Counter-Gambit Rumble

While it has been suggested that "the best way to refute a gambit is to accept it", there are those who prefer to go one step further, and offer their own aggressive gambit in turn.

Philidor1792 - Stranger
Casual Game, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 

About 4 years ago this blog discussed ways to approach this move (instead of 4...Bc5) in "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense" Parts 1, 2, 3, 4.

4.Bxf7+ 

As we have seen earlier in Philidor1792's play, after the alternative 4.Bb3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ we would have a Delayed Jerome Gambit (see "Jerome Gambit-Inspired Play (Part 4)")

An early peek at this 4.Bxf7+ line occurred in "What's Going On Here?", and an early game was presented in "Opening Tale"; but much of what is in The Database on this line is from Philidor1792's games. (In some, below, he appears as "You".)

By the way, all of the referenced games can now be found in The Database.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

Some alternatives:

5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 in sTpny - yimansmellsbad, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 28); 

5.Ng5+ in caovas - tomi36, 1 1 blitz, lichess.org, 2013 (1-0, 27) and KillerBishop - TheMentalist, 40 5, lichess.org, 2013 (0-1, 17); 

5.d4 d5 (5...exd4 6.e5, yorgos - perrypawnpusher, blitz, FICS 2009, [1-0, 48]) in tomas2013 - tomi36, 1 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2013 (1-0, 22);

5.d3 d5 (5... d6 in viejoasquerosos - Killyourking, Redhotpawn.com, 2004 [0-1, 27]) cnselway - boycey, net-chess.com, 2001 (0-1, 11); and, finally

5.0-0 Bc5 6.Nc3,  leobrazer - perrypawnpusher, blitz, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 48), transposes into a variation of the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. 

5...Nxe5 6.d4 Neg4 

The alternative 6...Ng6 (met with 7.e5) was seen in Philidor1792 - Guest805466, 3 1 blitz, PlayChessBase.com, 2014 (1-0, 62);  You-Stranger, blitz, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 16)) You - Stranger, blitz, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 17);  Philidor1792 - guest1278, blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014 (1-0, 29); Philidor1792 - Guest691264, 3 0 blitz, Play.ChessBase.com, 2014 (1-0, 14); and Philidor1792 - Juppzupp, 3 0 blitz, PlayChessBase.com, 2014 (1-0, 24).

Instead, 6...Nc6 (also met by 7.e5) was seen in Philidor1792 - guest345, blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014 (1-0, 15);  Philidor1792 - guest3018, blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014 (½-½, 24);  Philidor1792 - guest1334, blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014 (1-0, 20); You - Stranger, blitz, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 18); and Philidor1792 - Guest292640, 5 0 blitz, PlayChessBase.com, 2014 (1-0, 50).

Also seen was 6...Nc4 (also met with 7.e5) You - Stranger, blitz, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 26). 

7.e5 Nxf2 

I hope Readers have stayed through all of the history and games above, as this game is about to get very violent. After all, Black has two extra pieces, and he can use them as he wishes.

8.Kxf2 Ne4+ 9.Ke1 Qh4+ 10.g3 Nxg3 11.Qf3+

11...Nf5+ 12.Kd1 g6 13.c3 Bh6 14.Bxh6 Qxh6 15.Nd2 Kg7

Black's counter-attack has slowed, but he still has the advantage - starting with a safer King.

16.Ne4 Ne3+ 17.Ke2 Rf8 

At this point, Black's plans begin to go haywire - shortness of time?

18.Qxe3 Qxe3+ 19.Kxe3 

The game is even - but not for long.

19...d5 20.Nf6 Bf5 21.Nxd5 Be4 22.Kxe4 c6 

23.Nc7 g5 24.Nxa8 Rxa8 25.Rhf1 h5 26.Rf6 Rh8 27.Raf1 Black resigned

Club Player's Opening

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is a club player's opening. That's who plays it, that's who analyzes it (with a few exceptions, like NM Eric Schiller and IM Gary Lane), that's who improves it and that's who finds ways to stymie it.

Part of the excitement of the opening for me is the way players can put a personal touch on it. Pete Banks ("blackburne") has popularized the Banks Variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Qh5) and continues to win with it, even after mika76 at Gameknot.com put forth a refutation.

Lt. G.N. Whistler may have invented Whistler's Defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7) but Brian Wall and Tyrin Price much more recently showed how dangerous it was.

It is always great fun for me too play through games in my database and look for individualized interpretations, from viejoasquerosos's predeliction for playing Bc4 and Bxf7+ (or ...Bc5 and ...Bxf2+) at the earliest possible moment, in any opening, to equally inventive ideas like in the following game.

weenar - Quixote
blitz, FICS, 2000

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


4...Kxf7 5.Ng1

Wow... weenar decides that the essence of the Jerome Gambit is displacing the King, followed by a Queen check. In what has to be the most outrageous of the "modern" lines, this check is prepared without further sacrifice.

Other retrograde lines that I can think of offhand are 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Ng8 and 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.exf5 followed by Ng1.
5...Qf6 6.Qh5+
True to the main idea, although 6.Nf3 may have been stronger.

6...g6 7.Qg4
The Queen, mindful of such lines as 1.e4 e5 2.f4 Qh4+ 3.g3 Qe7, etc., should have retreated to e2.

7...Qxf2+ 8.Kd1 Qf1 checkmate
Admittedly, that didn't go too well.
It has been said that opening innovations will lose the first and last time they are played; the former because they are not quite understood, the latter because they are understood too well. In between the two? That's where the excitiement is.

Not Quite the Jerome Gambit

As mentionied in the earlier posts "Busy!" and "*Poof!*", I almost had a chance to play in another Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Thematic Tournament, but wound up, instead, getting in only one Jerome Gambit game – see "Sole Survivor".

Two other players in the tourney gave it a go, with some feelings of uncertainty, except that what they played was not quite the Jerome Gambit.

Namecheck - leif41no
ChessWorld Welcome Tournament, 2009

The players swapped notes as the game started:

leif41no: Welcome Namecheck from Netherlands
namecheck: Hello Leif41no... Enjoy the games.
namecheck: I gather this Jerome Gambit has a very bad reputation... :)
leif41no: hehe, he tricks us

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5


Here we already have an unusual position, coming out of the Petroff Defense – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4!? Bc5?! – or the Bishop's Opening – 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3!? Bc5?!

I suppose that if you get this far (and from what I could find, few have) thinking "Jerome Gambit" is not too much further a step.
4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+


An alternative was: 5.Ng5+ Ke8 6.0-0 h6 7.Nh3 d6 8.d3 Nc6 9.Nc3 Bxh3 10.Nd5 Be6 11.Nxf6+ Qxf6 12.Qh5+ Qf7 13.Qh4 g5 14.Bxg5 Qg7 15.Bf6 Qh7 16.Qg3 Nd4 17.Rae1 Rg8 18.Qh4 Nxc2 19.Bg5 Rxg5 20.Qxg5 hxg5 21.Rc1 Nd4 22.a3 Ne2+ 23.Kh1 Nxc1 24.Rxc1 Bxf2 25.h3 Bxh3 26.Kh2 Bc8 checkmate, Metko,T - Modrzejewski,D, Tamm Wuert, 2000

5...Ke8

Also seen: 5...Kg8 6.d4 Bd6 ( 6...Be7 7.Qf3 d6 8.Qb3+ d5 9.Nc3 c6 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.exd5 cxd5 13.Nxd5 Be6 14.Nxf6+ Qxf6 15.Qxb7 Nd7 16.Qxa8+ Kh7 17.Qf3 Black resigned, nisar33 - bvduizendpoot, Gameknot, 2008; 6...Bb6 7.Bg5 Qe7 8.Nc3 d6 9.Nd5 Qe6 10.Nf4 Qe8 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.Nd5 Kg7 13.Ng4 Rf8 14.Nxb6 axb6 15.f3 Nc6 16.0-0 h5 17.Ne3 Rg8 18.Nf5+ Kf8 19.Nh4 Ra5 20.d5 Ne5 21.f4 Ng4 22.Qd4 c5 23.dxc6 Qxc6 24.h3 Qc5 25.Qxc5 Rxc5 26.hxg4 Rxg4 27.Nf5 Bxf5 28.exf5 Rxc2 29.Rf2 Rxf2 30.Kxf2 Rxf4+ 31.Kg3 Rxf5 32.b3 Ke7 33.Rc1 Kd7 34.Kh4 b5 35.Rc2 b6 36.g4 hxg4 37.Kxg4 Rc5 38.Rf2 Rg5+ 39.Kf4 d5 40.Ke3 Re5+ 41.Kd4 Ke6 42.a4 bxa4 43.bxa4 Re4+ 44.Kd3 Rxa4 45.Rb2 Ra3+ 46.Kd4 Ra6 47.Rb3 f5 48.Ra3 Rxa3 Drawn, skywings - ttooch123, Gameknot, 2008; 6...Qe7 7.Bg5 d6 8.dxc5 Qxe5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nc3 dxc5 11.Qd5+ Qxd5 12.Nxd5 Na6 13.Nxf6+ Kf7 14.Nd5 Re8 15.f3 Be6 16.0-0-0 Rad8 17.c4 c6 18.Nf4 Bxc4 19.Rxd8 Rxd8 20.a3 Nc7 21.h4 Ne6 22.Nh3 h6 23.Rd1 Rxd1+ 24.Kxd1 Bf1 25.Ng1 Bxg2 26.Ke1 Bh1 27.Kf2 Nd4 28.Kg3 Kf6 29.Kf4 b6 30.e5+ Ke6 31.Ke4 a5 32.Kf4 Nf5 33.h5 Ng7 34.Kg3 Kxe5 35.Kh2 Bxf3 36.Nxf3+ Ke4 37.Ng5+ Kd3 38.Nf7 Nxh5 39.Nxh6 Kc2 40.Nf5 Kxb2 41.a4 c4 42.Kg1 c3 43.Ne3 c2 44.Nc4+ Kc3 45.Nxb6 c1Q+ White resigned, dwabro22 - teluguman48, Gameknot, 2005) 7.Qf3 Bxe5 8.dxe5 Ne8 9.Qb3+ d5 10.Nc3 Be6 11.Nxd5 Nd7 12.Bf4 c6 13.0-0-0 cxd5 14.exd5 Bf5 15.d6+ Kf8 16.e6 Bxe6 17.Qxe6 Nef6 18.Rhe1 Rc8 19.Qf5 Rc5 20.Qh3 Qc8 21.Rd2 Nb6 22.d7 Nbxd7 23.Bd6+ Kf7 24.Re7+ Kg6 25.Bxc5 Qxc5 26.Qg3+ Qg5 27.Rxg7+ Kxg7 28.Qxg5+ Kf7 29.Qf5 Rd8 30.g4 h6 31.h4 Ke7 32.g5 hxg5 33.hxg5 Ne8 34.g6 Black resigned, jcekota - tomy, net-chess.com, 2005

6.d4

Or: 6.Qf3 Qe7 7.Qf4 Rf8 Black claimed a win on time, leif41no - Namecheck, ChessWorld Welcome Tournament, 2009;

or 6.0-0 d6 7.Nc4 Nxe4 8.d4 Bb6 9.Qf3 d5 10.Ne5 Be6 11.Qh5+ g6 12.Nxg6 Nf6 13.Qh4 Nbd7 14.Re1 Kf7 15.Ne5+ Ke7 16.Bg5 Qf8 17.Ng4 h5 18.Bxf6+ Nxf6 19.c3 hxg4 20.Qg3 Ne4 21.Rxe4 dxe4 22.Nd2 Bd5 23.Qxg4 Qh6 White resigned, viejoasquerosos - Devinator3000, redhotpawn, 2004;

or 6.d3 d6 7.Nc4 Nc6 8.0-0 Ng4 9.Be3 Nxe3 10.Nxe3 Be6 11.Re1 Qf6 12.Qf3 Rf8 13.Qxf6 Rxf6 14.c3 Bxe3 15.fxe3 Ne5 16.d4 Nd3 17.Rf1 Nxb2 18.Rxf6 gxf6 19.e5 fxe5 20.dxe5 dxe5 21.Nd2 Rd8 22.Rb1 Rxd2 23.Kf1 Rd1+ 24.Rxd1 Nxd1 25.Ke1 Nxc3 26.a4 Nxa4 27.Kd2 c5 28.h4 h5 White resigned, gpirath - fredcwn, net-chess.com 2004.

6...Bb6 7.Bg5 d6


Also seen: 7...Rf8 8.0-0 d6 9.Nc4 Bg4 10.f3 Bh5 11.Nxb6 axb6 12.Qe2 Qd7 13.e5 dxe5 14.Qxe5+ Qe7 15.Bxf6 Qxe5 16.Bxe5 Black resigned, Schreiner,H - Arnold,J, Wattens, 2000.

8.Nc4 h6 9.Bh4

The Bishop retreat may not be the most accurate. Fritz 8 looked at 9.Nxb6 axb6 10.Bxf6 Qxf6 11.Nc3 Nc6 12.Nd5 Qf7 13.0-0 Be6 with the game eventually reaching equality.

9...Be6

Instead, 9...g5 10.Bg3 Nxe4 gave Black the better game.

10.d5 Bxf2+



An oversight or a miscalculation.

11.Bxf2 Bg4 12.Qd4 Kf7 13.Bh4 g5 14.Bg3 Nbd7 15.0-0 Be2 16.Rf2 Bxc4 17.Qxc4 Kg6+

White has the better game.

18.Nc3 Ng4 19.Rf5



White sets a very interesting trap.


19...Ne3 20.Qd4 Nxf5

Black might as well take this Rook, as going after the other one with 20...Nxc2 21.Qd3 Nxa1 does not lead to advantage for him after 22.e5 Kg7 23.e6 Rf8 ( 23...Nf6 24.Bf2 and White is winning) 24.exd7 Qxd7 25.Rf1 Rxf1+ 26.Qxf1 Nc2 27.Qd3 Na1 28.Bf2 Qf7 29.Qd1 Qg6 30.Qxa1 Qd3 31.Qe1 Rf8 with an edge to White.
21.exf5+ Kxf5


Black errs. He needed to leave the pawn alone: 21...Kh7 22.Re1 Rf8 23.Nb5 Rf7 (not 23...Rxf5 24.Qd3 Qf6 25.Nd4 and White is winning) and White has an edge.

22.Qg7



White now has a forced checkmate.

The Abrahams Jerome Gambit (Part I)

As mentioned in "'Tis A Puzzlement..." the line 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ has sometimes been referred to as the Jerome Gambit, most notably in a couple of passages by Gerald Abrahams.

The Chess Mind (1951)
Gerald Abrahams

...Objectively regarded, every winning position, and every losing position, is an unbalanced position; a position in which a player has a great advantage in tempo, or in space, or in the capacity to bring great force to bear effectively on a given point. But these characteristics are not easy to assess while the game is in progress. An undeveloped position should not yield a winning attack. Yet it often does. In point is any one of a thousand Muzio Gambits at odds. In these violent openings it is always the case that White is undeveloped. So is Black. But the relative merits of what development there is can only be found by seeing all the more important lines of play. Chess opinion has convincingly condemned many extravagant unbalancing attacks, such as the once popular Jerome Gambit, (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+), which yield the unbalancer nothing but loss against good defense.


The Pan Book of Chess (1965)
Gerald Abrahams

The Pianissimo form [of the Giuoco Piano] is 1.e4 e5... (But 2.Bc4 Bc5 can be played first and nobody in their right senses plays 3.Bxf7+ 3.BxPch, Jerome's Gambit.)...

It is fun to see if there are parallels between the "Abrahams Jerome Gambit" and the actual Jerome Gambit -- some knowledge might have proven helpful to the BlueEyedRook a few years back, for example.We'll leave hard core analysis for another time, and just look at some games.

magilla - seamus
net-chess.com 2003

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qh5+ g6 5.Qxe5 d6

A Rook sacrifice similar to NN - Blackburne, 1885 (see "Nobody expects the Jerome Gambit!", "Flaws (Part I)", "Flaws (Part II)", "The Joy of Discovery (Part I)" and others) – but does it work??

In this game White arrives at an overwhelming position, only to fritter it away, move-by-move, until he is losing – and then lost.

6.Qxh8 Qh4

6...Qe8 7.Qxh7+ Kf8 8.Nc3 ( 8.d3 Qf7 9.Qxf7+ Kxf7 10.Nf3 Nf6 11.0-0 Nc6 12.c3 Ne5 13.Ng5+ Kg8 14.d4 Nxe4 15.Nxe4 Nf3+ 16.gxf3 Bb6 17.Na3 Bh3 18.Nc4 d5 19.Nf6+ Kg7 20.Nxd5 Be6 21.Nde3 Rf8 22.Nxb6 axb6 23.Kg2 Rh8 24.Ng4 1-0 viejoasquerosos - Andrewtomlinson, redhotpawn.com 2006) 8...Qe6 9.d4 Bxd4 10.Bh6+ Ke8 11.Nd5 c6 12.Nc7+ Kd8 13.Nxe6+ Bxe6 14.Qxb7 Nxh6 15.Qxa8 Bxb2 16.Qxb8+ Bc8 17.Qxb2 Ng4 18.0-0-0 Nxf2 19.Rxd6+ Bd7 20.Qb8+ Ke7 21.Nf3 Nxh1 22.e5 a5 23.e6 Bxe6 24.Qd8+ Kf7 25.Ng5+ Kg7 26.Rxe6 Nf2 27.Qf6+ Kh6 28.Qxg6 checkmate, magilla - mduerr, net-chess.com 2002

6...Qf6 7.Qxh7+ Kf8 8.Nf3 Bg4 9.0-0 Qg7 10.Qh4 Bxf3 11.gxf3 Qf6 0-1 viejoasquerosos - Jeman, redhotpawn.com 2004

7.d4 Be6

7...Qxe4+ 8.Ne2 Bg4 9.Qxh7+ Kf6 10.f3 Qxc2 11.fxg4 Nd7 12.0-0+ Ke6 13.Qf7 checkmate, magilla-seamus, net-chess.com 2003

8.dxc5 Qxe4+ 9.Be3 Qxg2 10.cxd6 Qxh1 11.Qxh7+ Kf6

12.Bd4+ Kg5 13.f4+ Kxf4 14.Qh4+ Bg4 15.Nd2 Nd7 16.Qg3+

16...Kf5 17.Qf2+ Ke6 18.Qe3+ Kf7 19.Qf2+

19...Ngf6 20.Bxf6 Nxf6 21.dxc7

21...Re8+ 22.Kf1 Bh3+ 23.Qg2 Qxg2 checkmate

King of Bxf7+

The key move in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) of course is 4.Bxf7+, sacrificing material to upset Black's King -- and possibly Black, himself.

A few years back I discovered a player at RedHotPawn who surely must be familiar with the work of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, perhaps by way of Andres Clemente Vazquez, Mexican chess champion in the last quarter of the 19th century, who also played the gambit.

Veijoasquerosos of Mexico has played over 1100 games at RedHotPawn (although he's been inactive for about a year and a half now). It seems that he likes to play Bxf7+ as often and as soon as possible. I've compiled some of his openings to show you what I mean.

Such play tends to make the Jerome Gambit look like a tame variation of the Exchange Slav!

1.e4 c5

1...b6 2.Bc4 a5 (2...Nf6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-jjthjet 2005; 2...g6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-stevsheppard 2005) 3.Nf3 Ba6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-MikeGfres 2004;

1...Nc6 2.Bc4 Nf6 (2...d6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-cut2it 2004; 2...a6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-WhatDoings 2005; 2...Nb4 3.c3 Nc6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-master 007 2006) 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-AIMaster 2004;

1...e5 2.Bc4 Nf6
a) 2...d6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-CliffLandin 2004; (3.d4 Nd7 {3...exd4 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Ruprecht 2005; 3...Nc6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-ajm132 2005} 4.Bxf7+ 0–1 viejoasquerosos-kristvoir 2004);
b) 2...c6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Jamaal Burden 2004;
c) 2...Bc5 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Jeman 2004;
d) 2...Qh4 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-ashuats1 2004 (3.d3 a6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Teqilaman 2005);
e) 2...Nc6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-demolisher 2004 (3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-spike94wl 2005);
f) 2...b6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d3 Bb7 5.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-flykiller 2004;
g) 2...d5 3.Bxd5 Nf6 (3...Bb4 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-jeromescaturro 2004) 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-foxmolder 2004;

h) 2...h6 3.Qh5 (3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Armil1980 2006) 3...Qe7 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-toffee 2004;
i) 2...g6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Carlos19 2005;
j) 2...a6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-SleppityInfresh 2005;
k) 2...h5 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-kellsy 2005;
l) 2...Bb4 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-lulupuss 2005;
m) 2...Qg5 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-sammba 2005;
n) 2...Bd6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-filler13 2006;
o) 2...f6 3.Bxg8 viejoasquerosos-heatstardwade3 2006;
p) 2...Ne7 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-jphan 2006;
q) 2...b5 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-tshrapez 2006; (3.Nf3 {3.d3 Bc5 (3...c5 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-CrocDundee 2005; 3...c6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-GM DairoBG 2005; 3...Bd6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Wingover 2005; 3...h6 4.Nf3 d6 5.c3 Bd7 6.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-captnd 2005; 3...g6 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.c3 Bg7 6.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-the7tidlys 2005) 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-GibaW 2004; 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Jeman 2004} 3...Nxe4 {3...Bc5 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Devinator3000 2004; 3...Nc6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Killyourking 2004} 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-AntiDentite 2004);

1...Nf6 2.Bc4 (2.e5 Ne4 {2...Nd5 3.Bc4 Nf4 (3...Nb6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-FcFightr 2005) 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Extraterrestre 2005} 3.Bc4 Nc6 {3...d6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-jkuli 2005} 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-topulan 2004) 2...Nxe4 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-ChessMaster1344 2004;

1...g6 2.Bc4 Bg7 (2...a6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Dontuo 2005) 3.Nf3 (3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-dmnelson84 2006) 3...c6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Doffy 2004;

1...a5 2.Bc4 d5 3.Bxd5 c6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Elina 2004;

1...g5 2.Bc4 Bg7 (2...Nf6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-gordozilla 2005) 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-magnas 2004;

1...d6 2.Bc4 Nf6 (2...g6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Lircos 2005; 2...b5 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-superfast 2006) 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-AMarek 2005;

1...d5 2.c4 (2.d4 dxe4 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Vengal 2005; 2.e5 d4 3.Bc4 Nc6 {3...h5 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-pCiaran 2005} 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-dave1810 2005)2...dxc4 3.Bxc4 Qd4 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Phadreus 2005;

1...a6 2.Bc4 b5 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Tampines 2005 (3.Bd5 c6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Tampines 2006);

1...c6 2.Bc4 b5 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-drumcorps 2005;

1...h6 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Montoid 2006;

2.Bc4

2.d4 cxd4 3.Bc4 Nc6 (3...Nf6 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-topulan 2005) 4.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-CenterNut 2005;

2...e5

2...Nc6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-caissa100 2004; 2...Na6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-fizan2003 2004; 2...g6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-KingHun 2005; 2...d6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-Longh 2005; 2...Nf6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-cheesechess 2006; 2...a6 3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-vinylrock 2006

3.Nf3 (3.Bxf7+ viejoasquerosos-adam hallsworth 2005);

3...d6 4.d4 Bg4 5.Bxf7+

Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter XII

Once more, the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), once more the Black pieces -- once more a victory for the second player.


Kevin the fruitbat - perrypawnpusher JG3 thematic www.chessworld.net, 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.c3


This move was played by Plejade (see "Les Femmes des Echecs...& the Jerome Gambit") at ChessWorld a couple of times in 2003. It has also been played by viejoasquerosos at redhotpawn.com, who has always been willing to sac his Bishop at f7 (or f2) almost as soon as the opportunity arrives, regardless of the opening.
5...Nf6

A couple of alternatives were played in Kevin's other games in the tournament:
5...d6 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.0-0 Nf6 11.Qd3 Re8 12.Re1 Kg8 13.Bg5 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Rf8 15.Qg3 Nxd4 16.Rac1 c6 17.e5 dxe5 18.Bh6 Nh5 19.Qg4 Qe8 20.Be3 Bc5 21.Na4 b6 22.Nxc5 bxc5 23.Rxc5 Qf7 24.b3 Nf5 25.Qe4 Nxe3 26.Qxe3 Nf4 27.Rxe5 Qg6 28.g4 Nd3 29.Re6 Qf7 30.Qxd3 Qxf2+ 31.Kh1 Rf3 32.Re8+ Rxe8 33.Qc4+ Kf8 34.Rxe8+ Kxe8 35.Qxc6+ Kf8 36.Qd6+ 0-1 Kevin the fruitbat - Sir Osis of the Liver, JG3 thematic, www.chessworld.net 20085...Qf6 6.0-0 Nge7 7.b4 Bb6 8.d3 h6 9.Qe1 d6 10.b5 Nd8 11.c4 Ng6 12.Be3 Rf8 13.a4 Nf4 14.Qd2 Qg6 15.Nh4 Qg5 16.Nf5 Qxg2# 0-1 Kevin the fruitbat - Temmo, JG3 thematic, www.chessworld.net 2008
6.Qb3+

Or 6.d4 exd4 7.Qb3+ Kf8 8.Ng5 Qe7 9.f3 h6 10.Nh3 d5 11.Nf2 dxe4 12.fxe4 Nxe4 13.Rf1 Ng3+ 14.Kd1 Qe2# 0-1 Kevin the fruitbat - drewbear, JG3 thematic www.chessworld.net 2008

6...d5 7.d3

Gary_Seven played 7.exd5 in our game -- see."Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter VI".
7...Bb6 8.Nbd2 Rf8 9.h3 Kg8

10.c4 dxc4 11.Qxc4+ Kh8 12.Nb3 Be6
An interesting move, made doubly so by the fact that I had overlooked that the Bishop was unprotected.

13.Qxe6

The piece turns out to be poisoned
13...Qxd3 14.Nxe5

14...Qxe4+

Blandly looking for the peace and quiet of the endgame, but missing the mate: 14...Bxf2+ 15.Kxf2 Ng4+ 16.Ke1 Qxe4+ 17.Kd1 Nf2+ 18.Kd2 Rad8+ 19.Qd5 Rxd5+ 20.Nd4 Rxd4+ 21.Kc3 Rc4+ 22.Kb3 Qc2+ 23.Ka3 Ra4, which shouldn't have been too hard to find.

15.Be3 Qxe5 16.Qxe5 Nxe5 17.0-0 Bxe3 18.fxe3 Nc4

There is not a lot of excitement in the rest of the game, only a relentless march toward a simpler and more "won" piece-up endgame for Black.

19.Rfc1 Nxe3 20.Rxc7 Rab8 21.Re1 Ned5 22.Rc5 Rfc8 23.Ra5 a6 24.Re5 Nb4 25.Nd4 Nc6 26.Nf5 Nxe5 27.Rxe5 Re8 28.Rc5 Rbc8 29.Rxc8 Rxc8 30.Nd6 Rc7 31.Kh2 Kg8 32.Kg3 Kf8 33.Kf3 Ke7 34.Nf5+ Ke6 35.Nd4+ Ke5 36.Ke3Nd5+ 37.Kd3 Nb4+ 38.Ke3 Nxa2 39.Nf3+ Kf6 0-1