Jerome Gambit: Smites

Cecil J. S. Purdy (1906 - 1979), world correspondence chess champion and author, editor, and chess teacher, suggested that when considering moves to play in a chess game, one ought to look at ones that "smite" the opponent.

It is quite possible that my opponent in the following blitz game was familiar with this suggestion. Clearly, he was not impressed with my Jerome Gambit, and countered with a series of smiting moves. Alas, not all of them were strong, and the first one - an old friend of mine - frittered away his advantage.

Notes to the moves in the game allow me to present several of my games that I have somehow overlooked and not previously posted, despite my commitment to share all of my Jerome Gambits, well-played and not-so-well-played. (Please, do not smite me.)

perrypawnpusher - havasiviktor
5 12 blitz, FICS, 2019

 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.O-O Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. I have played this line in 59 games, scoring 79%.

6...Kxf7

Of course Black should capture the Bishop, although The Database contains two examples where the defender declined: 6...Kf8 7.Bb3 Ng4 (7...d6 8.h3 Nd4 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.Nd5 Nxe4 11.Qf3+ Nf6 12.d3 Be6 13.Nxf6 Qxf6 14.Bxe6 Qxf3 15.gxf3 Ke7 16.Re1 g5 17.f4 Bb4 18.Re2 gxf4 19.Bxf4 Raf8 20.Bg3 Rhg8 21.Bxg8+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Duquesne, blitz, FICS, 2010) 8.d3 Nd4 9.Nxd4 d6 10.Ne6+ Bxe6 11.Bxe6 Bxf2+ 12.Rxf2+ Nxf2 13.Kxf2 Qf6+ 14.Qf3 Ke7 15.Qxf6+ gxf6 16.Bf5 Rhg8 17.Be3 c5 18.Nd5+ Kf7 19.Nc7 Rab8 20.Be6+ Ke7 21.Bxg8 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Duquesne, blitz, FICS, 2012 

7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 

Recapturing is best, but, curiously, I have lost the only games where I faced 7...Kf8 and 7...Kg8:

perrypawnpusher - ojot, blitz, FICS, 2012: 7....Kf8 8.Ng6+ Kg8 9.Nxh8 Kxh8 10.d3 d6 11.Be3 Bb4 12.f4 Ng4 13.Qf3? Nxe3 14.Qxe3 Bc5 15.d4 Bxd4 White resigned; and

perrypawnpusher - roccovargas, blitz, FICS, 2011: 7...Kg8 8.Nxc6 dxc6 9.d3 Bg4 10.Qe1 Bb4 11.f4 Kh7 12.h3 Bd7 13.g4 Rf8 14.g5 hxg5 15.fxg5 Nh5 16.Rxf8 Qxf8 17.Qh4 g6 18.Be3 Qf3 19.Qf2 Qxf2+ 20.Kxf2 Bxh3 21.Rh1 Rf8+ 22.Ke2 Ng3+ White resigned

8.d4 Bxd4 

I have faced 10 different moves in this position. I believe the text is best.

9.Qxd4 d6 

10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Nb4 

An old friend. I have faced a similar attack on the Queen six times in earlier games (somewhat different lines), and scored 5 - 0 - 1. That draw was a strange - and strangely familiar -one: perrypawnpusher - grunf, blitz, FICS, 2013:1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.O-O Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bxd4 (8...Bd6 was seen in perrypawnpusher - grunf, blitz, FICS, 2010 9.dxe5 Bxe5 10.f4 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Re8 12.e5 Nh7 13.Qd5+ Re6 14.f5 c6 15.fxe6+ Black resigned) 9.Qxd4 d6 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Re8 12.Bd2 Nb4 13.Qc4+ Be6 14.Qxb4 b6 15.Rae1 c5 16.Qb5 a6 17.Qd3 b5 18.b3 c4 19.Qf3 Bg4 20.Qg3 Qd7 21.Bc1 Nh5 22.Qf2 Kg8 23.h3 Be6 24.g4 Nf6 25.g5 hxg5 26.fxg5 Nh7 27.Qg3 Bxh3 28.Rf3 Qg4 29.Kh2 Nxg5 30.Qxg4 Bxg4 31.Rg3 Nf3+ 32.Rxf3 Bxf3 33.Kg3 Rf8 34.Bf4 Bh5 35.Rh1 Bg6 36.Bxd6 Rfe8 37.e5 Bxc2 38.bxc4 bxc4 39.Rh2 Bd3 40.Nd5 Rac8 41.Nf4 Bf5 42.Rh1 c3 43.Rc1 c2 44.Nd5 Re6 45.Ne3 Bh7 46.Kf2 Rf8+ 47.Ke2 Rfe8 48.Kd2 g5 49.Nxc2 Rd8 50.Rg1 Rexd6+ 51.exd6 Rxd6+ 52.Kc1 Bxc2 53.Kxc2 Rc6+ 54.Kd3 Rc5 55.Rg2 Kg7 56.Kd4 Ra5 57.Ke4 Kg6 58.Kf3 Rf5+ 59.Ke4 a5 60.Ke3 a4 61.Kd3 Rf4 62.Kc3 Kf5 63.Kd3 g4 64.Kc3 Re4 65.Kd3 Rf4 66.Kc3 Kg5 67.Kd3 Kf5 68.Kc3 Kg5 69.Kd3 Kf5 draw

12.Qc4+ Be6 13.Qxb4 b6 

Often the little things are what let White back into the game, or even allow him to forge ahead. Black would have done better with 12...d5, eventually getting in the move ...dxe4, snatching a pawn for the piece lost. Instead of the text - admittedly, protecting the b-pawn -13...Re8 was more active.

14.Qd4 

Rusty. I could have played 14.e5 Nd5 15.Nxd5 Bxd5 16.Qd4, instead, but I did not realize how much stronger that line of play was.

14...c5 

Smiting my impertinent Queen, who has made 1/3 of my moves in the game.

15.Qd3 c4 

And again!

16.Qf3 

This move is fine, but Her Majesty would have been a bit stronger if she returned to d4.

16...Bg4 

Yet, again!

17.Qg3 

Yes, my Queen has made almost 1/2 of my moves. But, has Black gained anything from all of this smiting?

17...h5 18.e5 dxe5

This allows the opening of the f-file, with White's Rook lined up with Black's King, but there was only temporary relief with 18...h4 19.Qe1 h3 20.exf6 hxg2, when 21.Kxg2 would be good enough, and 21.Rf2!? (intending Rxg2, covering the White King on the open g-file) would be even better.

19.fxe5 Qd4+ 20.Be3 Black resigned

Black can try 20...h4, but after 21.exf6 hxg3 22.fxg7+ Kxg7 23.Bxd4+ he is going to be a Rook down.

Jerome Gambit: The Innocuous Qe2

Bill Wall has experimented with many lines and ideas in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Often he chooses move that seem to lull his opponent into carelessness. One such move is 4.Qe2.

Wall, Bill - Anonymous
lichess.org, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Qe2

Certainly a quiet, conservative-looking move.

4...Nf6

This is a natural move, but it overlooks the threat behind Bill's move. (On purpose? That is not clear.) 

Bill has also seen the risky 4...h6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Qc4+ Ke8 7.Qxc5 Nf6 (7...Qf6 8.Nc3 d6 9.Qb5 Nge7 10.d4 a6 11.dxe5 Qe6 12.Qe2 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Qxe5 14.O-O Nc6 15.f4 Qe7 16.Nd5 Qf7 17.Bd2 Nd4 18.Qc4 c5 19.c3 Nc6 20.Rae1 Na5 21.Qd3 Bd7 22.Nc7+ Black resigned,Wall,B - Guest11524088, PlayChess.com, 2019) 8.O-O Nxe4 9.Qe3 d5 10.d3 Nf6 11.Nxe5 Ne7 12.b3 Kf8 13.Ba3 Bf5 14.g4 Bh7 15.Re1 d4 16.Ng6+ Bxg6 17.Bxe7+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest8687229, PlayChess.com, 2019.

5.Bxf7+

Of course, 5.0-0 was just fine, but this is a Jerome Gambit blog, after all.

5...Kxf7 6.Qc4+ d5 

Not 6...Kf8 7.Qxc5+ d6 8.Qe3 Bg4 9. O-O Kg8 10.Qb3+ d5 11.Qxb7 dxe4 12.Qxc6 exf3 13.Re1 Qd5 14.Qxd5+ Nxd5 15.Rxe5 Nb4 16.Na3 fxg2 17.Kxg2 Bd7 18.d3 Kf7 19.Bd2 Nc6 20.Re4 Rab8 21.Rf4+ Kg6 22.Nc4 Be6 23.Re1 Rhe8 24.Kg3 h6 25.h4 Bxc4 26.Rxe8 Rxe8 27.Rg4+ Kh7 28.Rxc4 Ne5 29.Rxc7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest8656945, PlayChess.com, 2019;

Nor 6...Ke8 7.Qxc5 Nxe4 8.Qe3 d5 9.d3 Bf5 10.dxe4 Bxe4 11.O-O Rf8 12.Nbd2 Rf4 13.Nxe5 Qg5 14.Ndf3 Qf5 15.Qxf4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest13595479, PlayChess.com, 2019;

Both are inexact. 

7. Qxc5 Nxe4 

Not quite right is 7...dxe4 8.Nxe5+ Nxe5 9.Qxe5 Re8 10.Qg3 Kg8 11.O-O c6 12.b3 Qd4 13.Nc3 Bf5 14.h3 Nd5 15.Bb2 Qxd2 16.Nxd5 Qxd5 17.Qxg7 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest13734457, PlayChess.com, 2019.

So far, in our main game, Black has kept his head, and Komodo 10 sees him as about a half pawn ahead - development more important than King safety. 

8.Qe3 Bg4

Castling-by-hand was also a good idea: 8...Rf8 9.O-O Kg8 10.d3 Nf6 11.Nxe5 Re8 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.Qc5 Bb7 14.Bg5 Re5 15.Bf4 Rh5 16.Nd2 Ng4 17.f3 Nxh2 18.Bxh2 Qh4 19.Bxc7 Qh2+ 20.Kf2 Qh4+ 21.Bg3 Qg5 22.Rad1 Rd8 23.Qxa7 Bc8 24.Rfe1 d4 25.Qe7 Qd5 26.Bc7 Rf8 27.Bd6 Rhf5 28.Re5 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest10540586, PlayChess.com, 2019. 

9.O-O Bxf3 10.Qxf3+ Qf6 11.Qd1 Rag8 

Black completes his development and looks forward to a brutal attack on his opponent's King.

It turns out, however, that White can initiate counterplay quickly enough to turn the tables.

12.d3 Ng5 

Black wants to attack, overlooking the dangers that this move exposes his King and Queen to. Instead, 12...Nd6 13.Nc3 Ke6 14.f4 Rf8 15.Re1 Kd7 16.Nxd5 Qh4 17.fxe5 Nxe5 was best, according to Stockfish 10, when White is only a pawn ahead.

13.f4

13...Nh3+

Going for broke. There has to be an attack here, right? So - sacrifice a piece to open the King up.

14.gxh3 Qg6+ 15.Kh1 e4 

The problem for Black is that there is no attack. His g- and h-pawns have not advanced and have not opened lines of attack for his Rooks. On the other hand, White's Rook (his only developed piece) creates mayhem.

16.f5 Qf6 17.dxe4 dxe4 18.Qd5+ Ke7 19.Nc3 Black resigned

White is developing his pieces - and he has an extra one. There is nothing but misery ahead for Black.

Another fine example of the strangeness that is the Jerome Gambit.

Jerome Gambit: He Should Have Read This Blog

Sometimes it feels like it has all been said, before.

Take the following game. Black decides to be creative in his defense to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), and even finds a novelty on move 7.

Alas, he is checkmated on move 8.

As I point out in the notes, there was a ton of information on the line - as well as a fascinating game example - available on this blog.

But, of course, you have to read the blog. (Forewarned is forearmed.)


Wall, Bill - Guest13762608
PlayChess.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 

Wow. Black decides that accepting 1 piece is enough. There is a whole lot to say about this - check out the game Wall, Bill - Guest4105968, PlayChess.com, 2018 (1/2 - 1/2, 50) that I covered in detail in "Jerome Gambit: Over the Rainbow", Parts 1, 2 & 3.

For now, I can point out that the current Database has 29 games with this position, with White scoring 66%. In the 7 games that have the strongest followup (see below), White scores 79%.

6.Qg4+ Ke7 

Black needed to play 6...Kxe5, and hang on.

7.Qxg7+ Ke8 

The move 7...Kc6 would cost Black his Queen (after 8.Nf7+). Instead, the text costs him his King.

8.Qf7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Pow! Bam!

The following bullet game (1 minute, no increment) reminds me of the campy 1960s "Batman" tv show, when battles between the heroes and the villains would have large words such as "Pow!" and "Bam!" superimposed over them, comic book style. See for yourself.

angelcamina - fred314
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Nf6 

A simple solution that protects the Rook, but Black's best defenses - the Whistler (7...Qe7) and the Blackburne (7...d6) - both rely on offering the Rook.

8.Qxc5 c6 

Or 8...d6 as in angelcamina - janpecsok18, lichess.org, 2018 (1-0, 17) 

9.Qe3 Re8 

Steady and principled, although 9...Nxe4!? directly was playable.

10.d3 d5 11.f3 dxe4 12.fxe4 Bg4 

Mysterious. White's pressure on the King now builds and builds.

13.O-O b6 14.Qg3 Bh5 15.Bg5 Qd4+ 16.Kh1 Kg7 17.Bxf6+ Qxf6 18.Rxf6 Kxf6 

19.Nc3 Kg7 20.Rf1 Rf8 21.Rxf8 Rxf8 22.Qe5+ Kh6 23.Kg1 Be2 

Threatening checkmate, but overlooking the reply.

24.Nxe2 

Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Are We Getting Any Better?

A major resource for understanding and playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and related openings is The Database, a collection of over 59,000 games that I have maintained along with this blog.

While The Database contains all of the historical over-the-board and correspondence games that I have been able to collect, and, no doubt, suffers slightly from the fact that players are willing to share or publish their successful efforts, while letting their unsuccessful ones remain unnoticed - a full 93% of the games are drawn, regardless of their outcome, from games played at the online chess website FICS, at all time controls, from 1999 through September 2018.

That means that The Database largely reflects the experiences of the average online club player playing the Jerome Gambit.

So - how are the results of the Jerome Gambit (and for this question, I focused upon just 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) doing? Are we, as Jerome Gambit players, getting better over time?

This is what I found.  

Year    Games    Score
1999          29      34%
2000        172      41%
2001        262      40%
2002        231      44%
2003        242      34%
2004        251      38%
2005        383      37%
2006        502      38%
2007        560      39%
2008        782      43%
2009     1,322      45%
2010        930      40%
2011     1,073      42%
2012        634      45%
2013        945      44%
2014        867      43%
2015        589      43%
2016        621      45%
2017        589      44%
2018*      389      45% 

(*2018 includes games from January - September.)

("Scoring" is calculated by assigning one point to each win, one half point to each draw, and dividing by the number of games played.)

Another way of looking at the data is to graph the scoring percentages (which show a general trend upward):

There are any number of ways to look at this data.

Perhaps the simplest is to guess that players who are unsuccessful with the Jerome leave the pool (and produce no more games), while players who are successful stick around, adding more wins and bumping up the scoring percentage. Following this logic, though, it is not clear why the number of soon-to-be-unsuccessful players who played the Jerome Gambit in 1999 (and subsequently left the pool) should be any different than the soon-to-be-unsuccessful players who try their hand in 2019 (joining the pool, replacing those who left).

Maybe the Jerome Gambit, in general, is better known today than it was 20 years ago. (This blog and I will take some of the blame.) It is a risky and exciting opening, so, perhaps more sedate players who would find it not to their taste now steer clear (avoiding adding losses to The Database), while the adventurous swash-bucklers, knowing what they are getting into, charge straight ahead, nonetheless (adding wins, and possibly getting better over time). 

Even though the scoring percentage for the Jerome Gambit remains quite modest, compared to many other openings, there are some super-players who do quite well with the opening. Quite possibly, the trend upwards of scoring reflects their entry into FICS play, and their improvement over time?

In the end, we must always remain careful about statistics - and refuted chess openings.

Jerome Gambit: It's Not Automatic

The following game has another example of an "automatic" pawn capture that would have benefitted from a bit more reflection before appearing on the board - but, playing at one minute a game, with no increment, there is a limit to the amount of reflection that is available. 

angelcamina - Cubigami
1 0 bullet, lichess.org

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 

angelcamina has seen other responses:

8...N8e7 9.0-0 d6 (9...b6 10.Qe3 d5 11.e5 Kg8 12.f4 Bf5 13.h3 h6 14.g4 Be6 15.f5 Nxf5 16.gxf5 Bxf5 17.Rxf5 Qh4 18.Rf3 Qg5+ 19.Qxg5 hxg5 20.Kg2 Nf4+ 21.Kh2 Rxh3+ 22.Rxh3 Nxh3 23.Kxh3 Kf7 24.d4 Rh8+ 25.Kg3 Rh4 26.Bxg5 Rxd4 27.Nc3 Rc4 28.Re1 b5 29.e6+ Ke8 30.e7 b4 31.Nxd5 b3 32.cxb3 Rd4 33.Nxc7+ Kd7 34.e8=Q+ Kxc7 35.Rc1+ Kd6 36.Qd8+ Ke5 37.Bf4+ Ke4 38.Re1+ Kf5 39.Qxd4 g6 40.Qe5 checkmate,  angelcamina - southerngumbo, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019) 10.Qe3 Bg4 11.f3 Be6 12.f4 Bc4 13.d3 Bb5 14.f5 Ne5 15.c4 Bc6 16.d4 Nxc4 17.Qc3 Bb5 18.a4 Nxb2 19.axb5 Na4 20.Rxa4 a6 21.bxa6 bxa6 22.f6 gxf6 23.Rxf6+ Ke8 24.Re6 Qd7 25.d5 Kd8 26.Bg5 Re8 27.Na3 Rb8 28.Rxa6 c6 29.Rxc6 Ra8 30.Rexd6 Qxd6 31.Rxd6 checkmate, angelcamina - Claim1, 1-0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019); and 

8...Qe7 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.Nc3 d5 11.d3 dxe4 12.dxe4 Ng4 13.Qf3+ Ke8 14.O-O N6e5 15.Qf4 Rf8 16.Qg3 h5 17.f3 h4 18.Qe1 Nxh2 19.Kxh2 h3 20.f4 hxg2 21.Kxg2 Ng4 22.Qg3 Rh8 23.Rh1 Rxh1 24.Kxh1 Bd7 25.f5 Nf6 26.Bg5 Kf7 27.Bxf6 Qxf6 28.Qg6+ Qxg6 29.fxg6+ Kxg6 30.Rg1+ Kf7 31.Rf1+ Ke7 32.Nd5+ White won on time, angelcamina - mustapha1996, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 

9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O 

White played Nc3 first, in angelcamina - JsFlexWay, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2018 (1-0, 19).

10...Ng4

"Amazing how popular this move is" - Cliff Hardy.

11.Qf3+ Qf6

A bit stronger than 11...Nf6, as in angelcamina - Kvngmicky, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019, (1-0, 38).

12.Qg3 Kf7 13.h3 N4e5 14.f4 Nc6

15.e5

Excellent bullet psychology. This is not the strongest move in the position, but if Black automatically captures the pawn, he is busted.

15...dxe5 16.fxe5 Ngxe5 17.Rxf6+ gxf6

White has a Queen and a pawn for a Rook and Knight. More importantly, Black appears to be shaken.

18.d4 Nc4 

White finishes up after this, by placing his focus on the enemy King.

19.Qb3 N6a5 20.Qf3 Nd6 21.Bg5 f5 22.b3 Rg8 23.h4 h6 24.Qh5+ Kg7 25.Qxh6+ Kf7 26.Qf6+ Ke8 27.Qe7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Happy Birthday, Blog!

It is hard to believe, but 11 years ago, on June 10, 2008, I made my first post to this blog. You are welcome to check out "Welcome!" 

(You can read forward from the beginning to today's post, but, mind you, that would mean reading 2,780 posts!)

It has been exciting to see how many people are willing to play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), and how many have been generous in sharing their games and their analysis. The play ranges from exceedingly fast 1 0 bullet games to more serious 3 days per move games, and include online, correspondence, blindfold, and over-the-board games.

It has also been great fun to see The Database of Jerome Gambit and Jerome-related games grow to over 59,000 examples.

As ever, I have enjoyed sharing many scintillating wins with the Jerome Gambit; but I have not shied away from showing losses and refutations, as I find them. The best place to learn how to win with the Jerome is this blog; the best place to learn how to defeat the Jerome is also this blog. 

Thank you, everyone, for your support. Thank you, Readers, for coming by.