I don't have time for this stuff...

I admit that these days I stop by FICS mostly to take the White pieces and play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

When I take my turn with the Black pieces, I sometimes play a blitz 3 0 game, to speed things up (win, lose, draw – it's not as important) and get me back to the other side of the board...

As I've bemoaned before (see "Where are all these Jeromes coming from??" and "Be careful what you wish for...") this sometimes causes me to face the Jerome Gambit – and with not much thinking time on my hands, either. Because, when it concerns the Jerome Gambit, things turn suddenly serious for me...

ecimsa - perrypawnpusher

blitz 3 0, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.c3 Nf6 5.Bxf7+

Transposing from the Giuoco Piano into a "modern" Jerome Gambit variation: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.c3.

5...Kxf7

I have 39 game examples of this position in my database, including the double-time-forfeit Piratepaul - TJay2465 2008 at Chessworld.

6.d3 Rf8 7.0-0 Kg8

There: I've castled-by-hand

8.a4

Ah, the old sneak up on the Bishop trick... Luckily, I've seen that idea in some other modern Jerome Gambits.

8...d5 9.b4 Be7 Black: comfortable, and a piece to the good.

10.Nbd2 dxe4 11.dxe4 Bg4 Active piece play, no blunders, exchanges... Words to live by!

12.Qb3+ Kh8 13.b5 Na5 14.Qc2 Bxf3 15.Nxf3 Bd6 16.Bd2 Nc4

17.Bc1 Qe8 18.Ng5 Qh5 19.Qa2 Nb6 20.a5 Nbd7

White has achieved nothing on the Queenside; the action is going to be across the board.

21.Be3 Ng4 22.Nh3 Nxe3 23.fxe3 Rxf1+ 24.Rxf1 Rf8

Slow but steady progress. But time is fleeting, and things are about to get uglier.

25.Rd1 Qf7

Yes, you saw that right: pitiful, is it not?

26.Qc2 Nf6 27.c4 Ng4 28.c5

Not enough of a threat.

28...Nxe3 29.Qe2 Nxd1 30.Qxd1 Bxc5+ 31.Kh1 Qf1+ 32.Qxf1 Rxf1+

White resigned