Jerome Gambit: Choices

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, White plays an interesting, but not mainline, 5th move, giving Black choices - choices that lead to a win for the first player in only a dozen moves.

By the way, moisesah finished third in the tournament - out of 142.

moisesah - cjg179

Jerome Gambit Classic #1, Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.d4 

Going off the main path.

Checking The Database, there are 2,786 games with 5.d4, with White scoring 38%. Compare this to 5.Nxe5+, with 26,717 games in The Database, with White scoring 56%. 

Black has three choices.

5...Nxd4 

This move is okay, but a bit stronger were 5...Bxd4 and 5...dxe4. 

6.Nxe5+ Ke8 

Instead, 6...Kf8, with no check upcoming, makes a big difference.  

7.Qh5+ Ke7 

It is possible that Black avoided 7...g6, because he saw 8.Nxg6. It is true that after 8...hxg6 White would be better, after either 9.Qxh8 or 9...Nf6 but both would be better than what he allows. 

8.Bg5+ 

This move it good. It wins.

Stockfish 16.1, in its fussiness, pointes out 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Nc3 Nf3+ 10.Ke2 Nxe5 11.Rd1+ Nd3 12.Rxd3+ Kc6 13.Qd5+ Kb6 14.Qb3+ Bb4 15.Qxb4+ Ka6 16.Qb5 checkmate 

8...Nf6 

9.Bxf6+ gxf6 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Nc4+ Kc6 12.Qd5+ Black resigned

Black will lose two pieces: 12...Kb5 13.Nba3+ Ka6 14.Qxc5 followed by 15.Qxd4.

Jerome Gambit: Unfortunately, Overlooking Something

Double attacks are at the heart of tactics: threatening two things, when only one can be countered.

Both White and Black can benefit from this.

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is a good example - alas, Black benefits.

sinipete - cool64chess

Jerome Gambit Classic #1, Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 

8.O-O Nf6 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bxf6 Qxf6 11.f4 

Unfortunately, overlooking something.

11...Nf3+ White resigned

We have seen this combination of disclosed attack on the Queen and a check on the King, in "Jerome Gambit: A Word of Caution".

Two other similar examples:

HauntedKnight - polemidis, blitz, FICS, 2008 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0–0 Nf6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bxf6 Qxf6 11.Nd2 Nf3+ 12.Nxf3 Qxd4 13.Nxd4 c5 14.Nb5 Bd7 15.Nxd6+ Ke6 16.Nxb7 Rab8 17.Nxc5+ Ke5 18.Nxd7+ Black resigned

HauntedKnight - braunstein, blitz game FICS, 2011 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.0–0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bxf6 Qxf6 11.Nc3 Nf3+ 12.gxf3 Qxd4 White resigned

Jerome Gambit: Chess Addict

Chess Addict has a number of chess videos on his website, including "Jerome Gambit: Trap 1 | Attack the king in every move | Chess Opening traps | Chess addict" and "Jerome Gambit: Trap 2 | use this on your own risk | Chess Opening traps | #Chess #shorts".

Check them out.

Another Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit

The following game, a Jerome Gambit relative, has similar excitement and a similar unhappy ending for the second player.

angelcamina - Lelzwashere

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

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

As I wrote in "Against the Knights", this is

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.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe4 d5 7.Neg5+ 

7.Nc3 was seen in angelcamina - florianschreib, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019. 

7...Kg8

Or 7...Ke8 as in angelcamina - Farbic, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024 (1-0, 35); and

Or 7...Kf6 as in angelcamina - GrainBowl, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023 (1-0, 12). 

8.d4 e4 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 

10...c6 

Alternatives:

10...h6 as in angelcamina - Otschin_Karascho, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024 (1-0, 16); and 

10...Be7 as in angelcamina - rutkaycabuk, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024, (1-0, 20). 

11.Nxe4 Bf5 12.Ng3 Bg6 13.O-O h6 

Black's two Bishops do not balance White's extra (passed) pawn and safer King.

14.f4 Be7 15.f5 Bf7 16.Qg4 Kh7 

Hoping to bring a piece go g8 to defend the g7 pawn.

17.Nh5 Bxh5 

Changing strategies.

18.Qxh5 Qb6+ 19.Kh1 Rhf8 

Hoping to hold up the advance of the f-pawn.

20.Qg6+ Kh8 21.f6 gxf6 22.exf6 c5 23.Qg7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Flashback

By way of preface, I am going to quote at length from a post from about a year ago

Three years ago (see "Jerome Gambit: Oops, He Did It Again?!" and "Jerome Gambit: Which Tier? Unbreakable?") I wrote

in a light-hearted YouTube video, GM Hikaru Nakamura and IM Levy Rozman assessed different chess openings and assigned them to different levels in a tier.

Oh, and GM Nakamura, in assembling an "Intermediate Opening Tier List", bypassed "Legendary", "Solid", "Legit", and "Maybe Not", to place the Jerome Gambit in "Tricks Only" - above "Garbage" because, as he said, "I don't think it loses by force".

Recently the two starred in another, similar, updated video, "The Chess GAMBITS Tier List ft. Hikaru Nakamura", although the Tier List was different:

"Unstoppable", "Very Powerful", "Tons of Tactics", "Easy to Equalize", "One Trick", "Total Trash"

I wish I could tell you that the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) stayed at "One Trick", and did not slide back into "Total Trash" - but I can't.

Of the 32 chess openings that they discussed, the Jerome was not one of them. 

Ah, yes, the Jerome Gambit moves from notoriety to obscurity. 

Fortunately, chessfriend Yury V. Bukayev has come to the rescue, reminding me of another, earlier, blog post, "Jerome Gambit: Tradition Continued" from which I will quote, as well

Recently, in the post "Jerome Gambit: Missing", which referenced the video "The Chess GAMBITS Tier List ft. Hikaru Nakamura", I noted that 

Of the 32 chess openings that they discussed, the Jerome was not one of them. 

That seemed odd to me.

Yury V. Bukayev, in detective mode, pointed out that this was not unexpected, as

It's GothamChess channel in 2023 in contrast with GMHikaru channel in 2020 in both cases (for intermediate players, for beginners). Mr. Rozman has no materials on JG in his channel in contrast with Mr. Nakamura, so this tradition was continued

Thank you, Detective Bukayev. 

But wait, as they say, there's more...

There is a recent, similar, Opening Tier List, by a different pair of players, and the part that is relevant here can be found on the video "letting Paul go if he makes Pt 3 of the opening tier list"

Their asssement of the Jerome Gambit, the first opening covered in Part 3, is not particularly positive or in depth 

Now comes the simply brilliant Jerome Gambit... Now you may be asking "Well, what does this sacrifice accomplish?" Absolutely nothing. There is no reason, you to give him a bishop and you don't even have a check, that's the funniest part, and then you pretty much just castle... [1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.O-O]"

Oh, well.

Not everyone is going to fully appreciate the Jerome Gambit.

At least they spelled the opening's name right.

Jerome Gambit: Can Cause A Lot of Trouble

 

Very pleased to find the Russian language site (my browser uses Google Translate) "Tactics. Jerome's Gambit" by Chess with Capablanca (check out his series of articles, including coverage of the King's Gambit) with a kind reference to this blog.

Consider

Indeed, the dynamic possibilities of the position [after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+] cause a lot of trouble for Black.

Therefore, it is useful to play this opening against the engine for both white and black - this will definitely contribute to the growth of tactical skill.

Sound advice. Check it out. 

Sleeping in the Gutter or Getting Away?

                                     

He who captures the Queen's Knight pawn sleeps in the gutter.

                            -- a stern warning against pawn-grabbing

He who grabs the pawn, and spirits away, lives to fight another day.

                            -- a lesson from Bill Wall's Jerome Gambit games

Wall, Bill - Florjan

internet, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qd5+ Be6 9.Qxb7

I know that grabbing the b-pawn can be dangerous for White, but Bill always makes it seem playable.

9...N8e7 

Or 9...Nf4, as Bill faced in Wall,B - CheckMe, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23); 

Or 9...Ne5 as he faced in Wall,B - Guest249301, PlayChess.com 2013, (1-0, 30); 

Or 9...Nf6 as in Wall,B - Jergens, internet, 2023 (1-0, 23) 

10.f4 

Or 10.O-O as in Wall,B - Guest1352598, PlayChess.com 2021, (1-0, 21) 

10...Nxf4 11.Rf1 

Or 11.O-O as in Wall,B - Gilex, internet, 2022 (1-0, 21) 

11...Neg6 12.g3 Rf8 13.d3 Kg8 14.Bxf4 Nxf4 15.Rxf4 Rxf4 16.gxf4 

White is up 2 pawns, but his King is vulnerable to attack - vulnerable, that is, if attacked.

16...Rb8 

The White Queen gathers more attention, instead of 16...Qh4+.

17.Qxa7 Rxb2 18.Kd1 d5 

Often ...d5 helps Black's game, but not in this particular instance. Instead, 18...g6 would guard against some counterplay. 

19.f5 Bf7 20.Kc1 Rb8 21.Nd2 dxe4 22.Nxe4 h6 

White's King has found safety, and he is better.

23.Rb1 Ra8 24.Qg1 Rxa2 25.f6 g5

The difference between this move and the safer 25...g6 is immediately apparent. 

26.Nxg5 hxg5 27.Qxg5+ Kf8 28.Qh6+ Ke8 29.Rb8 

Nice.

29...Qxb8 30.Qh8+ Kd7 31.Qxb8 Black resigned

White's Queen can out-play the enemy Rook and Bishop in helping the pawns advance.