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.

Jerome Gambit: A Lot of Trash (Part 1)

I know that some critics view the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) as "trash", but I was not prepared in the following game, against a chess-playing bot at Chess.com, to receive a large helping of "trash talk". 

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

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

Why I continue to play against bots is still a puzzlement...

perrypawnpusher - Samantha bot

Chess.com, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 

...High-School Valedictorian Emeritus, Class President In Aeternum, Co-Chair of the Co-Chair Electorate, and Future Summa Cum Laude of Life. 

2...Nc6

...And you are? 

3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

Hmmm. Cute.

4...Kxf7

Adding to my bonafides. 

5.Nxe5+ 

You play just like my purebred labrador retriever. No offense. 

5...Nxe5

Whoever said winning isn't everything hasn't won anything.

6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5

You get an A for effort but an F for execution.

7...Bb6 8.Nc3 

Or 8.d3 as in perrypawnpusher - Urumpel, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 23); 

or 8.d4 as in perrypawnpusher - Compani, blitz, FICS, 2017 (1-0, 60)

8...Qf6 

At least pretend like you know what you're doing.

9.Qg3 Ne7 10.O-O Bd4 11.Na4 

More to the point is 11.Nb5, when Black has a slight advantage.

11...b5

I suppose average people must find meaning in life's little moments.

12.Nc3 a6 

13.Nd1 

This Knight has a poor sense of direction; better is 13.Ne2.

13...g5 14.c3 Be5

By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me. 

15.Qe3 d5 16.d4 Bf4 17.Qe2 Qg6

I'm not Type A. I'm Type A+.

18.e5 

18...Bxc1 19.Rxc1 Rb8 20.f4

Impressively unimpressive.

20...g4 21.f5 

The pawn advance is a bit risky, but, with my Rook and the enemy King on the same file, I want to open the f-file.

21...Qh6 

Attacking the unprotected Rook on c1, but this is short-sighted, and turns over the advantage to me.

22.Ne3 Kg7 

Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Jumping into a fork is not a good idea.

23.f6+ Kg6

I'm sure all of your buddies from your local bowling league are very proud.

24.fxe7

I'd suggest breathing through your nose rather than your mouth. You might circulate more oxygen to your brain that way.

24...Qg7 

Black's game is spiraling out of control.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: It's A Bear (Part 3)

                                                         

[continued from the previous post]

Here is the finish to my game with Bear Bot at Chess.com.

perrypawnpusher - The Bear Bot

Chess.com, 20216

Surely I can beat the bot...

37...Kd4 38.Rc8 Bc5 39.g4 

Another pawn joins in the fun!

Uh, 39.Rxc5 Kxc5 40.e7 was enough. 

39...Kxc4+ 40.Kg2 Kd4 41.g5 

See the second note to move 39.

41...Kxd5 42.Rxc5+ 

Finally.

42...Kd6 

Catch the passer!

43.Re5 

A distraction?

43...Kxe5 

Yes!

44.e7 Kf5 45.e8=Q Kxg5 

All that is left is for me to avoid stalemate.

46.Qf8 b5 47.Kf3 a5 48.Ke4 Kg6 49.Kd5 Kh5 50.Qg8 Kh6 51.Ke5 b4 52.Kf5 Kh5 53.Qg5 checkmate

As Samuel Johnson (who did not play chess) never said "Sir, the Jerome Gambit. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all."

Jerome Gambit: It's A Bear (Part 2)

 

                                                    

[continued from the previous post]

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

perrypawnpusher - The Bear Bot

Chess.com, 20216

20.O-O 

I flinched. 

I looked at the danger that my opponent's King was in, and began to worry about my King.

Readers who excel in attack will find 20.Rd7+ Kh6 21.Qh3+ Kg5 (or 21...Qh5 22.Rd6+ Kg7 23.Qxh5 winning Black's Queen;  or 21...Kg6 22.Qg4+ Kh6 23.Qh4+ Kg6 24.f4 Rcf8 25.Qg4+ Kh6 26.fxe5 Bf2+ 27.Ke2 Rhg8 28.Qh3+ Kg5 29.Qxh7 b6 30.Rg7+ Rxg7 31.Qxg7+ Kh4 32.Qh6+ Kg4 33.h3+ Kg3 34.Qg5#) 22.f4+ Qxf4 23.Rd5+ Kf6 24.Rf5+ Qxf5 25.Qxf5+ Ke7 26.Qe5+ Kd7 27.Qg7+ Kc6 28.Rf1 Rhf8 29.Rxf8 Rxf8 30.Qxf8 Kd7 31.Qf7+ Kc8 32.Qe8+ Bd8 33.Nb5 b6 34.Qc6+ Kb8 35.Nd6 Bh4+ 36.Ke2 b5 37.Qb7 checkmate

20...Rc7 21.Qg3+ 

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...  

My 21st move in this game is not bad, it is merely uninspired and lazy.

It should have been possible to find 21.Qg4+ Kf8 22.Rd8+ Kf7 23.Rd5 Qg7 24.Qf4+ Ke8 25.Rfd1 Qe7 26.Rd8+ Qxd8 27.Rxd8+ Kxd8 28.Qf6+ Kd7 29.Qxh8 when White has a Queen and 4 pawns for a Rook.

21...Qxg3 22.hxg3 

The game is no longer quick, it is more of a grind.

22...Rxc3 

Interesting and dynamic, breaking up White's Queenside pawns. At this point, Black has to come up with something.

23.bxc3 Rc8 24.Rd3 Ba5 25.f4 Rc4 26.e5 h5 

27.Rd7+ 

The right idea, attacking the enemy King, not worrying about losing a doubled pawn.

27...Kh6 28.Rfd1 h4 

29.R1d6+ 

This should checkmate in 8.

29...Kh5 30.Rh7+

This is fine, although 30.Rg7 mates faster.

30...Kg4 31.Rxh4+ 

See the above note

31...Kxg3 32.Rh8 Kxf4 33.e6 

Okay, if checkmate is too hard, maybe promote a pawn?

33...Bc7 34.Rd4+ 

See the note to move 21.

34...Rxd4 35.cxd4 Bd6 36.c4 Ke3 37.d5 

All this pawn stuff is funny - but it is the Jerome Gambit.

Instead, 37.e7 Bxe7 38.Re8 Kxd4 39.Rxe7.

[to be continued]

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.