Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Jerome Gambit: Wherefore, Art Thou

 

Chess.com has "Wherefore, Art Thou, O Jerome?" by Jason Fikes, of readeroftomes.

It is comprehensive, as the contents show:

Contents

    Stats

    The Opening Unveiled

    Indecision

    Why 6...Ke7?? Is Terrible

    Sort of Ok

    The King Walk

    The Easiest Approach

    Blocking with 6…Ng6

    Longer Video Lectures


Check it out.

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

17 Years Old!



17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17*17

Today this blog celebrates its 17 birthday, having come into the world with the post "Welcome!"

I do not know how many other chess blogs have lasted this long, but I am sure that I could not have persisted without the support - and games and analysis - of the many Readers.

Thank you, all.

Monday, June 9, 2025

Pausing To Reflect



In past posts we have looked at a form of a reversed Jerome Gambit, Chiodini's Gambit or the Busch-Gass Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5).

A fun new video by KaspaChess, "Always Stun Everyone With This Shocking Chiodini Gambit [Busch-Gass]" is worth viewing.

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Saturday, June 7, 2025

Jerome Gambit: Black Slips, White Scores



Black slips, White scores.

That often is a synopsis of the tale of the Jerome Gambit, as the following game illustrates.


angelcamina - greekgodd

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ 

The "nudge" to push Black's King back to the 8th rank and block his Rook from coming to the e-file.

I like this idea, so I checked with The Database. angelcamina has played it 522 times, scoring 63%. That is a decent outcome, but he has also played the direct 7.Qxc5 107 times, scoring 72%. Hmmm...

A quick peek at The Database in general shows 5,418 games with the "nudge", also scoring 63%; but 6,210 games with 7.Qxc5, scoring only 52%.

So, I guess I am still okay with 7.Qd5+, which has scored well for angelcamina; it is just that, for him, 7.Qxc5 has scored even better.

For the record, Stockfish 16.1 [27 ply]  rates the direct capture 7.Qxc5 as about  2 1/4 pawns better for Black, as opposed to about 2 pawns better for Black with 7.Qd5+.

Yet, White wins at least more than half the time? That's the Jerome Gambit for you.

7...Ke8 

On this square, White's capture of the Bishop does not come with check.

8.Qxc5 d6 

The "natural" move, anyhow.

The alterative, 8...b6, is as old as Charlick, H. - Cooke, W., Adelaide, 1884 (1-0, 25).

9.Qb5+ Bd7 10.Qxb7 

I have discussed this pawn grab in "Sleeping in the Gutter or Getting Away?" in the context of Bill Wall's games.

10...Nf6 11.Nc3 Kf7 12.O-O Re8 

13.d3 Ne5 14.f4 Bc6 


This attack by the Bishop on the Queen is the reason for Black's Knight placement in the center - but it doesn't work. Blame it on the fact that this is a 1-minute game.

15.Qb3+ Kf8 16.fxe5 Rxe5 17.Bf4 Rh5 

Thanks to Black's slip, White has pulled ahead in material.

18.Bg3 Rg5 19.Rae1 Be8 20.e5 dxe5 21.Bxe5 

A slip that both players miss. Black now has 21...Rxe5 22.Rxe5 Qd4+ 23.Rf2 Qxe5, winning a piece. 

21...Rb8 22.Qc4 Bf7 23.Qc5+ Qe7 24.Qxe7+ Kxe7 

Exhanging Queens does not really simplifiy the position, as White's tactics show there is more material to be had.

25.Bxf6+ Kf8 26.Bxg5 Kg8 

Black's best hope now is to win on time, but that does not happen.

27.Bc1 Bxa2 28.Nxa2 Rd8 29.Nc3 Re8 30.Rxe8 checkmate




Friday, June 6, 2025

Jerome Gambit: A Cousin



The following game, featuring an opening relative to the Jerome Gambit, is a good example of the exhortation to Keep on playing! even when things are looking dim for you. White does not give up until he delivers checkmate.


angelcamina - cheesecomputer

1 0 bullet, lichess.com, 2025

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

This is the the Noa Gambit, otherwise known as the Monck Gambit, otherwise known as the Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, a Jerome cousin. See "Further Explorations (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5)"

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe4 d5 7.Neg5+ 

In Pollock Memories: A Collection of Chess Games, Problems, &c., &c., Including His Matches with Eugene Delmar, Jackson Showalter, and G.H.D. Gossip (1899), Pollock wrote 

In some positions the king should not always be 'checked to death,' or he may 'escape alive'.

In another game, angelcamina took this advice: 7.Nc3 e4 8. Ng1 Bc5 9. d4 Bxd4 10. Nge2 Bb6 11. O-O Rf8 12. Nxd5 Kg8 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. Qe1 Ne5 15. Qc3 Qf6 16. Bf4 Ng4 17. Qxf6 Nxf6 18. Bxc7 Bg4 19. Ng3 Rac8 20. Bxb6 Rxc2 21. Bd4 Rd8 22. Bc3 b5 23. a3 Rd3 24. h3 Be6 25. Rad1 Bb3 26. Rxd3 exd3 27. Rd1 {'?'}Bc4 28. Ne4 Nd5 29. Nd2 Nxc3 30. Nxc4 Rxb2 31. Rxd3 Nd1 32. Kh2 Rc2 33. Rd8+ Kf7 34. Ne3 Nxe3 35. fxe3 Rf2 36. Rd7+ Kg6 37. Ra7 Black resigned, angelcamina - florianschreib, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019.

7...Kg6 

Not as strong as 7...Kf6, but you would not know that by 8.d4 Bg4 9.dxe5+ Nxe5 10.Qd4 Bxf3 11.Nxf3 Qe7 12.Bg5+ Black resigned angelcamina - GrainBowl, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023.

Alternatives

7...Ke8 8.d4 h6 9.Nh3 e4 10.Ne5 Nxe5 11.Qh5+ Nf7 12.Nf4 Qf6 13.Nxd5 Qd6 14.Bf4 Qc6 15.Nxc7+ Ke7 16.Nd5+ Ke8 17.Nc7+ Ke7 18.Nxa8 Qxc2 19.O-O Be6 20.Rac1 Qxb2 21.Rc7+ Ke8 22.Rxf7 Bxf7 23.Qe5+ Be7 24.Nc7+ Kf8 25.d5 Qb6 26.d6 Qxd6 27.Qxd6 Bxd6 28.Bxd6+ Kg8 29.Rc1 Bxa2 30.Nb5 a6 31.Nd4 Kh7 32.Rc7 Rd8 33.Be5 b5 34.Rxg7+ Kh8 35.Rd7+ Black resigned, angelcamina-Farbic, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024;

7...Kg8 8.d4 e4 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 h6 (10...Be7 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.Qxd8+ Bxd8 13.Bf4 Bf5 14.O-O-O Be7 15.e6 Rd8 16.Rxd8+ Bxd8 17.Re1 Bf6 18.f3 exf3 19.e7 f2 20.e8=Q checkmate, angelcamina - rutkaycabuk, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024; 10...c6 11.Nxe4 Bf5 12.Ng3 Bg6 13.O-O h6 14.f4 Be7 15.f5 Bf7 16.Qg4 Kh7 17.Nh5 Bxh5 18.Qxh5 Qb6+ 19.Kh1 Rhf8 20.Qg6+ Kh8 21.f6 gxf6 22.exf6 c5 23.Qg7 checkmate, angelcamina-Lelzwashere, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 202411.Nxe4 Bb4+ (11...Bg4 12.Qxg4 dxe4 13.Qxe4 Bc5 14.Bd2 Qe7 15.O-O-O a5 16.f4 b5 17.f5 Kf7 18.e6+ Kf6 19.Bc3+ Kg5 20.h4+ Kh5 21.g4 checkmate, angelcamina-dv_66, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org2025) 12.c3 Be7 13.Ng3 c6 14.O-O Be6 15.f4 Kh7 16.f5 Black resigned, angelcamina - Otschin_Karascho, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024.

8.d4 


White is better, but the position is more complicated than it might look.

8...h6 

This move should allow White's Knights to gallop all over the place, but, remember this is a 1-minute, no increment game, and sometimes fortunes swing wildly. 

9.Nxe5+ 

Next time, White will find 9.Nh4+Kf6 10.Qf3+ Ke7 11.Ng6+Kd6 12.Nf7+ and the defender will lose both his Queen and a Rook.

9...Nxe5 10.dxe5 hxg5 

Things may look dire for White, but, remember, he has two things on his side - the clock, and the uneasy placement of Black's King.

11.Qd3+ Kf7 12.O-O Bc5 13.Be3 Bxe3 14.fxe3+ Kg8 


White's Rook is in the game, and that's something.

15.e4 dxe4 

Oh, dear. The clock ticks against Black.

16.Qxd8+ 

Not surprisingly, White now has a forced checkmate.

16...Kh7 17.Qxg5 Be6 18.Qh4+ Kg8 19.Qe7 Bf7 20.Rxf7 Kh7 21.Rxg7+ Kh6 22.Qf6+ Kh5 23.Rg5+ Kh4 24.Qf4 checkmate




Thursday, June 5, 2025

Jerome Gambit: Fun

 


YouTube videos on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) have been appearing frequently, of late.

A fun, quick, overview of opening move choices in the Jerome, by TheChessFellow, can be found -

Chess Tips & Tricks: Openings The Jerome Gambit - YouTube


Also, for an enjoyable, catchy, tune which includes the very relevant warning "The first to panic loses the game" check out Malcolm's  

Both vidoes reinforce the notion that for a lot of club players, the choice of the Jerome Gambit is a fun one.