Good to the End

The Jerome Gambit is a strange opening. White gets what he wants by giving Black a winning game. Black often fights to reach an even game, by giving up his advantage. The winner is the one who makes sense of this, and wins in the end.

Wall,B - Guest75785
PlayChess.com, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 Nxd4

I have to say that I am not very familiar with this "modern" (no 5.Nxe5) Jerome Gambit variation, even though I discovered that there are over 530 games in The Database with this position, including games by Jerome Gambit regulars like Darrenshome, DragonTail, drumme, ItsAllBullCheck, and yorgos.

Of course, Bill Wall is willing to experiment just about any game.

6.Nxe5+ Kf8 7.Be3 Ne6 8.Qh5 Qe7

Bill notes 8...Qf6 9.Nxd7+ Bxd7 10.Bxc5+ Ne7 11.Nc3 Nxc5 12.Qxc5 Qb6; not 8...g6? 9.Nxg6+.

9.Nc3 c6

White has equalized. It is important to remember the old adage: In the Jerome Gambit, when White has equalized, he has the advantage.

10.Ng6+ hxg6 11.Qxh8 Bxe3 12.fxe3 Ng5 

Bill prefers 12...Nd8.

13.Rf1+ Nf7 14.h4 Qe5 

As is frequently the case, 14...d5! is the move.

15.0-0-0 Qh5 16.Rxf7+ Kxf7

Not 16...Ke8?? 17.Qxg8#

17.Rf1+ Nf6 18.Qxh5 gxh5 19.e5 d5 20.exf6 gxf6

Black - or is it White? - has made it through the opening and the middle game and now has a roughly even endgame.

21.e4 d4

Or 21...Be6 22.exd5 cxd5 23.Nb5

22.Ne2 c5 23.e5 f5 24.Nf4 Be6 25.Nxh5 Rh8 26.g4

26...Kg6

Better 26...Rh6 or 26...b5. 

27.Nf4+ Kf7 28.gxf5 Bxf5 29.h5 Re8

This is a mistake that turns a position with a lot of drawing potential into a loss. The "Jerome pawns" can no longer be contained.

30.Nd3

Threatening 31.Rxf5+.

30...Ke6 31.Nxc5+ Kd5

Not 31...Kxe5? 32.Re1+

32.Rxf5 Kxc5 33.Rf7 Rxe5 34.h6 Rh5 35.h7 Kc6

36.Kd2 Rh3 37.Ke2 a5 38.Kf2 b5 39.Kg2 Rh5 40.Kg3 b4 41.Kg4 Rh2 42.Kg5 Black resigned

Still A Bad Idea

One benefit of Jerome-izing the Blackburne Shilling Gambit is that the game becomes transformed, and ideas that were playable in the original opening become sketchy in the "modified" version. That was true when we looked at the opening variation in the following game, four years ago, and it remains true today.

Oak  - sealse
blitz, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Qg5

A thematic move for the plain Blackburne Shilling Gambit, as covered in "Reeling Sequel", but not as strong here as taking the Knight.

7.cxd4 Qxg2 

Still leading to mate. It is worth knowing these things.

8.Qb3+ Kf6

Black holds out a move longer with 8...d5, i.e. 9.Qxd5+ Kf6 10.Qf7+ Kg5 11.h4+ Kh6 12.d3+ g5 13.hxg5# 

9.Qf7+ Kg5 10.d3+

Or 10.h4+ Kh6 11.d3+ g5 12.hxg5#

10...Kh4 11.Nf3+ Kg4

Black holds out longest, not that it means a lot, with 11...Qxf3 12.Qxf3 Bb4+ 13.Kf1 Be7 14.Qg3+ Kh5 15.Qh3+ Bh4 16.Qf3+ Kg6 17.Qf5#

 12.Qf5 checkmate

Snake Eyes

Shades of "Jerome's Double Gamble", the following game is the only one in the current Italian Game Thematic Tournament at Chess.com where I was able to play a Jerome Gambit - and it has the same feel as Bill Wall's last game: the wrong opponent at the wrong time...

perrypawnpusher (1747) - Buddy_Thompson (2051)
Italian Game Thematic Tournament, Chess.com, 2014

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6 10.fxe5+ Qxe5

11.Qf3 Nf6 12.d3 Ke7 13.Nc3 d5

14.Bf4 dxe4 15.dxe4 Qh5 16.Qxh5 Nxh5 17.Nd5+ Kd7 18.Nxc7

In retrospect, 18.Bxc7 was better, although White's game would remain difficult.

18...Nxf4 19.Nxa8 Ng2+ 20.Ke2 Kc6 21.Kf3 Ne3 22.b4 Rf8+ 23.Ke2 Bg4+ 24.Kd3 Rd8+ 25.Kc3 Bd4+ 26.Kd3 Bxa1+ 27.Kxe3 Be5 White resigned