Monday, January 16, 2023

Lose Never with a Strong Deferred Jerome Gambit! (Part 3)



 Lose Never with a Strong Deferred Jerome Gambit! (Part 3)   

  

(by Yury V. Bukayev) 

 

 

The Part 3 of this my analytical investigation is also about strong deferred Jerome gambit which is important for modern opening theory and for serious practice and which is a part of the Jerome gambit (JG), not relative gambit for it. 

 

At first let’s repeat the following thoughts from the Part 2 (September 22, 2022) of this my research: It shouldn’t mix related (relative) lines for an opening with its deferred ones. Let’s consider the Queen’s gambit. For example, 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 is one of deferred types of the Queen’s gambit (we may name it as ‘Nf3Nf6-Queen’s gambit deferred’), 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 is the other deferred type of the Queen’s gambit (we may name it as ‘Nf3e6-Queen’s gambit deferred’) etc. Often we unite them with the “standard line” 1.d4 d5 2.c4 and name each of them as ‘the Queen’s gambit’. In contrast with them, the Catalan opening (for example) is an opening which is related to the Queen’s gambit. We never unite it with the Queen’s gambit, because the plan with Bxc4 after …dxc4 is impossible in the Catalan opening.  

 

Let’s consider the Jerome gambit twice accepted (JGTA) analogously. In the Part 2 of this my research I have written about it: Its “standard line” is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5, and after 6.Qh5+! or 6.d4 (it’s much less strong move) White gets a sharp play, you know the modern theory of August 2022 from my publications on Rick Kennedy’s blog. If 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 is played after 4.Nc3 (or 4.d3, or 4.0-0, or 4.c3, or any other “calm” move) 4…a6 (or 4…h6, or certain other moves: 4…a5, 4…b5, 4…Rb8), then the same White’s plans to return a part of gambit material (7.Qh5+ and 7.d4) get no additional obstacles here in comparison with the standard line. That is why 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 a6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 and other above lines are deferred lines of JGTA. Analogously, we may unite them with the standard line of JGTA and name each of them as ‘JGTA. In contrast with them, if Black plays 4…Nf6 (or 4…d6, or any other move which we don’t see above), then 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 forms only a related line for JGTA, so we may not unite it with JGTA. 

 

But recently I have made a revision of this my view. Thus, if Black plays 4…Nf6, but then White makes his next “calm” move and Black makes the move 5…Nxe4 or another King’s Knight move (excluding 5…Ng4, 5…N[x]d5), then 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 form also deferred lines of JGTA. Analogously, we may unite them with the standard line of JGTA and name each of them as ‘JGTA’. 

 

Finally, a deferred line of JG is each deferred line of JGTA where the move n.Bxf7+ is made and where the further sequence of moves n…Kxf7 (n+1).Nxe5+ Nxe5 is made or can be made. For example, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 (4.0-0) 4…Nf6 5.0-0 (5.c3) 5…Nxe4! 6.Bxf7+AN is one of deferred lines of JG. Thus, after 6…Kxf7 7.Nxe5 (7.d4!?, 7.Qb3+!?) 7…Nxe5!? White can play 8.d4, 8.Qh5+, 8.Qb3+, for example: 8.Qh5+ Ng6!? 9.Qd5+ with 10.Qxe4. If you want to get it as White, then your opponent can’t prevent it. But this gambit’s force doesn’t let me say: “Lose never with it”  

 

Is it possible to get a deferred line of JG where Black and White make no bad moves in the whole game, where the moves n.Bxf7+ and “n…Kf8” can’t lose certainly, where an interest for important modern opening theory and for serious practice is VERY large? I have invented such new gambit, let’s consider it. 

 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 (4.0-0) 4…Nf6 5.0-0 (5.c3) 5…Nxe4! 6.b4 AN Nxf2!? 7.Bxf7+!?. First of all, I should say that, it maybe (it depends on analysis), 6…Nxf2 is a gambit (and certainly 5.0-0 is a gambit, but it plays no role here), so 7.Bxf7+ is a counter-gambit in this case, but we know that the term “gambit” includes also counter-gambits, in fact. Further, I don’t like 5.0-0, but I think, this move is enough playable. Further, I should say that 6…d5!! also leads to a complicated fight, and it will be quite difficult for Black to choose his 6th move in practice.  

 

After 6…Nxf2!? the move 7.Bxf7+!? is White’s natural choice. Let’s consider alternatives in brief: 

 

I)7.Qb3 Nh3+! 8.Kh1 Nf2+ 9.Kg1 [9.Rxf2? Bxf2 10.Bxf7+ Kf8, and Black has a winning advantage] 9…Nh3+, ½ - ½  

 

II)7.Qe2 Nh3+! 8.Kh1 Nf2+ 9.Rxf2 [9.Kg1 Nh3+] 9…Bxf2 10.Qxf2 Qf6 with a complicated fight  

 

III)7.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 e4!? 9.Qe2 [9.Ne1 d5!, and Black stands slightly better; 9…Qf6+ 10.Kg1 Nxb4? 11.cxb4! Qxa1 12.Nc3! d5! 13.Nc2!?, and White has a large advantage]  

 

A)9…Qe7 10.Ne1, and Black stands slightly better 

 

B)9…d5! 10.Bb5 0-0! 11.Ne1 Qf6+! 12.Kg1 Nxb4. Black has a very large advantage and one extra pawn again.  

 

Let’s consider 7.Bxf7+ now: 

 

IV)7.Bxf7+ 

 

A)7…Kxf7 8.Qb3+ [Thus, opponents can play 8.Nxe5+ Nxe5, but White plays much stronger instead. Do we have the Jerome pseudogambit? Let’s answer this question after looking at the following continuation.] 8Ke8 9.bxc5 (9.d4!?, so White can regain a piece not only by the direct way) Ng4 [or 9…Ne4] with a very sharp fight, where White attacks and has enough large compensation for the material in both cases. Thus, do we have the Jerome pseudogambit? If we start to look since 7.Bxf7+ only, then yes. If we start to look since 5.0-0 and consider 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.b4 Nxf2 7.Bxf7+ as the whole system, then we may consider it as the true gambit – the (‘complex’) Jerome gambit. We can name it as ‘the Great complex Jerome gambit, 7…Kxf7 – accepted gambit, 7…Kf8 and 7…Ke7 – declined gambit.     

 

B)7…Kf8! [It’s a very strong Jerome gambit declined, we can name it also as ‘the War’s Stop Great variation’ according to the result in the point “B2” below.]  

 

B1)8.Qb3 Nh3+ [8…Bb6!?], and White can’t win 

 

B2)8.Qe2! [8.Rxf2?? Bxf2+, and Black wins] 8…Nh3+! 9.Kh1 Nf2+ 10.Kg1 Nh3+, ½ - ½  

 

Once again, the Jerome gambit (JG) isn’t 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ only, it is also a large family of deferred gambits which are the parts of JG. And its above new part is, probably, the JG which is the most important for practice: the probability of Black’s move 6…Nxf2 in practice is enough high.  

 

Thus, this research is a start of the new era of JG and of JG declined in chess opening theory and practice! 

  

 

Note: Author’s theoretical novelties-moves are marked by the symbol “AN”. 

 

 

Contact the author:  istinayubukayev@yandex.ru  

 

 

© 2023 Yury V. Bukayev (Copyright © Bukayev Yury Vyacheslavovich 2023). All rights reserved.  

[A legal using of this investigation with a reference to it is permitted  

and doesn’t require author’s consent.] 

 

 

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Jerome Gambit: I Should Have Stood In Bed



Reflecting on an unfortunate day, boxing manager Joe Jacobs got it about right when he said "I should have stood in bed".

Nobody could blame the first player in the following game for feeling the same way. 

(By the way, both players are rated over 2500 at the online playing site.)


Jzs2003 - Revan_2002

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.O-O

Pausing to reflect? Moving too quickly (blitz game)?

This move is a novelty, according to The Database. Of course, 7.Qxe5 was the standard choice.

7...d6 

At this point warnings should be going off in White's camp, similar to this clip from the 1960s TV show "Lost in Space"

8.Kh1

White calmly prepares to play f2-f4 by unpinning the pawn.

8...Bg4 White resigned


The wayward Queen is trapped.

It is no consolation to realize that to retreat a move earlier with 8.Qd1 would not have saved Her Majesty, e.g. 8...Bg4 and the consistent 9.Qe1 would allow checkmate 9...Nf3+ 10.Kh1 Qh4 11.h3 Bxh3 12.gxf3 Bg4+ 13.Kg2 Bh3+ 14.Kg1 Qg3+ 15.Kh1 Qg2# .

While I am a bit suprised that we have not seen 7.O-O before, I suspect that after this game we may not see it again.