Jerome Gambit: Slow and Static (Part 2)

                                                  

[continued from previous post]

perrypawnpusher - diegorocha82

Italian opning rapid players, Chess.com, 2025

After the game, Stockfish 16.1 (37 ply) assessed the position as equal.

16...Qe8 

Keeping White's Queen off of h5.

A calm alternative was 16...Kf7 17.Be3 Rf8 18.Bxd4 cxd4 19.Qxd4 Kg8, maintaining equality.

17.Be3 

I wish I had found 17.Nc3 Nef5 18.b4 cxb4 19.exf5 bxc3 20.Qxd4 Bxf5 21.Qxc3. 

It is a bit embarassing, as a Jerome Gambit "expert", to not see deep enough.

17...b6 18.Bxd4 cxd4 19.Qxd4 Kg8 

The position is similar to the one discussed in the notes to Black's 16th move - although, notably, here the second player's King locks in his Rook.

20.Nc3 

It was possible to play 20.e5 right away, but I worried about the response, 20...Nf5, and so added more development.

20...Bg4 

I am not sure what this move is about. Surely the Bishop would be safer on d7.

In turn, White now has (again) f5-f6, but instead opts for slow.

21.h3 Bh5 22.g4 Bf7 23.e5 

According to plan. The "Jerome pawns" control the field and give White the advantage.

The idea h7-h4, activating the Rook and attacking White's pawn structure, should be coming to mind for the defender.

23...dxe5 24.fxe5 Bg6 25.Nb5 

Threatening the fork at Nc7, planning to land on d6.

Still, the consistent 25.d6 was more to the point.

25...Qc8 26.d6 Nc6 

Forcing the exchange of Queens, while returning some material, can lead to some amusing play, 26...Qc5 27.dxe7 Qxd4+ (27...Qxe7 28.Qd5+ Bf7 28.Qxa8+) 28.Nxd4 Re8 29.Ne6 h6 30.Rf8+ Kh7 31.Rxe8 Rxe8 32.Nf8+ Kg8 33.Nxg6 Kf7 34.Nf4 Kxe7 and White's material is winning. 

27.Qd5+ Bf7 28.Qxf7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Slow and Static (Part 1)

What to do with a time control of 14 days per move?

While "more time to think" often leads to "better chess play", there is a limit to the amount of time most players use before moving.

That explains, in part, the following game, where White - that's me - at times, moved too quickly.

perrypawnpusher - diegorocha82

Italian opning rapid players, Chess.com, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Nc6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ Ke8

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece. It is significant that Black's King is stuck in the center, and at risk.

The Database shows this position scoring 8 - 7 - 1 for White.

Stockfish 16.1 assesses Black as being about one pawn better.

Instead, 10...d6 was seen in perrypawnpusher - DeadlostBot, Chess.com 2023 (1-0, 67) - "Jerome Gambit: Deadlost (Parts 1, 2 & 3)"

11.O-O Nge7 

This is a solid move, although 11...d5 was stronger.

12.d4 

Building a pawn center. Stockfish 16.1 prefers development with 12.Nc3.

12...d6 

Again, 12...d5 was stronger, but attacking the Queen is tempting.

13.Qh5+ Kf8 

I had expected 13...g6, and was going to return my Queen home with 14.Qd1. I wound up doing so, anyhow.

14.d5 

Kicking the Knight.

After the game, Stockfish 16.1 suggested the wild 14.f5 Ng8 15.f6 Nxf6 16.Bg5 Nxd4 17.Nc3 h6 18.Nd5 Bg4 19.Qh4 Nf3+ 20.gxf3 Be6 21.Nxc7 Qxc7 22.Bxf6 when White would be better. Wow.

14...Nd4 

Black's move will pull White's Queen back.

I had no idea at the time that I could have ignored Black's threat and  played 15.f5 - 15...Nxc2 16.f6 Nxf6 17.Bg5.

That's better chess than I usually play.

15.Qd1 c5 16.c4 

Slow and static. My plan was to work toward e4-e5. 

I never got around to playing f4-f5.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Not Quite Defending Well Enough

The following Jerome Gambit game shows the defender's defense not quite defending well enough. Certainly the time control was a factor.

angelcamina - eugenl

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian opening.

The goal is to safeguard the Black King by keeping a piece off of g5. 

4.O-O Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

There are 21 games in The Database with angelcamina playing this position. He scores 76%.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Qxd4 d6 

10.f4 Nc6 11.Qc4+ Be6 12.Qb5 Qc8 

Instead of the text, Black could afford to give up the b-pawn with 12...Re8 13.Qxb7 Qd7 with good play.

13.b3

Going ahead with 13.e5 was possible. 

13...Bd7 14.Qc4+ Be6 15.Qe2 Bg4 16.Qc4+ Qe6 17.Qb5 Qd7 

Enough cat and mouse. Black has used up almost half of his clock time.

18.Bb2 Rhb8 

Putting a Rook on either e8 or f8 looks better.

White's fianchettoed Bishop aims at the Kingside.

19.Rae1 a6 20. Qc4+ Be6 21.Nd5 Nxd5 

5 seconds left on Black's clock?

22.exd5 Bf5 

Allows checkmate. 

23.dxc6+ Qe6 

Interposing the Bishop was a bit better, but the defender's game is collapsing.

24.Rxe6 Bxe6 25.Qd4 Kg8 26.Qxg7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Having Said A...

The following online Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game caught my eye for a number of reasons.

First, the time control: 30 minutes plus 20 seconds increment per move. That's a lot different than a bullet game.

Second, Blacks' 7th move is interesting, aggressive and unusual.

Third, White's 9th move, while awkward, is best - there is only one game with a (poor) alternative move in The Database.

Fourth, Black's game then falls apart in an unusual way.

Fifth, I get to quote Bertold Brecht for the first and only time in over 4,850 blog posts.

Finally, to be fair, it must be pointed out that White was giving "Jerome Gambit odds", as he was rated, at 2100+, about 450 points above his opponent.

PANORMOS - dvkocharyan

1800 20, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qxc5 Qh4 

There are only 12 games in The Database (over 114,000 games) with this move. In those games, White scores 8 - 3 - 1.

Stockfish 16.1 evaluates the position as about a pawn better for Black. 

8.d3 Qg4 9.Rg1 

The text is better than 9.O-O, although the game continuation after that move, 9...d6 (better 9...Nh4 with advantage) was well-met by 10.Qxc7+ in Trage2000 - Alexprochazka, 30 20 classical, lichess.org, 2023 (1-0, 47). 

9...Nh4

Thinking of capturing the g-pawn? Not a good idea.

Instead, there was 9...c6 and then, maybe, 10.h3 b6 11.hxg4 Bxc5 12.Nc3 d5 and Black would maintain his advantage. 

10.f3 Nxf3+  

Imagining that the White g-pawn is pinned? But - look along the a7-g1 diagonal.

After the alternative, 10...Qe6 11.Qxc7 Nf6 12.Nc3 Ng6 White would have an edge. 

11.gxf3 Qxf3 

Did Bertolt Brecht, German playwright and poet, play chess? 

Indeed, he did. 

As he might have commented (after time-travelling) upon seeing the current position, about Black, Having said "A", he now says "B".

12.Rf1 Black resigned

The Black Queen is lost.

Jerome Gambit: Play On One More Move

Black's short-sightedness (in a blitz game, it has to be said) led quickly to a lost position, but he probably should have played one more move, just to see what would happen.

joker0909 - mrjek

3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Nf6 

Hoping to chase away the enemy Queen, but actually inviting her in.

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ 

Black resigned

While White is up a pawn, Stockfish 16.1 evaluates the position as being about 4 pawns better for him - no doubt due to greater King safety and an active Queen.

If I had been playing Black, however, I would have played on a bit longer - say, 10...Kf6, just to see if White would err and take the attacked Knight.

Of course, 11.Qxe4 would be met with 11...Re8, winning the Queen and turning the advantage over to Black.. After the correct 11.O-O, I would resign. 

Jerome Gambit: Not Safe Enough

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, Black learns that even a small slip can separate safety from a lost game. Eternal vigilance is the price of a win.

anilone - arisaljabrik3

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Bd4 

Similar play, a move earlier, i.e. 7.f4 Bd4, has been looked at in "Computer Ideas in the Jerome Gambit (Part 1)", "Jerome Gambit: A Machine Idea", "Deadly Duel in Denmark", "R2R Nails It" and "Ionman vs the Bots"

The earliest examples of 8.f4 Bd4 in The Database are from five Fisher-Kirshner games versus an early version of Fritz, known as KnightStalker. They continued 9.fxe5+ Kd6 10.b4

9.c3 

First seen in two games between ionman and Fleurybot. See "Ionman vs the Bots".

9...Nd3+ 10.Kd1 

Or 10.Ke2, as in anilone - anthonyguinto123, lichess.org, 2024, 10...Nxc1+ 11.Rxc1 Qf6 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.g3 Bb6 14.d4 c6 15.Qb3 Qe6 16.Nd2 Qxb3 17.axb3 d5 18.e5 Bg4+ 19.Ke3 h5 20.c4 h4 21.c5 Bc7 22.Rg1 hxg3 23.Rxg3 Rh4 24.Rag1 Nh6 25.Nf3 Nf5+ 26.Kf2 Bxf3 27.Rxf3 Rxh2+ 28.Ke1 Rah8 29.Rf2 Rxf2 30.Kxf2 Rh2+ 31.Ke1 Kf7 32.Rg5 g6 33.e6+ Kf6 34.b4 Bxf4 35.Rg1 Be3 36.Rf1 Kxe6 37.Rf3 Bxd4 38.Rf4 Ke5 39.Rg4 Kf6 40.Rf4 Kg5 41.Rf3 Ne3 42.b5 Kg4 43.Rf7 Bxb2 44.Rf2 Bc3+45.Ke2 Black resigned 

10...c6 

Preparing shelter for his King.

He also had the retreat 10...Ke7, or furthering his attack with 10...Nf2+, as in anilone - iskaako5050, lichess.org, 2024,  11.Kc2 Nxh1 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Qxd4 Qf8 14.d3 d6 15.Qg1 Ng3 16.hxg3 Bg4 17.Be3 Nh6 18.Qh1 c5 19.f5 Qf6 20.Nd2 Rab8 21.Nc4 b5 22.Na5 Kd7 23.Re1 Nf7 24.Qf1 a6 25.Qf4 h5 26.Nb3 Rhc8 27.d4 c4 28.Na5 d5 29.Rf1 dxe4 30.Qxe4 Nd6 31.Qd5 Bxf5+ 32.Kc1 g6 33.Rf4 Qe6 34.Qf3 Bg4 35.d5 Qe5 36.Rf7+ Nxf7 37.Qxf7+ Qe7 38.Qxe7+ Kxe7 39.Nc6+ Rxc6 40.dxc6 Rc8 White resigned,  

11.e5+ Kc7 12.Qxd3 

Black's King has found safety. Now it's his Bishop's turn.

12...Bb6 13.Qd6 checkmate.

Ouch. Not safe enough.

A different retreat for the Bishop was called for - 12...Bc5 13.f5 Be7 and Black would maintain his advantage.

Jerome Gambit: The Ghost of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome Says Thank You

 

The Jerome Gambit offers many ways for the defender to err and lose. The following game illustrates one of them.

Tracy824 - Azrail72

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 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 Bd6

Over-protecting the Knight, but a slip. It happens in blitz.

The ghost of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome says Thank you.

9.fxe5 Qxe5 

Black's "best" was 9...Qg6, but after 10.Qh3+ Ke7 11.exd6+ cxd6 12.Nc3 Nf6 13.d3 his predicament would be worse than a simple pawn minus might indicate.

10.Qf7 checkmate

The games Petasluk - krasic, 5 0 blitz, FICS 2017 and Tracy824 - imad87, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024 tread the same path, earlier.