Jerome Gambit, or Jerome Gamble? (Part 1)

Here is one of the articles from the "Unorthodox Openings Newsletter" (UON-17, January - April 2007), mentioned in the previous blog post.

Jerome Gambit, or Jerome Gamble? 

        By Rick Kennedy & Gary K. Gifford, edited by Gifford 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ . . . 

“This is completely unsound and should never be tried.” – Raymond Keene 

Gifford writes: In my opinion, the Jerome Gambit allows the player of black to win by force; of course, it is no picnic for black… he must be very careful. But I became convinced that black can win. I drew this conclusion after watching computer programs (with ELO 2300+) play both sides of the gambit. The black side won game after game. However, humans cannot calculate with the brute force, precision, and speed of computers. So, when humans play against humans, especially in quick time controls, it does not surprise me that white can often win with the Jerome. But, as Raymond Keene wrote in The Complete Book of Gambits (pub. Henry Holt & Co, 1993), in regard to move 5, Nxe5 (after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ . . . (see diagram) “This is completely unsound and should never be tried.” 

This article is based on e-mail conversations between Rick Kennedy and me [Gary Gifford]. Rick plays the gambit and is very familiar with its history and degree of worldwide popularity. I do not play the Jerome, but was optimistic about its apparent potential; that is, until I studied the opening as played by computer programs, inwhich I forced the chess engines to play the intended opening.

In mid September, 2006, Rick sent the following games to me. Under the username of PerryPawnpusher, Rick had some blitz wins with the Jerome Gambit. Rick wrote, “Gary, two more of my Jeromes, won't ever be mistaken for Topalov - Kramnik.” 

perrypawnpusher (1392) - Alternative (1177) [C50] 

FICS rated blitz game 6 16 FICS, San Jose, California US, 24.06.2005 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Nf6? 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Re8 10.d3 Kg7 11.0-0 d5 12.Qh6+ Kg8 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Nc3 Nxc3 15.bxc3 Qf6 16.Bd2 Qg7 17.Rae1 Rxe1 18.Rxe1 Qxh6 19.Bxh6 Bf5 20.Re7 Rc8 21.Bf4 Kf8 22.Rxc7 Rxc7 23.Bxc7 Ke7 24.Kf1 Kd7 25.Be5 Kc6 26.Bd4 a6 27.c4 b5 28.cxb5+ axb5 29.a3 Be6 30.Ke2 Bd5 31.g3 Ba2 32.c3 Kd5 33.Ke3 Bb1 34.Bg7 Ba2 35.f4 Bb1 36.h3 Bc2 37.g4 Ke6 38.Ke4 Kf7 39.Bd4 h6 40.f5 g5 41.Kf3 Bxd3 42.Kg3 Be2 43.h4 Bd1 44.hxg5 hxg5 45.Be3 Kf6 46.Bb6 Ke5 47.Bd8 Ke4 48.Bxg5 Kd3 49.Bf6 Kc4 50.g5 Kb3 51.g6 Bh5 52.Kf4 Kxa3 53.Kg5 Bd1 54.Kh6 Bb3 55.Kg7 b4 56.cxb4 Kxb4 57.Kf8 Kc5 58.Be7+ Kd5 59.f6 Ke5 60.g7 Kf5 61.g8Q Bxg8 62.Kxg8 Kg6 63.f7 Black resigns 1-0

perrypawnpusher (1394) - PREMK (1238) [C50] 

FICS rated blitz game 6 12 FICS, San Jose, California US, 18.06.2005 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 Nf6 11.d3 Ke7 12.Nc3 Bb4 13.0-0 Rf8 14.Nd5+ Black resigns 1-0 

On Thursday, 28 Sep 2006, I [Gary Gifford] replied: “Hi Rick: Again, thanks for the games. Additional Jerome PC results have: 

Rybka / Colossus 0-1     Colossus / Rybka 0-1 

Spike / Colossus 0-1     Colossus / Spike 0-1 

I am pretty much convinced that White has a forced loss after: 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 

I believe White is taking a big gamble.... and that "The Jerome Gamble" may be a more appropriate name. If there is any soundness to be found in the Jerome, then I believe it involves replacing 5. Nxe5+ with a different move.

Still, for club players and blitz games, black will be under tremendous pressure. To find a safe path over-the-board, while the clock is ticking, is not easy. These programs can look at millions of positions quickly... we cannot.

I still remain curious as to if white will eventually pull off a win.

One thing this experiment shows is good defensive technique by black; and white trying very hard to get the dancing black-monarch. 

Take care, Gary 

Rick responds: “Gary, I appreciate the work you're doing on this. I have no illusions, by the way, about the soundness of the Jerome Gambit -- it's not sound, and there are plenty of refutations. It is "playable" in the way that "giving odds" is playable, or at a blitz time limit where surprise and attitude may be enough to win. What's interesting about it for me is the history of the line -- how it wound up in the equivalent of MCO and ECO, despite its dodginess; how it was followed all over the world.

[to be continued]

A Blast From the Past

 

Although I have been exploring the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) for over two decades, it is not the only unorthodox opening that I have researched.

There are, of course, the twin lines 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 c5 / 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 d5, which Riley Sheffield and I covered in our book The Marshall Gambit in the French and Sicilian Defenses in 1988.

I also examined 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3/Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Qd5 in a trio of articles in the "Unorthodox Openings Newsletter" (#4, #5, and #12) in 2001 and 2005. It is fun to be able to quote from "Recent Play in the Frere Variation of the French (Part 1)"

The variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2/c3 de 4.Nxe4 Qd5 has been given several names. It has been referred to as the Becker Variation, although nobody I’ve contacted, including Eric Schiller, has been able to explain why. I have called it the Frere Variation, after the American Walter Frere, who analyzed, played, and referred to it as his in the 1920s. Certainly a case can be made for calling it the Katalymov Variation, after Boris Katalymov, who played the defense against Keres in Moscow in 1965 – perhaps the best-known example of the line – and against Shinkevich in 2001and Filchenkov in 2002. Andy Soltis, in his Grandmaster Secrets: Openings refers to the line more neutrally as the “Neo-Rubinstein,” acknowledging that the first three moves of the opening are often attributed to Akiba Rubinstein. 

I have since seen the opening referred to as the Maric Variation, in light of Yugoslavia's Honorary Grandmaster Rudolf Maric's games (I have found 4 of them). 

It is pleasant to see Brazil's FIDE Master Justo Reinaldo Chemin playing the defense - as recently as 3 games this year.

By the way, all 39 issues of the "Unorthodox Openings Newsletter" are available from Editor-in-Chief Lev Zilbermintz at the UON website. They make for fascinating reading.

Oh, and of course the UON also includes articles that I wrote on the Jerome Gambit, which replaced my interest in the Neo-Rubinstein variation.

Jerome Gambit: Promoting to A Queen May Not Be Enough...

I recently ran across the following video on YouTube.com, featuring a Jerome Gambit game, by transposition from the Two Knights.

Chess Game Analysis: Jack Silver 01 - Turino Arifin : 0-1 (By ChessFriends.com)

Silver, Jack - Arifin, Turino

19 0, chessfriends.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Nc6 9.Qd1 d5 10.Nc3 d4 11.Ne2 Nxe4 12.f4 Bg4 13.c3 d3 14.Qb3+ Be6 15.Qxb7 dxe2 16.Qxc6 exf1=Q+ 17.Kxf1 Qd1 checkmate

 

JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 16)

 

JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 16)

(by Yury V. Bukayev)

In the Part 7 of this my analytical research on the standard system of the Jerome gambit (JG) it was fixed that after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7! (the Whistler defence) 8.Qd5+!? Ke8 9.d4?! Black gets a won game after 9…Bb4+! 10.c3 Nf6 11.Qe5 [11.Qc4 N Qxe4+] 11…Bd6! N 12.Qxe7+ Bxe7.

My new invented winning way for Black is 10…c6!? N.

Let’s consider my new invented ways for Black after 8…Kg7 9.d4?! and after 8…Kf8 9.d4?!.

The analogy method works very well here:

I)8…Kg7 9.d4?! Bb4+! 10.c3 Nf6 [10…c6 N, and Black wins also], and Black wins after both 11.Qe5 Bd6! N 12.Qxe7+ Bxe7 and 11.Qc4 N Qxe4+,

II)8…Kf8 9.d4?! [9.0-0 Nf6! (it’s my else one new strong defence, but we’ll not consider it here); 9.b4! is good here that is enough similar to 8…Kg7 9.b4 – Part 15 and my further commented won games of 2023 as White against A.Karpov, A.Petrov] 9…Bb4+! N, and Black wins also:

A)10.c3 Nf6 [10…c6!, and Black wins much easier]

A1)11.Qc4 Qxe4+,

A2)11.Bh6+! Ke8 12.Qe5?! [12.Qc4 Qxe4+ 13.Kd2 (13.Kd1!?) 13…Be7; 12.Qb5, and White gets some practical chance in all these cases] 12…Bd6 or 12…Qxe5 13.dxe5 Ng4,

A3)11.Qe5 Bd6!,

B)10.Kd1?! [Other moves can’t help too.] 10…Nf6 11.Bh6+ Ke8 12.Qb3!? Nxe4.

Jerome Gambit: All About the h5 Square

The following game has some interesting pawn play, some historical precedents, and a focus on the h5 square.

reBulution - tarikyanik

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6

Defenders have also tried 7...Bxd4, 7...Bb6, 7...Bb4 and 7...Be7.

There are 114 games with this position in The Database. White scores 51%.

8.Bg5 

Philidor 1792 explored 8.f4 in 8 games in 2011 and 2013. See "Where Do Ideas Come From (Part 3)?", "Where Do Ideas Come From (Part 4)?", and "My Three Pawns"

The text move is relatively rare (9 games in The Database). The earliest is Philidor 1792 - NN, 2011, which continued 8.Bg5 Re8 9.f4 Nc6 10.e5 Bf8 11.O-O d6 12.exf6 gxf6 13.Qh5+ Kg8 14.d5 fxg5 15.dxc6 Be7 16.Nd5 Be6 17.cxb7 Rb8 18.Nxe7+ Qxe7 19.fxg5 Rxb7 20.Rae1 Qd7 21.g6 h6 22.Rf7 Bxf7 23.gxf7+ Qxf7 24.Rxe8+ Kg7 25.Qg4+ Kh7 26.Qe4+ Qg6 27.Rh8+ Black resigned

8...h6 9.dxe5

Also possible was 9.Bxf6.

9...Bxe5 10.f4 

White complicates, a viable strategy in a 5-minute game.

Stronger, however, was 10...Bxf6.

10...hxg5 11.fxe5 Nh7 

To prevent an uncomfortable Queen check from h5, 11...Nh5 was essential.

12.Qd5+ 

Thinking quickly, this is the check White wants, if only because he would otherwise have to figure out how to deal with the (actually stronger) line 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qh6 Nf6. After 14.Qxg5 White would be better.

12...Kf8 

With the clock ticking, it might be hard to feel good about 12...Kg6 13.0-0-0 d6, but that was the path to take to hold onto any advantage.

13.Rf1+ Ke8 14.Qf7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Hunker Down

 

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game has an interesting theme: After the initial sacrifices, White regains material - and then hunkers down as Black counter-attacks.

The extra pawns (and, in the end, exchange) provide sufficient protection for White.

chessriddler - TiaanSprinkaan1

3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 

This unusual line shows up 26 times in The Database, and has occasionally been mentioned on this blog.

As I noted in the game ZahariSokolov - mmamaju

standard, FICS, 2015 (0-1, 44) - See"Jerome Gambit: Chaos Rules")

Here we have the "Jerome Gambit, Paulsen Variation", otherwise known as "An Odd Line in an Odd Line". It is more of a psychological ploy than a solid defense...

It is a rare line... but it is worth knowing the best response, if only, like in the current game, you want to finish quickly.

6.Qh5 Nf6 

The best response, 6...Bxf2+, given in "An Odd Line in an Odd Line", has yet to be played

It is rare that counter-sacrificing the Bishop at f2 is a good move for the second player (see "Jerome Gambit Strikes in Denmark!"), but here it was his best choice: 6...Bxf2+ 7.Kxf2 Qf8+ 8.Nf3 Nf6 with advantage to White, according to Rybka.

7.Nxc6+ 

Yury V. Bukayev smartly notes

Probably, chessriddler has seen 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Nc4# in time, but he has solved to continue the fight intentionally for unknown reason.

7...bxc6 8.Qxc5+ Ke8 

White is better. It is time to consolidate.

9.O-O Qe7 10.Qe3 Rb8 11.Nc3 Rf8 

Black's efforts make the game interesting, but White has sufficient resources to deal with them.

12.b3 Ba6 13.Re1 Ng4 14.Qg3 Qf7 15.f3 Nh6 16.d3 Qf6 17.Bb2

17...Qg6 18.Qxg6+ hxg6 19.Ne2 Rb5 

A slip.

20.Bxg7 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Don't Blink

Bullet games always carry the risk of mistake. 

The following game shows Black well on his way to victory - until he blinks. Suddenly, White is better. Is there time enough for the defender to recover?

angelcamina - Mxhosa

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 Nf6 

9.Nc3 d6 10.Qb5+ c6 11.Qe2 

White has arranged for his Queen to retreat to e2, instead of the more usual e3.

11...Rf8 12.O-O Kf7 13.Qc4+ Be6 14.Qb4 Qc7 15.f4 

Black has done well with his defense and is clearly better.

His response to White's threat of a pawn fork should be to move either his Bishop on e6 or his Knight on g6.

Alas, this is a 1-minute game, and Black moves a third piece, instead.

15...Nd7 16.f5 Black resigned

Black has the option of 16...Kg8, when 17.fxg6 hxg6 would give White only an edge. Perhaps with a different time control, Black might have played on.