astral1119 - mofax, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021 ("Jerome Gambit:Quick WrapUp").

Also

Some reflections -

from "Superpippo!"

This move, despite the soundness of the basic idea – save one piece and return another – is too "creative" and leads to an even game. With a regular opening, having Black reach equality this early is an accomplishment for the second player, but in the Jerome Gambit – where White spots his opponent two pieces – it is a sign that something has already gone wrong for Black. 

from "Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's Dream"

The kind of move - withdrawing a piece from attack - that someone unfamiliar with the Jerome Gambit might make quickly. (Best was 7...Qf6). 

My guess is that at this point Bill got out his psychic micrometer, measured the apparent depth of his opponent's experience with (or understanding of) the opening, and chose a line of play that was most efficacious against an unschooled or uneasy opponent. 

from "Jerome Gambit: The Way It Is"

With more time to consider - the whole point of playing the Jerome Gambit... is that Black does not have much time to consider - Black would have found the less sensible (but stronger) 7...d6, 7...Nd3, 7...Qf6 or 7...d5.

8.Qxc5 d6 

As early as 2014 (see "Overwhelmed") I recommended  8...N6e7 here. 

9.f5+

White's check on the enemy King overrules Black's attack on the Queen. The "Jerome pawns" are showing their worh.

9...Kf7

This is a blitz game. With limited time, it may not be clear that this is the weakest of the 4 possible King moves. Stockfish 15.1 (35 ply) evaluates 9...Kd7 as slightly better for White; 9...Ke7 and 9...Kf6 are each increasingly better for White, up to about 1 3/4 pawns' worth.

The text exposes the Black King a bit too much.

10.Qd5+ Ke8 11. fxg6 hxg6 

The excitement has waned, with White having an extra pawn, the better pawn structure and the safer King.

Black now strikes out, ineffectively - perhaps hounded by the clock.

12.O-O Rh5 13.Qf7 checkmate.

Jerome Gambit: What the Rest of the Game Is For

If chess players were guided by "objectively best" assessments of the positions they were playing, there would be no Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) or its related openings: after White's Bishop sacrifice, he could just resign.

In whatever way the positions are evaluated, however, play continues - that is what the rest of the game is for.

The following game is a good example. White persists, despite facing prevailing wins, because he is well aware that in club level blitz play, anything can happen.

Robepersky - JohnInWales

10 0 blitz, FICS, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

Black's hope to protect his himself from the Fried Liver Attack - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 - by making the g5 square "off limits" for enemy pieces is foiled by White's Jerome Gambit treatment.

For some background see "A Jerome Look At The Semi-Italian Opening (Parts 1 & 2)" and "Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit"

According to The Database, Robepersky is 17 - 8 with this sacrifice. 

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ 

By adding O-O and ...h6 to the normal Jerome Gambit line, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Qh5+, White has improved his position by about a pawn's worth, according to Stockfish 15.1. 

7...Ke6 8.c3 

This preparatory move is Robepersky's choice, and The Database shows that it has scored 5 - 5, but more dynamic for White would be 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.b4!?

8...Qg5 

Black calmly offers to exchange Queens, to dampen White's attacking chances.

Robepersky has also faced

8...Qf6 9.d4 Bxd4 10.cxd4 Nf7 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.e5 Qe6 13.Qc5+ d6 14.Qxc7+ Qd7 15.exd6+ Nxd6 16.Re1+ Kf8 17.Qc5 b6 18.Qb4 Bb7 19.Bf4 Re8 20.Bxd6+ Kf7 21.Qc4+ Kf6 22.Be5+ Ke7 23.Bxg7+ Kd8 24.Rxe8+ Qxe8 25.Bxh8 Bc6 26.Nd2 Kc7 27.Be5+ Kb7 28.a4 Ne7 29.a5 Nd5 30.a6+ Kc8 31.Rc1 Ne7 32.d5 Kd7 33.dxc6+ Nxc6 34.Qxc6+ Ke7 35.Bd6+ Kf7 36.Qf3+ Ke6 37.Re1+ Kxd6 38.Rxe8 Black resigned, Robepersky - EddyTorrance, 5 0 blitz, FICS, 2021;

8...Be7 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.d4 Bf6 11.dxe5+ Bxe5 12.Rd1+ Ke7 13.Qxe5+ Kf8 14.Nd2 d6 15.Qf4+ Nf6 16.e5 dxe5 17.Qxe5 Nd7 18.Qf4+ Kg8 19.Qc4+ Kf8 20.Nf3 Qf6 21.b3 Ne5 22.Ba3+ Ke8 23.Nxe5 Rh7 24.Nf3 Be6 25.Re1 Kd8 26.Rad1+ Ke8 27.Rxe6+ Qxe6 28.Qxe6 checkmate, Robepersky - Tenet, 10 0 blitz, FICS, 2022; and

8...Nf6!? 9.Qh3+ Kf7 10.d4 d5!? 11.dxc5?! (11.Qg3 Re8) 11...Bxh3, White resigned, Robepersky - tutekk, blitz, 5 2 blitz, FICS, 2023 

9.Qxg5 hxg5 10.d4 

White achieves his pawn fork, but, to be fair, it is not enough to alter the fact that Black is better.

That is what the rest of the game is for.

10...Nf3+ 

A spririted idea: if Black needs to return a piece, why not do so to break up White's castled position?

11.gxf3 Be7 12.Nd2 Bd6 

Yes, the Bishop is safer on e7, but more aggressive on d6.

13.d5+ 

I would have sent the Bishop scurrying back to e7 with 13.e5.

13...Ke7 14.f4 

Clearance sacrifice.

14...gxf4 15.Nf3 

The Knight takes up guard duty on the Kingside, keeping a special eye on h2, which is threatened by the enemy Rook.

15...Nf6

Business as usual. In a blitz game, this kind of thing happens. More in line with the demands of the position was 15...Kf8. 

16.e5 Bxe5 17.Nxe5 Ng4 

Clock? Nerves? Caffeine deficiency disorder?

Instead, after the routine 17...Re8 18.c4 d6 19.Ng6+ Kf7 20.Nxf4 the game would be even, according to Stockfish 15.1 (34 ply) despite White's extra pawn.

Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: And Then There Were Four

The fifth and final round of the "Giuoco Piano Game" tournament at Chess.com - see "Jerome Gambit: Rescued?" for an earlier reference - has started, and there are four players left: myself (perrypawnpusher), auswebby, DouglasEngle, and xyz7.

I am playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) in my games with White, as I have throughout the tournament.

In the past, asuswebby had defeated my Jerome twice (see "Toward Disaster" and "Jerome Gambit: What Can We Learn? (Part 1)") so I am hoping to show that third time's the charm.

As always, I wish good chess to my opponents.

Jerome Gambit: Has ChatGPT Learned Anything?

 

A couple of months ago I visited the online website for ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence resource, and I asked it about the Jerome Gambit and the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. The results were mixed. (Of course, knowing about these openings is not clearly a sign of "intelligence", artificial or otherwise.)

See "Jerome Gambit: AI".

I visited again today. Strangeness still invaded our discussion. Here is how it went. I have added some comments in blue.

Please analyze the Jerome Gambit. Is it good for White? 

The Jerome Gambit is a chess opening that arises after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4. [Of course, this is not the Jerome Gambit, it is the Evans Gambit - Rick]

This gambit is named after the American chess master Jules Jerome, who popularized it in the late 19th century. [Last month ChatGPT attributed the opening to "the French player Jerome Michel". The Jerome Gambit was popularized by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome - Rick]

In this opening, White sacrifices a pawn in order to gain control of the center and develop their pieces quickly. The idea behind the gambit is to create pressure on Black's position and limit their options, while also potentially opening up lines for White's pieces to attack. 

Whether the Jerome Gambit is "good" for White or not depends on a few factors, including the skill level of the players, their respective styles, and the specific variation played. [Yes - Rick]

 At the highest levels of play, the Jerome Gambit is generally not considered a very strong opening for White, as Black has several strong responses that can neutralize White's initiative and potentially leave them with a weakened position. [Yes, again - Rick] 

One common response is 4...Nf6, which attacks the pawn on e4 and forces White to either defend it or allow Black to capture it with their knight. [Sorry, this makes no sense. In the line ChatGPT gives, above - the Evans Gambit - 4...Nf6 loses a piece to 5.bxc5. In the Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7, of course, 4...Nf6 is not possible - Rick]  

Another option for Black is 4...dxc6, [Not possible - Rick] which gives up the bishop pair but also gains a material advantage. [Huh? - Rick] 

However, at lower levels of play, the Jerome Gambit can be an effective surprise weapon, as many players are not familiar with the nuances of the opening and may make mistakes that allow White to gain an advantage. In particular, if Black is not familiar with the opening and does not respond accurately, they may find themselves under early pressure and struggling to find good moves. [Very true! - Rick] 

Overall, while the Jerome Gambit may not be considered the strongest opening for White at the highest levels of play, it can still be a viable option for players looking to mix things up and catch their opponents off guard. However, it's important to study the opening carefully and be prepared for a variety of responses from Black. [Wise counsel - Rick]

Jerome Gambit: Search and Find

I am always on the lookout for Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) videos, usually on YouTube.com. 

The latest is "italian game jerome gambit (as black).#chessgame #chessvideoplus #checkmate #playchess #chessboard" presented by @ChessNovice who has a website with a collection of chess videos.

The game is a bit odd, with White looking a bit like someone who absent-mindedly steps into traffic... There is no notification as to who won, although the final diagram surely favors Black.

Still, wins or losses, it is always educational to play over games and quiz yourself, What would I do here?, Why did he do that there?, What would be a good plan?, etc.

Anonymous - Anonymous

2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.Nc3 c6 9.O-O Qf6 

10.d3 Qxf5 11.exf5 Bd4 12.Ne4+ Kc7 13.Be3 Bb6 14.Bxb6+ axb6 15.Rfe1 Nf7 16.Rad1 Nf6 17.Nxf6 gxf6 18.Re7 Nd6 

Black has two pieces for two pawns.