Rx: Jerome Gambit

In light of the recent anti-doping scandal in chess – the Interna-tional Federa-tion of Chess (FIDE) wanting to drug test GM Vassily Ivanchuk (ranked #3 in the world) and the Grandmaster refusing – it wouldn't be surprising to find readers stopping by MedLibrary.org (or elsewhere) to look up what kind of medications might impact upon a chess player's over-the-board performance.

A surprise awaits: chess content. For example, there is a post on the Italian Game, including, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6. 3.Bc4, the following:

It strike me as risky for a site focused on medication to mention the Jerome Gambit without either mentioning clinical trials involving the opening, or at least offering a warning to those who might indulge. Therefore this blog offers one:

WARNING: The Jerome Gambit is quite disreputable and has quite a few refutations. Its use should be restricted to "fun" games or as a manner of offering "odds" to weaker opponents. The author is not responsible for any disasters that might come from using the Jerome Gambit (although he remains interested in learning about and staring at the wreckage).

Jerome Gambit Gemeinde: Denmark

From a recent email:

Hi Rick,

I enjoy your blog every day, and try to play the Jerome every time I play blitz on ICC (every day 1 hour or so) but most of the time my opponents play the most bizarre opening: 1.---- c5 !!!and the like.

The 26/11-2008 I got lucky, although my opponent played 3. Bc4 h6!!
moller - MrRealEstate
blitz ICC, 2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.Nc3 Bc5

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qxe5

8...Bd6 9.Qxh8 Be7 10.Qh7+ Kf6 11.e5+ (would 11.Nd5+ have been better ?)

[After 11.Nd5+ Ke5 ( if 11...Ke6 12.Nxc7+ And Black will either fall into various mating traps or lose his Queen.) 12.Qf7 Black is marginally better than with the text - Rick]
12...Kxe5 13.d4+ Kf6 14.Ne4+ Ke6 15.Qxg6+ Kd5 16.Qf5+


Rather weak played by MrRealEstate but then again that's blitz.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Martin Moller
Denmark

Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (4)

This time Fritz 8 tries the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and boldly takes on the Blackburne Rook sacrifice (see "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (3)"). The play is tricky for both players; since neither know the variation, it is also dangerous.

Fritz 8 - RevvedUp

2 12, 2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8

Okay! (For a way to avoid the capture, see "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (3)")

8...Qh4

The start of Blackburne's counter-attack.

9.0-0 Bh3

A very interesting miscalculation: if the "material grubbing" computer now takes the Bishop with 10.gxh3, Black draws with 10...Nf6 11.Qxa8 Qxh3 12.Qxb7 Qg4+ 13.Kh1 Qf3+ 14.Kg1 Qg4+ etc.

White does better to rescue his Queen with 10.Qc3 – which explains why Blackburne's move was 9...Nf6 (instead of the text 9...Bh3) trapping Her Majesty.

10.Qc3

Now White is the exchange and two pawns up and is clearly winning. He decides to open lines against the beleaguered Black King.

10...Be6 11.d4 Bb6 12.Nd2 Nf6 13.Nf3 Qh5 14.Ng5+ Ke7 15.e5 Ng4 16.h3 Nh6 17.exd6+ cxd6 18.Qe3 Black resigns

Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (3)

RevvedUp is back with a new partner, and he's ready to use what he learned from his first two games – both were problems for the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) but the human certainly held his own against a tough opponent in the second game.

RevvedUp - Fritz 8

blitz 2 12, 2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

Per Crafty 19.19 (see "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (2)").

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

Interesting: Fritz8 wants to explore Blackburne's line (see "Nobody expects the Jerome Gambit!", "Flaws (Part I)" and "Flaws (Part II)") instead of 6...Ng6 (see "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (2)").

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qd5+

Capturing the Rook with 8.Qxh8 is playable – if White knows the modern analysis. Most players just remember that long ago "NN" (aka "anonymous" or "amateur") took the bait, and then Blackburne destroyed him quickly.

Here RevvedUp borrows Crafty 19.19's Queen check (see "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (2)") which in this situation does not "get the bull off of the ice," as Fritz is fond of saying.

8...Kg7 9.d4 Nf6 10.Qc4 Bb6 11.Nc3 Re8 12.f3 d5

Black is attacking; White's King is under fire.

13.Qd3 dxe4 14.fxe4 Qxd4 15.Qxd4 Bxd4

Things just fall apart from here.

16.Bd2 Bg4 17.h3 Nxe4 18.Nxe4 Rxe4+ 19.Kf1 Rf8+ White resigns

London Calling... Six Months of Blog

Dear Jerome Gambit Gemeinde,

It's been 6 months since I first posted on this blog (see "Welcome!") and it's been a daily pleasure since then to find something about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) to share with you.

According to Google Analytics, 40% of the visitors to this blog have been here 25 times or more. Twenty-three per cent have visited over 200 times!

About 50% of the visitors have only been here one or two times, though, so I still have a lot of work to do...

Responding to the discussions that I've been having with Pete Banks ("blackburne") – such as in the "Comments" section of "Jerome Gambit: Transylvanian Terror" – I began presenting the "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down" series, which will ultimately contain 30 posts. (By the way, I realize that I could have used a graphic of an oil rig – instead of a hand-held electric drill – for the "drilling down" icon, but the latter seemed to better represent the personal computer and its software...)

I am also working on a "Jerome Gambit: Deep Analysis" series that will tap into my database as never before.

In the meantime, I will continue to post Jerome Gambit games as I play them, or as you send them to me. Any Jerome Gambit news that you can use – I will place it here as I get it.

After all, we're only about a couple of weeks away from blog post #200!

Best wishes,

Rick Kennedy ("perrypawnpusher")

p.s. If you've been thinking about creating your own chess blog, you might want to stop by Michael Goeller's site, "The Kenilworthian", for his take on "Web Publishing, 2.0 Style" which is quite informative.

Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (2)

Now it's the computer's turn to play the Jerome Gambit, and it shows a preference for 6.Nxe5+. We will not see 6.d4 again.





Crafty 19.19 - RevvedUp
blitz 2 12, 2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qd5+

Seen as early as Wall - Guest4389, Internet 2001 (1/2-1/2, 17). Black's best is to give back a pawn with 8...Be6, although he still maintains the advantage after the text.

8...Ke7 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Qd4 Re8 11.Nc3 Kf8 12.d3 Kg8

Black has castled by hand and is doing just fine.

13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.Qxd5+ Kh8 15.Bg5

White strives to stir up trouble.

15...Qd7 16.f4 Qe6 17.Qxe6 Bxe6 18.f5 Bf7 19.fxg6 Bxg6

Black has swapped Queens and is aiming for a drawish Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame which may be beyond Crafty's positional understanding.

20.Rf3 Kg8 21.Raf1 Rf8 22.Bf4 Rf7 23.g4 Raf8 24.h3 Rf6 25.Kh2 Be8 26.Kg3 Bd7 27.g5 R6f7 28.h4 g6 29.c4 a6 30.b3 b5 31.c5 dxc5 32.Rc1 c6 33.Rxc5 Be8

Black plans to hold onto this position and challenge White to find a way to improve his game.

34.b4 Bd7 35.d4 Be8 36.Rcc3 Bd7 37.Rc2 Be8 38.Rcc3 Bd7 39.Rc2 Be8 40.Rf1 Bd7 41.a3 Be8 42.Rf3 Bd7 43.Rc5 Be8 44.Rc2 Bd7 45.Rcc3 Be8 46.Rc5 Bd7 47.Rcc3 Be8 48.Rc5 Bd7 49.Rc1 Be8

Black would be happy to settle for a draw by repetition – something White refuses to allow. I suspect a human being might be less stubborn here and split the point.

50.Rd1

White is forced to try something different.

50...Bd7 51.Rc1 Be8 52.Rd1 Bd7 53.Rd2 Be8 54.Rf1 Bd7 55.Rc2 Be8 56.Rff2 Bd7 57.Rc3 Be8 58.Rcc2 Bd7 59.Rc3 Be8

It is still not clear that White has accomplished anything – so it tries something else.

60.d5 cxd5 61.exd5 Bd7 62.d6 Be6

An understandable change in tactics, after a wearing defense. It could be time for the Bishop to settle in at d7 as the blockader of the advanced passed pawn, and for the Rooks to begin shuffling aroung. The text alternative opens up the c6 square, changing things: Black will need a whole new set-up to keep the draw.

63.Rc6 Bc8 64.Rf1 Bb7 65.Rc5 Bc8 66.Rc2 Bf5 67.Rc5 Bc8 68.Rc2 Bf5 69.Rc6 Bc8 70.Rf2 Bb7 71.Rc1 Bc8 72.Re2 Rxf4 73.Rxc8 Rf3+ 74.Kg2

The Bishops-of-opposite-colors are gone, but the Rooks-and-pawns endgame still seems drawish.

74...R3f7

The defense seems to hold after 74...Rd3.

75.Rc7 Rxc7 76.dxc7 Rc8 77.Re7 Black resigns

White plans 78.Rd7 and 79.Rd8+.

Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (1)

This post starts an extended series (which may be interrupted from time-to-time for news, games or analysis) wherein the intrepid "RevvedUp" (a good chess player) and his trusted companions Hiarcs 8, Shredder 8, Yace Paderborn, Crafty 19.19 and Fritz 8 explore the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) by taking turns playing the White and Black pieces.

The human moves first, and takes notice of the defense the computer plays. In the next game, where he moves second, the human plays that defense against a new computer – and sees how it attacks. In the third game, the human plays the recent attack against his new computer foe. Collectively, the players drill deeper and deeper into the Jerome Gambit.


RevvedUp - Crafty 19.19
Blitz 2 12, 2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4



6...Bb4+ 7.c3 Qh4


If Black can play like this – and he can – against 6.d4, that's an indication that White's best prospects lie elsewhere (i.e. 6.Nxe5).

8.0-0 Nc6 9.cxb4 Qxe4 10.Be3 Nf6 11.Nc3 Qf5 12.b5


It is interesting that only here does the game diverge from the earlier computer game Deep Sjeng 1.5 - Hiarcs 9, 2003.

12...Nb4 13.Rc1 c6 14.a3 Nbd5 15.Qb3 Re8 16.Rce1 b6 17.h3 Bb7 18.g4 Qf3 19.g5 Ne4 20.Nxd5 cxd5 21.Qd3 Nxg5 White resigns.


It is interesting to note that while RevvedUp played well throughout the game, he was never able to get anything going against the enemy King – in all fairness, against an opponent rated about 1000 points above him.

Jerome Gambit: Don't open that door!

Sometimes when I am playing over a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game I secretly root for the player with the Black pieces.

It's kind of like watching a movie where someone enters a haunted house and starts wandering around. I want to yell out a warning: be careful in there, don't do anything foolish!

But in those scary movies – and often in Jerome Gambits – nobody ever listens to me...


bower50 - bobster38
www.GameKnot.com, 2007
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0

A "modern" variation, bypassing 5.Nxe5.

5...Qf6 6.d3 h6 7.Nc3 Nge7 8.a3


Black has entered the haunted house, but everything looks fine. He has his typical advantage, especially facing White's relaxed approach to the opening

8...a5 9.Nb5



A tricky staircase, but nothing really to worry about.

9...Bb6 10.Be3 Na7 11.Nxa7 Bxa7 12.d4



What's that creaky noise? Probably just a loose step...

12...d6 13.d5



Don't open that door!

13...Bxe3 14.fxe3 c6



Oh, no!

15.Nxe5+

Horrible – but not nearly as blood-curdling as 15.Nh4.

15...dxe5 16.Qh5+ g6



Better to defend against the Phantom Lady with the Dark Knight: 16...Ng6

17.Rxf6+ Kxf6 18.Qf3+ Kg7



Comparing pieces, Black has Bishop, Knight and Rook for his Queen; but we know these movies never turn out nicely.

19.d6

The text and the alternative 19.Rf1 show how helpless Black is, he has to immediately give back a piece.

19...Nd5 20.exd5

Or 20.Rf1

20...Rf8 21.Qe4 Rf5 22.dxc6 bxc6 23.Qxc6



It's too gruesome – I can't watch any more!

23...Rb8 24.Qc7+ Black resigns



Poor fellow. I told him not to open that door, er, file.

Jerome Gambit Blog: More Tidying Up

It's time to do a bit more tidying up (see "Jerome Gambit Blog: Tidying Up") on the blog – looking back on older posts and updating things since the last effort...

Relationships with the ChessPub.com forum remain cordial, if distant (see "Jerome Gambit: Duck-Billed Platypus of Openings"). I posted a short message there with a link to this blog, and some people have followed it over, placing the site 13th in referrals to jeromegambit.blogspot.com, according to Google Analytics. Of course the actual number is 1/16 th of those who came over from the Something Awful website (see "Something Awful", "Something Awful Again" and "Return to Awful"), just to keep things in perspective.

"Is it September already?" requires a number of updates. To date there has been no Jerome Gambit tournament in Jerome, Arizona, as far as I know. I still have an observer near the scene, though (see "Driving Distance"). Bill Vallicella's very interesting and ever-challenging Maverick Philosopher website has a new location. A review copy of Benjamin Hale's book Philosophy Looks at Chess has arrived, and when I get past my current writer's block (i.e. spending all of my writing time on this blog, instead of writing reviews for Chessville) I'll have my say about it.

An update to "The Jerome Gambit Gemeinde (modern)" would have to include chessfriend and game-contributor Martin Moller, of Denmark (see "Jerome meets the Elephant", "Jerome Gambit Strikes in Denmark!" and "Deadly Duel in Denmark" ) Unfortunately, the tournament mentioned in "A Jerome Gambit Gemeinde Adventure in Denmark" did not proceed as expected, and it is not likely that we will see further Jerome Gambit games from it.

The possible connection betwen Winston Churchill and Alonzo Wheeler Jerome (see "From the Email Bag...") has been traced a bit. Churchill's mother was the American, Jennie Jerome (Lady Randolph Churchill; 1854-1921). Jennie's father was Leonard Jerome (1818-1891) of New York City fame and fortune. Leonard's father was Isaac Jerome; his grandfather was Aaron Jerome; his great-grandfather was Samuel Jerome. Samuel's father, Timothy Jerome, according to thePeerage, in 1710 "fled from France to England. In 1717 he sailed from the Isle of Wight to settle in Connecticut." Papers from the military records of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome (born in Four Mile Point, New York, see "The Man, The Myth, The Legend...") show that upon his death in 1902, his widow, Jennie Jerome (the name is an interesting coincidence) filed for a survivor pension. One affadavit was signed by Edgar Jerome and Martha Millis, listed as brother and sister of Alonzo, living in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Further research, of course, is needed to make any link, such as an Alonzo Wheeler Jerome-linked homestead in Connecticut.

In a comment to "Why not join in the discussion?" Pete Banks wrote the following:

Hi Rick,

I sent my latest escapade to Gary Lane after I sent it to you, as he'd asked for Jerome examples. Here is the relevant part of his reply: 'Did Rick Kennedy ever have his article published in the Germanmagazine he mentioned called Kaissiber? Anyway, you won't be able to use the opening as a surprise weapon for much longer because in November a winning game of yours is mentioned in my book "The Greatest Ever Tricks and Traps in the Opening" published by Everyman. Cheers Gary'

So a Jerome Gambit is to appear in print! Perhaps we'll get a revival going!

A check of the Everyman Chess website shows that Gary Lane's The Greatest Ever Chess Tricks and Traps is available now. Perhaps it should be included as the next entry in the "Jerome Gambit Scrapbook".

By the way, as for the Kaissiber saga, see "To Infinity... And Beyond! (Part II)", "Breaking News..." and "Jerome Gambit Blog: Tidying Up". I'm still hopeful.

Regarding the "Jerome Gambit and the Perfesser series" Part I, Part II, Part III and PartIV, I have another instructive, exploratory "human vs computers" match coming up, where the protagonist, "RevvedUp" (a pseudonym of my invention), alternates between playing Black and playing White, using the line played by the computer in the previous game as his choice in the current one – thus extending his Jerome Gambit "book" through the use of the computers' praxis...