Jerome Gambit: It's A Bear (Part 1)

Ah, yes, I was getting restless after a trip to see the grandkids, and decided that a quick Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game would be just the thing to settle me down.

I had gotten some attention from the Bear Bot at Chess.com, so I decided to follow through there.

The game has a few interesting  points - and is hardly a quick one - but it is mostly presented because of my goal of sharing all of my Jeromes, the good, the bad and the ugly.

perrypawnpusher - The Bear Bot

Chess.com, 20216

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

This move was mentioned in Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's analysis in the July 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal.

Jerome later played it twice, successfully, in games against Dan Jaeger in 1880.

I have faced 6...Kf8 in 83 games, scoring 70%.

7.Qxe5 Bb6 

The earliest example that I have of this move in The Database is in perrypawnpusher - Urumpel, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 23).

8.d4 

The alternative, 8.Nc3, was seen in perrypawnpusher - Samantha bot, Chess.com 2025 (1-0, 44), which will appear in a future post.

8...c5 

Black strikes at the center, although 8...d5 was more effective. 

The restrained 8...d6 was seen in perrypawnpusher - Compani, blitz, FICS, 2017 (1-0, 60).

9.Bg5 Nf6 10.dxc5 Bc7 11.Qd4 Qe8 

This Queen moves to the right file, but the wrong rank, compared to 11...Qe7. 

12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Qxf6+ Kg8 

14.Nc3 Bd8 

White now has 4 pawns for his sacrificed piece, and the safer King.

Black has the two Bishops.

15.Qf3 d6 16.cxd6 Qe5

The "Jerome pawns" are becoming annoying.

17.Rd1 

Instead, White could protect both the pawn and his King with 17.O-O-O. 

17...Bb6 

This move returns to an interesting idea that we have looked at before: Given that computer programs can play chess at a high level, how can they be "dumbed down" so that they become reasonable-strength opponents for humans.

Black attacks the enemy Queen, overlooking White's major threat.

18.d7 Kg7 19.dxc8=Q Raxc8 

Comparing the safety of each King, it is clear that Black's monarch is in far more danger.

In fact, after the game Stockfish 17.1 evaluated that White should be able to win Black's Queen, or deliver checkmate in 25 moves.

Somehow, I managed to do neither.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Black Should Decline the Declined

It would seem that declining the Jerome Gambit sacrifice would be safer or even stronger than accepting it, but such a move comes with dangers of its own.

Should Black decline, or should he decline declining?

The following game is not so much a smash-and-crash affair than a slow and certain win.

That can happen in the Jerome Gambit, as well.

Wall, Bill - Iiii

sparkchess, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kf8

The Jerome Gambit declined.

Checking Bill's games, I see that White is 10 - 1 in this line. In that one loss by White, Bill was playing black.

5.Bxg8 Rxg8 6.Nc3 

Possible was the thematic 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.d4. 

6...d6 

White is ahead a pawn, with a safer King.

7.d3 Bg4 8.O-O Ne7 

It is not clear where Black's Knight is going. In fact, in 10 moves it returns to c6 - temporarily.

9.h3 Bh5 10.a3 

Bill is not in a hurry.

10...a6 11.b4 Ba7 12.Rb1 h6 13.Re1 g5 14.Be3 Bxe3 15.Rxe3 Kg7 16.d4 

Center break.

16...Rf8 17.g4 Bg6 18.dxe5 Nc6 

Back to c6

19.e6 Ne7 

Back to e7 - as a blockader.

20.Nd4 Rf4 21.Nf5+ Bxf5 22.exf5 Nc6 

White's two passed "Jerome pawns" look dangerous.

23.Nd5 Ne5 24.e7 Qd7 25.Nxf4

The removal of this defender spells upcoming checkmate. 

25...gxf4 26.Rxe5 Re8 27.Re6 Black resigned

Black has had enough.

Jerome Gambit: The Clock Helps Out

In a bullet game, a player has to checkmate his opponent, or force him to resign - before his own flag falls, after one minute.

angelcamina excels in this form of play. When he does not win outright, the clock helps him out.

angelcamina - qubin1000

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit

The Database has 337 games with this line by angelcamina. White scores 61%.

 5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Neg4 

angelcamina has faced this move 17 times, scoring 53%

8.dxc5 Qe7 9.O-O 

Safety for the King. An alternative was 9.h3.

9...Re8 

Bullet time control is tough. Instead, 9...Qe5 would lead to an even game.

10.h3 Ne5 11.f4 Qxc5+ 12.Kh1 Nc4 

White has an edge, and his "Jerome pawns".

13.e5 Ng8 

This retreat may appear prudent, but it was necessary to return the extra piece with 13...Nxe5.

14.Qh5+ Kf8 15.Qxh7 d6 16.Ne4 Qd5 

17.b3 Nb6 18.c4 Qd4 19.Ba3 Be6 20.exd6 

White,with a winning position, won on time.

My Drawn Simultaneous Exhibition Games Against GM Sergey Zagrebelny, GM Viktor Komliakov At 'The Chess Square 2026'

 

My Drawn Simultaneous Exhibition Games Against

GM Sergey Zagrebelny, GM Viktor Komliakov

At 'The Chess Square 2026'

 

(by Yury V. Bukayev)

 

Dear readers, now I'd like to inform you briefly about my two recent Giuoco Piano drawn games against famous Grandmasters in their simultaneous exhibitions in Moscow. The official reports on these events are here: 

https://moscowchess.org/news/19366 

https://moscowchess.org/news/19388

 

Thus, here is the first of these games.

 

GM Sergey N. Zagrebelny  - Yury V. Bukayev

 17-board simultaneous exhibition, Moscow, 2026,

June 27 ('The Chess Square 2026')

 

 

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ 8. Nbxd2 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. O-O O-O 11. Re1 Nb6 12. Bb3 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Qxd4 14. Qc2 c6 15. Nf3 Qf6 16. Qc5 Bf5 17. Ne5 Nd7 18. Nxd7 Bxd7 19. Rad1 Bg4 20. Rd4 b6 21. Qd6 Qxd6 22. Rxd6 c5 23. Re7 h5 Draw

 

 

And here is the second of these games.

 

 

GM Viktor I. Komliakov - Yury V. Bukayev

  12-board simultaneous exhibition, Moscow, 2026,

   July 05 ('The Chess Square 2026')

 

 

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. O-O d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Re1 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. Nbd2 Nb6 11. Ne4 Be7 12. Bb3 Bg6 13. Bc2 f5

14. Neg5 Qd6 15. Nh4 Be8 16. d4 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 e4 Draw

 

 

We can see interesting gambits in both cases: it were White's pawn sacrifices in the first game (11.Re1, 16.Qc5 etc.), Black's pawn sacrifice in the second game (9...Bh5 etc.), White's "two Knights against Rook+pawn" sacrifice (16.d4) in the second game (16...h6 17.Nxf5 Rxf5 18.Bxf5 hxg5). It isn't wonderful to meet a sacrifice in a Giuoco Piano game. And I think, the role of psychology in maestro Sergey Zagrebelny's and in maestro Viktor Komliakov's sacrifices was little. 

 

 

Finally, let me show you some photos from these simultaneous exhibitions.

 

There is a moment after my move 16...Bf5 against GM Sergey Zagrebelny:

 

There is a moment after his move 19. Rad1:

 

There is our final position:

 

There is a protocol of my game against Grandmaster Viktor Komliakov (Komlyakov) with his signature in it:

 

 

And here are else photos of his simultaneous exhibition (I have finished my game already, and the photographer shows moments after it):

 

 

Abrahams Jerome Gambit: Chesser_98

Chesser_98 has an interesting game, presented in an Instagram video, starting 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.d4 exd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7, which is a transposition from the Abrahams Jerome Gambit line, 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.d4 exd4.

Check it out.

Jerome Gambit: lichess.org Puzzles by Openings

The lichess.org site has an interesting collection of chess puzzles, grouped by opening, and opening variation.

Visit Puzzles by Openings and you will find a lot of content - including 224 Jerome Gambit puzzles.

Challenging?

ChessMotion

 

A new site that is upfront about 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

The Jerome Gambit: the world’s most honest bad opening

“Unsound, but not to be trifled with,” a 19th-century magazine warned. White gives up two minor pieces for two pawns and a dragged-out king — a losing bargain that still wins games against unprepared defenders.

By ChessMotion.com.

ChessMotion.com

@chessmotion