A Feel For the Jerome Gambit

To play the Jerome Gambit at bullet speed - one minute time control, no increment - you can't always do deep analysis, and sometimes you can't do much analysis at all. You have to have a feel for the opening, where the pieces go, how things develop.

The following game, where angelcamina was using about a second a move, is a good example.

angelcamina - iheartannakendricks
1 0 bullet, lichess.org

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 b6

Not the usual response, but one that Jerome Gambit players are familiar with. I have faced it, as has gobo, MrJoker, Bill Wall, shugart - and Australian master Henry Charlick, over the board, back in 1884.

9.Qe3 Qe7 10.O-O Bb7 11.d3 Nf6 12.f4 Kf7 13.e5 Nd5 14.Qf2 Ngxf4 

I am not sure what Black is about, here, as White could simply capture with his Bishop.

15.g3 Qg5 

Certainly thinking of a kingside attack, now, although the e-pawn could be had for free.

16.Bxf4 Nxf4 17.Qxf4+ Qxf4 18.Rxf4+ Ke6 

Whoosh! Things have transformed into a Queenless middlegame where White is probably better. Certainly his moves are reasonable to come by.

19.d4 Rhf8 20.Rxf8 Rxf8 21.Nc3 c5 22.dxc5 bxc5 23.Rd1 Bc6 24.Re1 a6 25.Ne4 Rf5 26.Nxc5+ Kd5 27.Nxa6 Rxe5 28.Nb4+ Ke6 29.Rxe5+ Kxe5 30.Nxc6+ dxc6 

Moves came rapid fire, like out of a machine gun. White's win is straight forward.

31.Kf2 Kd4 32.Ke2 c5 33.a4 c4 34.a5 Kc5 35.Ke3 Kb5 36.a6 Kxa6 37.Kd4 Kb5 38.c3 g6 39.g4 h6 40.h4 g5 41.h5 Ka4 42.Kxc4 

42...Ka5 43.Kc5 Ka4 44.b4 Kb3 45.b5 Kxc3 46.b6 Kd3 47.b7 Ke3 48.b8=Q Kf3 49.Qd6 Kxg4 50.Qxh6 Kf4 51.Qg6 g4 52.h6 Kg3 53.Qxg4+ Kf2 54.h7 Ke1 55.h8=Q Black resigned

It is wise not to get in a footrace against angelcamina.