Jerome Gambit: Hobbesian

Most of the time, I enjoy playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

Every once in a while, however, I am reminded that it is, after all, a refuted opening.

Usually those games are a very Hobbesian (not Calvin's pal), that is nasty, brutish and short.

This time the reminder was Klewnom. 

It looks like I am going to have to win the rest of my games in order to advance to the next round of this tournament. Fortunately, at least one of the games is also a Jerome.

perrypawnpusher - Klewnom

Italian Game tournament, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.Na3 

I thought I would try something different.

There are 71 other games with this move in The Database, with White scoring 48%.

Stockfish 15.1 (30 ply) rates Black about 4 pawns better.

The earliest mention I have seen of the move is in "Chess Theory for Beginners" by Lieut. Sorensen, in the May 1877 issue of Nordisk Skaktidende.

As I wrote in my post "The Jerome Gambit Article (Part 7)" 

Sorensen also suggested the direct 8.Na3 which “appears to offer favorable chances for White” according to Gossip (Theory, 1879), although it is hard to see anything but misery for White after the straightforward 8…Bxa3.

The most recent coverage of the move was in Yury V. Bukayev's post "Anatoly Karpov & Jerome Gambit (Part 4)"

8...c6 9.d4 

Yury Bukayev has invented the attack 9.f4 and recommends it to play here: 

I) 9...Ng6 10.Nc4+!

II) 9...Qe7 10.fe+!

III) 9...Qh4+! 10.g3! Qe7 [10...Nf3+! 11.Kd1 (or 11.Kf1 Qe7!) 11...Qe7! - the best defence, Black has a serious advantage, but White has some practical chance to fight] 11.fe+!
 

IV) 9...Nd3+ 10.cd!
 

V) 9...Nf3+ 10.gf!

9...Bxd4 10.c3 

This was my idea - to give up a pawn for open lines - but it doesn't seem to go anywhere.

After the game, Stockfish 15.1 suggested 10.Bf4, but 10...Qa5+ 11.c3 Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 Qxc3+ 13.Ke2 Qb2+ 14.Nc2 Qxc2+ 15.Kf1 has its own kind of misery.

10...g6 

This is a new move, according to The Database, but it works just fine.

11.Qf4 Ke6 12.Qg3 

Sadly, White can not capture the Bishop with 12.cxd4 because that would allow the brutal fork 12...Nd3+.

12...Bc5 

Black is up two pieces, for which White has an extra pawn compensation.

As Carly Simon sang, "This isn't exactly what we had planned".

I tried something that might have worked in blitz, but I could easily have resigned here, as I think the time control was 2 days per move.

13.f4 Nf7 14.f5+ gxf5 15.exf5+ Ke7 

Prudent. I had hoped for the greedy 15...Kxf5, when 16.Rf1+ would have been deadly.

16.Be3 Bxe3 17.Qxe3+ Kf8 18.O-O-O d5 

19.g4 Qg5 

An exchange of Queens seals it.

20.Rhe1 Qxe3+ 21.Rxe3 Nf6 22.h3 h5 White resigned

Jerome Gambit: Chess.com Awards Awarded

A couple of weeks ago, in the Chess.com Awards post on this blog, I mentioned that Chess.com was asking their readers to vote for

Player of the Year

Woman Player of the Year

Creator of the Year

Game of the Year

Move of the Year

Rising Star of the year

ChessKid of the Year

Commentator of the  Year

Event of the Year

Member of the Year

Book of the Year

Chessable Course of the Year

In a manner both pluckish and puckish, I suggested that Readers of this blog write in the name of this blog for Creator of the Year.

The results?

To quote from the Chess.com website

If the third time is a charm, [Levy] Rozman is definitely looking charming. For the third consecutive year, the man behind YouTube's biggest chess channel has won the Creator of the Year award. Spearheading chess content creation, Rozman has also found the time to write a book, commentate on major events, and make it to Forbes' 30 under 30 list.

The finalists were given as

1st: IM Levy Rozman

2nd: WFM Anna Cramling

3rd: GM Hikaru Nakamura

Very strong competition.

I tip over my King.

Many thanks to Readers who took up this blog's cause. 

• 
  

Jerome Gambit: Sidelined?

The following game is an interesting example of a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ) where White's Queen appears to wander off and then be cut off from the scene of the action - without any negative consequences, as a defender's error empowers the attacker.

Wall, Bill - Victorius

internet, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qa3 

Bill likes to experiment. More usual is 8.Qe3.

I was surprised to see that The Database has 208 games with 8.Qa3, with White scoring 43%. Of late, Carlos_Ricardo at the lichess.org site has played the line the most - 164 times.

8...N8e7 

An interesting development choice. Had he played 8...Nf6, instead, White would probably have had to play 9.d3, possibly stranding the Queen on her side of the board.

9.O-O Re8 10.Nc3 Kg8 

Black has castled-by-hand and has the advantage. What will he do with it?

11.f4 Nxf4

Incomprehensible. White is now better.

12.Rxf4 Rf8 13.Qb3+ d5 14.d3 Be6 

15.Rxf8+ Qxf8 16.Qxb7 

I was impressed to see that White could afford this pawn grab.

16...dxe4 17.Qxe4 

No longer in exile!

17...Nf5 

A slip.

18.Qxe6+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: And Yet Another Recovered Game

I have tried to post every one of my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games; win, lose, or draw; good, bad or ugly.

Still, sometimes, something slips through.

Earlier this year (see "Jerome Gambit: A Bit Awkward") I noticed that I had missed a game from 16 years ago - from before I started this blog.

So - time to fix that oversight. 

perrypawnpusher - gtomlinson

5 2 blitz, FICS, 2007

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 

This position is as old as Jerome's analysis in the April 1874 edition of the Dubuque Chess Journal and his game against Shinkman (0-1, 21) the same year.

10...Ke7 

The King anticipates a future Bishop pin along the b8-h2 diagonal.

11.Nc3 d6 

Both Rybka and Stockfish prefer 11...Nf6.

12.Nd5+ Kd8 

13.d3 

In this messy position I learned after the game that I could have played 13.d4!? Bxd4 (13...Qxd4 14.Qf8+ Kd7 15.Qf7+ Kc6 16.Qxc7+ Kb5 17.Be3) 14.Bf4 Qe6 (14...Qe8 15.O-O-O c6 16.Rxd4 cxd5 17.Rxd5 Qf7 18.Rxd6+ Ke8 19.Rhd1 Be6 20.Kb1 Nf6 21.e5 Nd5 22.Rxe6+ Qxe6 23.Rxd5) 15.O-O-O Bc5 (15...Bb6 16.Bxd6 cxd6 17.Qf8+ Qe8 18.Qxg7 Ne7 19.Nf6 Qf8 20.Rxd6+ Kc7 21.Qg3) 16.b4 Bb6 17.Bxd6 cxd6 18.Qf8+ Kd7 19.Qxg7+ Ne7 20.Qxh8 Nxd5 21.exd5 Qg6) 

13...Ne7 14.Nxe7 

Missing my chance for 14.d4 and advantage. The game shifts towards Black.

14...Kxe7 15.Rf1 Be6 16.c3 Raf8 17.Qe2 Rxf1+ 18.Kxf1 Rf8+ 19.Ke1 

White has no compensation for his sacrificed material.

19...Qf6 

This move preserves Black's advantage. The computers suggest that there is even time to go pawn-grabbing with 19...Qxh2. 

20. d4 Bb6 21.Be3 Qh4+ 22. g3 Qxe4 

Uh-oh. Bad things can suddenly happen in blitz. Black munches on another pawn (threatening Qh1+ and winning the Rook) - and it does not agree with him.

23.Bg5+ 

Of course.

23...Kd7 24.Qxe4 h6 25.Be3 c5 

Black lashes out, but opening lines to your King when you have only a Bishop for a Queen is quite risky.

26.dxc5 dxc5 27. Rd1+ Kc8 28.Qxe6+ 

Black resigned

A happy escape, most likely aided by the clock.

Good luck, as they say, is better than a license to steal.

Jerome Gambit: Ow! Ow! Ow!

When giant05 sent me his first Jerome Gambit game, my first response was "Ow! Ow! Ow!" on behalf of his opponent.

Take a look at the "Buyer's Regret variation".

giant05 - flint78

5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 

Dating back to the imaginary telephone chess game between R.F and Nibs, presented in the June 1889 American Chess Magazine.

9.g3 Nf3+ 10.Kd1 Qe7 11.Qd5 checkmate

Ow!

White sacrifices two pieces and checkmates in under a dozen moves.

Looks like 2024 is going to be a great year.

 

Jerome Gambit: Coach (Part 3)

 

[continued]

As I previously noted

Recently I decided to introduce the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.BXf7+) to the Chess.com bot Coach Mae...

Coach Mae's comments are in purple. I have added diagrams and a few comments of my own.

 

perrypawnpusher - Coach Mae bot

Chess.com, 2023

19.e5 

Kicking my knight. 

19...Nh7 

I'm moving out of danger. 

20.Qe4 

You threaten my knight - and responding to the threat would lose me time. 

20...Ng5 

You'll probably see this threat. But it wins me some time. 

21.Qg6 d5 

This move opens up the scope of my bishop. 

22.exd6+ 

En passant - very nice. 

22...Kf8 

Defending my pawn.

23.Rhf1+ 

You occupied the open file. A smart idea.

23...Bf5 

Now you check me, now you don't... 

24.Rxf5+ 

How do I stop your rook? You use it so well. 

24...Kg8 

My king dances out of the way... 

25.h4 

Giving my knight the boot. Ouch! 

25...Kh8 26.hxg5 

You've got an isolated pawn now. It might become a target later.

26...Rf8 

I'm offering you a trade. What will you do? 

27.gxh6 

Checkmate is coming. Good for you. 

27...gxh6 

You take. I take... 

28.Rh1 

You are playing a strong game. Keep pressing. 

28...Rf7 29.Rxh6+ 

You're on the path to winning the game.

29...Rh7 

Time to shield my king from your rook! 

30.Qxh7  

Bravo! That's mate.

Thank you for the lesson, coach.

Happy New Year 2024

 

Happy New Years, Readers!

It's a new year, time to try new things - perhaps make some New Years Resolutions.

I would love it if one of those resolutions was TO PLAY MORE JEROME GAMBITS!

Of course, not everyone feels that way.

Take National Master Robert Plunkett, of "Robert Plunkett's Chess Lab", featuring over 400 educational chess videos. There's a lot to learn, stopping by - which I encourage you to do.

You should start with his "Why I would never Play A Jerome Gambit".

Really.

NM Plunkett makes his case in under 10 minutes, and it certainly is worth watching, especially if you do plan to play a Jerome Gambit.

It is worth going back about 15 1/2 years to the blog post "Is this stuff playable?". The issue addressed is: Under what conditions is the Jerome Gambit playable?

Wherever surprise and chaos can rule, there is room for the Jerome Gambit.

Sometimes Bashi-Bazouk Attacks do win the day. 

But, take National Master Plunkett's concerns seriously. He might chase you off of the Jerome. Fair enough. 

However, if you come away with a set of ideas on how to meet his ideas about how to meet the Jerome Gambit - well, Welcome and Happy New Year!