Jerome Gambit: Casual Play

One of the biggest criticisms of the Jerome Gambit is its early Queen play by White. In the following game, White is able to use his Queen to win back material - and then has her wander around, apparently doing little. Yet this "casual" play by White seems to inspire equally "casual" play by Black - with deadly consequences.

Wall, Bill - Guest1018320
PlayChess.com, 2017

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

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

FYI, Bill is 15-0 against this line. It is playable, but it is not a "refutation" of the Jerome Gambit.

7.dxe5 Bxe5

Best is 7...Bb4+ with a slight edge to Black.

8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Qxe5 d6 10.Qa5

Bill's Queen likes to wander:

10.Qd4 Nf6 11.O-O c5 12.Qd3 Bd7 13.Bf4 a6 14.Bxd6+ Kf7 15.e5 Bb5 16.c4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest5856753, PlayChess.com, 2016; and

10.Qb5 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.Qd3 Be6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 Ke7 16.O-O-O Ne8 17.f4 g4 18.Bh4+ Nf6 19.e5 dxe5 20.Qg6 Qf8 21.fxe5 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016.

By the way, please note: White has recovered his sacrificed material and is a pawn ahead. He is in no hurry to "force" things, but, instead, allows Black to come up with "something".

10...b6 11.Qb5 a5 12.Nc3 Ba6

To prevent White from castling Kingside.

13.Qf5+ Qf6 14.Qh3 Ne7 15.Be3 Bc4 16.O-O-O

No hurry. No hurry. 

16...Be6 17.Qg3 h6 18.f4 g5

Opening the f-file when the Black Queen is in front of her King should be inherently risky, but this move also opens up the a1-h8 diagonal, where the Queen is in front of one of her Rooks.

19.Bd4 Qxf4+ 20.Qxf4+ gxf4 21.Bxh8 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: It's Hard to Believe

The following game defies appearances. A glance suggests that Black is doing okay - although the game has begun to move against him. Another glance - and all looks fine, but definitely is not. A final glance - Black is being crushed.The whole battle reflects upon the skill of the Jerome Gambiteer - and highlights the strangeness the opening often brings.

Wall, Bill - Uli
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 

8.Nc3 Nf6 9.O-O Be6 10.b3 

Planning to put the dark-squared Bishop on the long diagonal. Bill has also played the straight-forward 10.f4 in Wall,B - Guest3746555, PlayChess.com, 2015 (1-0, 35). 

10...c5 

Or 10...Rf8 11.f4 Nc6 12.Qd3 Kg8 13.Bb2 Bg4 14.Rae1 Kh8 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Bf5 17.Qg3 Qd7 18.dxc6 bxc6 19.Qg5 Bxc2 20.Re7 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016. 

11.Qd2 Qc7 

It is tempting for Black to kick the White Queen with the c-pawn, but this always risks making Black's d-pawn weak (backwards on an open file). In this particular position, the pawn loss would not be critical, and Black would still hold the advantage - but it makes a world of a difference if he is simply "letting go" of the pawn or "overlooking" its fate.

12.f4 Nc6 13.Nb5 Qb6 14.Nxd6+ 

14...Ke7

Interestingly enough, this is an error. Black would have kept things mostly even with 14...Kg8.

15.e5 Nd5 

Again, Black's extra piece and advantage in development would suggest that he is fine. Alas, he is losing.

16.c4 Ndb4 17.Bb2 Rad8 18.f5 Bg8 

In a curious mirror image, Black's light-squared Bishop is on its home rank, preventing the development of the other Rook. This bodes poorly for the defender.

19.Qg5+ Kf8 20.f6 

20...Rxd6 21.fxg7+ Ke8 22.exd6 Qd8 23.Rf8+ Black resigned

White has a checkmate in 3. Brutal.

Jerome Gambit: Constantly Aware

Sometimes when you play the Jerome Gambit, your opponent equalizes the game. What then? Well, you play along, seeing where the game is going - being constantly aware of opportunities that just might spring up, as in the following game. Thus, the ironic saying: In the Jerome Gambit, when Black has equalized, White has the advantage. ☺

Wall, Bill - Guest477
ICC, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 

8.Qd2

A novelty, according to The Database. What is the White Queen doing on d2? White's dark-squared Bishop will be going to b2.

8...Be6 9.O-O Nf6 10.Nc3 Rf8 11.b3 Kg8 12.Bb2 Rf7 

Black has castled-by-hand and has the advantage of a piece for a pawn. What will he do next?

13.f4 Nc6 14.Rae1 Bd7

Black hopes to move his Bishop out of possible trouble from the "Jerome pawns", but this move allows a center pawn advance - something White needs to be aware of.  

15.e5 dxe5 16.fxe5 Nxe5

Making the best of the situation by returning the piece for a pawn. Even game. This might be considered a good thing by the defender.

17.Rxe5 Bc6 18.Qf4 Qd6 

19.Nb5

On many occasions I have looked askance as Black has harassed White's Queen. Here, it is no big deal, but that kind of evaluation might have had a lulling influence on the defender.

19...Bxb5 20.Rxb5 Qc6 21.c4 Raf8 22.Rf5 Qe6 23.Qd2 

White has a Bishop for a Knight, the tiniest of advantages, but the lineup of Rooks on the f-file hints at an exchange of heavy pieces and a split point.

However, there is something special about the position that both players need to be aware of. (What is the White Queen doing on d2?)

23...Ne4 

Triggering the exchanges, and the draw?

No, actually this leads to a checkmate-in-21, if the game were to go that far.

24.Rxf7 Rxf7 25.Qd8+ Black resigned

Checkmate will arrive shortly.

Jerome Gambit: It's Complicated

Sometimes the Jerome Gambit features a brutal attack on the enemy King. Other times, such as in the following game, it showcases tactical skirmishes all across the board. The notes show several paths for Black where returning a piece is only part of a small plan to fight for play. It is the return of White's Queen from semi-isolation that suddenly changes things.

Wall, Bill - Guest683192
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.Na3

A novelty, according to The Database. From here the piece figures in a number of lines unplayed, but in the "real" game remains unmoved.

8...Be6 9.O-O Nf6 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Nb4 

Black harasses the enemy Queen, an idea that sometimes distracts his play. Here, it leads to some Queenside tussling.

12.Qb5 a5 13.e5 Ne4 

Instead, Stockfish 8 suggests a complicated and different campaign, having Black return the sacrificed piece but leaving Black a pawn better: 13...Bd7 14.Qc4+ d5 15.Qb3 Ne4 16.c3 Nc5 17.Qd1 Nbd3 18.f5 Re8 19.e6+ Bxe6 20.fxe6+ Kg8 21.Nc2 Rxe6 22.Be3 Nxb2 23.Qh5 Nbd3 24.Bd4 Qe7 25.Qxd5 c6 26.Qf5 Re2 27.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 28.Nd4 Qxf5 29.Rxf5. Whew!

14.c3 Nd5 

If you contrast Black's three central pieces with White's misplaced Queen, you might prefer the defender in this position. What tilts things slightly toward the attack is the "Jerome pawns".

15.f5 Rf8

Putting his Rook in play, and looking to eventually castle-by-hand, but it does not solve Black's problems. Again, the computer's alternate suggestion is a complicated brawl, starting with returning a piece, and leaving White only a tiny bit better, if at all: 15...dxe5 16.fxe6+ Kxe6 17.Qc4 Nef6 18.Bg5 Kf7 19.Qb3 Qd6 20.Nc4 Qc5+ 21.Kh1 Rhe8 22.Ne3 Kg6 23.Nxd5 Nxd5 24.c4 Nf4 25.Bxf4 exf4 26.Rxf4 h5 27.Raf1 Rf8 28.Qg3+ Kh7 29.Rf7 Rxf7 30.Rxf7 Qd4 31.h3. 

16.Qc4 Nc5 

Giving the piece back now does not work. The difference? White's Queen has taken a step to a more effective square. How odd.

17.fxe6+ Kxe6 18.Qg4+ Ke7 19.Qxg7+ Ke8 20.Rxf8 checkmate

Jerome Gambit Anomaly

The following game is a bit of an anomaly, for a number of reasons.

First, it is a draw in the Jerome Gambit, and a quick look at The Database shows that less than 3% of those 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ games end up as "1/2-1/2".

Second, it is a Jerome Gambit game that Bill Wall doesn't win. Quite rare.

Finally, it is a game where Black's King remains stuck in the middle files, but survives.

Wall, Bill - Guest584771
PlayChess.com, 2017

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.Qd5+

White poses the question: do you want to offer the b-pawn with 8...Be6? Answering with certainty would take a little time for Black. Also, he would have to be comfortable returning material.

8...Ke8

8...Be6 is playable, and Bill has two wins and a loss against it: Wall,B - Guest774156, PlayChess.com, 2016 (0-1, 26); Wall,B - Javier, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 36); and Wall,B - Guest3335651, PlayChess.com, 2017 (1-0, 13).

Black also has 8..Ke7, as in Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 20).

And there is 8...Kf8, as in Wall,B - Guest344942, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 20).

9.f4

Going after Black's Knight directly. Bill has also played:

9.Nc3 Nf6 10.Qb3 c6 11.f4 Nh5 12.O-O Ng4 13.h3 Ngf6 14.e5 Nd7 15.Be3 d5 16.g4 Ng3 17.Rf3 Ne4 18.Nxe4 dxe4 19.Rf2 Qh4 20.Kh2 Nb6 21.e6 Nd5 22.f5 Nxe3 23.Qxe3 Ke7 24.g5 Rf8 25.Rg1 Bxe6 26.Rf4 Qh5 27.Qxe4 g6 28.Qxe6+ Kd8 29.Qd6+ Kc8 30.Qxf8+ Kc7 31.Qe7+ Kb6 32.Rb4+ Ka6 33.Qxb7+ Ka5 34.Ra4+ Kxa4 35.Qxc6+ Ka5 36.b4+ Kxb4 37.Rb1+ Ka3 38.Qa6 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest3467690, PlayChess.com, 2017; and

9.O-O Nf6 10.Qb3 Qd7 11.Nc3 Qe6 12.Qb5+ Ned7 13.Be3 a6 14.Qa4 Kf7 15.Rad1 Re8 16.Rfe1 Kg8 17.f4 b5 18.Nxb5 axb5 19.Qxa8 Qxe4 20.Qxe4 Rxe4 21.Rd4 Rxd4 22.Bxd4 Kf7 23.a4 bxa4 24.Ra1 Nd5 25.Rxa4 c5 26.Bf2 Ke7 27.Bh4+ Ke6 28.g4 g6 29.Kf2 Nb4 30.Ra8 Nb6 31.Rb8 N4d5 32.Bd8 Kd7 33.Bxb6 Nxf4 34.Kf3 Nd5 35.Ba5 Ne7 36.Rb3 Kc6 37.Bd8 Nd5 38.c4 Nb4 39.Ba5 Nc2 40.Kf4 Nd4 41.Rb8 Black resigned, Wall,B -Tankins, PlayChess.com, 2016.

9...Nf6 10.Qb3 Ned7

11.e5 dxe5 12.O-O e4 

Black's center pawn is annoying.

13.Nc3 Nb6 14.Be3 Qe7 15.f5 

Two can play the annoying-advanced-pawn game.

15...Qe5

Black figures he can win the f-pawn. In his plotting and planning he loses sight of the (lack of) safety of his King.

16.Rad1 Ng4 17. Bf4 Qc5+ 18. Kh1 Bxf5 19. Nxe4

Both pawns fall. Black's King is suddenly looking quite vulnerable. But - is he?

19... Bxe4 20.Qe6+ Qe7

If 20...Kf8 then 21.Bd6 is a jaunty checkmate.

21.Qxg4 Nd5

The Knight is supported by the Bishop, which shields the Queen from a pin against the King. That gives White tactical opportunities - but are they more than a piece's worth?

22.Bg5 Nf6

The Knight protects, but also becomes a target.

23.Qh4 Kf7 24.Rd4 Rhe8 25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.Rxe4 

White wins back his piece - or is he sacrificing a Rook? What does he get for it?

26...Qxe4 27.Qxf6+ Kg8 28.Qf7+ Kh8 29.Qf6+ Kg8 30.Qf7+ Kh8 drawn

BSJG Inquiry

Recently I received a pleasant email from Rodolfo Pardi, of Milano, Italy, inquiring about the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4!? 4.Bxf7+!?).

Mr. Pardi has written a large number of very attractive chess manuals, in ebook format, all well worth attention. One, of course, is on the Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

I was very pleased to share game examples from The Database. (At the moment there are 5,333 of them.)

We have since exchanged analysis of the BSJG - his, far more extensive than mine, for which I am grateful.

Jerome Gambit: Seems Familiar, But...

The second Jerome Gambit game recently sent by Vlasta Fejfar looks so incredibly "normal" (by Jerome standards, anyhow) it was hard to believe that it became completly "unusual" before a dozen moves.

What was "normal", however, was Black's increasing uncertainty or confusion on defense, followed by increasing pressure by White's "Jerome pawns" - followed by a win by the attacker in under 30 moves.

vlastous - mostafa-salman
internet, 2017

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.Qe3 Qf6 10.O-O N8e7

And, just like that, we have reached a position that seems familiar, but appears in only 2 other games in The Database.

I could make this sound quite incredible by pointing out that The Database has 55,650 games - but that would be a bit unfair; so let me say that, of the 12,823 games in The Database that start with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ - well, there still are only 2 other examples.

11.f4 Nc6 

What's not to like about this move - which is a novelty?

It improves upon a couple of earlier games:

11...Kf7 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc4?! 14.Qb3?! (14.Qd3!?) 14...b5 (14...Qxd4+!?) 15.Nd2?! Qxd4+ 16.Kh1 Ke8? 17.c3? (17.Qxb5+!?) 17...Nxd2 White resigned, shugart - douthy, lightning, FICS, 2014; and

11...Bd7 12.f5 (12.d4!?) 12...Ne5 13.d4 Ng4?! 14.Qd3 a6 15.h3 Bb5? 16.Qc3? Bxf1 17.hxg4 Bb5 18.g5 Qf7 19.Qxc7 Rc8?! 20.Qxd6 Qc4 21.f6 Qf1+ (21...gxf6 22.gxf6 Ng6) 22.Kh2 gxf6 23.gxf6 Ng6 24.Qe6+ (24.Nc3!?) 24...Kf8? 25.Bh6 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - LeiCar, blitz, FICS, 2010. 

12.c3 Bd7 13.d4 Kd8

Understandably, Black's King wants to get off of the soon-to-be-opened e-file.

14.d5 Nce7 15.c4 Rf8 16.Bd2 Qf7 

Likewise, Black's Queen - which has been helping hold back White's e-pawn - decides to get off of the a1-h8 diagonal, where White's dark-squared Bishop appears to be heading.

White's central "Jerome pawns" are threatening to advance and cause problems, and it is not surprising that Stockfish 8 already sees the first player as having the advantage.

17.Nc3 Qf6 

Back on the diagonal - but it is also on the file! White strikes.

18.e5 dxe5 19.fxe5 Qb6 

Black's Queen could not capture the e5 pawn because of 20.Rxf8+. 

20.c5 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Qxb2 

Slipping behind enemy lines (pawns) to grab a pawn. Very dangerous!

22.e6 Be8 23.d6 cxd6 24.cxd6 Qb6 

25.dxe7+ Nxe7 26.Qxb6+ axb6 27.Bg5 Rc8 28.Nd5 Black resigned

White's pieces are tied up and tied down, and material will be lost.