Jerome Gambit: Consolation Prize

Sometimes a defender does a good job against the Jerome Gambit. Sometimes he even reaches a checkmate-in-11 moves.

Sometimes he does not have enough time to work it all out, and has to force a draw, as time runs short... or his frustration shows through.

NNN_1 - Shustruy

internet,  2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.d3 

One of the "modern" variations of the Jerome Gambit, as opposed to the "classical" ones featuring 5.Nxe5+. Both players have a greater choice of moves and plans.

5...Nf6 6.Ng5+ Kg8 7.Nc3 h6 8.Nf3 d6 9.h3 Kh7 

A quiet position. White's compensation for his sacrificed piece, one pawn, does not seem enough - especially since Black has castled-by-hand.

10.O-O Rf8 11.Nh2 Be6 12.Kh1 Qd7 13.f4 exf4 14.Rxf5 Ne5

White has opened the f-file, but still lags in development.

15.d4 Ng6 16.Rxf6 Rxf6 17.dxc5 Nh4 

Black has the right idea: Attack the King.

18.cxd6 

Stockfish 15's suggestion is objectively better, but not appealing: 18.Qe2 Nxg2 19.Kxg2 Bxh3+ 20.Kh1 Rg6 21.cxd6 Rf8 22.Be3 Bg2+ 23.Qxg2 Rxg2 24.Kxg2 Qxd6 White has 3 pieces for his Queen, but his King is at risk and Black's connected passed Kingside pawns are a long term headache.

18...Bxh3 19.gxh3 Qxh3 20.Qe2 

Allowing a checkmate in 11 moves, but 20.Qg1 Rg6 is hardly promising.

Still, Black has to find the mate.

20...Raf8 21.Be3 Nf3 

More pressure on h2, although that could also have been applied by 21...Rf2 22.Qxf2 Rxf2 23.Bxf2 Qg2 checkmate 

22.Nd5 Nxh2 

Much of the heat has gone out of the position. Black could have still ground things out, instead, with 22...Rxd6 23.Nf4 Qxh2+ 24.Qxh2 Nxh2 25.Kxh2 Re8 when his extra Rook would pair up with his Kingside pawns to outplay White's two extra pieces.

Now, while Black's position looks strong, he cannot find anything more than a draw - and neither can I. It is not clear if it is this realization, or the clock, that wraps the game up.

23.Qxh2 Rf1+ 24.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 25.Bg1 Qf3+ 26.Qg2 Qh5+ 27.Qh2 Qf3+ 28.Qg2 Qh5+ 29.Qh2 Qf3+ 30.Qg2 Draw

Jerome Gambit: Everywhere

 It seems that the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is everywhere.

I have a standing Google Alert for "Jerome Gambit". Today it produced a couple of TikTok videos, of all things. (I admit I might have missed some content because I do not read Hebrew.)

The first, "JEROME GAMBIT BACKFIRES IN LIVE SCRIM", one of several videos from 5headchess, shows the infamous Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884 game.

The second, "Jerome Gambit" from chesstutorials, has light instruction.

A third video, by leaderofKyles, "I feel lik a jerk but it's fun chess", is also labelled a Jerome Gambit, although it begins 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 c5 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Bxf7+. (I have been able to find only one other game with that line, Croke - Jokmin, LSS SN-2009-0-00160, 2009 [1-0, 30])

Amazing.

Jerome Gambit: Zero To Hero

 

The YouTube video "Jerome-d | G14 Jerome Gambit Zero To Hero L2" is one of several produced by NaidamairChess to chronical and illustrate his self-set goal of moving from a lichess.org rating of 600 to that of 2100, focusing on "improving in chess with habits".

Check it out.

Jerome Gambit: Geoff Chandler, Indeed!

Geoff Chandler - creative chessplayer, humorous writer, learned chess coach, and occasional friend of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) recently posted "The Jerome Gambit" on his "The Planet Greenpawn" blog on the Daily Chess website.

He starts off with "This is my yacht, ‘The Jerome Gambit’ (St Jerome* is the patron saint of lost causes.)" and eventually gets around to presenting the game zapiroimihai - DeltaSquare RedHotPawn.com, 2022 (1-0, 21).

We will get to that game later.

I have mentioned Goeff's work a number of times on this blog.

His humor is well illustrated in "Mars Attacks!" where he "annotates" a Jerome Gambit game with pictures from

the infamous 1962 bubble-gum card set, from Bubbles, Inc. -- "Mars Attacks!"

His insight into chess and how it is played at different levels is reflected in his "Blunder Table" - which accidentally and unintentually justifies the sacrifices in the Jerome Gambit, at least for club players.

Geoff and Dimitrov Todor are responsible for the "drawn" assessment of the Blackburne defense in the Jerome Gambit - although play is complicated enough that it can be difficult for either player to reach the split point. See "Tidying Up - Or Messing Up?"

It is time to present the aforementioned game, and although White wins, it must be labelled

zapiroimihai - DeltaSquare

RedHotPawn.com, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.Nc3 Qf6 9.Qh5 Qxf2+ 10.Kd1 Nf6 11.Qg5 g6 12.Ne2 h6 13.Qg3 Nxe4 14.Qb3 Rf8 15.c3 Nd3 16.c4 Qxg2 17.Qxd3+ Kc6 18.Qd5+ Kb6 19.Nd4 Qxh1+ 20.Kc2 Bxd4 21.Qb5 checkmate

(*"No; the Jerome gambit is not named after St. Jerome. His penances, if he did any, were in atonement of rather minor transgressions compared with the gambit" – Emanuel Lasker, Lasker’s Chess Magazine, March 1906)

Jerome Gambit: Returns

When Black returns some, or all, of the sacrificed material given to him in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) White is often faced with the task of carrying on without his planned blistering attack.

Still, after he adjusts his goals White can continue to press toward victory.

capostrophic - gemy201

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5  6.Qh5+  Kf6 

With the hope that he can protect the Knight. Safer was 6...Kf8.

7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qd5+ Kf6 

10.e5+ 

Adding some complications based upon Black's King's risky placement.

10...Ke7 11.Qxc5+ d6 12.exd6+ Qxd6 13.Qxd6+  cxd6 

And just like that, White is up 2 pawns in a calm Queenless middlegame - better than before 1.e4.

14.O-O Nf6 15.Re1+ Kd7 16.Nc3 Kc7 

17.Re7+ Bd7 18.Rxg7 Rae8 19.Kf1 Kb8 

Castling-by-hand and unpinning the Bishop.

20.d3 Rhf8 21.Bf4 Nh5 

A slip.

22.Bxd6+ Kc8 

Black resigned

After 23.Bxf8 Nxg7 24.Bxg7 the position would be quiet, but White's material advantage would be enough to patiently win.

Jerome Gambit: Wild Ride

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) often leads to a wild ride of a game.

Add to that excitement the racing speed of a bullet game, and things can quickly get out of hand for the defender.

stolar2972 - yingzchess

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 

As old as the article "New Chess Opening" Dubuque Chess Journal April 1874" and the game Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1/2 - 1/2, ). For some thoughts, see "Critical Line: 5...Kf8"

6.Qh5 

The "Banks Variation," after Jerome Gambiteer Pete Banks.

Also possible was 6.Nxc6.

6...Qf6 7.Ng4 

According to the Database, introduced in erik - jiml, 4 0 blitz, FICS, 2001 (0-1, 38) and then not seen again for 20 years, when DutchLiLi played it in 4 bullet games at lichess.org. 

7...Qd6 

Not as strong as 7...Qe7, which also protects the Bishop on c5, but which does not block the d-pawn, which would then not block the light square Bishop, which would then not hem in the Rook.

8.O-O Nf6 

It is not immediately clear that this move is an error, but the computer thinks so. It would have been better to un-block the d-pawn.

9.Nxf6 gxf6 

This is an interesting position. Stockfish 15, at 30 ply, sees it as equal. Yet, it is a good example of the old aphorism, If the attacker slips up, he loses his attack; if the defnder slips up, he loses his King.

10.d3 Ne5 

Right square, wrong piece. 10...Qd5 would hold.

As always, it is important to remember that this is a bullet game, and analysis can not always run deep.

11.Bh6+ Ke7 12.Nc3 Bd4 

Too slow. The knee jerk reaction 12...c6 would be best.

13.Nd5+ Kd8 14.Bg7 Re8 15.Bxf6+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Conjured

The following game shows what can happen when a higher rated player (+400) gives "Jerome Gambit odds" to a lower rated player. 

Play is complicated for the defender when he conjures up some unfortunate moves.

Schaakmaatje - maro

"Dare to Jerome" tournament, SchemingMind.com, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 d6 

Blackburne's defense. White can take the Rook, with advantage, but the game is complicated.

8.Qxh8 Bxf2+ 

Superficially resembling the Counter-Jerome Gambit, last covered in the post "Jerome Gambit: Almost Home" which took a look at BahatiTheGrandmaster - weedtea, 10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021 (0-1, 10) - with one big, bad difference: White has grabbed a Rook.

9.Kxf2 Be6 

Forcing the exchange of Queens with 9...Qf6+, like in the Counter-Jerome, would make no sense here.

Going for a "scary" Queen check with 9...Qh4+ 10.g3 Qe4 would be met with 11.Qxh7+, and again Black would have nothing.

10.Qxh7+ Kf8 11.Rf1 Qf6+ 

I don't know the time control, but this move almost sounds like "tick, tick".

12.Kg1 Qxf1+ 13.Kxf1 Black resigned

White's material advantage is overpowering.