Jerome Gambit: Stars Won't You Hide Me?

The following game reminds me a bit of Ben Bova's short story "Stars Won't You Hide Me?", in which Holman, the sole survivor of the human race, rockets through space, pursued by the Others who intend to complete the elimination of homo sapiens. Onward they go, with the pursuers doggedly closing in on the pursued, almost catching their prey - until 

billions of galaxies all rushed together down to a single cataclysmic point in spacetime

The end of the universe

Okay, the following game isn't that explosive, but give it a look. 

BaltyBalty88 - 06_Jay_06

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Bxf2+ 

This is the "Counter-Jerome Defense" or the "Counter-Jerome Gambit".

There are 473 games with this line in The Database, with White scoring 72%.

8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.b3 

White plans to make the long diagonal part of his play. 

10...Nxe4+ 11.Ke3 

Stockfish 15.1 prefers 11.Kf3, even though it blocks the f-file for White's Rook, because after the text Black has 11...Re8.

11...d5 12.Bb2 Re8 13.d4 

Stepping away from the threatened discovered check with 13.Kf3 was safer.

13...Ng3+ 14.Kf3 Nxh1 15.Nd2 Bf5 16.c4 c6 17.b4 dxc4 18.d5 cxd5 19.Rxh1 Rad8 20.g4 Bc2 21.Kg3 

Pawns, won't you hide me?

21...Re3+ 22.Kh4 g5+ 23.Kh5 Rh3+ 24.Kxg5 h6+ 25.Kf4 Rf8 26.Ke5 Re3+ 27.Kd4 Rd3+ 28.Kc5 Rc8+ 29.Kb5 a6+ 30.Ka5 

Now it is White's turn.

30...Rxd2 31.Rf1+ Kg6 32.h4 Rb8 33.h5+ Kg5 

34.Rf5+ 

A slip. In this case, neither notices. The clock ticks for both players.

34...Kxg4 35.Rf1 b6+ 36.Kxa6 Bd3 37.Rg1+ Kxh5 38.Rh1+ Kg4 39.Rg1+ Kf3 40.Be5 c3+ 41.Ka7 Rc8 42.Bxc3 Rxa2+ 43.Kb7

At the end of the story, Holman said "The end of the world. The end of everything and everybody. We finish in a tie."

Not in this game. Here, White won on time.

Jerome Gambit: Onboard Computer Malfunction

I really like the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). I have spent years learning about the opening and sharing that knowledge with Readers.

Still, I like to think that I have an objective view of the Jerome, one that would allow me to defend against it effectively.

Most of the time, that has been true. But not in the following game.

shachaf2 - perrypawnpusher

Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

Before this game I was 12 - 2 defending against the Jerome Gambit. Knowledge has to count for something.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qd5+

This is the first time facing this move, but I have played it, in perrypawnpusher - moush54, Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 11).  

For reference on 8.Qd5+, see "Anatoly Karpov & Jerome Gambit (Part 8)" and "Jerome Gambit: Risking  the Gutter".  

 I have faced (but not played, and do not recommend) the Rook grab 8.Qxh8 in blackburne - perrypawnpusher, JG3 thematic tournament, ChessWorld.net, 2008 (0-1, 17); F0nix - perrypawnpusher, Chess.com, 2021 (0-1, 13);  NN - perrypawnpusher, Chess.com, 2021 (0-1, 17); and REustace - perrypawnpusher, Chess.com, 2022 (0-1, 20).

8...Kg7 9.d4 Bb6 10.Nd2 

10...Nf6 11.Qg5 Bxd4 12.O-O h6 13.Qh4 d6 

Black has a piece for a pawn, with a safe King. He is clearly better.

I should have been comfortable with my position, but, for some reason, as John Houseman talks about in "The Paper Chase", I suddenly had a "skull full of mush".

14.Nf3 Be5 

This is a very sad move.

Simple was 14...Bb6. Aggressive and playable was 14...g5 15.Bxg5 (15.Qg3 Nxe4) 15...hxg5 16.Qxg5+ Kf7 17.Nxd4 Bh3 18.Nf5 Rag8.

15.Nxe5 Qxe5 16.Bf4 Qe6 

Playable was 16...Qxb2 but I was no longer in the mood for adventure.

Things on the board were still fine, but facing continued pressure, my human "onboard computer" was having troubles.

17.Qg3 Nh5 

My original thought was 17...Qg4 to exchange Queens, which was fine: 18.Qxg4 Bxg4 19.f3 Be6.

Of course, 17...Nxe4 was also playable.

The text, to win "the minor exchange", is okay, but I totally overlooked my opponent's response, and that disturbed me. 

18.Qc3+ Kg8 19.Bg3 Rh7 

20.e5 Nxg3 21.fxg3 Qxe5

Please exchange Queens, please.

Sad.

After the game Stockfish gave 21...dxe5 as more than two pieces better for Black. 

My opponent immediately grasped the difference

22.Rae1 Qxc3 23.Re8+ Kg7 24.Re7+ Draw

Nicely done, shachaf2.

Jerome Gambit: The Other Pawn, The Other File

Past discussions of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bx7+) have included the wisdom (or not) of White grabbing the defender's b-pawn, e.g. "Jerome Gambit: To b or Not To b". There has also been a focus on the dangers of opening the e-file (although sometimes there has been "Jerome Gambit:Beware the f-File").

In the following game, c7 (and its pawn) is the focus, and the f-file definitely takes center stage.

angelcamina - Jolas910

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.d3 Kf7 10.O-O Rf8 

Black plans to castle-by-hand. He wants his Rook on the same file as White's Queen. In this case, however, it might be more effective on the e-file, opposing the e-pawn.

11.Nc3 

Solid. Missing 11.e5, winning a piece. Remember, this is a 1-minute game. 

11...Kg8 12.Qxc7 Bb6 13.Qc4+ Kh8 14.Be3 Ng4 15.Bxb6 axb6  

White's Queen has gotten away with grabbing the c-pawn.

16.h3 Ne5 17.Qd4 Qg5 

Black is ready for an attack on the King, and starts with a pin on the g-pawn which threatens 18...Nf3+, winning the Queen. He would have done better by reversing the moves, 17...Nf3+ 18.gxf3 Qg5+. 

White reacts strongly.

18.f4 Rxf4 19.Rxf4 Qxf4 20.Rf1 Qg5 21.Rf8 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Grandmaster Nakamura's YouTube Video

 

Tucked inside Grandmaster Hiakru Nakamura's YouTube video "Hikaru Tricks some 1900s with the Hilbilly Gambit" is a very businesslike Jerome Gambit, at the 3:33 mark: TricksR4kids - Chess_vs_Life, Chess.com, 2022, (1-0, 54).

Jerome Gambit: Another Day in the Life of the Jerome Gambit

Not familiar with the Jerome Gambit, Black gets himself in trouble, early. However, his biggest problem proves to be the clock, which interferes with his endgame play and eventually delivers the full point to White.

Hats off to BaltyBalty88 for cool play at under 3 seconds per move.

BaltyBalty88 - 2AshtonIsChilling

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

This move can lead to either the Blackburne or Whistler defense.

It can also indicate that Black has thought only as far as blocking the Queen check, and will be figuring things out from there.

7.Qxe5 d6 

Blackburne's defense, showcased in Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885 (0-1, 14), every Jerome Gambit player's nightmare.

8.Qxh8 

Despite the Amateur's demise after grabbing Blackburne's Rook, later analysis has shown that White can do so, and survive - see "Tidying Up - Or Messing Up?" for one example.

8...Qf8 

Is Black's Queen headed to g7? His best chance, with White still better, was 8...Qh4.

9.Qxh7+ 

Black's compensation for the Rook - trapping the Queen - has evaporated.

9...Ke8 10.Qxg6+ Qf7 11.Qxf7+ Kxf7 

White is up the exchange and 4 pawns. His biggest enemy now is the clock, as this is a 3-minute game.

Fortunately, his next moves come easily.

12.O-O Nf6 13.d3 Be6 14.Bg5 Rg8 15.Bxf6 Kxf6 16.Nc3 Bh3 

This threat can be disposed of by giving back the exchange, 17.g3 Bxf1 18.Kxf1, because of the extra pawns. White is happy to ignore the pressure on his g2 pawn, and keep things moving.

17.Ne2 Rxg2+ 18.Kh1 d5 19.Nf4 

19...Rxf2 20.Rxf2 Bxf2 21.Nxh3 Bd4 

The extra Rook is plenty.

22.Rf1+ Ke5 23.exd5 Kxd5 24.Rf5+ Kd6 25.c3 Be3 

26.Ra5 b6 27.Rxa7 Bc1 28.b3 Bb2 29.c4 Bd4 

30.Ng5 b5 31.Nf3 

This looks like a time slip, and things are about to get a little sloppy, but White prevails.

31...Bxa7 32.cxb5 Kc5 33.h4 Kxb5 34.h5 Be3 35.Kg2 Kb4 

36.h6 

Things are getting frantic. White's plan could be to move his King to the center to protect the d- and b- (and maybe a-) pawns, then have his Knight escort the h-pawn forward, which will result in Black having to sacrifice his Bishop. (Easy for me, sitting at my desk with all the time in the world, to figure out.)

 36...Bxh6 

The game is now even, thanks to Black's well-placed King. But the clock will continue to mess things up.

37.d4 Bf8 38.Ne1 Kc3 39.a4 

39...Kxb3 

This is a grave error, as it fails to control the a-pawn. Instead, 39...Bb4 would keep things in balance. 

40.a5 c5 41.dxc5 

In turn, White allows the Bishop to get back in the game of stopping the a-pawn. Instead, 41.a6 and White's pawn proves faster.

41...Bxc5 42.a6 

42...Kb4 

Oh, dear. How much different 42...Kc4 would be, the well-earned draw. To his credit, White notices.

 43.Nd3+ Kb5 44.Nxc5 Kxc5 45.a7 

There is nothing that Black can do.

45...Kb6 46.a8=Q Kc5 47.Qh8 Kb6 48.Qh3 Kc6 49.Kf3 Kb5 50.Ke3 Kc6 51.Ke4 Kc5 52.Qe3+ Kd6 53.Qd3+ Kc6 54.Qd5+ Kb6 55.Ke5 Kc7 56.Qd6+ Kb7 57.Ke6 Kc8 58.Kd5 Kb7 59.Kc5 Kc8 60.Qd5 Kc7 61.Kb5 Kc8 62.Kb6 Kb8 63.Qd7 Ka8 64.Qa7 checkmate

A Chess Mystery (Part 2)

 

As I mentioned in the previous post, Yury V. Bukayev shared his thoughts

I have my first hypothesis on who has inspired A.W. Jerome to make his invention - the standard system of the Jerome gambit. According to this hypothesis, this person is H.A. Kennedy.

He looked at the likely spurious game Napoleon Bonaparte vs Henri Gatien Bertrand, St. Helena, 1820 (1-0, 18) and included in an email a second note from Chess Games

Calli: <Texas Time Traveler> "... game was never played between Napoleon and Bertrand, but rather between H.A. Kennedy and the Rev. John Owen." Kennedy published this game in a humorous article, "Life of Augustus Fitzsnob, Esq.", Chess Monthly, July 1860. [Also in Waifs and Strays: Chiefly from the Chess-board (1876) - RK] He probably did not expect his bit of fun to be taken so seriously. The Kennedy-Owen game was likely played in the 1857-1859 period. To reveal how game scores become corrupted, the game ended at move 13 where Kennedy wrote "And Napolean mates in five". Evidently, Kennedy was fond of his little game with Owen and having announced a mate in 5. None of the games assigned to Napoleon Bonaparte are authentic. [This is supported by Napoleon Bonaparte and Chess by Edward Winter - RK]

To review: H.A. Kennedy - Rev. John Owen, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 Nxd4 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.Bc4 Bc5 6.c3 Qe7 7.O-O Qe5 8.f4 dxc3+ 9.Kh1 cxb2 10.Bxf7+ Kd8 11fxe5 bxa1=Q 12.Bxg8 Be7 13.Qb3 a5 14.Rf8+ Bxf8 15.Bg5+ Be7 16.Bxe7+ Kxe7 17.Qf7+ Kd8 18.Qf8# 

As Yury speculated,

if these data are right, then it is important to understand, was Mr. Jerome able to be acquainted with this H.A.Kennedy's game in 1865? It would be very beautiful: " Mr. Jerome's work has inspired Mr. Kennedy (you), Mr. Kennedy's (his) work has inspired Mr. Jerome ". 

The facts suggest that it is possible: Alonzo Wheeler Jerome was born March 8, 1834; with the United States fighting its Civil War, Jerome was drafted into the Union army in September of 1863; he was mustered out of the army in August 1865. Jerome’s public life as a chess player apparently began when a game of his, a King’s Gambit, appeared in the March 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal. The next issue carried the “New Chess Opening” article about the Jerome Gambit.

 

A Chess Mystery (Part 1)

 

Chessfriend Yury V. Bukayev has again put his detective skills to work, like Professor Voskresenskiy.

First, he informed me

I have my first hypothesis on who has inspired A.W. Jerome to make his invention - the standard system of the Jerome gambit. According to this hypothesis, this person is H.A. Kennedy. 

This was a fun bit of information. I have searched, myself. 

At different times on this blog, I have looked for possible fore-runners to the Jerome Gambit (inspirations to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome), including the Sarratt or Vitzthum Attack. (See "A Bridge To... Somewhere?", "Another Distant Relative?", "The Sarratt Attack", "Another look at the Sarratt Attack" and "Another Example of the Vitzthum Attack"). 

Yury sent me a link to the following game.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 Nxd4 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.Bc4 Bc5 

 6.c3

The best and winning idea 6.Bxf7+! is easy to find by a human analysis - it's the 1st inspiration.

6...Qe7 7.O-O Qe5 8.f4 dxc3+ 9.Kh1 cxb2 

10.Bxf7+

This sharp move is mistaken, and this fact could be fixed by a human analysis, but Black can make a mistake easily after it - it's the 2nd inspiration.

10...Kd8 11.fxe5 bxa1=Q 12.Bxg8 Be7 13.Qb3 a5 

14.Rf8+ Bxf8 15.Bg5+ Be7 16.Bxe7+ Kxe7 17.Qf7+ Kd8 18.Qf8# 

What can we say about the game?

ChessGames.com identifies it as Napoleon Bonaparte vs Henri Gatien Bertrand, played in St. Helena in 1820.

There was this comment at the site (also sent by Yury).

Texas Time Traveler: According to the book "1923-1932: An Anthology" published by "British Chess Magazine" 1986, one B.J.B. wrote a letter to the editor of the magazine in 1932 saying this game was never played between Napoleon and Bertrand, but rather between H.A. Kennedy and the Rev. John Owen. The letter also says Kennedy admitted to having won the game. [More than likely, the game was played prior to 1862./comment by poster]

Alas, my favorite online resource, Google Books, does not have a viewable copy of  1923-1932: An Anthology. It turns out that the book can be found in the White Collection in the Cleveland Public Library - another reason for a return visit; I have been there a half-dozen times.

In any event, it is possible to supply some information on Henri Gatien Bertrand, Hugh Alexander Kennedy and John Owen.

As for Napoleon and chess, "Napoleon Bonaparte and Chess" by Edward Winter, is a comprehensive essay well worth reading.

[to be continued]