Jerome Gambit: White's Game Is In Its Last Throes (Again)

According to the hypermodern player Gyula Breyer, after 1.e4 White's game is in its last throes.

Subsequently, many played 1.e4, and lost.

Of course, many played 1.e4, and won.

Chess is complicated like that. Even after you play the right, best move - you have to play another one, and another one, and then another one...

In the following Jerome Gambit game, Black plays a very promising 6th move, but his opponent does not oblige him by resigning. Instead, the game goes on, and before 20 more moves are played, it is Black who has to turn over his King. 

Wall, Bill - Mecnieri
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

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

The Database has 250 of Bill's games with this position. (White scored 91%.)

6...Qh4

Possibly Black's strongest reply - but only played against Bill 30 times. (White scored 85%.)

7.O-O Ng4 8.h3 Bd6 

The position looks scary for White.

9.e5 Nxe5 

"Scientifically" returning one of the sacrificed pieces for a couple of pawns. Bill pointed out the alternative 9...Be7 10.hxg4 d6 and Black is still better.

10.dxe5 Bxe5 11.Qd5+ 

11...Kf8 

Black returns the second sacrificed piece, but could well have played 11...Kf6 12.Re1 Bd4. 

12.Qxe5 d6 13.Qa5 Qe7

Material equality has been reestablished. White's King is safer, however. It is also good to remember the curious Jerome Gambit bromide: when White has equalized, he has the advantage. 


14.Nc3 Nf6 15.Nb5 c6 16.Nd4 h6 

Black moves to keep White's Bishop off of g5, but he doesn't have time for this.

17.Re1 b6 18.Qc3 Nd5 

A tactical slip. He would have done better with 18...Qd7. 

Now White puts on the pressure and wraps up the game.

19.Nxc6 Nxc3 20.Nxe7 Bb7 21.Ng6+ Kg8 22.Nxh8 Kxh8 23.bxc3 Black resigned

Everything looks pretty well balanced - until you notice that White is up a Rook.

Jerome Gambit: Looking Deeper

Jerome Gambit games played at bullet speed - one minute, no increment - are fun to watch or play over. They are a testament to those players who have a deep understanding of the needs of difficult positions, and who can see tactics in an eyeblink.

At the same time, I enjoy games played at a slower speed. They often produce solutions to different opening problems - or create new issues. The following game is a challenging example.

Wall, Bill - NN
Florida, 2019

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4

This is what I have called a "pie in the face" variation, one of the toughest challenges to the 6.d4 lines in the Jerome Gambit. It first appeared in Sorensen - X, Denmark, 1888 (1-0, 27).

While "objectively" strong for Black, 6...Qh4 leads to complicated play for both sides. This is illustrated by The Database - there are 2,018 games with the position after White's 6th move, with White scoring 55%. However, there are only 285 games (14%) with 6...Qh4, and in them White scores an improved 67%. These results, in part, may reflect White's familiarity with the opening and a taste for tactics that led him to play the Jerome Gambit in the first place.

Of note, Bill has faced 6...Qh4 38 times, and scored 88%. That may seem daunting for the defender, but Bill has scored 93% in all of his 6.d4 games, so 6...Qh4 has been one of the more relatively effective defenses against him.

7.O-O Ng4

Black is happy to play for checkmate.

8.h3 Bd6

Cold-blooded: White can not now take the Knight with his pawn, as that would lead to checkmate; while taking with the Queen would lead to an exchange of Queens, and the typical piece-for-two-pawns advantage (not to mention the end of White's attack).

9.e5 Nxe5

Giving the piece back, after all, for two pawns; this may have been part of Black's plan. Stockfish 10 suggests, instead, 9...Be7 10.hxg4 d6, which seems to clash with Black's "scientific" approach. However, the Kings now reverse roles, as White's becomes safer, while Black's is more at risk. 

10.dxe5 Bxe5 11.Qd5+ Kf6

Black has to try to hold on to his Bishop. Unsuccessful was 11...Kf8 seen in Wall,Bill - Mecnieri, PlayChess.com, 2018 (1-0, 23).

12.Re1

Bill was 5 - 0 with this move previously, and wins again, this game. Next time, though, he might try a suggestion of Stockfish 10, 12.Nd2 (intending Nf3). Why? Follow along in the notes.

12...d6 13.Rxe5

Nice.

A year ago, Bill's choice of moves was not as strong, although he still won: 13.Re4 Qh5 14.f4 Ne7 15.fxe5+ dxe5 16.Qd3 Bf5 17.Nc3 Rad8 18.Qf1 Rhf8 19.g4 Qg6 20.Kh2 Ke6 21.gxf5+ Rxf5 22.Qc4+ Nd5 23.Rg4 Qf7 24.Ne4 h6 25.Bd2 Ke7 26.Rag1 g5 27.Qc5+ Ke8 28.Qxa7 Nf4 29.Qxb7 Ne2 30.Qb5+ Black resigned, Wall,Bill -Guest3836682, PlayChess.com, 2018.

13...dxe5 14.Qd8+ Ne7 15.Qxh8

Three years ago, an opponent now tried 15...Qe4, and ran into trouble and lost, in Wall,Bill - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 25).

The same year, another defender tried 15...Kf7, but quickly lost his way, and, then, the game, in Wall, Bill - NN, lichess.org, 2016, (1-0, 37). He had a resource, but he was not the only one to overlook it.

Sami, at lichess.org, had the right idea against Bill, earlier this year, and uncorked 15...Bxh3!?, a Rook sacrifice which brings to mind Blackburne's famous play back in 1884. Fortunately for Bill, the game continued 16.Qxa8 Bc8? and Black staggered on a Rook down, for a while, eventually being checkmated.

The proper followup was 16...Bxg2!?, when 17.Kxg2 would allow Black to draw by repetition, starting with 17...Qg4+. Okay, a draw is not as good as Blackburne's scintillating win with Black, but it still would have been a game to brag about at the club.

Likewise, after 15...Kf7, by NN, as mentioned above, if White were to play 16.Nd2 or 16.Qd8, his only two moves to avoid a losing position, the proper (drawing) response for Black would be 16...Bxh3.

Of course, all of this is based on the idea that Black - having been gifted with two pieces - would suddenly pursue a drawing line. Psychologically, that might be very difficult.

15...Qh5 

Black treats the position casually, threatening a check at d1 and a possible fork of King and Bishop.

16.Qf8+

This is a novelty, according to The Database.

Previously, Bill had met Black's threat with 16.Nc3 in Wall,Bill - Itboss, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 20).

16...Ke6 17.Nc3 c6

Black passes up the safer 17...Qf7, with the hope of exchanging Queens.

18.Ne4

At first, this move doesn't look like much, but it is crushing. It is horribly ironic that the only line, now, that doesn't lead to checkmate, is the surrender of that Rook: 18...Bd7 19.Qxa8; but, of course, Black would still be lost.

18...b6 19.Bg5 Kd5 20.Qd8+ Kxe4 21.Qd3 checkmate

Brutal.

Jerome Gambit: Counter-Attack Countered by Attack

In the following game, Bill Wall, as White, takes his time with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), absorbing the blows that Black delivers - until it is time to counter-attack.

His opponent then falters, and the game ends quickly.

Wall, Bill - Noob

SparkChess, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

6...Qh4

Black rightly attacks. This move goes back (at least) to Sorensen - X, Denmark, 1888 (1-0, 27).

7.O-O Ng4 8.h3 Bd6 9.e5 

9...Nxe5 

Another interesting sacrificial try, instead, was 9...N8f6 10.exd6 cxd6 11.hxg4 Nxg4 12.Qf3+ Ke8 13.Re1+ Kd8 14.Bf4 Rf8 15.Bg5+ Qxg5 16.Qxf8+ Kc7 17.Nc3 Qh4 18.Nb5+ Kb6 19.Qxd6+ Kxb5 20.a4+ Ka5 21.b4 checkmate, Wall,B - Rmmh, lichess.org, 2017.

Alternately, 9...Bxe5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Qd5+ Kf6 12.f4 Ng6 13.Nc3 d6 14.Be3 Ke7 15.Rae1 Kd8 16.Nb5 Nf6 17.Qc4 Ne8 18.Bf2 Qf6 19.Bd4 Qh4 20.Rxe8+ Kxe8 21.Nxc7+ Kf8 22.f5 Ne5 23.f6 gxf6 24.Qd5 Kg7 25.Qxd6 Rg8 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 27.Bxe5 was Sorensen,S - X, Denmark 1888. 

Safest/strongest for Black was 9...Be7.

10.dxe5 Bxe5 11.Qd5+ Kf6 

Not 11...Kf8 as in Wall,B - Mecnieri, PlayChess.com, 2018 (1-0, 23)

12.Qf3+ 

Bill has also played 12.Re1, e.g. 12...d6 13.Re4 (13.Rxe5 dxe5 14.Qd8+ Ne7 15.Qxh8 Qe4 (15...Qh5 16.Nc3 (16.Qf8+ Ke6 17.Nc3 c6 18.Ne4 b6 19.Bg5 Kd5 20.Qd8+ Kxe4 21.Qd3 checkmate,Wall,B - NN, Miami, Florida 2019) 16...b6 17.Ne4+ Kf7 18.Ng5+ Qxg5 19.Bxg5 Bb7 20.Qxh7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Itboss, lichess.org, 2016; 15...Bxh3 16.Qxa8 Bc8 17.Qxa7 Nc6 18.Qe3 Nd4 19.Bd2 Nxc2 20.Qc5 Nxa1 21.Qf8+ Kg6 22.Qe8+ Kf5 23.Qxc8+ Ke4 24.f3+ Kd3 25.Qf5+ Ke2 26.Qxe5+ Kd1 27.Qe3 Kc2 28.Na3+ Kxb2 29.Bc1+ Kxa2 30.Qd2+ Kb3 31.Qb2+ Ka4 32.Qb5 checkmate, Wall,B - Sami, PlayChess.com, 2019) 16.Qf8+ Ke6 17.Bg5 Qb4 18.Qxg7 Bd7 19.Qf6+ Kd5 20.Nc3+ Kc4 21.b3+ Kxc3 22.Qxe5+ Qd4 23.Bd2+ Kxd2 24.Qxd4+ Kxc2 25.Rd1 Black resigned,  Wall,Bill - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016) 13...Qh5 14.f4 Ne7 15.fxe5+ dxe5 16.Qd3 Bf5 17.Nc3 Rad8 18.Qf1 Rhf8 19.g4 Qg6 20.Kh2 Ke6 21.gxf5+ Rxf5 22.Qc4+ Nd5 23.Rg4 Qf7 24.Ne4 h6 25.Bd2 Ke7 26.Rag1 g5 27.Qc5+ Ke8 28.Qxa7 Nf4 29.Qxb7 Ne2 30.Qb5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest3836682, PlayChess.com 2018 

12...Ke7 

The game is even, but hardly comfortable for Black.

13.Re1 d6 14.Nc3 c6 

Protecting the d5 square, but the right move was 14...Be6.

15.Ne4 Nf6 16.Bg5

Trapping the Black Queen.

Black resigned