Some History of the Jerome Gambit (Part 3)

A bit more history, following yesterday and the day before...

After his March and July 1874 articles in the Dubuque Chess Journal, Alonzo Wheeler Jerome published a third bit of analysis on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) in the January 1875 issue.

Note that the line introduced in "An Intriguing Letter (Part 1)", including the move 9.Na3, is seen here. In future posts we will follow its progress toward its appearance in Freeborough and Ranken's Chess Openings Ancient and Modern.

Dubuque Chess Journal
January 1875 p.38


"Queen's Gambit in Jerome's Double Opening"


Analysis by A.W. Jerome 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Na3 Ne7 [9...Qf6 10.Nb5+ Kc5 11.Nxd4 Kd6 (11...Qxf5 12.Nxf5 g6 13.Be3+ Kc6 14.Nd4+ Kd6 15.0-0-0 Ke7 16.Nb5 Kd8 17.Bf4) 12.Nb5+ Kc5 13.Qh3 Kxb5 14.Qb3+; 9...Ke7 10.Qh3 d6 11.Qh4+ Ke8 12.Bg5 Nf6 13.0-0-0 Bb6 14.f4 Ng6 15.Qg3 Nh5 16.Qf3 Qd7 17.f5 Nf6 18.fxg6] 10.Qh3 Qf8 11.0-0 Kc6 [11...a6 12.c3 Bb6 13.Qg3 Qf7 14.Bf4] 12.Nb5 Kxb5 13.Qb3+ Kc6 14.Bg5

Some History of the Jerome Gambit (Part 2)

Continuing with some history, started yesterday...

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's analysis of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) was first published in the March 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal. He followed this with further analysis in the July 1874 issue.

Dubuque Chess Journal
July 1874 Vol. VII, No. 53


Jerome's Double Opening


Third Variation (see Journal No.50, p358) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ [The following is a possibility of the game 6.d4 Bb6 7.Qh5+ Ke6 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.Qxe5+ Kc6 10.Qd5#] 6...Kf8 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.c3 Kf7 10.d4 Bb6 11.e5 dxe5 12.dxe5 Re8 13.0-0 Kg8 14.exf6 Qxf6 15.Qxf6 gxf6 16.Bh6 and White has a pawn ahead


Note: It should be understood that Mr. Jerome claims in this New Opening "only a pleasant variation of the Giuoco Piano, which may win or lose according to the skill of the players, but which is capable of affording many new positions and opportunities for heavy blows unexpectedly."

Some History of the Jerome Gambit (Part 1)

I was a bit surprised how much I had to hunt in the posts of this blog for examples of the line that we have been discussing, at the behest of Филидор1792, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Na3 – see "An Intriguing Letter" Parts 1, 2 and 3 – especially since the line has a long and interesting history in the story of the Jerome Gambit.

The Database has only 3 games with the line – or 5, if you count the pair recently contributed by Филидор1792. One, Jerome - Norton, correspondence, 1887, was presented with light commentary; another, perrypawnpusher - BronxBoyII, blitz, FICS, 2008, appeared without notes as an aside in another game; and the third, alechinez - marcinho, standard, FICS, 2009, has yet to appear.

Even if we back up a move, leaving off White's 9th, The Database has less than a couple dozen game examples, only two (excluding the ones named above) appearing in this blog: Tonetti - Ruggieri, Rome, 1863 (without notes) and Vazquez - Giraudy, Mexico, 1876 (without notes and without White's Queen Rook).

Clearly, I have some work to do!

An Intriguing Letter (Part 3)

Here is the second game mentioned in "An Intriguing Letter (Part 1)" from Филидор1792 . It is a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) where one slip by Black spells disaster.




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

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

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Na3

9...Qf6 10.Nb5+

Putting the Knight directly into action.

10...Kc5 11.Nxd4 Kxd4 12.Be3+ Kc4 13.Qh5 Ne7

Giving White the tempo that he needs. It was not readily apparent that Black needed to play 13...Kb5.

14.Qe2+ Kb4 15.a4 Qc6 16.Qd2+ Kc4 17.b3 checkmate

An Intriguing Letter (Part 2)

This is the first of two games, mentioned yesterday in "An Intriguing Letter (Part 1)" from Филидор1792 . It features a typical Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) battle between White's two "extra" pawns and Black's "extra" piece.



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

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

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Na3

This move is mentioned by Freeborough and Ranken in their Chess Openings Ancient and Modern. This game follows one of their notes through the 13th move.

9...c6 10.c3 Qf6 11.cxd4 Qxf5 12.exf5 Nf7 13.Bf4+ Ke7

White has only one pawn for his sacrificed piece, and so muct be worse. However, the game has a long way to go, and each player must make the best of what he has. Watch the first player work with his quantitative majority of pawns on the Kingside.

14.Nc4 d5 15.Ne3 Ngh6 16.g4 g6 17.fxg6 hxg6 18.f3 Bd7 19.Kf2 Raf8 20.Bg3 g5 21.Rae1 Kd8 22.h4 gxh4 23.Bxh4+ Kc8

These "Jerome pawns" give White hope.

24.Bf6 Rhg8 25.Kg3 Nd6 26.Be5 Nhf7 27.Bxd6 Nxd6 28.Rh6 Nf7 29.Rh7 Rh8 30.Reh1 Kd8 31.f4 Ke7 32.f5 Kf6 33.Kf4 Rxh7 34.Rxh7 Rh8

From a practical standpoint, White continues to make progress.

35.g5+ Ke7 36.g6

Perhaps looking to win the Knight, but actually losing the Rook pawn. It was probably time to exchange Rooks, with an even game.

36...Rxh7 37.gxh7 Kf6 38.Ng4+ Kg7 39.Ne5 Nxe5 40.dxe5 Kxh7

Oh, those Jerome pawns! Are they actually going to save the day??

41.e6 Be8 42.Ke5 Kg7 43.f6+ Kf8 44.b4 Bh5 45.a3 Bf3 46.Kd6

46...Ke8

Finally cracking under the pressure.

47.f7+ Kf8 48.e7+ Kxf7 49.Kd7 Bg4+ 50.Kd8 d4 51.e8Q+ Black resigned

An Intriguing Letter (Part 1)

I recently received an email from chessfriend Филидор1792 ("Philidor 1792") that got me thinking about a whole lot of things in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) universe – kind of like setting off a whole string of fireworks in my brain. This happened not too long ago (after another letter from Филидор1792) with the series of posts "Where Do Ideas Come From?" Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, so I knew that I was headed off on another adventure!

First, the letter

Hi,

There is some stuff, that may be interesting. When I was reading the article on Jerome Gambit in Wikipedia I noticed that the move 9.Na3 [1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Bxd4] that is mentioned there with reference to Chess Openings, Ancient and Modern (1896) by Freeborough and Ranken is not represented on your blog (probably I missed it). So I decided to check it with a friend of mine. White happened to win both games, though in second one it was lost.

Thanks for your time. I wish you Happy New Year

To start off: Wikipedia articles do not often link to blogs, but the Jerome Gambit article does – to this blog, of course.

Also, while Wikipedia does not have an article on Chess Openings, Ancient and Modern, itself, it does have an article on author Edward Freeborough (that is the link that I added to Филидор1792's letter). I was surprised to see that one of the references the Freeborough article gives is to a review of Chess Openings, Ancient and Modern – by yours truly. It's a small universe.

Sunday Tournament Update

With seven games left to be completed in the massive 15-player double-round robin ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic tournament, the top places have almost all been secured:




AsceticKingK9              27/28
mckenna215               23.5/28
braken                        19.5/28
Knight32                    18.5/28
Rikiki00                     17.5/26
shm19cs                     16.5/28
blackburne                   15/28
Magni                           14/28
Haroldlee123               12/28
Drewbear 63                11/28
pixifrufru                       8/27
Baron wd von Blanc,
heart pirate                 7.5/26
Luke Warm                  7/27
klonka59                      4/27
martind1991                 2/21

AsceticKingK9 holds first place, comfortably, followed by mckenna215, braken and Knight32.

With two games to complete, Rikiki00 has a chance to climb from 5th place to 4th or a tie for 3rd.

Down the list, the placement of pixifrufru, Baron wd von Blanc, heart pirate, and Luke Warm is still undetermined. Martind1991 has the possibility of joining or bypassing all of them.

So far the Jerome Gambit as White has scored 40%. The "classical" lines (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 with 5.Nxe5+) have scored 48%. White has scored 100% against Jerome Gambit declined lines (not 4...Kxf7).

I tell ya, I don't get no respect...

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is the Rodney Dangerfield of chess, always ready to complain "I tell ya, I don't get no respect."
In the following game, Black defends in the opening as if any old move would do. It's not surprising that he ends up on the wrong end of a miniature.

Wall,B - Dani
Chess.com, 2010

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

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

7.f4 Nf6

If your opponent attacks your piece, don't move it away; attack something more valuable of his. (To be fair to Dani, Black has scored a surprising 43% with this move in The Database.)

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5

White has recovered his two sacrificed pieces, but his opponent sees a chance to grab back a pawn.

9...Nxe4 10.Qd5+

Here Black resigned in Wall - Meinherr, Chess.com, 2010.

10...Kf8 11.Qxe4

11...d5

So far the game has followed the early gobo-breaker, ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic, 2005, where, after four more moves, both players timed out, for a double forfeit.

12.Qd4 Qe7+ 13.Kf2 Bg4 14.Qxd5

This "pawn grab", on the other hand, allows only a harmless "attack" on White's King.

14...Qe2+ 15.Kg3 h5 16.h4 Re8 17.Nc3 Qa6 18.d3 Qg6 19.Bd2 Be6+

One last try.

20.Qg5 Black resigned

Exchanging Queens simply leaves Black a piece down, with worse development.

Hunker Down

When I think of "Jerome Pawns" I think of two (or more) center pawns advancing upon Black's position, spearheading an attack, opening lines, or forcing the defender to return White's sacrificed piece. The following game, recently acquired, turns that notion on its head. Bill Wall creates a pawn wall, and hunkers down behind it.


Wall,B - MYRX
FICS, 2010

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

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

7.Qxc5

White forgoes the "nudge" 7.Qd5+.

7...Qe7 8.Qc4+ Qe6 9.Qxe6+ dxe6

White has two pawns for his Knight. By swapping Queens, he can highlight this imbalance, instead of playing for a "Bashi-Bazouk attack".

10.d3 Nf6 11.Nc3 Bd7 12.f3 Bc6 13.Kf2 Rhd8

14.b3 a5 15.a4 b6 16.Ne2 Nd7 17.h4 Ne7 18.h5 h6 19.g4 e5

White's Bishop is about as "good" as it can get.

Also, the resemblance of its pawns to the letter "W" (for "Wall") is likely a coincidence.

Now, lines begin opening.

20.Rg1 b5 21.axb5 Bxb5 22.g5 hxg5 23.Rxg5 Rh8 24.f4 Kf6

The King wants to protect the e-pawn a second time, while still keeping touch with his g-pawn, but the move does not work.

Better was 24...Bc6, using his extra piece to resist White's invasion, as Fritz8 suggests in a long variation: 25.Ba3 Rh7 26.Rag1 Rg8 27.Ke3 exf4+ 28.Nxf4 a4 29.Rf1 Ke8 30.Ne6 Nf6 31.Nxc7+ Kd7 32.Bxe7 Kxe7 33.Rxf6 Kxf6 34.Rg6+ Ke7 35.Rxc6 Kd7 36.Rc4 Rc8 37.Nb5 axb3 38.cxb3 Rxh5 39.Rxc8 Kxc8 40.Nd4 Kd7 when it is not clear that White's two pawns for the exhange is enough to win.

Alternative endings are possible, including Black expeditiously exchanging Rooks, returning his Knight for some pawns, and playing for the drawish Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame.

In any case, the game would have lasted a good bit longer than after the text.

25.fxe5+ Nxe5 26.d4 Bxe2 27.dxe5+ Ke6 28.Kxe2 Black resigned

Black has the "Jerome pawns" blockaded, but his own pawns are weak and his pieces are tied down protecting them. There is little that he can do to stall the loss of material or the invasion of White's pieces.

Fun!

Rich,


I finally got a chance to send you a game with the Jerome. I played this on FICS and it further gives me the courage to play this in one of the upcoming G/30 events we will soon be having. Of course, if you put this in Rybka or Fritz, it will more than likely show you a million mistakes I played. Either way, it was fun :). Take care...


Quentin a.k.a- "Knaaky" or "Quickturtle"
Knaaky on FICS.


knaaky - Demidjinn
blitz. FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

A practical defensive line named after Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, who mentioned it in his 1874 analysis, and who played it in two correspondence games against Daniel Jaeger in 1880.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.Nc3 Qe7 10.d3 h5

Black, the higher rated player, is not intimidated by the Jerome Gambit. He has returned one of the two sacrificed pieces, and now considers using his Rook at h8 as an attacking piece.

Knaaky quickly realizes that the move further weakens the dark squares in Black's position, loosens things up around the Black King, and suggests Queenside castling, with an attack.

11.Bg5 Bg4 12.h3 Be6 13.f4 Kf7

Perhaps hoping to castle-by-hand toward the Queenside, but things develop too quickly to permit that.

14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Bf5 16.0-0-0

As happens more often than one might expect, Black has not made any glaring errors, yet the game has turned in White's favor. Demidjinn tries to mix things up a bit.

16...Ba3 17.exf6 Bxb2+ 18.Kxb2 Qb4+ 19.Kc1 Qxc3 20.fxg7 Rhe8

21.Rhf1

I once read a humorous article about the art of annotating that suggested that in any position where either Rook could be played to a square, the annotator could feel safe commenting "wrong Rook" regardless of which one moved. In this case, although neither player noticed, the better move was 21.Rdf1.

21...Re2

Continuing to attack, overlooking the opportunity to force a draw with 21...Qa3+ 22.Kb1 Qb4+ etc.

22.Rxf5+ Kg8 23.Rf8+ Rxf8 24.gxf8Q+ Kxf8 25.Qf3+ Black resigned

Smile

Justmegeo - djoaltay, standard, FICS, 2011

After 64 moves of a Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, White, to move, can finally smile.

A WhyDunnit

Sometimes a mystery story is referred to as a "whodunnit", as the tale is about the discovery of who "done" the crime at hand.

More recently, the word "howdunnit" has been used for those telling where the reader knows, often from the beginning, who has committed the crime – but has to figure out "how" the authorities are going to solve the mystery or catch the criminal.

I don't know if the word has been coined yet, but the position below, from the game MyGameUMove - BanditMan, blitz, FICS, 2011 (a Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit), seems to be an example of a "whydunnit".

The game has just seen 21.c4+ Kd4, and at that point Black, rated about 650 points higher than his opponent, disconnected, forfeiting the game.

Why?

Black has two pieces for White's three extra pawns, which seems like an advantage. His King is remarkably safe, despite all appearances. Perhaps time was an issue. Perhaps he received an important phone call. 

Oooops!

Despite my best efforts, the 2012 version of The Database will be delayed at least a week. I have yet to add all of the games from the current ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic tournament. I would like to also add all of the relevant games played at the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS) through the end of the year.

The Database is a free PGN collection of (soon to be) over 26,000 Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+), and Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3/4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) games; as well as games following the so-far-unnamed order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+.

A good number of the games in The Database are either Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) or Semi-Italian Four Knight Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Nc3 / 5.0-0 Bc5 6.Bxf7+).

Happy New Year

The moves are all there, waiting to be made...

(Why not a Jerome Gambit?)