...sometimes the bear gets you

Everyone who plays the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and related lines should keep in mind the old saying that goes: Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you.


perrypawnpusher - DeDaapse
blitz 2 12, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.

6.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (known to me personally as the Why-Am-I-Still-Playing-This Opening??).

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4

For his sacrificed piece White will have a pawn, a semi-exposed King target – and a lot of high hopes.

8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 Nc6

10.Qc4+ Kg6

Cue the ominous background violin music... This move was last seen in my debacle that was chronicled in "Bloodied but Unbowed".

11.f4

After the game Rybka suggested the sharper 11.Qd3, which is something that I will keep in mind if I ever pass this way again.

The idea is that after 11...Nb4 White can keep Black busy enough that the threat to c2 (and then the Rook at a1) never comes into play: 12.Qg3+ Kh7 13.e5 Ne8 14.f4 Qe7 15.f5 Qf7 16.Rf2 Rf8 17.Be3 d6 18.e6 Qh5 19.Raf1 Nf6 and Black's edge is small. 

analysis diagram






11...Re8

An earlier game saw 11...Rf8 12.f5+ Kh7 13.g4 Nxg4 14.Qe2 Nf6 15.e5 Nd4 16.Qf2 Ng4 17.Qxd4 Qh4 18.Qf4 d5 19.f6 gxf6 20.Nxd5 fxe5 21.Qe4+ Kg7 22.Bxh6+ Qxh6 23.Qg2 Be6 24.h3 Bxd5 25.Qxg4+ Kh8 26.Kh2 Qd2+ White resigned, perrypawnpusher - mjmonday, blitz FICS, 2010.

Both Rook moves are fine. A bit stronger would have been 11...d6.

12.f5+

There is not much of a threat in this move – and White needs threats to stay in the game. He still had to try 12.Qd3, as 12...d6 13.e5+ Bf5 14.Qg3+ Kh7 15.exf6 Qxf6 left him only a pawn down. 

analysis diagram







12...Kh7 13.Bf4 d6

White's "Jerome pawns" are frozen. Chances for the first player are dwindling.

14.Rae1 Ne5 15.Bxe5

A desperate kind of move that accomplishes nothing. I was getting seriously out-played.

15...Rxe5 16.Qd3 Qe7 17.Qg3

17...Bd7 18.Qg6+ Kh8 19.g4

The final mishap.

19...Be8 White resigned

Am I smarter than a fifth grader?

I've never seen the show "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?" but I suspect that I know the answer, and it wouldn't be a flattering one...

The following game, another bizarre Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (why am I still playing this opening??), I get befuddled, as usual, and wind up taking refuge in a draw by repetition.

perrypawnpusher  - FrankMCMLVII
blitz 13 0, FICS, 2010

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

5.Bxf7+

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

7...d6

Nice move. Not the best (7...Bd6), but with some thought behind it.

8.dxc5 dxc5 9.Qe2

There was no need to panic: 9.Qh5+ Nxh5 White resigned, Alby - stoneeybridge, FICS, 2000;

There were alternatives: 9.Nd5 Nxd5 10.exd5 Re8 11.Qh5+ Ng6+ 12.Be3 Rxe3+ 13.fxe3 Qh4+ 14.Qxh4 Nxh4 15.0-0+ Ke7 16.Rad1 b6 17.e4 Ba6 18.Rf4 g5 19.Rg4 h5 20.Rxg5 Kf6 21.Rxh5 Ng6 22.Rf1+ Kg7 23.Rff5 Re8 24.d6 cxd6 25.Rd5 Nf4 26.Rhg5+ Kh6 27.Rdf5 Rxe4 28.h4 Ne2+ 29.Kh2 Rxh4 checkmate, yorgos - blore, FICS, 2009;

or 9.0-0 Be6 10.Bf4 Ng6 11.Bg3 Qe7 12.Nb5 Rhd8 13.Qf3 c6 14.Nc7 Rac8 15.Nxe6 Qxe6 16.e5 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 Qxe5 18.Rae1 Qg5 19.Qb3+ Kf8 20.Qxb7 Nh5 21.Re3 Nf4 22.g3 Nh3+ 23.Kh1 Black resigned, theboy - Montblanc, FICS, 2001.

9...Bg4

There were still plenty of alternatives: 9...Nfg4 10.Bd2 Be6 11.0-0-0 Qd4 12.f4 Nf2 13.Be3 Black resigned, Wall - Yperalilos, Chess.com, 2010;

or 9...Qd4 10.Be3 Qb4 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.0-0 Qd4 14.Qh5+ Ke6 15.Rad1 Qb4 16.Nd5 Rh7 17.Qf5+ Kd6 18.Qxh7 Qxb2 19.Nxf6+ Ke6 20.Qxh6 Qxc2 21.Ne8+ Ke7 22.Nxc7 Rb8 23.Qh7+ Kf6 24.Rd6+ Kg5 25.Qf5+ Bxf5 26.exf5 Qxf5 27.Rd5 Qe4 28.f4+ Kf5 29.Rxe5+ Qxe5 30.fxe5+ Kxe5 31.Re1+ Kd6 32.Nb5+ Kc6 33.Nxa7+ Kb6 34.h4 Kxa7 35.g4 c4 36.Rc1 Rg8 37.g5 Rh8 38.Rxc4 b5 39.Rb4 Kb6 40.Rg4 Kc5 41.Kg2 b4 42.Kg3 Kb5 43.g6 Rg8 44.h5 Ka4 45.h6 Re8 46.g7 Re3+ 47.Kf4 Rc3 48.g8R Rc4+ 49.Kf3 Ka3 50.Ra8+ Kb2 51.Rxc4 b3 52.axb3 Kxb3 53.Rca4 Kb2 54.Rc8 Kb3 55.Ra7 Kb4 56.Rb7+ Ka5 57.Ra8 checkmate, yorgos - capitainehaddock, FICS, 2009;

or 9...Rf8 10.f4 (10.Bg5 Kg8 11.Nd5 Qd6 12.0-0-0 Nxd5 13.Rxd5 Qe6 14.Rhd1 Nf7 15.Bf4 b6 16.Bxc7 Bb7 17.R5d2 Qxe4 18.Qg4 Qxg4 19.Rd8 Nxd8, White resigned, tintagel - smarlny, FICS, 2009)10...Bg4 11.Qf2 Nc6 12.0-0 Kg8 13.Qxc5 Qd4+ 14.Be3 Qxc5 15.Bxc5 Rfe8 16.e5 Nd7 17.Be3 b6 18.h3 Bf5 19.g4 Bxc2 20.Rac1 Bg6 21.f5 Ndxe5 22.fxg6 Nxg6 23.Bf2 Nce7 24.Bg3 Rac8 25.Nb5 Nd5 26.Nxa7 Ra8 27.Nb5 Rxa2 28.Nxc7 Nxc7 29.Bxc7 Rxb2 30.Rcd1 Nh4 31.Bd6 h6 32.Bc7 Ree2 33.Rd8+ Kh7 34.Kh1 Nf3 35.Rdd1 Rh2+ White resigned, stretto - Kjaran, FICS, 2008.

10.f3 Bh5

The Bishop did better to return to e6. Still, Black is still better.

11.Be3 b6 12.0-0 Rb8

I wasn't sure what my opponent was planning with this move, but I decided to get my "Jerome pawns" moving.

13.g4 Bg6 14.g5 Nh5 15.f4 Nc6 16.f5

16...Nd4

Leading to only a slight disadvantage, instead, was 16...Kg8 17.fxg6 hxg6 18.a3 Kh7 – an odd way to castle-by-hand.

17.fxg6+ Kxg6 18.Qg4

Later, Rybka preferred 18.Qd3

18...Rf8

After this move, Rybka saw Black as being more than a Rook worse. I still can't see that.

19.Bxd4

Returning the game to even. Here's Rybka's recommended line: 19.Nd5 Re8 20.Nf6 Nxf6 21.gxf6+ Kf7 22.fxg7+ Ke7 when 23.Bg5+ wins Black's Queen – for starters.

analysis diagram







Anyone who saw White's possible Knight maneuver and sacrifice – good for you!

19...cxd4

Black insists on getting into trouble – 19...Qxd4+ would have kept the game even.

20.Qe6+

White, in turn, keeps insisting on giving up his advantage, instead of playing the winning: 20.Rxf8 Qxf8 21.Nd5 – another cool Knight move that I missed.

analysis diagram







20...Kxg5 21.h4+

I figured that there had to be a checkmate here, but I was wrong: Rybka pointed out later that I could have (should have) grovelled for a draw with: 21.Rxf8 Qxf8 22.Rf1 Qd6 23.Rf5+ Kh4 24.Rxh5+ Kxh5 25.Qh3+ Kg6 26.Qf5+ repeating the position.

21...Kxh4 22.Qe5

I suddenly had the feeling that things had gone terribly wrong.

They had.

22...dxc3 23.Qh2+ Kg5 24.Qe5+ Kh4

Of course, if my opponent had found 24...Kg6 here, I'd have been ruined. He seemed caught up in my "brilliant" sacrifice of my Knight to achieve the draw, or perhaps he felt he was escaping mate...

25.Qh2+ Kg5

Here 25...Kg4 wins for Black.

27.Qh2+ Kg5 28.Qe5+ Kh4 29.Qh2+ Game drawn by repetition ½-½

What a difference a delay makes...

Theory of the delayed Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) has developed slowly.  For example, transitions from the Semi-Italian opening (3.Bc4 h6) to the Jerome have been evaluated generally – e.g. White's "waiting" fourth move (4.0-0, 4.Nc3 or 4.d3) will be more useful than Black's 3...h6.

Occasionally a game pops up that illustrates more concretely the impact of waiting a move.

UNPREDICTABLE - badreligionnn

blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3

4...h6 5.Bxf7+

This position can be reached via the more familiar move-order of the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ke6

Previously, White has not been very successful in this line, scoring 27% in 15 games.

8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.f4

UNPREDICTABLE has lost two struggles with different 9th moves: 9.Bf4 Qf6 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6 11.c3 Ke7 12.Bxe5 d6 13.Bxf6+ gxf6 14.d4 Bb6 15.Nd2 Rg8 16.0-0 Be6 17.g3 Rg6 18.f4 Rgg8 19.f5 Bd7 20.b3 c5 21.d5 Bb5 22.c4 Bd7 23.Nf3 Kd8 24.Nh4 Kc7 25.Ng6 Rae8 26.Rfe1 Ba5 27.Re2 Bc3 28.Rc1 Bd4+ 29.Kg2 a5 30.Kf3 a4 31.h4 axb3 32.axb3 Rb8 33.h5 b5 34.Rd2 bxc4 35.bxc4 Rb3+ 36.Kf4 Be5+ 37.Kg4 Rxg3+ 38.Kh4 Re3 39.Nxe5 fxe5 40.Rcc2 Rxe4+ 41.Kh3 Bxf5+ 42.Kh2 Rgg4 43.Rf2 Rh4+ 44.Kg1 Re1+ 45.Kg2 Bxc2 46.Rxc2 Rxh5 47.Kf2 Rf5+ 48.Kxe1 h5 49.Kd2 Rf4 50.Kc3 h4 51.Rh2 Rf3+ 52.Kc2 h3 53.Kc1 Rg3 54.Kd1 Rg1+ 55.Kd2 Rg3 56.Kd1 Rg1+ 57.Kd2 Rg2+ 58.Ke3 Rxh2 59.Kf3 Rc2 60.Kg4 h2 61.Kf5 h1Q 62.Ke6 Qh6+ 63.Ke7 Ra2 64.Kf7 Ra8 65.Ke7 Qg7+ 66.Ke6 Re8+ 67.Kf5 Rf8+ White resigned, UNPREDICTABLE - bigchip, FICS, 2009; and

9.c3 Qf6 10.Qxf6+ gxf6 11.d4 Nd3+ 12.Kd2 Nxf2 13.Rf1 Nxe4+ 14.Kd3 Kd5 15.dxc5 Nxc5+ 16.Kc2 d6 17.a4 Bd7 18.b3 Re8 19.c4+ Ke6 20.Re1+ Kf7 21.Rxe8 Bxe8 22.Nc3 Bc6 23.g3 Ne7 24.Be3 Be4+ 25.Nxe4 Nxe4 26.Kd3 f5 27.Rf1 Kf6 28.g4 Ke6 29.Re1 Nf6 30.Bxh6+ Kd7 31.g5 Ng4 32.Bg7 Rxh2 33.Bf6 Ng8 34.Kc3 N4xf6 35.gxf6 Nxf6 36.a5 a6 37.Kb4 Kc8 38.Re6 Ne4 39.Rg6 Rh5 40.Rg8+ Kd7 41.Rg7+ Kc6 42.Rg6 Nc5 43.Ka3 Rh3 44.Rf6 Rxb3+ 45.Ka2 Rc3 46.Rxf5 Rxc4 47.Kb2 Ra4 48.Kc3 Rxa5 49.Kb4 Rb5+ 50.Kc3 a5 51.Rf6 a4 52.Rf1 b6 53.Ra1 Ne4+ 54.Kd3 d5 55.Rxa4 Kc5 56.Ra1 c6 57.Rc1+ Kd6 58.Kd4 Rc5 59.Rh1 Rc4+ 60.Ke3 Kc5 61.Rh6 b5 62.Ke2 b4 63.Ke3 b3 64.Ke2 b2 65.Rh1 Kb4 66.Kf3 c5 67.Rb1 Kb3 68.Kf4 Rc3 69.Rh1 c4 70.Ke5 Ka2 71.Kxd5 b1Q 72.Rxb1 Kxb1 73.Kxe4 Rc1 74.Kd4 c3 75.Kc4 c2 76.Kd4 Re1 White resigned, UNPREDICTABLE - fdy, FICS, 2009.

The text is sharper, even if it allows Black to play along the lines of one of the more spectacular refutations in the regular Jerome Gambit.

9...Qh4+

Destination: complications.

10.g3 Nf3+

Black continues along classical Jerome Gambit lines, unaware of the difference that d2-d3 has made in White's game. To maintain his advantage, he needed to retreat his Queen, not advance his Knight: 10...Qe7.

Another change in Black's options is that he does not have the thematic ...Qf6 at his disposal, since 10...Qf6 11.fxe5+ cannot be met by 11...Qxe5 because of 12.Bf4, winning the Queen.

After 10 Qe7 11.fxe5+ Kc6 12.Qg6+ d6 13.Bf4 Be6 Black would have been better.

11.Kd1

The key game from the Jerome Gambit line, abhailey -peonconorejas, net-chess.com, 2008 (0-1, 20) went 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Nf3+ 10.Kd1 Ne7 

analysis diagram







11.e5+ Kc6 12.Qe4+ d5 13.exd6+ Nd5

analysis diagram






14.gxh4 Bg4 15.Qa4+ b5 when Black's 4 pieces and the threatened discovered check added up to a quick win.

In the current game, the same strategem would flounder: 11...Ne7 12.e5+ Kc6 13.Qe4+ d5 14.exd6+ Nd5 15.gxh4 Bg4

analysis diagram





because White now has 16.h3, when Black's discovered check allows him to win the Queen, but the recapture by White's pawn on d3 gives him the better game

analysis diagram







If  Black instead retreats his Bishop, White gets an even game after 16.h3 Bh5 17.c4 Ng5+ 18.Kc2 Nxe4 19.cxd5+ Kxd5 20.dxe4+ Kxd6 21.Nc3 Rhe8

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Whew! Now, where were we...?

11...Qe7 12.Qd5 checkmate

Ouch.

As is often the case with the Jerome Gambit, the annotations are about subtlety while the moves themselves are lummoxes

The People's Chess Opening

For every player that I encounter who plays the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) because he or she has seen it in a chess book (e.g. Freeborough and Ranken's Chess Openings, Ancient and Modern) or on a blog like this one, there are dozens who use Jerome-ish attacks while just play a game...

I regularly hear (or read) comments like

I had no idea that I was using the Jerome Gambit

That doesn't get in the way of playing the Royal Game and using "the duckbill platypus" of chess openings

I am not familiar with the names of gambits; I play chess for fun and relaxation; I no longer have time to really study

There can be personal comments like

I always try to sacrifice two peices when I'm playing. Stumbling upon this fun opening you call the Jerome Gambit is simply a result of that practice. The sacrificing of two peices has deep significant and personal meaning to me, and it reminds me of the many important life lessons that can be found in a game of chess.

What I almost always find is the opinion that I share with so many other players

I absolutely agree that the Jerome Gambit is a whole lot of fun to play, win or loose. As for my favorite game, well, that's always the next one.

Falling off the Wall

Bill Wall likes his opponents scrambled, Humpty Dumpty style.

Sometimes they need a push.

Sometimes they jump.

Wall,B - SavenRain
chess.com, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nb4

4.Bxf7+

Adding the Jerome treatment. Of course, ordinary moves like 4.0-0, 4.d4 and 4.Nc3 were playable, too.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

5...Kf6

Safer seems 5...Ke8, when either 6.0-0 or 6.d4 would give Black the edge he would have in some Blackburne Shilling Gambit Jerome-ish lines.

6.d4

This position requires some care for Black to hold.

First, he must acknowledge that lining his King and Queen up on the same diagonal is too much of a risk: however psychologically uncomfortable it is, Black must move his King again, to e7, to allow his Knight to block any attempt at skewering the royal couple (i.e. Bc1-g5).

Second, he has to stay away from routine moves, such as 6...Ke7 7.a3 Nc6 (the Knight should go to a6) when 8.Bg5+ Nf6 9.Nc3 (heading for d5) is more trouble than it first appears.

analysis diagram






6...Qe7

As is often the case with the Jerome Gambit, the annotations are about subtlety while the moves themselves are lummoxes.

7.Qf3+ Ke6 8.d5+

Taking the Knight now leads to mate.

8...Kd6 9.Nc4+ Kc5 10.Nba3 Black resigned

10...Nxc2+ will hold off checkmate, but not for long.