Jerome Gambit: Time For A Sobering Cup of Coffee

I hope readers enjoyed the two games by Louis Morin that I recently posted on this blog. It was exciting to see the Jerome Gambit played as a surprise weapon in an over-the-board tournament. One win and one loss is a decent outcome for a many times "refuted" opening. (It probably would have been two wins, had not the first opponent been a wunderkind whose rating did not reflect his rocketing chess progress.)

However, despite my claim that the Jerome Gambit is "playable" - and I believe it is, in the proper situation, under the proper circumstances - I feel it is only fair to post a recent email I received from Louis. It is a challenge to all those who play the Jerome. Can we meet it?

Hello Rick, 

Thanks for posting my games, though I am not so sure that the Jerome is really playable if Black finds 6...Ke6!. 7.Qf5+ Ke6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Nf3+ followed by 10...Ne7. This seems completely crushing for Black. 7.f4 looks like the only chance, but after 7...d6! I also believe White is dead lost. One line goes 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.Qg3 Kf7 11.Qxe5. At least White managed to win a second pawn, but he his completely underdeveloped. I just did not find any way for him to complete his development while keeping his 2 pawns. Black has a number of crushing alternatives here, but even the quiet one is deadly: 11...Qh4+ 12.g3 Qe7 13.Qxe7+ Nxe7 14.c3 Bh3 (the point of 11...Qh4+) 15.d4 Bb6. As I said, I found no way for White not to lose material from here. The threat is 16...Bg2. After 17.Nd2, Black can reply 17...c5, attacking immediately White’s pawn center, and everything seems to crumble soon. Any suggestions? I would be happy to hear about any serious ideas from anyone in this critical line. All the best Louis Morin (MrJoker)

Really, The Jerome Gambit Is Playable (Part 2)

[continued from previous post]

Morin, Louis - Weston, Paul

Quebec Open, 2018

40 moves / 90 minutes, then 30 minutes

23.Rd1

White cannot easily play the wished-for e4-e5, opening up lines against the enemy King, and so he reinforces his center.

23...Rc8

Black could also consider the prophylactic 23...Ng6, as the brusque 24.Bf4 Nxf4 25.gxf4 would not bring White any closer to a center break - at the cost of the shape of his Kingside.

24.Rdd2

I sense the approach of time trouble. White reinforces some more, and lets Black play decisively.

24...b5 

And Black does, cutting his Queen off from b6 and the defense of the d6 pawn.

25.Bf4 b4 26.axb4 Qxb4 27.Qxa6 Kf7 28.Bxd6 Qc4 29.Qxc4 Rxc4 

White now has 4 pawns for his sacrificed piece, and is clearly - if not easily - better.

30.e5 Nfxd5

Giving back the piece.

31.Nxd5

A tactical slip - see the note to move 24. Instead, 31.Bxe7 first, followed by 31...Bc6 32.Nxd5 is the key, i.e. 32...Rc1+ 33.Rf1 Rxf1+ 34.Kxf1 Bxd5 35.Rxd5 Kxe7 clears the air, and White is too many pawns up (from Black's point of view) in a Rook and pawns endgame.

31...Rc1+

Black returns the favor. After 31...Nxd5 32.Rxd5 Rc1+ 33.Rf1 Rc2 both sides should be looking for the kind of draws that come from Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgames. Or they could simply split the point with 34.Rf2 Rc1+ 35.Rf1 Rc2, etc.

32.Rf1 Rxf1+ 33.Kxf1 Nxd5 34.Rxd5 Rc8 

Black is one tempo shy. White can defend against the leveling checks, and his material advantage will win.

35.Rc5 Ra8 36.Rc1 Ra5 37.Rd1 Ba4 38.b4 Bb5+ 39.Ke1 Ra2 40.Rd2 Ra1+ 41.Kf2 Rf1+ 

Black is not ready to give up, but White seems to have it all under control. I don't see how the defender can set up the necessary pawn blockades - although the play continues to be complex.

42.Ke3 g5 43.Bc5 Re1+ 44.Kd4 Ke6 45.f4 gxf4 46.gxf4 Rf1

He could have tried 46...Bc6 and hoped that the clock would take White out. A long shot.

47.Ke3 Kf5 48.Rf2 Rd1 49.Rd2 Rf1 50.Rd6 

50...Re1+ 51.Kf3 Rf1+ 52.Bf2

Threatening checkmate.

52...Rxf2+ 53.Kxf2 Kxf4 54.Rd5 Black resigned

White is not just the exchange and a couple of pawns ahead. After 54...Bc6 (best) he has 55.Rc5, and it is clear that one of his passed pawns will promote.

Really, The Jerome Gambit Is Playable (Part 1)

Louis Morin's ("MrJoker") second Jerome Gambit game in the recent Quebec Open again fulfills the mission of an effective chess opening - one that allows him to reach a playable middlegame.

He still has to work hard for the full point, succeed in a tricky endgame, and dodge time trouble in the process, but the game is a battle well worth playing over.   

Morin, Louis - Weston, Paul
Quebec Open, 2018
40 moves / 90 minutes, then 30 minutes

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

Often Black adopts this defense on-the-fly, because it makes sense: he saves one piece and lets the other one go, as he will still be a piece ahead. In addition, he keeps his King on the 7th rank, the better to allow him to develop his Rook to f8 or e8.

Sometimes, however, the Knight on g6 is part of a long term plan - and, in this game, the King moves to and stays in the center. That is an interesting contrast to Louis's earlier Jerome Gambit.

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

A standard setup in the 6...Ng6 variation.

Recently I wrote on this blog about Sheldrick, Kevin - Bhat, Vishal
Australian Open, 2017 (1-0, 20)

This position is as old - fittingly - as Charlick - Mann, correspondence, Australia, 1881 (1-0, 72). The Database has 163 games with the position, with White scoring 70%. Mind you, beside this one, only one other game (by Guido de Bouver of Flanders, Belgium) is an over-the-board encounter.

Of course, we can now add Louis' over-the-board game.

According to The Database, he has had this position in over 50 games.

How do you win with the Jerome Gambit? Experience, experience, experience.

10.O-O Ng4

Interesting. This could be a naive harassment of the White Queen, or the start of tactical operations on the Kingside.

11.Qg3 h5

Wow. Weston is following Bhat's line of play from the Australian Open! (He could also be following perrypawnpusher - Riversider, blitz, FICS, 2010 [1-0, 18] - but, come on, seriously?!)

12.d4!?

An improvement - consciously or unconsciously - over "Cliff Hardy's" risky 12.h3?!.

12...h4

Consistent, although 12...Qh4!? would have forced 13.Qxh4 Nxh4 taking the Queens off of the board. However, Black is more interested in developing his attacking chances than snuffing out White's.

13.Qd3 h3 14.g3 Ne7 

15.f3 Nf6 16.c4 c6 17.d5 

Or 17.Nc3.

17...cxd5 18.cxd5 Bd7 19.Nc3 Qb6+ 

Black continues operations with his King in the center.

20.Rf2 a6 21.Be3 Qb4 22.a3 Qb3

An observer who walked by the board at this point would have a hard time realizing that the position came from an opening in which White sacrificed two pieces.

Stockfish 9 now recommends 23.Bf4 Qb6 24.Be3 Qb3 25.Bf4 Qb6, etc. with a draw by repetition of position.

The Jerome Gambit has, again, delivered a "playable middlegame".

[to be continued] 

Yes, The Jerome Gambit Is Playable (Part 2)

[continued from previous post]

Morin, Louis (1900) - Guipi Bopala, Prince Eric (1900)
Quebec Open, Quebec, 2018
40 moves / 90 minutes, then 30 minutes

So far, we have seen a few surprises. First, White played the Jerome Gambit in a serious over-the-board tournament. Second, Black, a youngster, has been holding his own - until a bit of a surprising (second-and-a-half?), if "scientific", return of the sacrificed material.

As the game progresses, I am reminded of some points made by Dennis Monokroussos, of the chess blog The Chess Mind, in a review of Hannes Langrock's The French Defense: The Solid Rubinstein Variation (2014). The perspective can be helpful in understanding "slow" Jerome Gambits.

A couple of practical drawbacks for [those playing the variation]: if you win, it’s going to take you at least 40 moves and possibly longer. That’s not so bad if you’re playing in a civilized tournament, but here in the U.S. at least you might be playing two full-length games in one day. If you’re young and full of energy then go for it (though if you’re young and full of energy you should play sharp openings instead!), but otherwise it may be a dubious tournament strategy. It’s also not very satisfactory if you’re in a must-win situation, unless you’re a big believer in your technical abilities or your opponent’s technical shortcomings... 

To his credit, he acknowledges early on some of the criticisms readers might offer; indeed, he relates asking the very strong German grandmaster Georg Meier if he isn’t concerned about the drawish tendencies of this line. Meier’s reply was that he has been able to win many kinds of endgames with it. And that’s the key: you have to have good technique and be willing to grind out points over the long haul. Meier is young and a great technician who is able to defeat lesser lights with remarkable regularity in this opening. Our mileage may vary, but by learning the types of endings that can arise via this opening we can replicate some of his successes in our own games. 

Now: back to our game.

34.Nd4 Rb7 35.Rfe1 Rxe1 36.Rxe1 Kf7 37.Re6 Be7

Perhaps the Bishop would be better placed at f6.

38.Nc6

Louis points out that, in time trouble, he missed the winning move, 38.f5! It looks like Black must avoid taking the pawn, as 38...gxf5 39.Nxf5+ leads to the fall of Black's d-pawn. On the other hand, after 38...g5, White's Rook can go after the h-pawn, i.e. 39.Rh6 g4+ (isolating White's f-pawn) 40.Kg2. Then, the computers like 40...a4 41.Rxh6 axb3 42.axb3 when things are still pretty complicated, but White has that extra pawn.

The computers also recommend 38.g4!?, which seems counter-intuitive, opening lines for the enemy Bishop, but, after 38...hxg4+ 39.Kxg4 it becomes clear that Black's minor piece is stuck in place, and 39...Rc7 might be the best chance, pursuing activity, even at the cost of a pawn after 40.Nxb5.

Remember, though: time trouble had reared it's fearsome head. Plus: even after the text move, White is better. And: the endgame is a difficult one.

38...a4 39.b4

Continuing to cramp the enemy Bishop, although 39.bxa4 bxa4 40.g4!? might have been playable, similar to the previous note. 

39...Rc7 40.f5 gxf5 

The first time control has been reached, and White's well-posted Knight dominates Black's troubled Bishop. The extra pawn means nothing. The game is even. (It is important to remember that in difficult situations, "even" does not equal "drawn".)

41.Rh6 Bf6

The Bishop can breathe! Also, the move limits the actions of White's Rook.

42.Rh7+ Bg7 43.Rxh5 Kg6 

44.Rh4

Possibly better was 44.g4!?. taking the chance to liquidate the Kingside pawns and preparing to hang on for the draw. Of course that's easy for me to say, as I was not playing the game.

44...Bf6 45.Rf4 Rh7+ 46.Kg2 Kg5 47.Rf3 Be5 48.Re3 f4

49.gxf4+

Reasonable, but it should allow Black's King to creep closer. Tougher was 49.Re1!? keeping it all in balance.

49...Bxf4

Keeping it even. Dizzying. Tick tock!

50.Rh3

According to the computers, this is the losing move, but how would I know? It makes perfect sense to me to exchange off the major pieces, but apparently this allows Black's King greater activity. On the other hand, 50.Re8!?, which supposedly leads to the half point after mad complications, would require incredible vision.

50...Rxh3 51.Kxh3 Kf5 

The problem is that while White can trade pawn-for-pawn, Black's King gets into the action, while White's is left out.

52.Nd4+ Ke5 53.Nxb5 Bd2 54.Na7 

Black has the game in hand. Impressive.

54...Kxd5 55.b5 Kc5 56.Kg2 Bb4 57.Kf3 Kb6 58.Nc8+ Kxb5 59.Ke4 Bc5 60.Ne7 Kb4 61.Kd3 Ka3 62.Kc2 Kxa2 63.Nd5
Ka3 64.Kc3 Bf2 65.Nf4 Bg3 66.Kc2 White resigned

Hats off to young Prince Eric Guipi Bopala, for playing such a fine game!

Yes, The Jerome Gambit Is Playable (Part 1)

Is the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) playable?

I have been answering this question for over a decade - for example, see the early "But - Is this stuff Playable?? (Part I)" - and my response looks like this: in friendly games, in blitz games, in games where you are giving "Jerome Gambit odds" to a weaker player, it is playable.

Some adventurous players have not been content to leave it at that.

Years ago, I learned that English player Pete Banks ("Blackburne" online) was willing to attack with the Jerome Gambit in over-the-board games - risking his rating and the chance of teasing by his peers. See "Meet Jerome", "Jerome Gambit, Over-the-Board" and "The Pete Banks Annotated Collection" for examples.

Bill Wall, an unorthodox openings expert and Jerome Gambit afficianado in the U.S., has played some over-the-board games as well (if my records are correct). See "The Jerome Gam'",  and "Jerome Gambit: A Casual Stroll".

Of course, recently this blog has covered the escapades of Australian chess player Kevin Sheldrick (aka "Cliff Hardy"), including his effort at the 2017 Australian Open. See "Jerome Gambit: Cliff Hardy Revealed!"

It is important to not overlook the Jerome Gambit efforts of Louis Morin, of Canada, however. Anyone who has explored The Database knows that he was an early adopter of the opening, has played a truckload of games, appearing online as MrJoker (and, earlier, as a "guest"). Louis also played the Jerome Gambit at the 2015 Quebec Open. See "The Jerome Gam' again".

All of which brings us to a couple of Jerome Gambit games that Louis played at the 2018 Quebec Open.

Okay, so the Jerome Gambit is playable. But - how do you play it?


Morin, Louis (1900) - Guipi Bopala, Prince Eric (1900)
Quebec Open, Quebec, 2018
40 moves / 90 minutes, then 30 minutes

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

Okay, this looks like the ideal time to unleash the Jerome Gambit. Black is an 11 year old - barely older than this blog. What could he know about Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's pet line?

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

A wise choice. Black avoids the discomfort associated with 6...Ke6, and ducks the tactical edginess of 6...g6 7.Qxe5. He simply wants to give back a piece and take his King out of the action.

On the other hand, White has over 80 games with this position in The Database. He knows what he is doing.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6

According to The Database, Louis is 12 - 4 - 2 against alternatives.

9.d3 

If you have played your share of Jerome Gambits, or explored games presentd on this blog, chances are that this move gave you a chuckle.

Why? Because sometimes White's strategy becomes a bit psychological - instead of racing ahead in some sort of wild attack, he signals that he will slowly and carefully work with his pawns (see "Jerome Gambit: In Pawns We Trust"). Like I wrote a couple of years ago

Steinitz said that the player with the advantage must attack, or risk losing that advantage. White prepares to face that attack, relying on solid "Jerome pawns" instead of planning an attack of his own with f2-f4.

Of course, if Black wants to protect his advantage, he has to take back the move 6...Kf8.

9...Kf7 10.O-O Rf8 11.c3 Kg8 12.d4 Bb6 13.f3 Qe7 14.Bg5 Qf7 15.Nd2 Bd7 

Black has the advantage of a piece vs two pawns, and his two Bishops are not to be discounted. Still, you can almost hear MrJoker saying "Hit me".

16.b3 a6 17.Kh1 Rae8 18.Rfe1 Be6 19.Rad1 Nh5 20.Qf2 Nf4
21.Qe3 c6 22.Bxf4 Qxf4 23.Qxf4 Rxf4

From a purely "objective" point of view, Black has to be smiling: he has escaped a tricky opening, the Queens are off the board, and there is no White attack in sight. On the other hand: what to do, what to do, what to do...

24.g3 Rff8 25.Kg2 a5 26.h3 Rf7 27.f4 g6 28.Rf1 h5 29.Nf3 Bd8 30.c4 b5

All this "doing nothing" is exhausting, even as White's pawns slowly advance like a pack of zombies. Black can hold back no longer.

31.d5 cxd5 32.cxd5 Bxh3+ 33.Kxh3 Rxe4

Argh. Black has returned his piece for a couple of pawns. He should not be too happy about his Bishop, as White's Knight will find outposts that will make it an equal game.

[to be continued]