Jerome Gambit to the Rescue

I recently returned to playing blitz at the online FICS site. 

Longtime readers of this blog will remember that the early Jerome Gambit games of mine that were posted here were almost all blitz games played at FICS.

In the last few years I have moved to playing more correspondence style games at Chess.com, with time controls of two or three days per move (though I usually moved faster).

In any event, my return games were quite bad. There's no other way to describe them. Tactical oversights. Strategic blunders. Losing "won" games.

There was only one thing left to do: trot out the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)!

A dozen moves later, I felt a whole lot better.

perrypawnpusher - stevebrown

3 5 blitz, FICS, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit upsets whatever sense of safety Black had due to his 3...h6.

According to The Database I have played this line 60 times with White, scoring 88%.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ke6 

I have previously faced 7...Kf6, 7...Kf8, 7...Ng6 and 7...g6.

8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.d4 

Confident, but brash, following the suggestion Play'em like you got 'em. This move previously scored 10 - 2 - 2 for me.

9...Bxd4 10.Rd1 Qf6 11.Rxd4+ 

Scary, but it is not clear how White continues with success now after 11...Ke7.

11...Kc5 

A slip playing at blitz time control.

12.Rd5+ Black resigned

Black will lose his Knight at e5, giving White a material edge.

After the game I took a long look at the alternative 12.Qh3!?, which also would have been strong. Black would be checkmated if he took the Rook at d4 - 12...Kxd4 13.Qe3+ Kc4 14.Na3+ Kb4 15.Qc3+ Ka4 16.b3#.

Curiously, Black's strongest move after 12.Qh3!? is 12...Nf3+, but after 13.gxf3 he can still not touch the Rook, as 13...Kxd4 is solidly answered by 14.Qg3 (14.Be3+ is fine, too) which foreshadows Qg2 followed by Qf1, with Her Majesty joining the Kinghunt on the Queenside! 

Stockfish 15 prefers 12.Qh3!? Nf3+13.gxf3 Qg6+, but admits that after 14.Kh1 Kxd4 (one last try) 15.Nc3 d5 16.Qh4 Ke5 17.Nxd5 Nf6 18.Nxc7 White has ample compensation for his sacrificed Rook.

Seriously 19th century chess play!

Jerome Gambit: Savage Queen, Timid King

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.Bxf7+) game shows White's Queen plundering both the Queenside and the Kingside, bringing home the win against an enemy King that skitters this way and that  - all in a 1-minute game.

angelcamina - mvp_23

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 N8e7 9.O-O 

angelcamina has also played 9.Qe3, i.e. 9...Rf8 (9...Nc6 10.O-O Qe711.f4 d6 12.d4 Kd7 13.Nc3 Rf8 14.b3 b6 15.Ba3 Bb7 16.Rad1 Rad8 17.e5 Kc8 18.f5 Nh8 19.e6 Rf6 20.Nd5 Rff8 21.Nxe7+ Nxe7 22.c4 Nxf5 23.Qg5 h6 24.Qg4 Ne7 25.Rxf8 Rxf8 26.Rf1 Nhg6 27.Rxf8+ Nxf8 28.Qxg7 Nfg6 29.c5 bxc5 30.dxc5 Bd5 31.cxd6 cxd6 32.Bxd6 Bxe6 33.Bxe7 Nxe7 34.Qxe7 Bf5 35.h3 White won on time, angelcamina - mcisak, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019) 10.O-O d5 11.e5  Bf5 12.f4 Bxc2 13.Nc3 Qd7 14.d4 Qf5 15.Bd2 Qd3 16.Qxd3 Bxd3 17.Rac1 Be4 18.Nxe4 dxe4 19.g4 Nd5 20.Rc5 Ndxf4 21.Bxf4 Rxf4 22.Rxf4 Nxf4 23.Rxc7 Ne6 24.Rxb7 Nxd4 25.Rxg7 h6 26.Rg8+ Kf7 27.Rxa8 Nf3+ 28.Kf2 Nh4 29.Rxa7+ Black resigned angelcamina - pede26, lichess.org, 2021. 

9...d6 10.Qb5+ 

Chasing the b-pawn. He has also retreated his Queen: 10.Qe3 Be6 11.f4 Bc4 12.d3 Ba6 13.Nc3 Rf8 14.f5 Ne5 15.Qh3 h6 16.Qh5+ Kd7 17.Bf4 N7c6 18.Nd5 Kc8 19.Rfe1 b6 20.c3 Bxd3 21.Rad1 Bc4 22.Bxe5 Nxe5 23.Nb4 Qg5 24.Qh3 Qg4 25.Qe3 Qg5 26.Qd4 Nf3+ 27.Kf2 Nxd4 28.Rxd4 Qh4+ 29.Kg1 Qxe1 checkmate, angelcamina - DHIEVS, lichess.org, 2021. 

10...Bd7 11.Qxb7 Kf7 

Preparing to castle-by-hand? An alternative was 11...Bc6.

12.Qb3+ Be6 13.Qf3+ Ke8 14.d4 Rf8 15.Qe2 

White's Queen has returned home safely.

White's 3 extra pawns may balance Black's extra piece; Black's lead in development may balance his King's risky placement in the center of the board.

15...Rf7 

Preparing for a walk by his King.

Instead, Stockfish 15 recommends 15...d5 16.c4 dxe4 17.d5 Bf5 18.Nc3 Qd7 19.Nxe4 Kf7 20.f3 Kg8 and sees Black as better. 

Once again, the placement of the defender's pieces at e6 and g6 call forth the attacker's f-pawn.

16.f4 Nh8 17.f5 Bd7 18.Qh5 

White could have applied more pressure with 18.c4 or 18.Bg5, but this is a bullet game, and he goes for direct attack. 

18...Kf8 

It seems paradoxical, possibly opening up his Kingside, but the computer prefers 18...g6, assessing 19.Qe2 gxf5 20.Nc3 Kf8 21.Bg5 Qb8 22.exf5 Nxf5 23.g4 Qb6 24.Rxf5 Rxf5 25.gxf5 Qxd4+ 26.Be3 Qh4 27.Qe1 Qxe1+ 28.Rxe1 Nf7 as only a slight edge for White.

Now things begin to go to pieces.

19.Qxh7 Ke8 20.Qxh8+ Rf8 21.Qh5+ Rf7 22.f6 g6 

23.fxe7 gxh5 24.exd8=Q+ Rxd8 25.Rxf7 Kxf7 

White is up a piece and 3  pawns. His only danger is the clock.

26.Nc3 Bg4 27.h3 Be6 28.Bg5 Rg8 29.Rf1+ Kg6 30.h4 Kh7 31.Rf6 Bg4 32.Rf7+ Kg6 33.Rxc7 Rb8 34.b3 a5 35.Nd5 a4 36.Nf4 checkmate

Pretty!

Jerome Gambit: Your Opponent Will Never Be Comfortable

Recently Nicolás Felgueras sent me a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game with the comment

I like to play chess aggressively, and this opening provides you a position in which your opponent will never be comfortable receiving permanent attacks. 

Let's see how he provides the discomfort.

felguetron - one526

10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

Here we have a position that has appeared almost 350 times in The Database, starting with Vazquez, Andres Clemente - Carrington, William, 2nd match, Mexico, 1876 (1-0, 34); White scores 66%.

10.O-O Qe7 11.Nc3 Be6 

Black does well to focus upon development, and it is perhaps this plan that allows him to overlook the more active 11...d5, moving the d-pawn a second time. The Bishop is not well placed and will soon have to move.

12.f4 Ng4 

Black's aggression should not be ignored, but White has adequate resources.

13.Qg3

White's threat to the Knight at g4 will grow stronger after f4-f5. 

13...Bd7 

My silicon friend Stockfish 15 shocked me twice, here. First, it did not like the text, assessing the position afterwards as being more than a Rook better for White, despite the fact that Black is ahead in material and development.

Also, it recommended that Black pursue the exchange of Queens - hardly an attacking motif - with 13...Qh4 14. Qxh4 Nxh4, as a way of trying to untangle things, even though the Knight on h4 will be lost.

14.f5 N6e5 15.d4 h5 

Seriously...

Black is ready to return a piece, and activates his Kingside Rook with the possibility of giving up his Knight at g4, to open the h-file.

Just who, exactly, is supposed to be uncomfortable?

16.dxe5 dxe5 17.Nd5 Qc5+ 18.Kh1 Bb5 19.Rf3 Qxc2 

This is a blitz game, a time control that often suggests that Anything Can Happen. Indeed, Black's aggression is beginning to look scary.

Despite my concern for White, here, I am reminded of the peasant's riposte in Monty Python and the Holy Grail: "I got better".

White is actually doing quite well.

20.Bg5 Qxe4 21.h3 

A tough move to understand. Kicking the Knight? Creating luft?

Suddenly, White's position is worrisome.

The fork 21.Nxc7 was available.

21...Be2 

Complicating the situation further, when he would have done better to grab the Knight with 21...Qxd5. 

22.Re3 

Well played! Ignoring the plight of his Knight, he offers the exchange. How uncomfortable to have to sort this out while the clock ticks!

22...Nxe3

The Knight at d5 can no longer be taken for free, i.e. 22...Qxd5 23.Rxe2.

White now shows that the enemy pieces have advanced too far onto the battlefield, leaving their King undefended.

23.Be7+ Ke8 

It has come to this: 23...Kg8 instead would allow 24.Nf6+ forking King and Queen.

24.Qg6+ Kd7 25.Qe6+ Black resigned

It is checkmate next move.

Jerome Gambit: It's Catching

The Jerome Gambit features the sacrifice of two pieces, to disrupt normal play, take Black out of his preparation, and expose the enemy King. 

In the following game, piece sacrifice appears to be contageous - although the intentions of the defender-turned-counter-attacker are less easily discerned.

Wall, Bill - Marobaut

internet, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qa5 

Bill likes to experiment. The Database shows that on different occasions in response to 8...d6 he has retreated his Queen to a3, a5, b5, c3, c4, e3 and h5. He has played 8.Qe3 the most.

9...Ne5 

Bill has faced 9...Nf6 in Wall,B - Guest1151077, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 33) and Wall,B - Guest6808573, PlayChess.com, 2019 (1-0, 26). 

10.d4 Ng4 

Black is feeling adventurous. There was no reason to bypass 10...Nc6. 

11.O-O Nxh2 

Getting in the sacrifical spirit of things.

12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qxh2 Nf6

This is another one of those Jerome Gambit positions that at first glance garners the assessment "White is up a pawn" - but his advantage is far greater than that. Stockfish 15 suggests more than two pieces and a pawn better.

14.Bg5 

Here is the first point: Black will lose a piece.

14...Kf7

The King hurries to protect the pinned Knight. If 14...h6 - oops, the h-pawn is pinned - 15.e5 Ng4 16.Bxd8 Nxh2 17.Bf6! Nxf1 18.Bxh8 when Black's Knight is trapped and will be lost. 

As it turns out, f7 is an unfortunate place for His Majesty.

15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Ng4 17.Qf4+ Black resigned

White's Queen escapes from the attack, with check, leaving her counterpart vulnerable. Now 17...Nf6 simply loses a piece to 18.Bxf6.

From My Psychology Career to This Blog & Wiki's Attention

 

Years ago, I wrote over 100 reviews for the online chess site, Chessville.com. Alas, it no longer exists - although content can be found via The Wayback Machine, an internet archive ("Explore more than 771 billion web pages saved over time").

Recently Yury V. Bukayev sent me a link to a Wikipedia.org article on chess psychology that included a link to something I wrote for Chessville, many years ago.

Titled "My Chess Psychology Bookshelf" the piece includes short reviews of a number of chess psychology books, with links to an additional collection of longer reviews that I did for Chessville - about a couple dozen, in all.

They are well worth a read.

I have been interested in chess since the age of 7. Psychology was my career for 40 years. As Yury suggested, the combination of the two most likely led to my fascination with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

It is interesting to reflect upon my search over the years for what lines of play might have inspired Alonzo Wheeler Jerome to create "his" opening; while Yury has done me one better, by identifying what most likely inspired me to investigate the Jerome and introduce this blog (it all started in 2008 with "Welcome!").   

Jerome Gambit: Common Sense Fails Again

One of the interesting things about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is how often "common sense" defenses fail. Defenders unfamiliar with the attack tend to underestimate it and decide upon a line of play that is reasonable and rational - and just might very well be wrong.  

Wall, Bill - Kulots

internet, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

6...Bd6 

This move looks reasonable: Black must lose a piece, so he plans to answer 7.dxe5 with 7...Bxe5, getting a pawn back.

Experience facing the Jerome Gambit suggests that a Bishop retreat here is not the best choice - even if it is playable. Black should just give the Bishop up with 6...Bxd4 or counter-attack with 6...Qh4. 

By the way, according to The Database Bill is 29 - 0 in this position.

7.dxe5 Bxe5 

More common sense. After all, how hard is it to counter an opening where White has sacrificed 2 pieces in the first 5 moves?

More to the point was 7...Bb4+ 8.Bd2 Bxd2+ 9.Nxd2 Qe7 and Black is for choice. 

8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Qxe5 d6 

Look where common sense has gotten Black: he is a pawn down with no compensation.

10.Qf4+ Nf6 11.O-O Qe7 12.Nc3 c6

A quick assessment might show that Black is not doing too poorly, he is just down a pawn.

Look at a few lines of play, however, as Stockfish 15 does, and you will rate White ahead the equivalent of a couple of pieces. 

13.Rd1 Qe5 14.Rxd6 Black resigned

White's lead in development and Black's uneasy King convince the second player that happiness is to found elsewhere.

Makes sense to me.

Jerome Gambit: Slowly Taking Advantage

The following Jerome Gambit battle between two younger players shows the first player slowly taking advantage, then exchanging to a won endgame and utilizing the cooperation of his King and Rook to make his remaining pawns shine. Very entertaining.

Mehul, SU - Chia, Min Zacha

Eastern Asia-ch U12, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf5+ 

More frequently seen is 8.Qf4+. 

8...Ke8 

Again, more frequently seen is the developing 8...Nf6 but it is possible that Chia was already planning to semi-castle his King on the Queenside. 

9.O-O d6 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qf3 Be6 12.c3 Kd7 

13.d4 Bb6 14.d5 Bf7

A followup consistent with Black's King maneuver that would return some material and also leave a balanced game - as the text does - would have been 14...Bxd5 15.exd5 Rf8.

15.Bg5 

A tactical shot with an offer to exchange pieces and allow the White Queen to get closer to the Black King. 

It is difficult to appreciate Stockfish 15's suggestion 15.a4 a5 16.Na3 Nf6 17.Nc4 Bc5 18.Qh3+ Kd8 19.Bg5 h6 20.Qh4 hxg5 21.Qxh8+ Be8 22.Nxa5 Rxa5 23.b4 Nxe4 24.bxa5 Qf7 25.c4 Nxf2 26.Rae1 Nd3+ 27.Kh1 Nf2+ leading to either a repetition of the position and a draw, or to 28.Rxf2 Bxf2 29.Rxe8+ Qxe8 30.Qf6+ Qe7 31.Qxf2 and an equal position.

15...Qe5 

Black should have gone for the exhange, 15...Qxg5 16.Qxf7+ as after 16...Qe7 17.Qxe7+ Nxe7 he would have the typical piece-for-two-pawns material advantage.

16.Qxf7+ Ne7 17.Qxe7+ 

Ahead material, White simplifies the game, and simplifies his task of winning. Alas, he missed 17.Bf6 Rhf8 18. Qxf8 Rxf8 19. Bxe5 dxe5 which would have won an additional exchange along with the removal of Queens.

17...Qxe7 18.Bxe7 Kxe7 

White is a couple of pawns ahead. He is not in a hurry. First, he exchanges his Knight for the Bishop.

19.Nd2 Rae8 20.Kh1 Kd8 21.f3 Rhf8 22.Nc4 Kc8 23.Nxb6+ axb6 

24.Rac1 c6 25.Rfd1 c5 26.a3 Kc7 27.c4 g5 28.h3 h5 29.Rc3 h4 30.Rc2 Rf4 31.Re2 Re5 32.Rf1 Kb8 

Black would like the position to remain as closed as possible.

33.g3 hxg3 34.Kg2 Ka7 35.Kxg3 Ka6 36.Rg2 

36...Rexe4 

Black wins a pawn.

In the following play, White's remaining Rook pairs with his King, while Black's forces are split and his weaknesses easier to exploit.

37.fxe4 Rxf1 38.Kg4 Re1 39.Kf5 Rc1 40.Rxg5 Rxc4 41.Rg2 

White will find a way to promote a pawn.

41...Rc1 42.h4 Rf1+ 43.Kg6 Rf4 44.h5 Rxe4 45.h6 Rh4 46. Rg5 Rh1 47.Rh5 Rg1+ 48.Kf7 Rf1+ 49.Ke6 Rf8 50.Kxd6 Rh8 

With Black's Rook tied down to White's h-pawn, the defender is unprepared to deal with another enemy passer.

He decides to sacrifice his Rook for the chance to advance his own pawn, but there is not quite enough time.

51.h7 Kb5 52.Ke7 Ka4 53.d6 Kb3 54.Rh2 Rxh7+ 55.Rxh7 Kxb2 56.Rh3 c4 57.d7 c3 58.d8=Q c2 

59.Qd4+ Ka2 60.Qc3 Kb1 61.Rh1+ Ka2 62.Ra1 checkmate