Jerome Gambit: Why? Why Not?

After 7 moves in the following game, you might ask "Why play the Jerome Gambit?"

After 7 more moves, however, you migh catch yourself saying "Why not play the Jerome Gambit?"

angelcamina - mrsgaga77

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 Qe7 

This idea is as old as Jaeger - Jerome, correspondence, 1880 (0-1, 14) and Jaeger - Jerome, correpondence, 1880 (0-1, 40).

Yes, Alonzo Wheeler Jerome introduced an effective defense against his own opening attack. 

8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.e5 

The pawn is pinned - for now.

9...Kg8 

9...d6 was seen in angelcamina - IbragimMakiev, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020 (1-0, 40);  angelcamina - aa0073341, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022 (0-1, 42); and angelcamina - chess9656, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023 (1-0, 26).

10.O-O Ne8 11.Qc4+ Kf8 12.d4 Bb6 13.f4 

The White Queen and the "Jerome pawns" are doing quite well for themselves.

For the moment, Stockfish 15.1 still gives Black about a 1 1/2 pawn advantage, but that is about to change - this is a bullet game, after all.

13...d6 14.Nc3 dxe5

A major mistake. Possibly, Black only expected the d-pawn to recapture. Now his game blows up. Watch.

15.fxe5+ Nf6 16.exf6 gxf6 

17.Bh6+ Ke8 18.Rae1 

18...Be6 19.Rxe6 Qxe6 20.Qxe6+ Kd8 

21.Qxf6+ Kc8 22.Qxh8+ Kd7 23.Rf7+ Kc6 24.Qf6 checkmate

Excellent!

Jerome Gambit: Intimidation Bot (Part 3)

 

[continued from the previous post]

Continuing to look at the rematch with the Chess.com bot Chidobe Awuzie (based on "the Nigerian star cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals and winner of the inaugural BlitzChamps tournament") proved to be a much harder game this time around.

Comments by the Chidobe Awuzie bot are in orange.

perrypawnpusher - Chidobe Awuzie bot

rematch, Chess.com, 2023

One of the reasons that the Jerome Gambit succeeds in club play is that it creates situations that the defender is uncomfortable or not fully knowledgeable to deal with. Generally, club players attack better than they defend.

In the current game, one weakness of the bot is that it does not fully "understand" endgame play - at least not as much as I do. 

27.Na4 Rd4 28.Nxb6 Rb4 29.Nd7 Rxb2 30.e6 c5 

The Chidobe Awuzie bot has nothing to say about the sudden shift in assessment of the position: equal.

31.e7 Nxe7 32.Rxe7+ Kg8 33.Nf6+ Kf8 34.Rxh7 Rxc2 35. Ra7 Bb5 36.Rxa5 Bc6 

Black's active pieces balance White's extra pawn - for now.

37.Kf1 Kg7 38.Ng4 c4 39.Ne3 Rb2 40.Rc5 Ba8 

41.Rxc4 Rb1+

Get back in the film room and work on your defense youngin. 

I think the bot can hold after 41...Rxa2 42.Nf5+ Kf7 43.Nh4 as its pieces pressure White's fortress and it's King is well placed to impede the pawns' advance. 

42.Kf2 Rb2+ 43.Rc2 Rb4 44.Rc7+ Kh8

This move gives up the Bishop and the game. Avoiding this, it is hard to see how White makes progress. 

45.Rc8+ Kg7 46.Rxa8 

46...Rb5 47.a4 Rb2+ 48.Kf3 Rb4 49.a5 Rb5 50.a6 Kf7 51.a7 Ra5 52.Nc4 Ra1 53. Ne5+ Kg7 54. Nc6 

The passer will cost Black his Rook.

54...Ra3+ 55.Kg4 Ra1 56.Rb8 Rxa7 57.Nxa7 Kh6 58.Rb5 Kg7 59.Rb6 Kf7 60.Kf5 Kf8 61.Rb7 Kg8 62.Kf6 Kh8 63.Kg6 Kg8 64.Rb8 checkmate

I let you win, you were boring me. Let's go again, I'll play for real now.

Jerome Gambit: Intimidation Bot (Part 2)

[continued from the previous post]

A rematch with the Chess.com bot Chidobe Awuzie (based on "the Nigerian star cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals and winner of the inaugural BlitzChamps tournament") proved to be a much harder game this time around.

It makes me wonder what would happen if I played the bots Coach Mae, Larry Fitzgerald, Antonio, Deadlost and Grandpa Gambit again. (Trust me, I know exactly what would happen if I played the bot Mittens again.)

Comments by the Chidobe Awuzie bot are in orange.

perrypawnpusher - Chidobe Awuzie bot

rematch, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4

E4 is E-Z money. I can do this in my sleep.

Uh, that's what you said last time. You didn't last 10 moves.

1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

Chai! I watched film & predicted this capture. How glorious.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

Check, Shmeck. I ain't scared of you lol

Again.

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Kf7 

Preparing to castle-by-hand. Okay, I am impressed.

10.O-O c6 

A modest move, but the real Chidobe Awuzie plays defense, doesn't he?

11.d4 a5 

Strange. But, then, again, so is the Jerome Gambit. And Stockfish still sees Black as better after the move.

12.f4 

Preparing the "Jerome pawns" for action.

12...N8e7 13.f5 Nf8 14.e5 

14...b6 

Planning to put the Bishop on a6. An equal position comes about after 14...Bxf5 15.g4 dxe5 16.dxe5 g6 17.gxf5 Nxf5 18.Qb3+ Ne6 19.Qxb7+ Qe7 20.Qxe7+ Kxe7.  

15.f6 

To open lines against the enemy King. The proper move sequence, however, is 15.e6+ Kg8 16.f6. 

15...Nf5 16.Qf2 dxe5 17.dxe5 Ng6 18.fxg7 Kxg7 

Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into! 

19.Bf4 Ba6 20.Re1 Re8 21.Nc3 Qh4 22.Qxh4 

Bet money you still don't win. 

22...Nfxh4 

Easier than intercepting Aaron Rodgers. 

23.Bg3 Nf5 24.Rad1 Nxg3 25.hxg3 Rad8 26.Rxd8 Rxd8 

White's two extra pawns (even the passed one) are no match for Black's extra Bishop. Only the ghost of the Jerome Gambit is still apparent.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Intimidation Bot (Part 1)

A couple hour drive down the interstate takes me to the home of the National Football League Cincinnati Bengals. Naturally, when I was looking for another bot at Chess.com to play, I was drawn to the Chidobe Awuzie bot. As the site notes

Chidobe Awuzie is the Nigerian star cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals and winner of the inaugural BlitzChamps tournament. 

Despite the ongoing trash talk, I was not troubled by our game, a Noa Gambit. In fact, things ended quickly with embarassing ease.

Comments by the bot are in orange.

perrypawnpusher - Chidobe Awuzie bot

Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 

E4 is E-Z money. I can do this in my sleep. 

1...e5 

Don't listen to any trash talk from Joe Burrow. I crush him all day every day. [Burrow is the Cincinnati quarterback - Rick]

2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 

Chai! I watched film & predicted this capture. How glorious.

5.Bxf7+ 

Not too long ago, in the post "Against the Knights", I pointed out that this was

The Noa Gambit, otherwise known as the Monck Gambit, otherwise known as the Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. White gets his sacrifice, after all.

Check, Shmeck. I ain't scared of you lol

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe4 b5 

This odd move turns Black's advantage into one for White.

7.Nfg5+ Kg8 8.Qf3 

8...h5 

Necessary was 8...Qe8, although 9.Qb3+ then simplifies things: 9...d5 10.Qxd5+ Be6 11.Qxe6+ Qxe6 12.Nxe6 and White is ahead a piece and a pawn.

9.Qf7 checkmate 

I let you win, you were boring me. Let's go again, I'll play for real now.

Of course, I took the Chidobe Awuzie bot at its word, and offered another game. This time I got a Jerome Gambit - and more than I bargained for.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: In Four Diagrams

My latest Jerome Gambit game against a Chess.com bot was a draw that ran 95 moves. I don't think I am going to bore you with the details.

Except, I did say that I would share all of my Jeromes, didn't I?

Oh well, okay, I will put the naked game at the foot of this post.

But the whole story can be told in 4 diagrams.

perrypawnpusher - Isabel bot

Chess.com, 2023

White to move

After 22 moves, I was better, being up a pawn and having a better pawn structure. An atypical Jerome Gambit position, but you can't have everything.

Black to move

39 moves in, however, I have mangled my chances with the White pieces, and am clearly lost.

Can you see my one possible saving factor?

White to move

After 44 moves it is clear that I know something that Isabel bot does not - the effect of Bishops-of-opposite-colors on a pawn endgame.

The position is drawn.

Instead of making my 95th move, I claimed a draw. 

Sort of.

It turns out that in my game vs a bot, there was no option to do that. No button to push.

Nor did the bot acknowledge that the position was drawn.

We could still be playing, as far as it was concerned.

But, really: drawn.

I probably should feel bad about weasling out of a loss against a poor, innocent bot - but I don't. I've relied on opposite-colored Bishops before to escape my just desserts.

Readers might want to do the same, some day.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Nc4 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ Nd6 11.e5 Qf8 12.O-O Kf7 13.exd6 Qxd6 14.Qxd6 cxd6 15.Nc3 Nf6 16.d4 Re8 17.Bd2 Ne4 18.Nxe4 Rxe4 19.c3 Re2 20.Rf2 Rxf2 21.Kxf2 h5 22.d5 Kf6 23.c4 b5 24.b3 bxc4 25.bxc4 Kf5 26.Kf3 Ba6 27.Rc1 Rc8 28.g3 Bxc4 29.Kf2 Rc5 30.h3 Bxa2 31.Rxc5 dxc5 32.Bc3 g6 33.Ke3 Bxd5 34.Kd3 h4 35.gxh4 Kxf4 36.Bf6 Kf5 37.Bg5 a5 38.Kc3 Be4 39.Kc4 d6 40.Kb5 Ke6 41.Kxa5 d5 42.Ka4 c4 43.Kb4 Bf5 44.Kc3 Ke5 45.Bh6 Ke4 46.Bg7 Ke3 47.Bd4+ Ke4 48.Bf6 Bc8 49.Bd4 Bxh3 50.Bf6 Bg4 51.Bd4 Bd1 52.Bf6 Bh5 53.Bd4 g5 54.hxg5 Bg6 55.Bf6 Bf5 56.Bd4 Be6 57.Bf6 Bf7 58.Bd4 Be6 59.Bf6 Bf7 60.Bd4 Bh5 61.Bf6 Ke3 62.Bd4+ Ke4 63.Bf6 Bg4 64.Bd4 Bh3 65.Bf6 Be6 66.Bd4 Kf5 67.Bf6 Kg6 68.Bd8 Bf7 69.Kd4 Kf5 70.Bf6 Be6 71.Bd8 Bf7 72.Bf6 c3 73.Kxc3 Ke4 74.Bd4 Kf4 75.Bf6 Be6 76.Bd4 Bf5 77.Bf6 Ke4 78.Bd4 Bg6 79.Bf6 Kf3 80.Kd4 Kg4 81.Bd8 Be8 82.Bf6 Bf7 83.Bd8 Kh5 84.Bf6 Be8 85.Bd8 Bf7 86.Bf6 Bg6 87.Kxd5 Bc2 88.Ke6 Bb3+ 89.Ke7 Bd1 90.Kf8 Bf3 91.Kg7 Bd5 92.Kh7 Be6 93.g6 Bf5 94.Kg7 Bxg6 95.Be7 Bh7 draw

Jerome Gambit: A Relative

                                                     

Time for another visit to an opening that is Jerome-ish, but not quite the Jerome gambit.

angelcamina - Otschin_Karascho

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ 

angelcamina is familiar with the Noa or Monck Gambit, a relative of the Jerome Gambit. See the recent "Against the Knights"

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe4 d5 7.Neg5+ Kg8 8.d4 e4 

To upset the delicate balancing act of the White Knights.

9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 h6 

The better way to "kick" the Knight was 10...Be7, forcing a retreat.

The text overlooks the pin on Black's d-pawn, something that can easily occur in a 1-minute game that features an unusual opening.

11.Nxe4 Bb4+ 12.c3 Be7 13.Ng3 c6 

14.O-O Be6 

Oh dear. The equivalent of saying "Hit me!"

15.f4 Kh7 16.f5 Black resigned

The final position is complicated, but it is clear that White has a strong attack; and it would be a good exercise to figure out the way that play might have continued. Perhaps 16...Bg7 17.Qg4!? Rg8 18.Be3 to start. 

The clock may have figured into Black's resignation as well.

Jerome Gambit: Come And Get Me

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game might be lightly described as the exchange:

Black: Come and get me

White: Okay, I will

Wall, Bill - Dasasary

internet, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

This move goes back to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's analysis of the Third Variation of  "Jerome's Double Opening" in the July 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ Qf6 

Instead, 8...Nf6 was the move that Jerome considered. 

Interesting, from Wall, Bill - Aristarch engine, Palm Bay, FL, 2015, was 8...Ke8 9.Nc3 Nh6 10.O-O Rf8 11.Qg3 Ng4 12.Nd1 Qe7 13.c3 Qe5 14.Qh4 Qf6 15.Qg3 Bb6 16.d4 Qg6 17.Re1 Rf7 18.e5 Re7 19.Ne3 Qe6 20.Nf1 d5 21.h3 Nh6 22.Bg5 Nf5 23.Qh2 Rf7 24.g4 Ne7 25.Ne3 c5 26.Bxe7 Kxe7 27.f4 cxd4 28.f5 Qc6 29.cxd4 Bxd4 30.e6 Qb6 31.Qf2 Bxe3 32.Rxe3 Rf6 33.Rae1 h5 34.g5 Rf8 35.Qf4 d4 36.Rd3 Qa5 37.Re5 Qb4 38.Rxd4 Qb6 39.b4 Ke8 40.Red5 Bxe6 41.Rd6 Rxf5 42.Qe4 Rxg5+ 43.Kh1 Kf8 44.Rxb6 Black resigned

I don't think that I have shared that game, before.

9.Qg3 

Should White allow the exchange of Queens here, or not?

Stockfish 15.1 takes the affirmative (35 ply), and in the past Bill has gone along: 9.d3 Qxf4 10.Bxf4 Nf6 11.f3 (11.Nc3 a6 12.f3 Be6 13.Bg3 g5 14.e5 dxe5 15.Bxe5 Kf7 16.Bxf6 Kxf6 17.Ne4+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest2651667, playchess.com, 2015) 11...Bd7 12.Nc3 h6 13.Kd2 Re8 14.Be3 Bxe3+ 15.Kxe3 g6 16.d4 Kg7 17.h4 Rhf8 18.Ne2 Bb5 19.Nf4 Bc6 20.Nd3 Nxe4 21.fxe4 Rxe4+ 22.Kd2 Rxd4 23.Rh2 Rg4 24.Rg1 Rg3 25.b3 b5 26.a3 a5 27.Kc3 a4 28.b4 Be4 29.Re1 Bxg2 30.Re2 Bd5 31.Kd4 c6 32.Re7+ Rf7 33.Re8 Rd7 34.Rc8 Rg1 35.Kc3 Ra1 36.Nf4 Bc4 37.Nd3 Rxa3+ 38.Kb2 Ra2+ 39.Kb1 Rf7 40.Rh1 Bxd3 41.Kxa2 Bxc2 42.Re1 Bb3+ 43.Kb2 Bd5 44.Kc3 Rf3+ 45.Kd2 Rf4 46.Re7+ Kf6 47.Rf8+ Kxe7 48.Rxf4 g5 49.hxg5 hxg5 50.Rf5 g4 51.Rg5 Be6 52.Rh5 Kf6 53.Rh1 Bd5 54.Rg1 Kg5 55.Rg3 Kf4 White resigned, Wall,B - BlackMamba engine, Palm Bay, FL 2015 

9...Ne7 

10.c3 

A different approach was seen in Wall,B - Insurgent, internet, 2023: 10.Nc3 a6 11.d3 Bb4 12.0–0 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Qxc3 14.Rb1 Qxc2 15.Bb2 Rg8 16.Rfc1 Qa4 17.Rxc7 Qxa2 18.Qf3+ 18.Qxd6 Ke8 19.Qd1 Nc6 20.Qc2 Nd4 21.Rxc8+ Rxc8 22.Qxc8+ Ke7 23.Qxb7+ Kd8 24.Bxd4 Black resigned

9...Ne7 10.c3 h6 11.d4 Bb6 12.O-O Kg8 

White's pawn center looks formidable. 

Nonetheless, Black has managed to castle-by-hand and has avoided inflicting weaknesses upon himself.

13.Be3 Kh7 14.f4 Rf8 15.f5 Bd7 16.Nd2 a6 

For now, Black adopts a come-and-get-me attitude.

17.h4 Bc6 18.Rae1 Rae8 19.b3 Bb5 20.Rf3 c5

Black judges it is time to strike at the center.

Stockfish 15.1, in turn, recommends that White lock things up now with 21.d5. 

Bill declines, preferring more active play.

21.e5 dxe5 22.dxe5 Qf7 23.e6 

23...Qf6 

Bill was intending to meet 23...Qh5 with 24.f6 but that would have been preferrable for Black, rather than the text move.

24.Ne4 Qxf5 

A sad necessity, the Queen is trapped. He will get a Bishop and a Rook for the Queen, but that will not be enough.

25.Rxf5 Nxf5 26.Qf2 Nxe3 27.Qxe3 Rxe6 

28.Ng5+ 

A final insult.

28...hxg5 29.Qxe6 Black resigned

Black's Bishop pair looks scary, but not as scary as White's Queen.