Jerome Gambit: One For The Pawns

A primary imbalance in Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games is White's "extra" pawns vs Black's "extra" piece.

In the following blitz game, the pawns win in the end.

bigskytek - ferdinand122

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

6...Bxd4 

Black simply returns one of the sacrificed pieces. 

The Database has 1,433 games with this move, with White scoring 39%. This is in contrast to the "stronger" (according to Stockfish) for Black, but more complicated, 6...Qh4 - 454 games, White scores 54%.

The lichess.org website is not in agreement. It has 15,833 games with 6...Bxd4, White scores 46%; and 1,956 games with 6...Qh4, White scores 39%.

7.Qxd4 d6 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.O-O Re8 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.Rad1 Kg8 

Black has castled-by-hand. White will need to keep his tactics sharp to find advantage.

13.f4 Nc6 

Attack or retreat?

Once again, the typical Jerome Gambit case arises: the "normal" move is not as effective as "something else" - in this case 13...Ng4. 

14.Qxf6 gxf6 15.Nd5 Kf7 

Defending the f-pawn, letting the c-pawn shift for itself.

Upon reflection, Black might have let the f-pawn go with 15...Rd8.

16.Nxc7 Bg4 17.Rxd6 

Going a step too far.

17...Red8 18.Rxc6 bxc6 19.Nxa8 Rxa8 

The average Jerome Gambit player would be happy here, with 3 pawns for the Bishop.

Of course, the computer would disagree.

Things now unfold as you might expect.

20.h3 Be6 21.f5 Bc4 22.Rd1 Ke7 23.Kf2 a5 24.b3 Bf7 25.Ke3 a4 26.Kf4 Ra5 27.g4 axb3 28.axb3 Rc5 29.c4 Ra5 30.h4  Ra2 31.g5 Rf2+ 32.Ke3 

Black's Rook is effective behind enemy lines.

32...Rh2 

With 32...Rb2 he might have had better chances: 33.g6 Rxb2+ 34.Kd4 Be8 35.Rg1 Kf8 36.e5 c5+ 37.Kd5 fxe5 38.Kxe5 Re3+ 39.Kf6 Re4 and the progress of White's pawns has been halted. 

33.g6 Bg8 

Black's Bishop want to be a blockader, but the retreat 33...Be8 was better.

Now the defense unravels.

34.Ra1 Rh3+ 35.Kd4 Rxb3 36.Ra8 

Showing the difference between 33...Bg8 and 33...Bf8.

36...Bxc4 37.Kxc4 Rg3 38.Kc5 Rc3+ 39.Kb6 Rg3 40.Kxc6 h5 41.Ra7+ Kf8 42.Kd6 

Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Facing Two Opponents

In a 1-minute bullet game, each player has two opponents - the one across the board, and the clock. Both must be defeated in order to score the full point.

The following tricky win by angelcamina shows him holding on long enough against a talented defender / counter-attacker and out-racing the clock - until he can deliver checkmate.

Whew!

angelcamina - ogLMFAO

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6  

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 Qf6 9.O-O N8e7 

9...Nh4 was seen in angelcamina - Nieto01, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org 2022 (1-0, 22) 

10.Qxc7 

This pawn grab is correct, but requires quick judgement and iron nerves.

10...d6 11.Nc3 Ne5 

A more attacking idea is 11...Nf4. 

Last year angelcamina faced 11...b6 12.f4 Be6 13.Qb7 Bc8 14.Qxa8 Kf7 15.f5 Nf4 16.d4 Black resigned, angelcamina - aNKansEn, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022. 

12.f4 N5c6 13.e5 Qh4 

White White's Queen is far away from home, Black thinks about an attack on the King. I am not sure how White kept his cool.

By the way, Stockfish 15.1 recommended, instead, the unexciting 13...dxe5 14.fxe5 Qxe5 15.Qxe5 Nxe5 with an even game. 

14.exd6 Nf5 15.g3 Qh3 

Hopeful, but the retreat 15...Qd8 was probably more realistic. 

16.Re1+ 

Time is of the essence, but the slower 16.b3 and 17.Ba3 also came to mind.

16...Be6 

Black's second opponent - the clock - is beginning to affect play.

17.Rxe6+ Kf8 18.Re1 

Likewise for White, who, given a chance to breathe, might have found the creative 18.d7 Nh4 19.Qc8+ Kf7 20.d8=N+! Rxd8 21.Rf6+ Kxf6 22.Qxh3.

Now Stockfish 15.1, which occasionally seems stuck on the idea that the Jerome Gambit should end in a draw, suggests 18...Nh4 19.gxh4 Qg4+ 20.Kf1 Qf3+ 21 Kg1 Qg4+ draw.

The game now begins to resemble the old television show "Beat The Clock" as White gathers in the win.

18...Ncd4 19.Qxb7 Nf3+ 20.Qxf3 Rd8 21.d7 Rxd7 22.Qa8+ Kf7 23.Qe8+ 

Ooops.

23.Kf6 

Ouch.

24.Qxd7 Rf8 25.Re6 checkmate

I really don't know how he does it... again.

Jerome Gambit: A Recent Silicon Defense

There is something silly about the following game, not at all unusual for a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

ILUVSACS - djh2075

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6 

I have called this line the "Silicon Defense" or "Annoying Defense"- a relative of the "Sillycon Defense" - as it has been played by many computer programs, going back to Knight Stalker (an early version of Fritz) in 1993, and including Alaric, Alfil, Andscacs, AnMon,  Bison, Comet, Fritz, Hiarcs, Junior, Komodo, Shredder, Stockfish, and Talking LCD. The earliest human game that I have in The Database is D'Aumiller, A.D - A.P., Livorno, 1878 (1-0, 19).  

8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ 

Main line play for White requires a lot of exercise by the Queen.

9...Kd6 10.Qd3+ Ke7 11.Qg3 Qd4 

Black does not appear to be amused.

12.d3 g6  

However, this is a slip, as the game shows. Accurate was 12...Ke8. 

13.c3 Qd6 14.b4 Bb6 15.Na3 Be6 

Stockfish 15.1 evaluates this position as even.

16.Nb5  

A little bit better was 16.Nc4 Bxc4 17.dxc4 c5, although the related 16.Bg5+ Ke8 17.Nc4 Bxc4 18.dxc4 c5 would also be interesting. 

16...Qd7 

Hoping to eject the Knight.

17.Bg5+ Ke8 18.Qxe5 

18...a6 

Missing something.

19.Nd4 Bxd4 20.cxd4 Qd6 21.Qxh8 

The end has a hurried feel.

21...Kd7 22.O-O Ne7 23.Qxa8 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Highest Rated

Quite possibly the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game with the highest rated players is the following bullet game played on the lichess.org online site. Black's Knight wreaks destruction.

Chess_Lions (2952) - OCChess (2985)

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Qf6 8.d4 

Offering a pawn to open lines. This is bold, but dangerous.

8...Bxd4 9.c3 Nd3+ 10.Kd2 Nxf4 

11.Qe8+ Ne7 12.Qxh8 Bb6 

Stronger was 12...Qg6. 

13.Kc2 Qg6 

To block in the enemy Queen.

14.Re1 

In a bullet game it is possible to miss things like 14.Bxf4. 

14...Nxg2 15.Re2 d6 16.Na3 Qg4 17.Rd2 Ne3+ 18.Kb3 Qxe4 19.Qxg7 a5 

Black won on time. It was also checkmate in 14

The New World Champion Was Beaten By Yury Bukayev's Old Attack

Readers of this blog are familiar with Yury V. Bukayev very well from his analysis, games etc. posted here. Yury's recent  email provides with a very interesting material! 

Here are interesting news! The new World Champion has been beaten by Top GM A.Giri in C53-C54 by my old attack, in fact!

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2498745

Anish Giri vs Ding Liren (2023) Viewable chess game Anish Giri vs Ding Liren, 2023, with

discussion forum and chess analysis features. www.chessgames.com

Thus, 7.c3! is Mr. Giri's transposition into my old attack (Part 2 of my old work on C53-C54, its summary was published on "Bruno's Chess Problem of the Day")...

Approximately 20 years ago the famous Soviet and Russian grandmaster, maestro of an opening analysis Igor A. Zaitsev said: "These Yury Bukayev's analyses are strong. They should be published..." I'm congratulating dear grandmaster with his 85th birthday very warmly!

Also, if it is interesting, one of commentators (S. Simpson) says about her Jerome-ish idea for this game:

 "Ding playing 14...Bxf2+ The idea being 15.Kxf2 or 15 Qxf2 then 15...Nxe4 (when the Knight was on d2 it prevented this idea.) and Black can play Qxg5. <...>

I fished about 14...Bxf2+ for a while before deciding 14...Bxf2+ 15.Ke2 and after the f1 Knight moves Rf1 is coming."

Jerome Gambit: Assessment

When preparing to play a particular line of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) or assess a particular position, I usually consult (as is apparent to any regular Reader of this blog) a few sources.

First, I look at The Database, which is my 85,000+ game collection of Jerome and Jerome-ish examples.

Although it contains results of my historical research, the backbone of The Database is drawn from the online playing site FICS, from its beginning through March 2023. This makes it pretty representative of club play.

Of late, I have been adding games drawn from the online site lichess.org, which provides additional information. For example, their database currently has 581,944 games (!!) starting 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, of which 48% are wins for White, 49% are wins for Black, and 3% are draws.

Then I can look at my own games (657 with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, scoring 82%) and see how successful - or lucky - I have been in the relevant lines.

I also will consult a chess engine - currently Stockfish 15.1 - for its assessment. Of course, I cannot rely upon computer evaluation completely, as it would try mightily to dissuade me from playing the Jerome at all, evaluating the opening as about 3 3/4 pawns better for Black.

 

Jerome Gambit: Compensation

What does White get for his two sacrificed pieces in the Jerome Gambit?

He gets a couple of pawns.

He gets an attack.

He gets to play a strange opening that his opponent most likely is unfamiliar with - and at club level that is often worth a few pawns, or even a piece. 

Wall, Bill - Andar

SparkChess.com, 2023

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6 

Attempting to save the Knight in this way will not succeed. (6...Ke6 is correct.)

The Database has 259 games with this move. White scores 80%. Stockfish 15.1 evaluates the position as more than a Rook better for White.  

7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ Kf8 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qb4 

Bill likes to experiment. There is nothing wrong with the routine 10.Qe3.

10...a5 

Sometimes attacking the White Queen can be irresistable. 

Black should have gone for broke with 10...Qg5, since then White would have needed to be careful and play 11.Kf1 - 11.O-O? Bh3 12.g3 Qh5 13.Qa3 Qe2 14.Qd3 Bxf1 15.Qxe2 Bxe2 and Black is winning.

After the suggested 11.Kf1, however, White would still be safe and two pawns up.

11.Qc4 c6 12.O-O b5 

 Sometimes attacking the White Queen can be irresistable. 

13.Qd3 Ba6 

Giving White the chance to stumble with 14.Nc3 b4.

14.Qg3 Qf6 15.d3 h6 16.Bf4 Rd8 17.e5 dxe5 18.Bxe5 Qf7 

19.Nd2 Nf6 20.Rfe1 Kg8 21.Bxf6 Qxf6 22.Re5 Kh7 23.Ne4 Qg6 

The difficulty for Black is that even if he were to exhange off all of the pieces, he would still be two pawns behind. I do not know what the time control for the game was, but I don't think he could have counted on his opponent flagging.

24.Qxg6+ Kxg6 25.Re6+ Kf5 26.Rxc6 Bb7 

Final oversight.

27.Nd6+ Black resigned