Semi-Italian Opening + Computer

GriffyJr at FICS is the computer program Crafty v23.4. It makes short work of its human opponent.

GriffyJr - heliosant

5 0 blitz, FICS, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The semi-Italian opening.

4.O-O 

Moving right along.

4...Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 

Black is being careful, perhaps too careful. Certainly 5...Bc5 was a strong alternative.

6.d4 d6 

There is a hole in this idea, which GriffyJr pounces upon.

7.dxe5 Nxe5 8.Nxe5 dxe5 9.Bxf7+

Black resigned

Of course, now 9...Kxf7 would drop the Queen, but 9...Ke7 would be answered by 10.Bg6, and then White's advantage in material, King safety and development - in the hands of a coomputer - would be hard to overcome. 

Jerome Gambit: Blizting the c1-h6 Diagonal

The following game is a short story concerning the Jerome Gambit, and a diagonal.

PerezosoGarfield - simongriffin

15 0 blitz, FICS, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.d4 

White opens the c1-h6 diagonal.

5...Be7 

Black pulls his Bishop back and prepares to contest that diagonal. Simply 5...Nxd4 was fine.

6.Nxe5+

It was worth starting with 6.d5 Nb8 and then 7.Nxe5+.

6...Nxe5 7.dxe5 Bg5

As planned.

8.Qf3+

Stronger was 8.Qh5+ - but White gets there.

8...Ke8 

Sadly, Black's better choices were 8...Bf6 and 8...Kg6.

9.Qh5+ g6 10.Qxg5 Black resigned

White is up 2 pawns, with a safer King. An exchange of Queens might extend the length of the game, but not change the outcome.

Jerome Gambit: Discouraged? Nah. Confused? Maybe.

I suppose I should be discouraged after my performance with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) in the "Giuoco Fun" tournament at Chess.com. I scored 1 - 3 - 0, and the one win that I had was on time, my opponent not having made a single move.

There are four games left to be completed in Round 3, Group 5, and it is possible that I will wind up in 4th place in the group, ahead of only the player who lost all 8 of his games on time. There will be no Round 4 for me.

Still, I came out of the opening in 2 of those 3 lost games with the advantage. Tactical slip-ups did me in, not the Jerome Gambit.

I have already signed up for the "Italian Game" tournament, also at Chess.com, a 50-player event.

Again, I don't expect things to be easy. Of the 14 players currently signed up, I am the lowest rated, with 2 of my possible future opponents rated in the 1900s, and 3 rated above 2100.

It all makes me recall a blog post from 15 years ago, "Jerome Gambit for Dummies (5)," where I examined the "Jerome Gambit Tournament 2007-2008" and concluded

...in this Jerome Gambit Tournament, White needed to be rated only 200 points higher than his opponent to overcome the handicap of “giving Jerome Gambit odds” and have strong winning chances.

Oh, wait a minute - that quote says "200 points higher", doesn't it?

And didn't I average about 100 points higher in those recent 3 games that I lost?

Ah, well... I still love the Jerome Gambit.

Jerome Gambit: White's Attack Rolls On

It only takes a move or two by the defense to activate the attack in the Jerome Gambit, and then the attack rolls on, as in the following bullet game.

angelcamina - NishantRajak71

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Qe7 

Familiarity with a particular line can help when you have to think fast. angelcamina has reached this position in 16 games, scoring 75%. 

9.O-O d6 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qc4+ Be6 12.Qb5 

Putting the question to Black: protect the b-pawn or let it go? Tick, tick, tick.

12...Rab8 

Instead, 12...Bd7 13.Qxb7 Rhb8 14.Qa6 d5 gives compensation for the pawn. 

13.f5

It can be hard to decide which pawn to advance, the e-pawn or the f-pawn - it can come down to intuition. In this case, though, 13.e5 was a bit better. 

13...Bd7 14.Bg5 

Typical Jerome Gambit pin.

14...h6 15.Nd5 

Typical Jerome Gambit Knight leap.

15...Qd8

Grabbing the e-pawn looked too risky to Black.

16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qe2 Nd4 

Attacking White's active Queen is a standard Black motif, but here the defender is drawn astray by the opportunity to attack the c-pawn as well. He could have centralized his Knight, instead, with 17...Ne5.

18.Qh5+ 

This move leads to an even position, but illustrates the idea that it is often easier to attack than defend.

18...Kg8 19.c3 

Kicking the Knight. Stockfish 16.1 can not get much past even in its analysis of 19.Qg6+ or 19.Rad1.

19...c6 

You kick my Knight, I will kick your Knight.

The retreat 19...Nc6 was in order. 

Now White's attack on the King rolls on.

20.Qg6+ Kf8 21.Nxf6 Qxf6

Panic, but there was no escape instead with 21...Ne2+ 22.Kh1 Qe7 23.Nxd7+ Qxd7 24.Rae1.

22.Qxf6+ 

The Queen goes on a rampage. At the end is checkmate.

22...Ke8 23.Qxh8+ Ke7 24.Qxb8 Ne2+ 25.Kh1 b5 26.f6+ 

Soon, another Queen will join the fray.

26...Ke6 27.f7 Ke5 28.f8=Q Be6 29.Qbxd6+ Kxe4 30.Rae1 Bd5 31.Qff4+ Kd3 32.Rf3+ Kc2 33.Rxe2+ Kd1 34.Qd2 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Chess Pro

 

chess pro's YouTube video, "Jerome's Gambit Magic: Make Your Opponents Disappear" shows an interesting game with a strong ending: 

 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke7 

The earliest example I have of this move in The Database is perrypawnpusher - gelgel, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 7). When my opponent realized that he was giving back the two sacrificed pieces, he moved on. 

7.Qxe5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Ne7 

As in Bill Wall - SMNN, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 27).

Black develops a piece, instead of playing the typical 8...d6.

9.d3 d6 10.Qc3 Be6 11.O-O h6 

All Jerome Gambit players should experience this position at least once in their career: a safe King, with attacking chances against the enemy, unsafe, King - plus 2 extra pawns.

12.f4 Qd7 13.f5 Bf7 14.f6 

Opening lines against the King.

14...gxf6 15.Qxf6 Rh7 16.Nc3 Re8 

Rushing to the defense of His Majesty, but actually cutting off a route of retreat.

17.Nd5 Nxd5 

Exchanging an attacker, good for the defense? But White has something else in mind.

18.Qg6 Ne7 

The Knight returns. Instead, Black had the mundane 18...Nf4 19.Qxh7 Ne2+ 20.Kh1 Nxc1 21.Raxc1 Qe6, settling for being a pawn and the exchange down. 

19.Bxh6+ Rg7 20.Qxg7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit Blog: 4,500

 

4,500

Please excuse a bit of self-aggrandizement, here, but yesterday's blog post was #4,500.

The first post here was on June 10, 2008. 

Since then, every day, or every-other-day (except time off for illness), this blog has been bringing you games, history and analysis of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and related openings, such as the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+), the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+), the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+), and the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+).

Readers have been generous in sending in their own games and their own analyses. Many, many thanks.

This blog has also made a large contribution to the world theory and investigations of e4e5 chess openings.

So, onwards we go, in this exploration of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's invention!

Jerome Gambit: Q&A

 

An online website that discusses the Jerome Gambit in a pleasant Q&A format (reminding me of my eighth grade Engish teacher)  is PPQTY's Chess Strategy's "Jerome Gambit – Move Order (Example Game & Tactics)".

The PPQTY site has information on Openings Defenses Chess Variants Concepts Gambits as well as a Glossary and a Blog

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