Jerome Gambit: Black and His Bishop

The following Jerome Gambit game is a short story about Black and his Bishop.

rahaf2018 - sudarshil

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 

The game has transposed into mainstream Jerome Gambit lines.

6.d4 Bb4+

This move is playable for Black, although more often seen are 6...Qh4 and 6...Bxd4.

For related earlier posts, see "Jerome Gambit: What Is Black Up To?" and "Jerome Gambit for Dummies 2.0 (Part 6)"

7.c3 Bd6

Black worries about the Bishop. He could have simply preserved it, with 7...Be7 or abandoned it with 7...Ng6 8.cxb4 d5, both ways with advantage. 

8.dxe5 Bxe5 

Again, 8...Be7 was simpler. 

9.Qd5+ Kf6 

Hanging on to the prelate.

10.f4 Bd6 

Black should have just surrendered the Bishop with 10...Ne7 11.Qxe5+, although White would be better.

11.e5+

Sure, this will do, but so would 11.Qg5+ winning the enemy Queen. 

11...Bxe5 

Still, the story is not all about the Bishop, and 11...Ke7 12.exd6+ cxd6 was the way to go, although White would still be better.

12.fxe5+ Kg6 13.O-O d6 

Black then resigned, as his move allows immediate checkmate

 

3 years ago for 7...Bxc3 8.bxc3 Jerome Gambit: The Little Things Add Up Wall, Bill - Yapwx

internet, 2021(1-0, 17)

Jerome Gambit: Assistance

As is often the case, the Jerome Gambit benefits from any assistance given by the defender. 

So do lines related to the Jerome, as in the following game.

ZeKnightRider - skvoretc

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 

First looked at on this blog in "Offside!", 16 years ago.

White can now simply play 4.Nxe5, or simply 4.Be2, but he want to apply the Jerome treatment.  

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 

Or 5...Ke6 6.d4 d6 7.Qg4+ Ke7 8.Qg5+ Nf6 9.Nf3 Nc6 and White is a bit better.

And 5...Ke8 can be met by the thematic 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6.

6.Qf3 

Somewhat stronger is 6.d4, but White is thinking about a knockout blow.  

6...Nf6 7.Nc3 

7...d6 8.Nd5+ 

It is interesting that 8.d4!? was a good move here, as 8...dxe5 (9...Ke8 or 9...Qe8 could be tried) 9.dxe5 9...N-moves is met by 10.Bg5+. Better is 9...Rg8!? when White can grab the Knight with 10.exf6 or build the pressure with 10.Bg5.  

8...Ke6 

Of course, dodging 8...Nxd5 9.Qf7 checkmate, but missing White's next move, nonetheless. 

Instead, 8...Ke8 would leave White searching for a followup. There is nothing in 9.Nd3 Nxd5 10.exd5 Qe7+, 9.Nxf6+ Qxf6, or  9.d4 dxe5 10.dxe5 Nxd5. 

9.Qf5 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Not So Quick

Not all Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games end quickly - either by a crashing attack by White, or a devastating counter-attack by Black. 

The following interesting four end-of-the-game positions are from blitz games that lasted over 100 moves. 

donkeykong8991 - NarekO31, blitz, 2022

This position looks like a routine checkmate, but getting there was illuminating.

At move 60, there was a draw offer made by White, which accurately assessed the King + Rook vs King + Rook position. Black declined, perhaps due to the clock - they were playing 3 2 blitz.

Unfortunately, at move 91 there was a losing error by Black, who, still, at move 97 offered a draw in a King + Rook vs King endgame. 

White checkmated at move 119.

ryuugu-rena - tqd0306, blitz, 2022

This 10-minute game was drawn in 113 moves.  Fair enough, but the players had reached the Bishop vs Pawn situation at move 61, and Black could have captured the pawn on move 61. It is not clear if the 50-move was invoked.

krickold - maia1, blitz, 2023

This rowdy 119 move draw was accomplished through stalemate in a 3 2 blitz game. 

From the United States Chess Federation website on the topic of stalemate

Although the concept of stalemate had long been recognized as a different result to checkmate, there was no universally accepted rule on its significance before the 19th century. Through different regions and times, the stalemate rule evolved through one of the following: 1) stalemate was an illegal position, 2) stalemate was a win -- or half-win -- for the player delivering the position, 3) stalemate was a loss for the player delivering the position, or 4) stalemate was a draw.  

In his book The Famous Game of Chesse-Play in 1614, Arthur Saul wrote a chapter titled "The diversity of Mates, and which are worthy of praise, or disspraise," and the section was pertinent to both his attitude and the influence on the stalemate rule... 

He concludes by saying that players who give stalemate "purchase unto themselves such shame, which will not after be put away without much blushing."  

(Readers may have noted that White has all of his pieces, which means at the very least he must have promoted a pawn to another light square Bishop. In fact, he also promoted a pawn to a dark square Bishop, another pawn to a Knight, and a third pawn to a Queen. White was having fun against the maia1 computer program  )

DrMarlonsky - djh2075, blitz, 2022

In this 113 move 5 2 blitz game, White gave up his last piece on move 91. After all, who knows how to checkmate with Knight and Bishop these days, especially with the clock ticking? Apparently, djh2075.

Jerome Gambit: Roller Coaster

A blitz game between club level players can be quite a roller coaster, as the following game shows, but there are things to learn from the play, anyhow. 

Matthew_Slater - Sparrowchakse

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2024

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 

As I noted in "Jerome Gambit and Vlad Tepes"

This is a reasonable defense, first mentioned by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in his premier analysis in the March 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal.

It was first played by O.A. Brownson, against Jerome, in 1875.

6.Nxc6 dxc6 

This pawn capture, vs 6...bxc6, puts pressure down the d-file.

7.Nc3 Nf6 8.d4

White gets away with this, although 8.Qe2 Bd4 9.d3 Kf7 10.Be3 Rf8 11.f4 was more likely the way to go. 

8...Bb4 

Black prefers to threaten the e-pawn, rather than capture the d-pawn with 8...Bxd4. Possibly he was afraid of 8...Bxd4 9.Ne2, but, as Yury V. Bukayev pointed out, he then had 9...Bxf2+!? 10.Kxf2 Nxe4+ with a strong attack.

9.Bd2 

The two are playing quickly. Or, perhaps they are playing casually. In any event, with the text, White un-pins his Knight; although, instead, a capture on c3 would put the enemy e-pawn at risk. Better 9.Qd3. 

9...Bg4 

Development with a threat. 

10.f3 Bh5 11.Qe2 

Suggestion: 11.Ne2 Bxd2+ 12.Qxd2 and White's strong pawn center is almost the equal of Black's extra piece.

11...Qxd4 12.O-O-O Qe5 

13.Qc4 c5 14.Nb5 

The Knight is not really doing anything, but it does attract a lot of attention.

14...Bxd2+ 15.Rxd2 a6 16.Nc3 b5 

17.Qe2 Kf7 18.Nd5 Nxd5 19.Rxd5 Qe7

Missing the tactical trick 19...Qf4+ 20.Kb1 Bg6, saving the Bishop.

20.Rxh5 

White is a pawn ahead, his King is a bit safer, but Stockfish 16.1 rates him about a piece better.

20...Rhd8 21.Rd1 Rxd1+ 22.Qxd1 h6 

Overlooking something.

23.Qd5+ 

Fork 

23...Kf8 24.Qxa8+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Sleepwalking

There's really not much to say about the following game, except to note that Black's 13th move appears to be a novelty (not in The Database) - one that led to immediate success, as I sleepwalked into it.

Not one of my better games, to say the least, but one of my shortest.

perrypawnusher - MarcoManiago

internet, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Qf6 8.Rf1 g6 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.fxe5

The only other time I followed this line, I played 10.Nc3, in perrypawnpusher - Nivaethan2000, blitz, FICS, 2016 (1-0, 17). 

10...Qxe5 11.d3 d5 

Black's pressure builds on White's pawn center.

12.Qh4+ Ke8 13.Nc3 Bb4 

I hardly paid attention to this very logical move - much to my distress. 

14.Bf4 

Clueless. Better was something like 14.Bd2 d4 15.Nd5 Bxd2+ 16.Kxd2 Be6 with Black better. 

14...Bxc3+ White resigned

Jerome Gambit: Not Fully Realized

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, the players are rated about as far below me as I am rated below a master. Yet they create an interesting game, and likely an enjoyable one.

Matthew_Slater - GengisKhanXIV

correspondence, Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe8 

As I wrote in "Jerome Gambit: Odds"

This is an interesting idea, not fully realized. Black is willing to sacrifice his Rook - see "Jerome Gambit: What About the Rook?" - counting on a strong counter-attack starting with ...Qxe4+.

This is similar to Whistler's defense, where Black plays 7...Qe7, which is more prudent, as it protects his Bishop.

8.Qxh8

Diving into danger, as Black could now play 8...Qxe4+, transposing to Whistler's defense, with advantage.

Best was 8.Qxc5 something not possible against Whistler's defense.

8...Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 

9...Qc4+

It feels good to command side-by-side diagonals, but much stronger was to slide over to the e1-h4 diagonal, with 9...Qh4. At that point the major danger for White would shift to having his Queen trapped - say, 10.g3 Qh3+ 11.Ke2 Qe6+ 12.Kf1 Nf6.

10.d3 Qxc2 11.Qxh7+ Kf8 12.Bh6+

12...Nxh6 13.Qxh6+ Kf7 14.Qd2 

White is up the exchange and a pawn. If you check Geoff Chandler's "blunder table", that is not likely enough for a win, but a "safety first" approach is very reasonable here.

14..Qxd2 15.Nxd2 d5 

Development, of course.

16.Nf3 Bf5 17.d4 

17...Bd3+ 18.Kg1 Re8 

"Counter a threat with a threat" - but this is not any kind of threat.

19.dxc5 Re2 20.b4 b5 21.g3 a5 22.a3

Once White's Rook at h1 gets into the game (after Kg2) everything would be uphill for the second player.

Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Not Poisoned, But Tasty

                                        

I have been taking a look, again, at a specious defense line in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), focusing upon the recent games of the online player EsHi71.

My first look at the line was in the blog post "Parts is parts", and the game perrypawnpusher - Kapppy, blitz 2 12, FICS, 2009 from 15 1/2 years ago.

Play the game through, consider the notes.

EsHi71 - Aldiserg

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bd6 

Okay, one idea in playing blitz, is to make threats - hopefully ones that will make the opponent think hard, and use up time. 

As you will see, though, EsHi71 has been in this position before, and knows that the Rook is not poisoned, but tasty.

8.Qxh8 Qe7

A recent gimme was 8...Nf6 9.Qxd8 Black resigned, EsHi71 - Brandogenna9, lichess.org, 2023. Certainly not 9.d3 Qxh8, as in EsHi71 - deepakrud, lichess.org, 2022 (0-1, 33);

8...b6 9.Qxh7+, and White's Queen will not be trapped, and will attack, as in EsHi71-Sa_22, lichess.org, 2023 (0-1, 28);

8...Qg5 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.O-O worked in EsHi71 - osamaop13, lichess.org, 2023 (1-0, 12);

8...Qf6 9.Qxh7+ as seen in EsHi71 - arashmohseni7311, lichess.org, 2022 and EsHi71 - zacharbell, lichess.org, 2023 (1-0, 48);

8...Qh4 9.d3 Nf6 as in EsHi71-Damarovic, lichess.org, 2024 (1-0, 36), when 10.Nd2 would have helped him more.

9.Qxh7+ Kf6

Or 9...Kf8 10.Qxg6 as in EsHi71 - abhishek7777777, lichess.org, 2024 (1-0, 54). 

10.Qxg8 

White can afford this material grab, as his King is relatively safe. 

10...Qxe4+ 11.Kf1 Qxc2 

Or 11...Bc5 12.Qh8+ Kg5 and Black is facing a forced checkmate, as in EsHi71 - azcamm, lichess.org, 2023(1-0, 16) 

Now White has a Knight move to safeguard his King from apparent danger.

12.Na3 

Attacking the Queen instead of protecting the Knight.

12...Qd1 checkmate

Ouch. 

Bummer.

Such things happen in blitz.