Jerome Gambit: Patiently Untangling Things

                                       

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) does not always lead to wide-open positions. 

In the following match, Bill Wall slowly puts his game together. He locks down his opponent's pieces, and then he opens a line for attack.

As the notes show (thank you for your help, Stockfish) a lot of complications loom in sidelines, but Bill is skilled at patiently untangling things.

Wall, Bill - Jay

SparkChess, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 

Bill has reached this position in 36 games, scoring 74%. 

8...Qe7 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.d3 h6 

Black protects the g5 square, because the Knight at f6 is often a focus of White's pressure, and, now, a Bishop can not create a pin there.

However, the f-file is also critical, and White turns his attention there, to be able to play f2-f4.

11.O-O Be6 12.Na4 Bd4 13.c3 Bb6 14.Nxb6 axb6 15.f4 

15...Ke8 

Black immediately feels the heat, and moves to safeguard his King. 

The computer will suggest pawn-grabbing with 15...Rxa2 16.Rxa2 Bxa2 but that does not seem prudent to the defender.

16.Bd2 Rf8 

Counter-pressure.

17.a4 Kd7 

18.c4 

Locking down the d5 square.

18...Nh7 

Unblocking his Rook. Better might be 19...Rae8.

19.Bc3 g5 20.f5 Bg8 

21.Qh3 Rf6 

Black offers the exchange, to ease his defense.

Stockfish 17.1 suggests a slow success by the "Jerome pawns": 21...Nf6 22.Qxh6 Ng4 23.Qh3 Ne5 24.Qg3 c5 25.b4 Bf7 26.bxc5 bxc5 27.a5 Rfe8 28.Rab1 Kc8 29.h3 Nd7 30.Rb3 b6 31.f6 Qe6 32.axb6 Kb7 33.Qxg5 Ne5 34.Bxe5 Qxe5 35.Qxe5 dxe5

22.Bxf6 Qxf6 23.Rf2 

Bill is in no hurry. 

The computer suggests a grind: 23.b4 Bf7 24.Kh1 c5 25.bxc5 bxc5 26.e5 dxe5 27.Rfb1 Kc7 28.Rb5 Be8 29.Rxc5+ Bc6 30.Qg3 Qd6 31.Rxe5 Nf6 32.a5 Nd7 33.Re2 Qxg3 34.hxg3 Nc5 seeing White as a bit better. 

23...Bf7 24.Qe3 c5 25.Rd2 

Preparing a breakthrough.

25...Kc7 

Again, getting the King off of another hot file. 

The way to keep the game even was, first, a Queen exchange, i.e. 25...Qd4 26.Qxd4 cxd4 and then something like 27.Re2 Nf6 28.h3 Re8 29.a5 Kc6 30.a6 bxa6 31.Rxa6 Nd7 32.Ra7 Ne5 33.Rd2 Rb8 34.Rd1 Rb7 35.Rxb7 Kxb7 36.Kf1 b5 37.b3 h5 38.Ke2 h4 39.Ra1 Bh5+ 40.Kd2 bxc4 41.bxc4

26.d4 Bxc4 

A distraction, but 26...cxd4 only leads to a weak d-pawn and confusion in the ranks. 

27.dxc5 bxc5 28.Rad1 Re8 29.Rxd6 Qxd6 30.Rxd6 Kxd6 

Black has exchanged his Queen (and pawn) for two Rooks. The resulting position gives him Rook, Bishop and Knight against a Queen - but there is still the matter of White's two extra "Jerome pawns".

An active Queen gives White the advantage against three uncoordinated pieces.

31.b4 b6 32.Qd2+ Kc6 33.b5+ Kc7 34.Qc3 Bxb5 

Returning some of his "extra"material to stabilize the Queenside, where his King resides, but it turns out that he has more material at risk.

35.axb5 Rd8 36.Qg7+ Rd7 37.Qxh6 Black resigned

White's two passed pawns are more dangerous than Black's passed pawns. Now 37...c4 fails to 38.Qc6+ and 39.Qxc4; while 37...g4 falls to 38.Qc6+, and after 38.Qxb6, White has another passed pawn.

My Drawn Simultaneous Exhibition Game Against GM Sergey Smagin

 

                                                      

My Drawn Simultaneous Exhibition Game

Against GM Sergey Smagin

(by Yury V. Bukayev)

Dear readers, let me tell you about my drawn simultaneous exhibition game against GM Sergey B. Smagin which was played (August 16, 2026) during ‘The Chess Square 2026’ in Moscow. All official materials on this event can be shown by the editors of https://moscowchess.org . This game’s opening was Two Knights defence, its ending was almost Jerome-ish. And the score of this 15-board simultaneous exhibition was 14.5 – 0.5, like GM Valentina Gunina’s score in 2026 or GM Olga Girya’s score in 2025 (as you know).

GM Sergey B. Smagin – Yury V. Bukayev

15-board simultaneous exhibition, Moscow, 2026,

August 16 (‘The Chess Square 2026’)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.Re1 d5 7.Bxd5 Qxd5 8.Nc3 Qa5 9.Nxe4 Be7 10.Bg5

I couldn’t take part in maestro Sergey Smagin’s previous simultaneous exhibition, although I prepared to it. During that preparation I found an interesting fact in some of his games: sometimes he doesn’t capture in time, sometimes he captures not in time. I solved to try to use this fact in my game against this strong Grandmaster to get an advantage, and I could get it, in spite of my large risk!

10…f6?!

This risky move was made to decline all known theoretical lines and to choose a line with a lot of possible captures. He started to think, and I understood that the situation on the board became unknown for him. Nevertheless, here he captured in time:

11.Nxf6+! gxf6 12.Bxf6 Rf8!? .

Again he captured in time:

13.Bxe7 Nxe7 .

But then he made a very ‘natural’ move and didn’t capture in time:

14.Re5?

The situation became unknown to me too. But I found the right way here:

14…Qb4! .

Again he captured in time:

15.Nxd4 .

In this complicated position I tried to choose among 15…Kf7 and 15…Rf7. I asked maestro Sergey Smagin to miss me and give me an opportunity to think more, but he renunciated. And I played:

15…Rf7!? 16.Nb5! .

The position was still complicated. Here I wanted to make a trivial defence 16…Qc4!, but my goal was to get a clear advantage, so I solved to make a very risky trap with my hope that here he will capture not in time. Thus, I played:

16…Kf8?! .

And this trap brought me a serious advantage after his response, because he didn’t see my main idea and captured not in time:

17.Nxc7? Bg4! .

The preliminary check 17.Qd8+! Kg7 18.Nxc7! was necessary. Probably, after 17.Nxc7 he waited for 17…Rb8, so he saw no obstacles for his further check. Further both opponents played well:

18.Qe1 Qxe1+ 19.Raxe1 Rc8 20.Nb5 Rxc2 21.f3 Bd7 22.Nd6 Rg7 23.R1e2 Rxe2 24.Rxe2 Bc6 25.Kf2 Rg6 26.Rd2 Rf6 .

This Jerome-ish endgame (we can see Black’s minor piece against White’s two pawns here etc.) was won for Black, and both opponents understood this fact. Also they understood that this win isn’t very easy to make. Maestro Sergey Smagin offered me…a draw here. That Sunday I knew that on Saturday he took part in heavy funereal events, and I have solved to stop the fight this moment to don’t make him a sport pain which could be dangerous for his health, it maybe. His funereal pain was also my pain (IM Eldar K. Mukhametov, R.I.P.), that is why you can see my black mourning tape on the photo that day.

Nevertheless, this my draw is almost a win.

Finally, let me show you some photos from this simultaneous exhibition.

Jerome Gambit: To ...d5 or Not ...d5

When defending against the Jerome Gambit, a player needs to consider the thematic moves, such as ...Qd8-f6 and ...d7-d5.

While sometimes they don't fit the particular situation - sometimes they do.

angelcamina - krasuman

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The semi-Italian opening.

4.Nc3 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.Bxf7+ 

The semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Qxd4 Nc6 

10.Qc4+ Kg6 

Alternately, the retreats

10...Ke8 11.f4 d6 12.e5 (12.b3 Kf8 [12...Be6 13.Qe2 Nd4 14.Qd3 c5 15.e5 dxe5 16.fxe5 Nd5 17.Qb5+ Qd7 18.Qxc5 Nxc3 19.Qxc3 Ne2+ 20.Kh1 Nxc3 21.Bb2 Ne2 22.Rae1 Rf8 23.Rxf8+ Kxf8 24.Rxe2 Ke7 25.Ba3+ Ke8 26.Rf2 Qd1+ 27.Rf1 Qxf1 checkmate, angelcamina - Koci98, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025] 13.Ba3 Qe7 14.Rae1 Be6 15.Qb5 Rb8 16.e5 dxe5 17.Bxe7+ Nxe7 18.fxe5 Kf7 19.exf6 gxf6 20.Ne4 Nd5 21.Nxf6 Nxf6 22.Rxf6+ Kxf6 23.Qe5+ Ke7 24.Qxe6+ Kd8 25.Rd1 checkmate,  angelcamina - x2ornot2b, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020) 12...dxe5 13.fxe5 Nd7 14.Qf7 checkmate, angelcamina - PokerJack, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019

 Or 10...Kf8 11.f4 Na5 (11...d6 12.b3 Qe7 13.Ba3 Be6 14.Qe2 Bg4 15.Qe3 Be6 16.e5 Ng4 17.Qg3 Nd4 18.exd6 cxd6 19.Rad1 Ne2+ 20.Nxe2 Kg8 21.f5 h5 22.fxe6 Qxe6 23.Rxd6 Qe4 24.Rd7 Kh7 25.Qd3 Qxd3 26.cxd3 Rhf8 27.Rxf8 White won on time, angelcamina - Eldomi, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024) 12. Qb4+ c5 13. Qxc5+ d6 14. Qxa5 Qxa5 White resigned, angelcamina - Arath96, lichess.org, 2020

 11.f4 Re8 

Or 11...Na5 12.Qd3 Kh7 13.e5+ Kg8 14.exf6 Qxf6 15.Be3 d6 16.Bd4 Bf5 17.Qd2 Qg6 18.Nd5 Kh7 19.Qxa5 Bh3 20.Qd2 c6 21.Ne3 Rhe8 22.Kh1 Kh8 23.gxh3 Re4 24.Rae1 Rae8 25.Ng4 Rxe1 26.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 27.Qxe1 c5 28.Bc3 Kh7 29.Nf2 Qf5 30.Qe4 Qxe4+ 31.Nxe4 b6 32.Nxd6 b5 33.Ne4 a6 34.b4 c4 35.Nd6 Kg6 36.Nxb5 Kf5 37.Kg2 g5 38.Kf3 gxf4 39.h4 h5 40.h3 a5 41.Nd6+ Black resigned, angelcamina - zepelin27, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021 

Again, althought the text is not "bad", 11...d5 was for choice for the defender 

12.e5 Nh7 

See the note to Black's 11th move: again 12...d5.

This oversight puts checkmate on the horizon.

13.f5+ Kh5 14.g4+ Kh4 15.g5+ Kh5 16.g6 

The "Jerome pawns" are playing their part in the attack.

Sharp-eyed Readers may have found 16.Qe2+ Kh4 17.Rf4+ Kxg5 18.h4#. Remember: in a 1-minute game, with the clock ticking, finding the winning line is enough.

16...Ng5 

The "best" defense, although insufficient, is 16...Qh4 17.Qe2+ Qg4+ 18.Qxg4+ Kxg4 19.gxh7 Nxe5 20.f6. 

17.Ne2 Nxe5 18.Ng3 checkmate

We are used to seeing Black's King dragged from safety into a checkmate on the Queenside. Here, we see the same finale on the Kingside. 

Jerome Gambit: Against the Barbarian

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, SkillerEP fights a barbarian, successfully wielding the opening as a weapon. 

SkillerEP - Barbarian123VA

30 0 classical, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 

7...d6 

Blackburne's Defense, made famous by the game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885. See "Flaws (Part I) and Flaws (Part II)".

Another path was 7...d5 8.Qxh8 Qh4 (8...c6 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.Qxg6 dxe4 11.O-O Black resigned, Pauze - BountoulisPaschalis, lichess.org, 2021) 9.O-O Bd7 (9...Bh3 10.d4 Nf6 11.Qxa8 Qg4 12.g3 Qf3 White resigned, MSMDOIPE - Rishigayle, lichess.org, 2021) 10.d4 Nf6 11.Qxa8 Black resigned, neelnikhar - GDC_baonam2009, lichess.org, 2022 

Likely strongest was Whistler's move, 7...Qe7, against which capturing Black's Rook would be too dangerous. 

8.Qxh8 

In this line, if White knows what he is doing, he can take the material and survive.

8...d5 

In many situations. ...d7-d5 is the best idea.

Here, however, 8...Qh4 was the move, with the possible followup 9.d4 Nf6 10.Nd2 Bxd4 11.O-O Qxf2+ 12.Kxh2 Ng4+ 13.Kg1 Bxh8 although Black has only the two Bishops as compensation for the exchange.

9.d4 

Or 9.Qxh7+ Kf6 (9...Kf8 10.Qxg6 dxe4 11.Qxe4 Nf6 12.Qe2 Bg4 13.f3 Bf5 14.d3 Nd5 15.Nc3 Nxc3 16.bxc3 Qh4+ 17.g3 Qf6 18.Kd2 Re8 19.Qg2 Be3+ 20.Kd1 Qxc3 21.Rb1 Bxd3 22.Bxe3 Bxc2+ 23.Qxc2 Rd8+ 24.Kc1 Qxe3+ 25.Kb2 Qd4+ 26.Qc3 Qf2+ 27.Ka1 Qxf3 28.Rhf1 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - sarenn, 5 12 blitz, FICS, 2010) 10.e5+ Kf5 11.O-O Kxe5 12.Qxg6 Bf5 13.Re1+ Kd4 14.c3+ Kd3 15.Qxf5+ Black resigned, HadesNoir - Ingerboi, lichess.org, 2020.

9...Bf8 

Or 9...Bb6 10.Qxh7+ Ke6 11.Qxg6+ Ke7 12.Bg5+ Black resigned, Robov - abayode10, lichess.org, 2023 

10.Qxh7+ Bg7 11.e5 Be6 12.Nd2 Black resigned

White is up the exchange and three pawns. He should be able to grind out a win - as Black acknowledges.

Jerome Gambit: Rare Move, Indeed

According to The Database, White has played 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ in over 55,500 games.

Black has declined the Bishop in about 1,200 games - about 2% of the time.

In the following, older, game, Black's method is unusual enough - the move makes up 12% of the declined games, or about .3% of the Jerome Gambit games, in general. 

A comparatively rare move, indeed.

Wall, Bill - Guest28776850

internet, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Ke7 

The King would do better at f8.

5.Bxg8 Rxg8 6.d4 Black resigned

I suspect that has to be tied for Bill's shortest Jerome Gambit game.

If the game were to continue, Black would have to meet the threat of 7.Bg5+, to win the Queen. Either 6...h6, 6...g5 or 6...Kf8 would do that, leaving White to capture the Bishop at c5.

Back to Preschool

 

Today, I was back, again, at the very informal chess club that gathers at a local library.

A decade and a half earlier, in the post "A Return to Pre-School" I made the point

I think if the bodacious Blackmar Diemer Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxd4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3) can be referred to as a "high school for tactics" then the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) can at least be dubbed a "pre-school for tactics".

So, this afternoon, with a BDG* sharpened by my study of the "pre-school" that is the Jerome Gambit, I played sharp, sacrificial attacking chess, culminating in checkmating my opponent.

Then, I defended against the Grob opening (1.g4) and weasled my way through the game, grabbing pawns, until my opponent, totally unimpressed with my opening play (sound like some reactions to the Jerome Gambit?) hung a Rook... Not that he was intimidated or anything by my play - he made me play out my King + Queen vs his King endgame, just to see if I would slip into a stalemate.  

I didn't slip.

But I didn't get a Jerome Gambit today, either.

*- Checking my files, I note two Blackmar Diemer Gambits that I played 34  years ago, well before my interest in the Jerome Gambit. I lost both games.

 

Jerome Gambit: It'z PDV

If you were going to choose one game to illustrate the Jerome Gambit, which one would it be?

Of course, the Number 1 game filling that role appears to be
Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885.

However It'z PDV's "#Guiccio piano: Jerome gambit" video shows something different.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

This position is as old as Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1-0, 28).

7.Qd5+ 

A gentle "nudge".

7...Kf6 

Instead, life is safer on the 8th rank.

8.d4 

Not the best move, but the double threat is irresistable. (I have reached this position in 5 games - Rick)

Black sees one of them.

8...Bb6 9.Bg5 checkmate

By the way, 9.Qg5+, which will win the Queen, is superficially attractive; but after 9...Kf7 10.Qxd8 White's Queen will be trapped and soon won. You will have to take my word for it, as there are no such games in The Database.