Jerome Gambit: Start of the Third Round

 

The third round of Chess.com's "Italian Game" tournament has started, and I already have two Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games, with the possibility of one more.

Of course, it would also be interesting if any of my three opponents played the Jerome Gambit against me.

We shall see...

Jerome Gambit: Slip Slidin' Away

The following game reminds me of Paul Simon's song, "Slip Slidin' Away", especially the lament the nearer your destination, the more you’re slip slidin’ away...

Somehow, Black's advantage slips away.

Jerome Gambit.

Mbokharie - Zoloto-av

7 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

This was Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's choice in his earlier games, although he eventually changed to 6.Qh5+.

With all of the cautions about statistics and sampling bias, I can add that The Database has 4,946 games with 6.d4, with White scoring 54%. It has 36,659 games with 6.Qh5+, with White scoring 56%.

6...Bb4+ 

Black's strongest response is 6...Qh4, but that line is best prepared beforehand. Zoloto-av has something similar, but slightly different, in mind.

7.c3 Qh4 

Useful, and complicated. Black looks like his pieces are going to over-run White's  position.

8.Qb3+ 

In an earlier game, mbokhari grabbed the Bishop on b4, and came to regret it: 8.cxb4 Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 Qd3+ 10.Qxd3 Nxd3 11.Nc3 d6 12.Be3 Nxb4 13.Rc1 Nf6 14.a3 Nd3 15.Rd1 Nxb2 16.Rd2 Nc4 17.Re2 Nxa3 18.f3 Nc4 19.Bg5 h6 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Nd5 Re8 22.Rxe8 Kxe8 23.Nxc7+ Kd7 24.Nxa8 b6 25.Kf2 Bb7 26.Ra1 Na5 27.Rc1 Bxa8 28.Rc7+ Kxc7 White resigned, mbokhari - Serhat_Yeni, lichess.org, 2020

Stockfish 16.1 (30 ply) recommends "castling into it" with 8.0-0, but that is without the knowledge of Karpov, Anatoly (father)  -- Bukayev, Yury , 15 0 rapid, as given in the post "Anatoly Karpov & Jerome Gambit (Part 10)"

8...Ke7 

This is not a case of "just about any move will win". I suspect that time pressure pushed Black to overlook

8...Ke8 9.O-O (9...Nf3+!? 10.gxf3 Bd6 11.e5 Be7) Ng4 10.h3 Be7 11.hxg4 h5 or

8...d5 9.O-O Nf3+!? 10.gxf3 Bd6 11.e5 Be7 12.Qxd5+ Be6 13.Qe4 c6

Both keep Black's advantage.

9.Qxb4+ d6 

Given enough time on the clock, he would probably have found the cute 9...c5, which does not save him, but offers material to find time to save his Knight: 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qc7+ Nd7.

10.dxe5 

10...Qxe4+? 11.Qxe4 Black resigned

Ah, the Club...

                                                           

I made it to the chess club at the library, today.

If that first picture represents me, an old chess player, then the second picture has to represent the progress of my two games today.

Two wins. Had to grind them out...

In my first game, my opponent threw his pawns forward. I countered by throwing my pieces forward. The middlegame was quite a sight. And a bit long.

However, pieces checkmate easier than pawns do, and so I eventually delivered checkmate.

My second game I began, hopefully, with 1.e4, looking for a Jerome Gambit. My opponent countered with 1...d5, looking for a Scandinavian Defense. Ha! I played 2.d4, hoping he would capture my e-pawn, so that I could play 3.f3, looking for a Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. But, no, he played 2.f5!? which might be the Walcott Defense, named after George Walcott, who played it against Harlow Bussey Daly in their game in the New York State Chess Association tournament in 1910.

Okay, Readers, you probably are not familiar with Walcott, but certainly you have already decided that my game should have gone 1.e4 d5 2.d4 f5 3.exd5, answering 3...Nf6 with 4.Bb5+; or 3...Qxd5 with 4.Nc3.

Instead, I played what I learned after the game was Stockfish 16.1's second choice of moves, 3.e5. Let the grind begin.

I can only say "Wait 'Til Next Year!" - I mean, next game.

Jerome Gambit: Testing Instincts

If you know the Jerome Gambit well, it can be an ideal weapon for blitz play. 

Given enough time, defenders can work out, over-the-board, a way to handle the Jerome. However, time devoted to that opening analysis is not available later on in the game - in the middlegame and the endgame.

Of course, it is possible to avoid a time forfeit - by limiting how deeply you analyze.

In sum, one virtue of the Jerome Gambit is that: In solving the defense, Black can run into time issues; in guarding his clock, he limits how deeply he can analyze.

Consider the following game with "a dynamic opening that tests [Jerome Gambit players'] instincts to exploit their opponent's mistakes - Alexx"..

The ?'s and !s have been supplied by Alexx. I have added diagrams and made a few comments in blue - Rick

AlexanderAlexx - dluthra82

3 2 blitz, Chess.com, 2026

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

Well, ?? is how the authorities evaluate the move - Rick

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6?!

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.d3 Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.O-O Kg8 

13.Qg3 Nh5 14.Qf2 Rf8?! 15.f5 d5? 

16.Nc3! 

16.Qe2 is an interesting alternative, keeping the game even - Rick 

16...d4? 17.Nd5! c6 18.Nb4?! a5 19.g4?! 

19...axb4?? 

Black is now up a couple of pieces for a couple of pawns, but White is calling the tune on the Kingside.- Rick

20.gxh5! Ne5 

Stockfish 16.1 suggests 20...Bxf5 21.hxg6 Bxg6 22.Qxf8+ Qxf8 23.Rxf8+ Rxf8 24.Bg5 c5 when White's hopes for his protected, passed pawn, can only support a draw. - Rick

21.Qg3 Kh8??

Black had 21...Qf6 with a small disadvantage in material, but time is flying - Rick

22.Qxe5! Re8 23.Qg3 Rf8 24.h6 g6? 

25.Bg5! Qd7?! 

Ushers in checkmating lines - Rick

26.fxg6 Rxf1+ 27.Rxf1 White won on time

White also has a checkmate in 6 - Rick

Very nicely done! - Rick

Abrahams Jerome Gambit: Stay on the Path

The path to safety or advantage for Black in the Abrahams Jerome Gambit is narrow, which makes it a good choice with White for players of the original Jerome Gambit.

Degner, Uwe - Witt, Monika

Remote S7E Easy-326 email, Chess.com, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ 

The Abrahams Jerome Gambit. See the early post "The Abrahams Jerome Gambit (Part 1)".

4...Kxf7 4.Qh5+ g6 

Not the strongest response - see "Abrahams Jerome Gambit: A Quick Look "- but played about 30% of the time, perhaps remembering themes from Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885 (1-0, 14).

Consulting The Database:

    7,178 games       Black scores 59% with 4...Kf8

    1,811 games       Black scores 43% with 4...Ke3

    5,282 games       Black scores 37% with 4...g6

5.Qxe5 d6 

Witt has also played:

5...Bd6 6.Qxh8 Qf8 7.Qxh7+ Qg7 8.Qh3 b5 9.Qb3+ Ke8 10.Qxb5 a6 11.Qd5 Bf4 12.Qxa8 c6 13.Ne2 Qe5 14.d4 Qa5+ 15.Nbc3 Qc7 16.Bxf4 d6 17.Na4 Qa5+ 18.Nec3 Qb4 19.Qa7 Qb7 20.Qxb7 Bxb7 21.Bxd6 Nd7 22.Kd2 Ba8 23.f4 Ne7 24.h4 Nc8 25.e5 Na7 26.Nc5 Nb6 27.b3 Nd5 28.Nxd5 cxd5 29.a4 Nc6 30.c3 Kf7 31.e6+ Ke8 32.h5 Nd8 33.hxg6 Nc6 34.Rh8 checkmate, Degner,U - Witt,M, Remote S7E Easy-326 email, Chess.com, 2026; and

5...Nf6 6.Qxc5 d6 7.Qc4+ Be6 8.Qa4 Bd7 9.Qb3+ Be6 10.Qxb7 Nbd7 11.Nc3 Nc5 12.Qb4 Qe7 13.Nge2 Rab8 14.Qd4 h5 15.O-O Ng4 16.h3 Ne5 17.f4 Nc6 18.Qf2 d5 19.exd5 Nb4 20.dxe6+ Qxe6 21.f5 Qxf5 22.Qxf5+ gxf5 23.Rxf5+ Ke6 24.Rxc5 Nxc2 25.Nf4+ Kd6 26.Ne4+ Kd7 27.Rxc2 Rbf8 28.d4 h4 29.Nd5 c6 30.Ndf6+ Kc7 31.d5 Kb6 32.Be3+ c5 33.Bxc5+ Kb5 34.Bxa7 Rh6 35.a4+ Kb4 36.Bc5+ Kb3 37.Rc3+ Kxb2 38.Ba3+ Kxa1 39.Bxf8 Rg6 40.a5 Kb1 41.Kf2 Kb2 42.Bb4 Rg7 43.Ng4 Rf7+ 44.Ke2 Rf4 45.Ngf2 Rf5 46.Nd3+ Ka2 47.Nd2 Rf8 48.Ra3 checkmate, Degner,U - Witt,M, Remote S7E Easy-326 email, Chess.com, 2026. 

She has also played the strongest, and critical, response: 5...Bxf2+ 6.Kxf2 Qf6+ (6...Nf6!?) 7.Nf3 d6 8.Qd5+ Qe6 9.Ng5+ Ke8 10.Nxe6 Ne7 11.Nxc7+ Kd7 12.Qe6+ Kxc7 13.Qxe7+ Nd7 14.d4 Rd8 15.Bg5 Rf8+ 16.Ke3 b5 17.Nc3 a6 18.Nd5+ Kc6 19.Nb4+ Kc7 20.Bf4 a5 21.Qxd6+ Kb7 22.Qc7 checkmate, Degner,U - Witt,M., Remote S7E Easy-326 email, Chess.com, 2026

6.Qxh8 Bxf2+ 

A move too late, White already has grabbed a Rook.

7.Ke2 

Perhaps concerned about 7.Kxf2 Qh4+, but 8.g3 would then suffice.

7...Bg4+ 8.Nf3

Again, White is suspicious about taking the Bishop on f2, but it was not poisoned. 

Reader, why is 8...Qh4 now the right idea for Black? 

8...Bc5 9.Qxh7+ 

White is on the attack again, specifically his Queen.

9...Kf6 

His Majesty is punch-drunk.

10.Qh4+ g5 11.Qxg5+ Ke6 12.Qxd8 

White has an extra Queen, Rook and 3 pawns, versus Blacks extra 2 pieces. The ending is clear.

12...Bxf3+ 13.gxf3 Ne7 14.c3 Nec6 15.Qg8+ Kf6 16.d4 Nxd4+ 17.cxd4 Bb4 18.Bg5 checkmate

[If it looks like the first player might have had a 630 ratings points advantage, he did.]

Jerome Gambit: Rapid Chess India

 

For 18 seconds of chess fun, driving music, singing (I believe it is in Urdu), plus the coolest Jerome Gambit graphic, check out one of the many videos on the site 

🔥 Jerome Gambit Trap in 7 Moves! 😱♟️ #chess #chessgame #shorts

YouTube

 Rapid Chess India

Jerome Gambit: Know Your Place in the (Chess) World

Know Chess

@KnowChessYT

I just ran across the enticingly-named video from Know Chess, titled "Every Chess Opening From Bad to Genius Explained!".

Starting from the most "Bad", The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) can be found in third place, behind  Fool's Mate (1.f4 [or 1.f3] e5 2.g4 Qh4 checkmate) and the Fred Defense (1.e4 f5 2.exf5).

I won't argue with Know Chess. After all, it is good to know your place in the world. The chess world, that is.

(Just for fun: The Database, closing in on 66,000 games, shows White scoring 53%, which certainly isn't top of the line, but isn't chopped liver, either.)