Jerome Gambit: Found on Facebook

 

Jerome Gambit: Stockfish 15.1 - Maximo

Here is the Stockfish 15.1 - Maximo game mentioned in the previous post.

Stockfish 15.1 - Maximo

Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

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

In its games in The Database, Stockfish prefers playing 6.Qh5+ to playing 6.d4 about 2 to 1.

Stockfish 15.1, analyzing independently (30 ply) sees 6.Qh5+ as about 1 pawn better than 6.d4. 

However, looking at chessplayers at large, things are a little bit different. 

Looking at all games in The Database, White prefers 6.Qh5+ over 6.d4 by over 3 to 1 (12,757 games to 3,716 games). White scores a bit better (57% vs 55%) with 6.Qh5+. 

Perhaps it comes down to whether the first player prefers to see his own Queen near the enemy King, or to see the enemy Queen near his own King.

6...Qh4 7.O-O Qxe4 8.dxc5 Nf6 

White is behind in material and development. Clearly, he has some work to do. He can hope to take advantage of Black's King's relative insecurity, and perhaps take advantage of Black's Queen's placement.

9.Bg5 Qf5 10.Bxf6 gxf6 

A forward-thinking recapture. Black opens the g-file with "thoughts" of putting a Rook on the file, to attack White's King.

If, instead, 10...Qxf6, keeping the pawn structure more intact, White would have 11.Nc3, planning Nd5, chasing Black's Queen back to d8 to prevent Nxc7.

11.Nc3 Rg8 12.Qd5+ Qe6 13.f4 Nc4 

Maximo may have evaluated 13...Qxd5 14.Nxd5 Ng6 15.Nxc7 differently than Stockfish 15.1, but that may well have been the better path to follow.

14.Qh5+ Kf8 

I looked at this move with the help of Stockfish 15.1. It preferred 14...Kg7 keeping the pesky enemy Queen from approaching. It evaluated the game after 14...Kf8 as "0.00" which is usually an indication that is sees a draw in its analysis. (I have mentioned before that when it comes to the Jerome Gambit, Stockfish analysis can show a "run for a draw prejudice" for White. It is good to see that it's play in this game is more dynamic.)

15.Qh6+ Rg7 16.Rae1 Ne3 

The Knight move looks awkward, but things are complicated enough that a Queen move would give White the advantage.

17.Rf2 

The drawing line mentioned above after move 14 is 17.f5 Qc6 18.Re2 Ng4 19.Re8+ Kxe8 20.Qxg7 Qxc5+ 21.Kh1 Nf2+ 22.Rxf2 Qxf2 23.Qg8+ Ke7 24.Qxh7+ Kf8 25.Qh6+ Kg8 26.Qg6+ Kh8 27.Qxf6+ Kg8 28.Qg6+ Kf8 29.Qh6+ Kg8 etc. 

With the text move White looks to double Rooks on the e-file while protecting his g-pawn.

17...b6 

Looking to put the Bishop on the a8-h1 diagonal and increase pressure on g2.

Keeping things level (or a slightly bit better for Black) was the Queen swap 17...Ng4 18.Rxe6 Nxh6 19.Rxf6+ Nf7 20.Nd5, although it would cost a pawn and be less active. 

18.f5 Nxf5 19.Qd2 

White's active piece play is beginning to turn the game to its advantage. The Knight at f5 will fall.

19...Qc4 20.Rxf5 Bb7 21.Re2 Kg8 22.b3 Qb4 23.Ne4 Qxd2 24.Nxf6+ 

24...Kf7 

It is interesting that Stockfish 15.1's analysis, after the game, prefers tucking the King away with 24...Kh8, while Maximo, in the game, prefers to make the King more active. Different evaluation functions. 

25.Rxd2 Kg6 26. Rf4 Rf8 27. Rdf2 bxc5 28. h4 d6 29. Rf5 Bc8 30. h5+ Kh6 31. Ng4+ Rxg4 32. Rxf8 Bb7 

I suspect that in a club player vs club player game, the advantage of the exchange might not be "winning", but top computer programs can squeeze out a win. 

In fact, Stockfish 15.1 rates White as being a Rook better at this point.

33.R8f7 Be4 34.Rxc7 Kxh5 35.Rxa7 Rg3 36.c4 Rd3 37.Kh2 Kg4 38.Raf7 Kg5 39.Rg7+ Bg6 40.Rc7 Kg4 41.Rc8 Kg5 42.Rf3 Rxf3 43.gxf3 Bf5 44.Rb8 Kf4 45.a4 Kxf3 

Black's active King can not balance White's active protected passed a-pawn.

A human chess master could now play 46.Rf8 Ke4 47.Rxf5 Kxf5 48.a5 and expect to hear "I resign".

Stockfish 15.1 marches on.

46.a5 Be4 47.a6 d5 48.cxd5 Bxd5 49.Rb5 Ke4 50.Rxc5 Bxb3 

White needs only one pawn to win - in 16 moves or less.

51.a7 Kd4 52.Rh5 Bf7 53.Rh4+ Kd3 54.a8=Q Bg6 55.Qd5+ Ke2 56.Kg3 Bc2 57.Rh2+ Ke3 58.Rd2 Bd3 59.Qxd3 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: A Serious Affair

The latest Youtube video featuring the Jerome  Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ) is a serious affair, challenging my perception that Stockfish really doesn't "understand" the Jerome. 

Take a look at"Stockfish 15.1 Plays the Jerome Gambit vs - Chess.com MAXIMUM bot (3200) / Brilliant Game!!", presented by Value of Training, who has a number of videos on his site, including some focused on Rubik's cube!

At move 51, Stockfish has a checkmate in 16 moves, but its opponent, Maximo, does not last that long.

Jerome Gambit: Morphy vs the Mefistopheles

Yury V. Bukayev has provided several links to what may well be the earliest* Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) related fiction.

The Spanish language newspaper, La correspondencia de Puerto Rico, published on a daily basis, from February 20, 1906 to March 18, 1906, successive chessboard positions from a game it identified as "Mefistofeles vs Morphi". (This allowed readers to follow the progress of the game without needing to know chess notation.)

Of course Paul Morphy's opponent played the Jerome Gambit-like Polerio Gambit aka the Abrahams Jerome Gambit aka the Polerio Knightless Jerome Gambit.

Here is the game, with diagrams.

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+

3...Kxf7 4.Qh5+ Kf8 5.Qxe5 d6 6.Qf4+ Nf6 7.Nf3 Nc6

The position looks very Jerome Gambit-ish, although the White Queen is oddly out of place.

8.c3 Ne5 9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.Qxe5 Bxf2+ 

Here apparently White resigned, facing 11.Kxf2 Ng4+, forking the King and Queen.

After a day without the "Ajedrez" column, the newspaper returned to more ordinary topics and started presenting the game between Emanuel Lasker and Leon Paredes...

*-Did you miss "The Verdun Gambit", another piece of fiction from 1917? You can check it out here (Part 1) and here (Part 2)

Jerome Gambit: Arena (Part 6)

Here are a couple of  3 0 blitz games from the fourth place finisher in the 2021 Jerome Gambit Arena at lichess.org.

zfruzn - KAPANN

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, Jerome Gambit Arena, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d3 g6 7.Nc3 Bd4 8.Bd2 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 d6 10.O-O b6 (more active is 10...Qh4 or 10...Nf6) 11.Bxe5 (causing trouble, better is 11.f4) 11...dxe5 12.Qf3+ Nf6 13.a4 Rf8 14.a5 Kg8 15.axb6 cxb6 16.Qe2 b5 17.h3 Rb8 18.c4 bxc4 19.dxc4 Ba6 (or 19...Nh5) 20.Rab1 (20.Rxa6) 20...Rb4 21.b3 Qb8 22.Qd3 Rd8 23.Qe3 Qb6 24.Qxb6 axb6 25.Rfd1 Rxd1+ 26.Rxd1 Rxb3 27.Rd8+ Kg7 28.Ra8 Bxc4 29.Ra4 Bb5 30.Ra7+ Kh6 31.g3 Nxe4 32.Rb7 Bc6 33.Rc7 Rc3 34.Kg2 Rc2 35.h4 Rxf2+ 36.Kh3 Rc2 37.Kg4 Nf2 checkmate

KAPANN - kayrasemerci

3 0 blitz, Jerome Gambit Arena, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 Bd6 8.Qc3 Nf6 9.O-O Nxe4 10.Qe3 Qh4 11.h3 Nf6 12.Nc3 Be5 (hangs a piece, better 12...Qf4) 13.d3 (13.Qxe5) 13...d6 14.f4 Bxf4 (drops a piece, better 14...Bxc3 15.bxc3 Bd7) 15.Rxf4 Kg8 (15...Qh5) 16.Rxh4 h6 17.Nd5 Nxd5 (allows checkmate, better 17...Bf5) 18.Qe8+ Kh7 19.Qe4+ (faster 19.Rxh6+ gxh6 20.Qf7#) 19...Kg8 20.Qxd5+ (20.Qe8+ Kh7 21.Rxh6+ gxh6 22.Qf7#) 20...Kh7 ( no escape: 20...Kf8 21.Bg5 g6 22.Bf4 h5 23.Qd4 Rh7 24.Qf6+ Rf7 25.Bh6+ Ke8 26.Re1+ Kd7 27.Qxf7+ Kc6 28.Rc4+ Kb5 29.Qxc7 Ka6 30.Ra4+ Kb5 31.Qc4+ Kb6 32.Be3#) 21.Qf7 Bxh3 22.Rxh6 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Arena (Part 5)

Here are a couple of  3 0 blitz games from the third place finisher in the 2021 Jerome Gambit Arena at lichess.org.

GLORIARODRIGUEZ_UNE - onderch01

3 0 blitz, Jerome Gambit Arena, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d3 Be7 7.d4 Ng6 8.Qh5 (or 8.Nc3 or 8.f4) 8...d6 9.e5 (or 9.Nc3 or 9.f4) 9...dxe5 10.dxe5 Qd5 11.O-O Qxe5 12.Qxe5 Nxe5 (White is down two pieces for a pawn, with the Queens off of the board) 13.Re1 Ng6 14.Re3 Nf6 15.Nc3 b6 16.Rf3 Bb7 17.Re3 Bc5 18.Rf3 Bxf3 19.gxf3 Nf4 20.Bxf4 Rhe8 21.Na4 Bd6 22.Bxd6 cxd6 23.Nc3 Rac8 24.Kf1 a6 25.Ne4 Rxc2 26.Nxf6 gxf6 27.Kg2 Ree2 28.Rg1 Rxf2+ 29. Kh1 Rxh2 checkmate

onderch01 - KAPANN

3 0 blitz, Jerome Gambit Arena, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qe3 Nf6 9.Qf3 (9.d3) Bg4 10.Qb3+ Be6 11.Qxb7 Rb8 12.Qxa7 Nxe4 13.O-O h5 14.d3 Nf6 15.Bg5 h4 16.h3 Rh5 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Nc3 Ra8 19.Qe3 Rg5 20.Ne4 Rh5 (a bit better was 20...Rf5) 21.Qf3 (21.g4 Rh8 22.f4 Bd5 23.f5) 21...f5 (lets the Rook hang; better 21...Rf5) 22.Nxd6+ (the simple 22.Qxh5) 22...cxd6 (22...Qxd6 23.Qxh5 Rh8 24.Qf3 Nf4 is even) 23.Qxh5 Qb6 24.b3 Rh8 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Arena (Part 4)

The second place finisher in the 2021 Jerome Gambit Arena at lichess.org played some interesting 3 0 blitz games.

GlobalChess_Twitch - sametneni

3 0 blitz, Jerome Gambit Arena, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bd6 (not a viable defense; better was 7...Qe7 or 7...d6) 8.Qxh8 Qe7 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.Qxe7+ Bxe7 (White is up 3 pawns and the exchange.) 11.Nc3 c5 12.d3 d6 13.h4 Bg4 14.f3 Bh5 15. g4 Bxg4 16.fxg4 g5 17.Bxg5 Bxg5 18.hxg5 Re8 19.Nd5 Re5 20.Kd2 Rxg5 21.Raf1+ Ke8 22. Rhg1 Kd7 23.Rf7+ Kc6 24.c4 Nh6 25.Rc7 checkmate

sey1t - GlobalChess_Twitch

3 0 blitz, Jerome Gambit Arena, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qh3+ Ke7 8.Qh4+ (8.Qc3) Nf6 9.c3 d6 10.d4 Nd3+ 11.Kd2 Nxc1 12.dxc5 dxc5+ 13.Kxc1 Bg4 (better to step out of the pin with 13...Kf7) 14.f3 Bh5 15.Nd2 (15.e5) 15...Qd6 (unpin 15...Kf7) 16.Qg3 (last chance 16.e5) 16...Qxg3 17.hxg3 Bf7 18.Kc2 b6 19.Rae1 Rad8 20.f4 Ng4 21.Rd1 Ne3+ 22.Kc1 Nxd1 23.Rxd1 Rd7 24.b3 Rhd8 25.e5 Bg6 26.g4 Rd3 27.Kc2 Rg3+ (FYI 27...Rxd2+ 28.Kc1 Rc2+ 29. Kb1 Rxd1#) 28.Kb2 Rxg2 29.Kc1 Rd3 30.f5 Be8 31.Nb1 Rxd1+ 32.Kxd1 Bc6 33.b4 cxb4 34.cxb4 Rxg4 35.Nc3 Rxb4 White resigned

GlobalChess_Twitch - onderch01

3 0 blitz, Jerome Gambit Arena, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.d3 Bd4 10.O-O h5 11.c3 Be5 (more consistent as 11...h4 12.Qf4 Bb6 or 11...b6) 12.f4 h4 13.Qf2 Ng4 14.Qe2 Bf6 15.h3 Nh6 16.e5 Be7 17.d4 Nf5 18.Qd3 Ng3 19.Rf2 c5 20.Nd2 Bf5 21.Qe3 cxd4 22.cxd4 dxe5 23.fxe5 g6 24.Nf3 Kg7 25.Bd2 Rc8 26.Bc3 Rf8 27.Rd1 Kh7 28.d5 Bc5 29.Bd4 Ne4 (29...Qxd5) 30.Re2 (30.Bxc5 Rxc5 31.Rd4 Nxf2 32.Rxh4+ Kg7 33.Qxc5 Ne4) 30...Be7 (last chance 30...Qxd5) 31.d6 Bxd6 32.exd6 Ng3 33.Ng5+ Kh6 34.Nf7+ Kh7 35.Qh6+ Kg8 36.Qg7 checkmate