Out-Weird the Jerome Gambit

 

I was going over a recent chess game with an opening that tried to out-weird the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+): drumme - rajasthan, blitz, FICS, 2023 (1-0, 28) started off 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nb4?!

Say, what?

There is weird, and then there is weird.

I was somewhat comforted by the outcome of the game, especially since the player of the White pieces, drumme, is a longtime Jerome Gambiteer - his games in The Database start in 2008 and continue through 2023.

A closer look at The Database showed 25 games (that many??) with 3...Nb4?! White scored 84%.

I was even more reassured upon encountering an unattributed entry in The Database referring to "A nice trap in a Jerome-type position". Quite possibily, the author was the Australian privite eye, Cliff Hardy, another Jerome Gambit afficiando.

Here it is. I have added diagrams.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nb4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 

Black is trying to be tricky - he wants to invite a Jerome player to play the standard Qh5, but after Ke7 this doesn't come with check and then he wants to play Nxc2, winning the rook. 

6.Qf3

This move is significantly better then Qh5 (evaluation: around -1.40 for Qf3, around -3 for Qh5, as Qh5 will be met with Qe8 and black moved his queen to a better place while attacking white queen, who has to retreat, since the exchange of queens strongly favoures black), but Qf3 still allows black to follow his fishy plan (which we should gladly allow him to execute, since this is a "short road to hell" for him).

6...Nxc2+ 7.Kd1 Nxa1 

Black is happy to have a huge material advantage, but there will be a suprise. From now, there is no reverse: this is a forced mate in 6!!!

8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Nc4+ Kc5 10.Qd5+ Kb4 11.a3+ Ka4 12.Nc3+ Kb3 13.Na5 checkmate 

A nice curiosity: any move with this knight results in mate. A comment at the end: After 6.Qf3, playing 6...Nxc2 is not the best choice: according to Stockfish, there are 3 stronger moves for black: 6...Qe8, 6...Nf6, 6...Nh6, taking on c2 is a fourth line, also reasonably good (evaluation: +1.01 at depth 33), especially in double-edged positions with both kings exposed and especially in shorter time formats. The losing move is, whereas, taking the poisoned rook (losing without reverse, since it's an easy mate with all moves forced). 

After 7.Kd1, black should play 7...Nf6 (the best move, eval. +1.05, developping new piece, white plays KxN and retrieves the sacrificed knight, but for a price of exposing the king) or 7...Qe8 (eval. +1.33, with the same idea) or the inhuman 7...Ne3 (best reply is the obvious QxN, without exposing the king, but the engine likes this for some deeep reason, eval. +1.37). All moves beside these 3 are evaluated at least +2.

Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Battle to the End

Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7) games can be a battle - in fact, that is why many players (including occasional masters and grandmasters when they are in a fun mood) - enjoy playing it.

The following game is a recent such battle. White does not have an easy win, he had to fight for it.

And he does.

Minecraftado - ORIONfull

10 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7

4...Kxf7 5.d4 

There are 2,734 games in The Database with this move. White scores 38%. (By comparison, with 5.Nxe5+ White scores 57%).

It is interesting to note that the average rating for White in those games is 80 points less than that of Black: he is spoiling for a fight.

5...Bb6 

Maybe Black was taken by surprise by 5.d4. Any of the three ways of capturing the d-pawn would be stronger.

...Bb6 is a relatively rare move, with only 22 games in The Database. White scores 45%. This is not a doom-and-gloom situation for the defender, yet, but it boosts White's practical chances.  

(For a short discussion of how the games in The Database are representative of club chess play in the wider world, see "Jerome Gambit: More Crunchy Numbers".)

6.dxe5 

This move wins a pawn and temporarily keeps an enemy piece off of f6, but White might have tried 6.d5 Nce7 (or 6...Nb8) followed by capturing the pawn a different way, with 7.Nxe5+.

6...d6 7.O-O Bg4 

8.e6+

Perhaps hoping for 8...Kxe6 9.Ng5+ Ke7 10.Qxg4, winning a piece, but 9...Qxg5! would have spoiled things. 

8...Kf8 

This is a blitz game, and Black takes his opponent at his word.

9.h3 Bh5 10.g4 Bg6 

11.Bg5 Nge7 12.Nc3 Qe8 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Ne5 

Black is better, with a piece for two pawns, and his two Bishops look scary.

However, White's "Jerome pawns" have some ideas of their own.

15.Nxe5 dxe5 16.d6

Open lines against the enemy King. 

16...Qxe6 

Possibly wary of 16...cxd6 17.Qxd6+, and hoping after the text for something like 17.dxc7 Bxc7.

17.d7 

White's passed pawn equalizes the game.

17...Kf7  

Black's King temporarily un-block's the Rook on h8. His response needed to be more local, 17...c6 18.d8=Q+ Bxd8 19.Bxd8 and things would still be in balance. 

18.Qf3+ Kg8 19.Qxb7 

Not afraid of the "gutter", because the Rook at a8 is unprotected.

19...Rf8 20.Qc8 

Readers know what White was thinking.

I know what White was thinking.

Black knows what White was thinking.

With a continued appreciation of the gorgeous diagonals that Black's two Bishops control, it is easy (tick, tick, tick) to overlook the runty diagonal that Black's Queen controls.

20...Kf7 

This will do, as would 20...Rxc8 21.dxc8/Q+ Qxc8.

21.Qb7 Qxd7 

Black: Deep sigh of relief.

Still, it is always a good idea to remember the words of baseball legend Yogi Berra, that  It ain't over 'til it's over.

White is not finished fighting.

22.Rad1 Qb5 23.a4 

An excellent try.

23...Qxa4

A fateful distraction.

24.Qd5+ Ke8 25.Qe6 checkmate

White battles to the end - and wins!

Que Sarratt, Sarrat

From time to time on this blog, I have looked for possible fore-runners to the Jerome Gambit (inspirations to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome from similar lines of play), including the Sarratt or Vitzthum Attack. (For examples, see "A Bridge To... Somewhere?", "Another Distant Relative?", "The Sarratt Attack", "Another look at the Sarratt Attack" and "Another Example of the Vitzthum Attack"). 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5 

5...Nh6 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+

KaspaChess has a recent educational and entertaining YouTube video "WHY's This Sarrat Opening Variation So Underrated?" that is worth checking out.

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Can't Win For Losing

Playing over the following game, and considering Black's play, I was reminded of Pleasant Joseph's lament, who recorded in "Bad Luck Blues" in 1947, 

If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all.

Lucky for Readers, I have covered this line of play for almost a decade and a half.

Edwinpaderes - dan-p

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1. e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

White has ideas of his own.

It is hard not to mention that a dozen years ago I was able to get Grandmaster Lev Albert's thoughts on the line, in Chess Life. See the post "Ad Ridiculum".

4...Ke7 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit Declined. See "Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit Declined", "BSJGD: It's Complicated", and "BSJGD: Embrace the Chaos"

Some thoughts from earlier posts:

"Idées Fixes et Manqués"

I have met this move before (see "Jedi Mind Tricks", "Jedi Mind Tricks / Rematch", "Sith Still and Don't Move", "Never Mind" and "Platinum Mind Tricks"), and whatever advantages it has are slight and purely psychological.

 "Lots of Practice, Some Theory"

I have not promoted declining the gambit, in fact I have referred to it as intending some kind of "Jedi mind trick", but I note that steveod has played several games with 4...Ke7:

5.Nxe5 d6 6.Nc3 (6.Bxg8 dxe5 7.d3 Rxg8 8.Bg5+ Black resigned, frizerkaHR - steveod, FICS, 2012) dxe5 7.Qh5 Nc6 8.Nd5+ Kd6 9.f4 Nf6 10.Qg5 h6 11.fxe5+ Nxe5 12.Qe3 Nxf7 13.e5+ Nxe5 14.d4 Nxd5 15.Qxe5+ Kc6 16.c4 Bd6 17.cxd5+ Kb6 18.Qxg7 Qe7+ 19.Qxe7 Bxe7 20.Rf1 Rf8 21.Be3 Rxf1+ 22.Kxf1 Bd7 23.d6 Bb5+ 24.Kg1 Bxd6 25.Rc1 c6 26.b3 a5 27.a4 Bd3 28.d5+ Kc7 29.Rc3 Be4 30.dxc6 Bxc6 White forfeited on time, AndrejRussia - steveod, FICS, 2014;

5.Nxd4 Kxf7 (5...exd4 6.Bxg8 Rxg8 7.d3 Ke8 8.c3 dxc3 9.Nxc3 c6 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qxh7 Rg7 12.Qh6 Qf6 13.Bg5 Qd4 14.0-0 d6 15.Be3 Qb4 16.Rab1 Be6 17.d4 Kd7 18.e5 dxe5 19.dxe5 Kc7 20.Bg5 Bf5 21.Bf6 Rf7 22.Rbc1 Bxh6 23.Nd5+ Kb8 24.Nxb4 Bxc1 25.Rxc1 Rd7 26.h3 a5 27.Nc2 Bxc2 28.Rxc2 b5 29.Rxc6 Kb7 30.Rc5 Kb6 31.Rc3 b4 32.Rg3 Rg8 33.e6 Rd6 34.f4 Rxe6 35.Be5 g5 36.Bd4+ Kb5 37.f5 Re4 38.Bf6 Rf4 39.h4 Rxf5 40.hxg5 Rxf6 41.gxf6 Rxg3 42.f7 Rd3 43.f8Q Rd1+ 44.Kh2 Rd5 45.Qb8+ Kc4 46.b3+ Kd4 47.Qf4+ Kc5 48.Qc4+ Kd6 49.g3 Rd2+ 50.Kh3 Rxa2 51.g4 a4 52.Qxb4+ Kd5 53.bxa4 Re2 54.Qb5+ Kd6 55.Qxe2 Black resigned, roosmanla - steveod, FICS, 2008) 6.Nf3 d6 7.c3 h6 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 Be6 10.d5 Bd7 11.Nc3 g5 12.Qd4 Bg7 13.Qd3 a6 14.Be3 Qe7 15.Bd4 Bxd4 16.Qxd4 Nf6 17.0-0 Rae8 18.Rfe1 g4 19.Nd2 Nh5 20.Re2 Rhg8 21.g3 Qf6 22.Qxf6+ Nxf6 23.Rae1 Rg5 24.f4 gxf3 25.Nxf3 Rg4 26.e5 Nxd5 27.Nxd5 c6 28.Nf4 Be6 29.Nxe6 Rxe6 30.exd6 Rxd6 31.Re7+ Kf6 32.Rxb7 Rd3 33.Kg2 Rb4 34.Rxb4 Black resigned, bushytail - steveod, FICS, 2010; and

5.Bxg8 Rxg8 6.d3 h6 7.Nxe5 d6 8.Nf3 Bg4 9.Nbd2 Kd7 10.b3 Qg5 11.Bb2 Bxf3 12.Nxf3 Qxg2 13.Rf1 Nxf3+ 14.Ke2 Nxh2 15.Re1 Qf3+ 16.Kd2 Qxf2+ 17.Re2 Qf4+ 18.Re3 Nf1+ 19.Qxf1 Qxf1 20.Rxf1 Be7 21.Kc1 Bg5 22.Rfe1 Raf8 23.Kb1 Bxe3 24.Rxe3 Rf1+ 25.Bc1 g5 26.e5 h5 27.e6+ Ke7 28.d4 c6 29.Kb2 g4 30.b4 h4 31.Re4 h3 32.Be3 h2 33.Bf4 h1Q White resigned, EstonianBear - steveod, FICS, 2002.

Meanwhile, back at the game...

5.Nxe5 d6 

Kick the Knight that protects the Bishop.

6.Bxg8 dxe5 7.Bc4 

Black may have psyched himself into a corner: If you want the Giuoco Piano, you can't have it; If you want me to take the Bishop, I won't take it... 

White is ahead by two pawns, and his King is safer.

7...Bg4 

dan-p has another trick up his sleeve: if White now takes the Bishop with 8.Qxg4, there is the Knight fork 8...Nxc2+, winning the Rook!

Only there is a problem with this line, as after 9.Kd1 Nxa1 White has 10.Qe6 checkmate.

8.f3  

White is comfortably ahead, he does not need complications. This is a 5-minute blitz game.

8...Be6 9.Bxe6 Kxe6 10.c3 Nc6 11.Qb3+ Kd7 12.Qxb7 

Okay, he goes for slight complications, ignoring the ancient wisdom "He who takes the Queen's Knight pawn sleeps in the gutter".

If necessary, White's Queen can retreat behind some solid pawns - and Black's King is still more poorly placed.

12...Rb8 13.Qa6 Qf6 14.O-O Nd4 15.Qxf6 g6 

More misfortune. I am sure this is a mouse slip for the intended 15...gxf6.

16.cxd4 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Among the "Worst Chess Openings"

DanielYT has compiled a half-dozen "Worst Chess Openings" and illustrated them with short YouTube videos.

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) - of course! - finds itself in the company of  the Senechaud Countergambit, the Mosquito Gambit, the Matovinsky Gambit, the Orsini Gambit, and the Frederico Variation.

The Jerome line given is the "Silicon Defense" or "Annoying Defense", 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6 8.fxe5 dxe5.

The Database has 342 games with this line, with White scoring 50% - which is really not that bad.

I wonder how well the other named openings score?

Jerome Gambit: No Longer Gloom and Doom

 

Thursday, March 10, 2022, was a gloomy day for this blog.

In "Jerome Gambit: No Longer Reaping the Benefits" I bemoaned the fact that

A look at the statistics provided by the blogger.com site shows that last month, February 2022, set a record - for the fewest views of this blog, ever. Given that there are over 160 other months of posts to compare it too, that's quite grim.

However, as the American writer Mark Twain once wrote, "The report of my death was an exaggeration". 

Blogger.com statistics for the recent month of May, 2023 show almost 20 times the number of views compared to 15 months earlier - the highest since that time.

That's quite an increase.

To steal (and mangle) a quote from a previous future American president, "You don't have the Jerome Gambit to kick around any more".

I owe many, many thanks to readers of the blog, old and new.

Jerome Gambit: More TikTok

 TikTok

In earlier posts (see "Jerome Gambit: Fun" and "Jerome Gambit: How How Do You REALLY Feel?") I have mentioned short TikTok videos covering the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

Chessfriend Yury V. Bukayev recently sent an updated TikTok link, "chess knowledge with h1 gambit jerome", worth checking out.

Part education, part entertainment, fully Jerome.