Lose Never with a Strong Deferred Jerome Gambit! (Part 2)
(by Yury V. Bukayev)
The Part 2 of this my analytical investigation is also about strong deferred Jerome gambits which are important for modern opening theory and for serious practice and which are the parts of the Jerome gambit (JG), not relative gambits for it.
I should add something important to my Part 1 (September 17, 2021). The main line of my analysis of the Natural star Jerome gambit deferred there indicates that 14…Qf7 is the best response after 14.e5, but I have found later that 14…Qf5! AN is really the best one. Moreover, I have found that White should prefer 14.Nd1! AN instead of 14.e5, and Knight’s retreat to d1 is a result of absence of White’s other protection of his Bishop on b2. The problem of the preliminary protection is solved in the Part 2, we’ll see below.
At first let’s repeat my thoughts from the Part 1. It shouldn’t mix related (relative) lines for an opening with its deferred ones. Let’s consider the Queen’s gambit. For example, 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 is one of deferred types of the Queen’s gambit (we may name it as ‘Nf3Nf6-Queen’s gambit deferred’), 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 is the other deferred type of the Queen’s gambit (we may name it as ‘Nf3e6-Queen’s gambit deferred’) etc. Often we unite them with the “standard line” 1.d4 d5 2.c4 and name each of them as ‘the Queen’s gambit’. In contrast with them, the Catalan opening (for example) is an opening which is related to the Queen’s gambit. We never unite it with the Queen’s gambit, because the plan with Bxc4 after …dxc4 is impossible in the Catalan opening.
Let’s consider the Jerome gambit twice accepted (JGTA) analogously. Its “standard line” is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5, and after 6.Qh5+! or 6.d4 (it’s much less strong move) White gets a sharp play, you know the modern theory of August 2022 from my publications on Rick Kennedy’s blog. If 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 is played after 4.Nc3 (or 4.d3, or 4.0-0, or 4.c3, or any other “calm” move) 4…a6 (or 4…h6, or certain other moves: 4…a5, 4…b5, 4…Rb8), then the same White’s plans to return a part of gambit material (7.Qh5+ and 7.d4) get no additional obstacles here in comparison with the standard line. That is why 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 a6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 and other above lines are deferred lines of JGTA. Analogously, we may unite them with the standard line of JGTA and name each of them as ‘JGTA’. In contrast with them, if Black plays 4…Nf6 (or 4…d6, or any other move which we don’t see above), then 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 forms only a related line for JGTA, so we may not unite it with JGTA.
Is it possible to get a deferred line of JGTA, of JG where Black and White make no bad moves in the whole game, where the move “Bxf7+” can’t lose certainly, where an interest for important modern opening theory and for serious practice is enough large? I have invented such new gambit, let’s consider it.
1.e4 e6 2.b3!? (Reti variation, French defence, C00) 2…e5!?. Here two ways are very interesting:
Way 1.
3.Nc3!? AN Nc6!? 4.Bc4!? Be7!? [Black keeps a normal position. In the case of 5.f4 Black can respond 5…ef 6.Nf3 Bh4!?. After 4…Na5? 5.Bf7 Kf7 6.Qh5 Ke6 7.Qf5 Kd6 8.d4 (or even 8.Ba3) 8…ed? 9.Ba3! White wins.] 5.Nf3!? h6!? [Black keeps a normal position, because 6.d4 isn’t good now: White’s Knight on c3 doesn’t have a protection here. Black considers the move 5…h6 as one of calm alternatives to 5…Nf6 6.Ng5 0-0 7.f4 ef 8.0-0, where the play is more complicated.] 6.Bb2 [6.Bb5 Nd4] 6…Bc5!? [Black prevents 7.d4.] 7.0-0!? a6!? [After 8.Bd5 Bd6! 9.d4 ed! Black has chances to defend.] 8.Rb1!? [This extraordinary move’s goal is to fight against 8…b5. We’ll see this fight below.] 8…b5!? 9.Bxf7+!? [Here is my gambit. White’s goal is a win or a draw in all cases. I suggest the name ‘the Triumphant Jerome Gambit Deferred’ for this gambit, because this goal certainly can be achieved, as we’ll see below. We may unite it with JG.] 9…Kxf7 10.Nxe5+! Nxe5 [We may unite it with JGTA.] 11.Qh5+! Kf8! [11…g6? 12.Qe5 with the win; 11…Ng6? 12.Qd5, and 13.Qa8 with the advantage; 11…Ke6 12.Qf5! with the strong attack (the analogous attack 10.Qh5+ Ke6 11.Qf5 AN is strong in the Natural star Jerome gambit deferred, but 11.Nd5 is there enough for White’s advantage); 12.Nd5 Qg5 (12…Nf6? 13.Qe5 Kf7 14.Nf6 with the win; 12…Nc6? 13.Nf4!? Kd6 14.Qd5 with the win) 13.Nc7 (or 13.Qg5 hg 14.Nc7 – 13.Nc7) 13…Kd6 14.Qg5 hg 15.Be5 Ke5 16.Na8 Kd6 17.d4 (17.b4 Ba7 18.Rb3 Kc6 19.Rc3 Kb7 20.Nc7 Bd4! 21.Rd3 Be5 22.Nd5 Bh2 23.Kh1 Bg3 24.Kg1 Bh2 = ) 17…Ba7 18.d5 Bb7 19.e5 with the complicated endgame] 12.Qxe5 d6 13.Qf4+ Qf6 [13…Nf6? 14.Nd5 Kf7 15.d4 Ba7 16.Nb4 (with the idea e4-e5), and White has the advantage.] 14.Qg3! Qf7 [14…Ne7? 15.Nb5!? (the role of 8.Rb1 can be understood now) 15…Qf7 16.Nc7 Ra7 17.d4 Rc7 18.dc with the advantage; 14…Bd4 15.Nd5 Qe5 16.Qf3 Nf6 17.Nf6 gf 18.Bd4 Qd4 19.e5, and White stands better; 14…Qg5!? 15.Qf3 Nf6? 16.e5, and White stands better; 15…Qf6! 16.Qg3!? Qg5 = ; 16…Qf7 – 14…Qf7; 16.Qe2!?, and White’s compensation is enough.] 15.Ne2!?, and White’s compensation is enough.
Way 2.
3.Bb2 Nc6 4.Bc4!? AN a6!? 5.Nc3!? Be7!? [Black keeps a normal position. In the case of 6.f4!? Black can respond 6…ef 7.Nf3 Bh4!. If 5…Na5?, then 6.Bf7! etc.] 6.Nf3 Bc5 [Black prevents 7.d4.] 7.0-0!? h6!? [Black gets a possibility to play Ng8-e7!?.] 8.Rb1!? b5!? 9.Bxf7+!? etc. This way is the most important for practice.
Once again, the Jerome gambit (JG) isn’t 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ only, it is also a large family of deferred gambits which are the parts of JG, and its above part is, probably, the strongest one.
Finally, if White plays 9.Bxf7+!? after 8.Re1!? AN b5!? (I suggest the name ‘the Fantastic star Jerome gambit deferred’ for this gambit, because it is certainly better than the Natural star Jerome gambit deferred), then White’s compensation is, probably, enough too.
Note: Author’s theoretical novelties-moves are marked by the symbol “AN”.
Contact the author: istinayubukayev@yandex.ru
© 2022 Yury V. Bukayev (Copyright © Bukayev Yury Vyacheslavovich 2022). All rights reserved.
[A legal using of this investigation with a reference to it is permitted
and doesn’t require author’s consent.]
