Scotch Gambit: Be Very Careful

 

It is only fair to give your opponent who is defending against the Jerome Gambit and related openings the advice from baseball player Yogi Berra

You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there.

In the following game, Black is on the road to success - until suddenly, as the Talking Heads sing, he was on the road to nowhere.

Ouch.

LSCLegend13 - Herculean_Widhynovich

10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 

The Scotch Gambit.

4...h6 

To keep enemy pieces off of g5, even at the cost of time and possibly weakening the e8-h5 diagonal.

5.O-O Bc5 6.Bxf7+ 

Comparing the sacrifice in this game with LSCLegend13's earlier one against hughtough230, White has added the helpful 0-0, while Black has spent time with ...h6

We have already reached the point that there are no games with this position in The Database.

The closest game has 6.c3 dxc3 and then continues with 7.Bxf7+, i.e. 7...Kxf7 8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qxc3 Nf6 11.Nbd2 Qe8 12.b3 Qf7 13.Ba3 Be6 14.Nd4 Nxd4 15.Qxd4 g5 16.e5 Nd5 17.exd6 Kg8 18.dxc7 Nxc7 19.Bb2 Kh7 20.Ne4 Rad8 21.Nf6+ Kg6 22.Qe4+ Bf5 23.Qf3 g4 24.Nxg4 Bxg4 25.Qxg4+ Kh7 26.Qe4+ Kg8 27.Qe5 Qh7 28.Qg3+ Kf8 29.Ba3+ Ke8 30.Rfe1+ Kd7 31.Qg4+ Black resigned, Viner,William - Siebenhaar,Willem, Perth 1905. 

It is fun, if a bit off task, to add the following about each player

From the Australian Dictionary of Biography

Interested in chess from the age of 15, Siebenhaar had won a divided 3rd prize in the Dutch Chess Federation's annual tournament in 1881. He continued this pastime in Perth and became the unofficial Western Australian champion following a match with Ernest Hack in 1892; he took over Hack's chess column in the Western Mail. In 1894 he lost his honorary champion's title but remained an active player. Suffering from ill health, he again visited Britain and attended the Scheveningen chess tournament in the Netherlands in 1913.

From Wikipedia

Viner was the West Australian champion in 1900, 1901, 1903 and 1905, and won the Perth Chess Club's handicap tournament three times. He also won the Australian Chess Championship four times (1906, 1912, 1913, 1924) and once New Zealand Chess Championship in 1907. 

Ahem.

6...Kxf7 

Suddenly, through the magic of transposition, The Database has 46 games with the position, with White scoring 45%. (Some of the games even start with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)

7.Ne5+ 

Very Jerome-ish - capturing a non-existant Knight.

7...Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ng6 9.Qxc5 

Black has an extra piece. Still, he has to be careful.

9...N8e7 10.Qxd4 d5 

Textbook play.

11.f3 dxe4 

Careless, but not losing.

12.fxe4+ Kg8 

As Yogi said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

Black chooses the wrong fork. Instead, 12...Ke8 would have maintained his advantage.

13.Qxd8+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Ideas vs Ideas

Chess is a conflict between the ideas of one player and the ideas of his opponent.

In the following game, we see Black rolling out some of his ideas about how to treat the game - only to be rolled up by White's ideas, that counter them.

Wall, Bill - Danny

internet, 2025

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

 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Qf6 8.Rf1 g6 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.Nc3 Nd3+ 

Black decides to return one of his two extra pieces. It is an interesting idea: after 11.cxd3, White's forward d-pawn would block his original d-pawn, which would block his Bishop, which blocks the King from castling Queenside.

However, White can capture with his offside Queen, when the position is equal.

Black should have considered the more relevant 10...d6. 

11.Qxd3 Qh4+ 

Another forcing move by Black: White must move his King, forfeiting the right to castle, or give up the h-pawn.

12.g3 Qxh2 

13.b4 

Bill has ideas of his own. This pawn offer must be declined (13...Bxb4 14.Nd5+ followed by 15.Nxb4), and White gains some time.

13...Bb6 14.Nd5+ 

White will collect the dark square Bishop, anyway.

And more.

14...Kd8 15.Nxb6 axb6 16.Bb2 

Black resigned

White's Bishop will win the Rook at h8.

White can also castle, if he so wishes.

Jerome Gambit: Scotch Gambit

I recently received a friendly email that I would like to quote from

I came across a chess video on YouTube by GM Aman Hambleton in 2020 where he played the Jerome Gambit. He was apparently inspired by your research into this wonderfully strange and unusual opening.

Readers can check out posts "Jerome Gambit: All In Good Fun" and "Jerome Gambit: New Games Coming" for Grandmaster Hambleton's encounter with the Jerome Gambit, and his influence on the opening's popularity.

Ever since then, I have always wanted to try it and finally it happened. I am rated 884 and my opponent was rated 729. The game ended after 9 moves to my surprise. It seems obvious that my opponent had never seen the Jerome before and was completely unprepared for it. I would venture to say that that surprise factor is what makes the Jerome so enticing to play. 

Exactly! 

Take a look at a stark exposition of this impact in "Sac a pawn, or a piece, or a..."

The email continues

I usually play the Scotch Gambit as White. So the Jerome in this game transposed out of the Scotch gambit. Attached is the PGN. Please let me know if this game is worthy of being added to your database. I would be so honored to hear back from you. If I am successful in future games, please let me know if you would like to continue to receive them from me.

I am always interested in receiving Jerome Gambit and Jerome-related games and analysis. In the case of the aforementioned game, it provides an opportunity to touch on earlier discussions as well. 

LSCLegend13 - hughtuff230

5 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4

The Scotch Gambit. 

4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The earliest example that I have of this position in The Database is Wright - Hunn, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 1874 (0-1, 18).

Presented in the November 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal, it garnered the overall assessment "Brilliant but not sound."

Further, the Dubuque Chess Journal continued

An unsound variation of Jerome's double opening.

Note that it is the P at Q5 [d4] that gives the second player such a wonderfully harassing position later in the game.

5...Kxf7 6.Ne5+ 

According to the 1874 Dubuque Chess Journal "SK5 [Ne5] à la Jerome is better than SS5 [Ng5]." 

In 2026, Stockfish 17.1 disagrees, rating 6.Ng5+ higher than 6.Ne5+, but it actually prefers 6.c3, with a possible transposition to the Goring Gambit.

6...Nxe5 7.Qh5+

7...Ke6 

Save that Knight.

8.f4 g6 

Kick that Queen.

9.Qxe5+ 

Black resigned

That was fast.

The Bishop will be taken, too. Material will be even, but Black's King will still be unsafe.

I think, though, that hughtuff230 should have played on for one more move. If he played 9...Kf7 and White responded with 10.Qxh8, Black could push back with 10...Qh4, when the first player would only have a small edge.

Of course, I am sure that LSCLegend13 would have captured the Bishop, and, later, the pawn on d4, settling things.

Jerome Gambit: Secrets of International Chess Champion

              

Journeying through the Google Books website, searching for "Jerome Gambit", I came across Karri Raju's self-published 

Secrets of International Chess Champion: A Journey to Mastery (2025), which includes light coverage [and very large diagrams] of the Jerome in the "GAMBITS OF CHESS GAME" chapter.

It is unclear which "International Chess Champion" the book's title refers to, but it is not likely the author, who appears to be rated similarly to the creator of this blog.

Mr. Raju, is a bank credit analyst who is "very passionate about playing chess with various extraordiary tricks with my friends". 

He has a short blog online, focused on his two books (the other is Principles of Working Capital Finance), and pointing out

The most important gambits are 

1. JEROME GAMBIT

...[W]hile it may be "useful" as a surprise weapon at lower levels or in casual play, it rarely leads to success against more experienced, knowledgeable opponents.

Positives of the Jerome Gambit, according to the author, include surprise value, practical chances, and fun and experimentation.

Joining most other titles that cover the Jerome Gambit, the one game that Secrets includes is Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885. 

Readers are encouraged to check out the links given in this post, and then compare what they have learned with, say, Jerome Gambit: Book (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7). Although I have always been a supporter of self-published and small publisher chess books, I have to admit that there is much more for the Jerome Gambiteer in the latter, than the former. Still, if you are collecting resources for this opening - here is another.

Jerome Gambit: Happy Valentine's Day

 

Happy Valentine's Day

from Jerome

Jerome Gambit: Sidestepped Threat

The following chess game sees threats to both Queens - sidestepped, perhaps unnoticed, ultimately unplayed.

 

angelcamina - RussianMaverik

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qe7 

According to The Database, angelcamina has reached this position in 52 games, scoring 68%. That is better than the results of The Database as a whole, 566 games with White scoring 58%.  

As a reflection of the chaos of the Jerome Gambit, Stockfish 16.1 (37 ply) evaluates the position as being 1 1/2 pawns better for Black.

9.Qc4 

The computer prefers an exchange of Queens here. It is understandable that this choice does not appeal to a human player.

9...Ne5

It can be very attractive to attack the enemy Queen, especially in a bullet game, to distract the player from his intended course. 

More to the point is 9...d5. 

10.Qxc7 Nc6 11.Nc3 Nf6 12.d3 

White has three pawns and a safer King for his sacrificed piece.

12...b6 13.Bf4 

Developing White's dark-square Bishop is a good idea, but this is not the square to use. 

What happens - or does not happen - is a reflection of the bullet time control. 

13...Ba6 

Playing over the game, with a lot of time and a cup of coffee, I noticed that 13...Ne8 would trap the Queen. Easy to overlook with the time ticking down.

The text move misses the threat to his own Queen. Easy to overlook with the time ticking down.

14.Bd6 Qxd6 15.Qxd6+ Ne7 

White now needs to make use of his advantage in material, before his flag falls.

16.O-O Kf7 17.f4 Nc8 18.Qa3 Bb7 

19.e5 Nh5 20.Ne4 Bxe4 21.dxe4 Re8 22.Rad1 Kg8 23.Rxd7 

23...g6 24.Qb3+ Kf8 25.Qf7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: In The End, The Jerome Pawns

The following game has its tactical conflicts, but, when the smoke clears, the "Jerome pawns" help win the day.

angelcamina - LuuPhucMinh_CBT

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.

According to The Database, angelcamina has 305 games with White with this position, scoring 59%. 

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Re8 

9.O-O Kg8 10.f4 Nc6 

Or 10...Nf7 11.e5 Nh5 12.Bd2 g6 13.g4 Ng7 14.Rae1 d6 15.exd6 Rxe1 16.Rxe1 cxd6 17.Nd5 Bxg4 18.Bc3 Qf8 19.Nf6+ Kh8 20.Nxg4 h5 21.Nf6 Re8 22.Rxe8 Nxe8 23.Nxe8+ Kg8 24.Nf6+ Kh8 25.Nxh5+ Kh7 26.Nf6+ Kh6 27.f5 gxf5 28.Qh4+ Kg6 29.Nd7 Qe7 30.Qxe7 f4 31.Qf6+ Kh5 32.Qxf7+ Kg4 33.Nf6+ Kf3 34.Nd5 Ke2 35.Qxf4 Kd1 36.Qe3 b5 37.Qd2 checkmate, angelcamina - brylloyy, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020 

11.Qc4+ Kh8

Or 11...d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Nxd5 Be6 14.Rd1 (14.Ne7+ Qxe7 15.Qb5 Rad8 16.b3 Nd4 17.Qxb7 Nxc2 18.Rb1 Qc5+ 19.Kh1 Ne3 20.Bxe3 Qxe3 21.f5 Bd5 22.Qxc7 Qe2 23.Rg1 Rc8 24.Qd6 Rc2 25.Qxd5+ Kh8 26.h3 Rg8 27.Qd4 Qh5 28.f6 Rgc8 29.fxg7+ Kg8 30.Rbf1 R2c7 31.Rf8+ Rxf8 32.gxf8=Q+ Kxf8 33.Qh8+ Ke7 34.Re1+ Kd6 35.Qd4+ Kc6 36.Rc1+ Kb7 37.Qb4+ Kc8 38.Qf8+ Kb7 White resigned, angelcamina - photoking007, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025) 14...Ne7 15.Nxe7+ Rxe7 16.Rxd8+ Rxd8 17.Qe2 Rdd7 18.Qf3 Bd5 19.Qg4 Be6 20.Qf3 Bd5 21.Qg4 Be6 22.Qh5 Bf7 23.Qf3 Bd5 24.Qg4 draw, angelcamina - Bicycle_day, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2018 

12.e5 

Here come the "Jerome pawns".

Or 12.b3 b6 13.Bb2 a5 14.a4 Ba6 15.Nb5 Nb4 16.e5 Nfd5 17.Qe2 c6 18.Nd6 Bxe2 White resigned, angelcamina - Yuma_Durruti, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024 

12...Ng4 

Countering the "Jerome pawns" by starting an attack on the Kingside - but, that, in turn, is countered.

 Or 12...d5 13.exd6 Qxd6 14.b3 Qd4+ 15.Qxd4 Nxd4 16.Bb2 Nxc2 17.Rac1 Ne3 18.Rfe1 Ned5 19.Rxe8+ Nxe8 20.Nxd5 c6 21.Ne7 Be6 22.f5 Bf7 23.f6 gxf6 24.Rf1 Kg7 25.Nf5+ Kg6 26.Nh4+ Kg5 27.g3 h6 $2 28.Rf5+ Kg4 29.Kg2 Be6 30.h3 checkmate, angelcamina - MrCrawfish, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025; or

12...Ng8 13.Ne4 d5 14.exd6 cxd6 15.Ng5 Qf6 16.Nf7+ Qxf7 17.Qxf7 Be6 18.Qh5 Nd4 19.c3 Nc2 20.Rb1 Bc4 21.Rd1 Nf6 22.Qf3 Be2 23.Qf2 Bxd1 24.Bd2 Ne4 25.Qh4 Nxd2 26.Rxd1 Nc4 27.f5 Rf8 28.Qxc4 Rae8 29.Qb3 Re1+ 30.Rxe1 Nxe1 31.Qd1 Re8 32.Kf2 Kg8 33.Qxe1 Rxe1 34.Kxe1 Black resigned, angelcamina - DMagnusH1993, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025 

13.h3 Nh6 14.f5 d6 15.e6 

Blocking the light-squared Bishop.

15...Qf6

A slip which angelcamina immediately takes advantage of.

It was time for Black to return a piece for a couple of pawns: 15...Nxf5 16.Rxf5 Bxe6 17.Rd5 Bd7 18.Bg5 c6 19.Rf1 Qb6+ 20.Kh2 Nxd5, keeping his advantage.

16.Nd5 Qd4+ 

The exchange of Queens does not slow White.

17.Qxd4 Nxd4 18.Nxc7 Nxc2 19.Rb1 b6 20.Bxh6 gxh6 21.Nxe8

White's Knight collected a Rook; Black's did not.

21...Ba6 22.Nc7 Rc8 23.Nxa6 Black resigned 

Black is down a Rook, and still has to deal with two connected, passed "Jerome pawns".