Jerome Gambit: Return Is Not Enough

The following game demonstrates that returning some of the material sacrificed in the Jerome Gambit is not, in itself, enough to provide a win to the defender.

ryuugu-rena - shaquill3_oatmeal

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7. f4 Bf2+ 

What I call the Anti-Bill Wall Gambit, seen in "Jerome Gambit: A Cautionary Tale", "Jerome Gambit: Another Reason", and, most recently, Jerome Gambit: The Anti-Bill Wall Gambit, Return to Discussion (Part 1 & 2), leads to an equal position.

(Bill has almost 1,900 games in The Database, scoring 89%)

8.Kxf2 Ng6

This is Stockfish 17.1's 5th choice. White now has the advantage.

Two earlier games:

8...Nc6 (the computer's second choice) 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.d4 d6 11.e5 Be6 12.exd6+ Qxd6 13.Qg5+ Kf7 14.Rf1 Qxd4+ 15.Be3 Qxb2 16.Nd2 Nf6 17.Kg1 Rhd8 18.Nf3 Kg8 19.Nh4 Qxc2 20.f5 Bd5 21.Rac1 Qxa2 22.Rxc6 bxc6 23.Bd4 h6 24.Qg6 Qxg2+ 25.Nxg2 Bxg2 26.Kxg2 Rxd4 27.Re1 Rad8 28.Re6 Rd2+ 29.Kf3 R8d3+ 30.Kf4 Nd5+ 31.Ke5 Re3 checkmate, ryuugu-rena - RubenGarces, lichess.org, 2023; and 

8...Nf7 (the computer's top choice) 9.d4 Nf6 10.Qe5+ Nxe5 11.d5+ Ke7 12.fxe5 Nxe4+ 13.Ke3 Nc5 14.Kd4 Na6 15.Bg5+ Ke8 16.Bxd8 Kxd8 17.Nc3 Ke7 18.Rhf1 Rf8 19.Ne4 d6 20.exd6+ cxd6 21.Rae1 Rxf1 22.Rxf1 Bd7 23.Ng5 h6 24.Ne4 Rc8 25.c4 Nb4 26.a3 Na6 27.Rf3 Nc5 28.Ng3 Bg4 29.Rf4 Bd7 30.Nh5 g6 31.Ng7 Rg8 32.Ne6 Nxe6+ 33.dxe6 Bxe6 34.b3 Kd7 35.Kc3 Bf5 36.g4 Re8 37.gxf5 gxf5 38.Rxf5 Ke6 39.Rh5 Rh8 40.h4 Kf6 41.Rb5 b6 42.Ra5 Rh7 43.Rd5 Ke6 44.Rd3 Ke5 45.a4 h5 46.Rd5+ Ke6 47.Rg5 Rh6 48.Rxh5 a6 49.Rxh6+ Black resigned, ryuugu-rena - alex039, lichess.org, 2023

9.f5+ Kf6 

Slightly better is 9...Kf7 10.fxg6+ hxg6 11.Qxh8 Qf6+ 12.Ke2 d6 13.Rf1 Bg4+ 14.Ke1 Bf5 15.exf5 Re8+ 16.Kf2 Qxf5+ 17.Kg1 Re1 18.h3 Qxf1+ 19.Kh2 Qf4+ 20.g3 Qf2 checkmate, ryuugu-rena - BlackDissident, lichess.org, 2023 

10.fxg6 h6 

A slip, in a 3-minute game.

11.Qh4+ Black resigned

Family Resemblance

From time-to-time I cover in blog posts some openings that might be considered "relatives" to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

More than the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+), the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+), or the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 h6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+).

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+) is also one to come to mind. I first covered that line 8 years ago.

There is also the Noa or Monck Gambit, (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+), arising from the Two Knights Game.

I am not sure that I have presented what Tim Harding has called the Frankenstein Dracula Variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4), coming out of the Vienna opening, and that can heat up with 4.Bxf7+.

I might have to give that last one a closer look.

Jerome Gambit: Hungry Hungry Hippos

I was tempted to start this post with a quote from "Sleeping in the Gutter or Getting Away?"

He who captures the Queen's Knight pawn sleeps in the gutter -- a stern warning against pawn-grabbing

He who grabs the pawn, and spirits away, lives to fight another day -- a lesson from Bill Wall's Jerome Gambit 

Then, I was reminded of the children's game, "Hungry, Hungry Hippos" and thought it humorously represented the actions of Bill's Queen in gobbling up pawns.

Wall, Bill - Benjamin

internet, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ 

Bill is 17- 0 - 1 with this move - all the more interesting when you consider that Stockfish 17.1 evaluates the position as 3 1/4 pawns better for Black. 

6...Ng6 7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qd5+ 

This Queen check shows up in Bill's games, the earliest being Wall,B - Guest4395, Microsoft Internet Gaming Zone, 2001 (1/2-1/2, 17).

Black is asked about his b-pawn.

8...Be6

8 of Bill's games saw this move 

9.Qxb7 Nf6 10.Nc3 Qe7 

White has 3 pawns for his sacrificed piece.

He needs to be careful about his Queen, and he needs to respect Black's piece advantage on the Kingside.

11.O-O Ne5 

This "kick me" move challenges White in that he will have to choose: d-pawn or f-pawn?

12.d4 

Stockfish 17.1 (33 ply) agrees.

12...Neg4 

Mounting an attack.

He might consider taking advantage of the placement of the enemy Queen: 12...Rhb8 13.Qa6 Bc4 14.Qa4 Bxf1 15.dxe5 Qxe5 16.Kxf1 Qxh2 17.Qc4+ Kg6 18.Qd3 Qh1+ 19.Ke2 Kf7

13.f3 Nh6 14. Bxh6 gxh6 

15.d5 Bd7 16.Qxc7 

The Queen's pawn-grabbing makes me nervous, but Stockfish reassures that White is slightly better.

16...Rhc8 

It is time to punish Her Majesty for playing a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos, but is Black up to the task?

17.Qa5 a6 18.Rae1 Bb5 19.Rf2 Nd7 

The Knight effectively traps its own Bishop, which Bill reacts to immediately.

20. a4 Bc4 21. Nd1 Nc5 22.Ne3 Ba2 23.Ra1 

23...Kg8 

It is interesting that the computer treats Black's Bishop's excursion as a problem of tempo, i.e. 23...Bb3 24.Nf5 Qf6 25.Qb6 Rab8 26.Qxd6 Bxa4 27.Rxa4 Nxa4 28.Qd7+ Kf8 29.Qxa4 Qxb2 30.Qxa6 Qb6 31.Qxb6 Rxb6

analysis diagram

The analysis diagram shows that White would have 4 pawns (4 connected passers!) for the exchange.

24.Rxa2 Nd7 25.Nf5 Qf6 26.Qd2  Ne5 27.Qxh6

Black resigned

The second player does not have compensation for five pawns.

Jerome Gambit: Brilliant!

I was drawn to the YouTube video by ChessFam because of its title - "Brilliant Jerome Gambit Refutation!" 

How could I not be?

The video shows a game between two players, and, indeed, it features brilliant attacking play by Black.

That is to say, Black plays Henry Joseph Blackburne's defense and counter-attack, repeats his famous game against an Amateur, and grabs the full point in 14 moves!

To this Defender, I say: Keep playing that line!

To this Attacker, I say: Find a way (or several ways) to avoid such misfortune (You could start by perusing this blog. Make use of the "Search This Blog" feature on the right side.) 

Jerome Gambit: Blackburne vs Whistler

 

Some information for Defenders:

A look at The Database, for a comparison between the Blackburne defense - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5+ 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 - and the Whistler defense - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5+ 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7 - when White then captures the Rook on h8 with 8.Qxh8, shows that White scores 77% with the former line, but only 51% for the latter.

Books that only show Blackburne's violent crush of the Jerome Gambit do readers a disfavor, leading defenders to a weaker line of play, desplite The Black Death's success.

The much-less-known Whistler defense should be the unbiased choice. (It is the choice of Stockfish 17.1, by a wide margin.)

Still: play what you know, what you are comfortable with, what you have had success with.

And feel free to send me your games, while you are at it.

Jerome Gambit: Attack and Checkmate the Enemy King

Attack and checkmate the enemy King.

In a 1-minute game, do it quickly.

angelcamina - okramkomljenovic

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Nf6 

The Database has 35 games by angelcamina with this position, with White scoring 80%. 

Instead, Black had Blackburne's (7...d6) or Whistler's (7...Qe7) defenses. 

8.Qxc5 Nxe4 9.Qd5+ Kg7 10.Qd4+

Not 10.Qxe4 because of 10...Re8, pinning and winning White's Queen. 

10...Kh6

Better: 10...Nf6.

Black's King is in serious danger.

11.d3+ g5 12.h4 Nd6 13.hxg5+ 

Opening the h-file for the Rook: he is going after the King, not the Queen.

13...Kg6 14.Rh6+ Kf7 

15.Qf6+ 

This is a 1-minute game. With a longer time control, White can explore 15.g6+.

15...Ke8 

Sure, save the King.

Instead, after 15...Qxf6 16.Rxf6+ Kg7, White is up two pawns and will grind Black down. Would that stress the first player's clock? Unclear.

16.Qxh8+ Kf7 17.Rxh7+ Black resigned

Checkmate is coming in a few moves.

Jerome Gambit: A Lot of Trash (Part 2)

                                              

[continued from the previous post]

As I mentioned (see "Jerome Gambit: A Lot of Trash (Part 1)"), in playing the following game against a chess-playing bot at Chess.com, I was not prepared for a large helping of rude "trash talk". 

I was somewhat put off by the rudeness of the bot, and my play was inconsistent - no doubt, an intended outcome.

Samantha bot's comments are in blue. My notes are in red.

perrypawnpusher - Samantha bot

Chess.com, 2025

25.Nxg4 

Routine.

Already, White has 25.Rf6+, leading to checkmate or the win of Black's Queen.

25...Rb6 

Black takes awkward steps to remedy his poor development.

26.e8=Q+

A chance coronation for your many follies.

Samantha bot has got it right: instead, 26.Rf6+ was strong.

26...Rxe8 27.Nf6

This is chess. Not a truckstop vending machine. Please play with purpose.

27...Kf7

Stronger, but leading to a lost endgeme, is 27...Rxf6 28.exf6 Rxe2 29.fxg7 Kxg7 30.Rf2 

28.Qh5+ 

“When you see a good move, look for a better one.” — Emanuel Lasker

28.Nh5

28...Qg6 29.Nxe8+ Kxe8

Consider yourself lucky that you're playing against an aspiring MENSA candidate.

30.Qxg6+

Nice capture... did you go to public school?

Once again, a "Fine" move; from "Jerome Gambit: A Bear (Part 2)"

As I related 16 years ago, in Blackburned! #1

My first chess book was Reuben Fine's Chess the Easy Way – available in paperback these days, used, for under $5.00 [currently, about $10.00; also at the Internet Archive] – and it gave me the idea (rightly or wrongly) that much of chess can be boiled down to: win a pawn, exchange everything else, win the K + P vs K endgame...  

Here, the exchange is well-motivated and simplifies to an endgame with an exchange + 2 pawn advantage.

30...hxg6 

31.Rf2 b4 32.Rcf1 Be6 33.Rf6

You must be new here.

33...Bf5 34.Rxb6 cxb6 

Chess the Easy Way.

35.cxb4 a5

Would you please stop slouching? This isn't a Starbucks.

36.bxa5 Kd8 37.axb6 Bd3 38.Rc1 Bb5 39.b7 

The game is effectively over, but the bot will not resign.

39...Kd7 40.b8=Q Bc4 41.Qd6+

Once again, I've fallen victim to daydreaming about my label maker.

41...Ke8

With a resting heart rate of 180 bpm, I see moves that you haven't even thought of yet.

42.e6

You move your pieces with the conviction of a toddler on a chocolate-smudged iPad. No offense.

42...g5 43.Qd7+ Kf8 44.Qf7# 

Yeah. Well. I let you win!

Me and the Jerome Gambit, lest you forget.