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The competitor GladtoMateYou cooked up something special in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) for his opponents in the current Chessworld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament.

In each of his 14 games with the White pieces, GladtoMateYou played 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Qe2.

The move is rare, and the earliest examples that I have in my database come from Plejade in 2003. It is a reflection of a Bishop's Opening line that goes back to Ruy Lopez: 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qe2.

In the diagram, White has the threat of Qe2-c4+ followed by Qxc5. Defenders who trot out their moves a bit too routinely with the Black pieces (thinking The Jerome Gambit isn't dangerous, etc.) are at risk...

In this tournament, 9 out of 14 times GladtoMateYou was able to grab the Bishop. So far, he has won two games and lost two games, but we will keep our eye on this creative player.

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws