Rx: Jerome Gambit

In light of the recent anti-doping scandal in chess – the Interna-tional Federa-tion of Chess (FIDE) wanting to drug test GM Vassily Ivanchuk (ranked #3 in the world) and the Grandmaster refusing – it wouldn't be surprising to find readers stopping by MedLibrary.org (or elsewhere) to look up what kind of medications might impact upon a chess player's over-the-board performance.

A surprise awaits: chess content. For example, there is a post on the Italian Game, including, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6. 3.Bc4, the following:

It strike me as risky for a site focused on medication to mention the Jerome Gambit without either mentioning clinical trials involving the opening, or at least offering a warning to those who might indulge. Therefore this blog offers one:

WARNING: The Jerome Gambit is quite disreputable and has quite a few refutations. Its use should be restricted to "fun" games or as a manner of offering "odds" to weaker opponents. The author is not responsible for any disasters that might come from using the Jerome Gambit (although he remains interested in learning about and staring at the wreckage).