I recently received an email and Jerome Gambit game from Jackcchow, who plays at Chess.com.
I was surprised as black to have been involved in the Jerome gambit. I had never had it played against me and had to play this with a lot of thought and improvisation. After the game I had to look this up...
Later, he shared his strategy
It was an entertaining experience to play this out. At key points of the game I saw a variety of lines that could have played out with chances for either black or white. Not knowing the standard variations during play, I relied on key principles and classical objectives such as seizing whatever files, ranks and diagonals as I could (or denying those to white) and trying to exchange material to accentuate the lead I was conferred by the gambit itself. I tried to maintain tempo and use sharp lines of counterattack during white's pawn advance.
Let's take a look.
AlexBuranov - Jackcchow
Chess.com, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6
This is not an often-played move - The Database has 31 examples. White scores 58%, but if you subtract Bill Wall's 5 wins (and no losses) - he is successful in every line in the Jerome Gambit - that drops to 50%. Solid, for Black.
7.dxc5 Qe7 8.Qd5+ Qe6 9.O-O Qxd5 10.exd5 Nf6 11.c4 c6 12.d6
Allowing the exchange of Queens was probably not White's strongest idea, but he has clearly latched upon a truism in the Jerome Gambit: Black loses many games by leaving his light-squared Bishop at home, where it blocks the development of his Rook. So: White locks it all down.
Almost.
12...b6 13.Be3 Rb8 14.cxb6 axb6 15.Nc3 Ba6
The Bishop emerges.
16.b3 b5 17.c5
If only he could now get in b3-b4, but Black moves first.
17...b4 18.Na4 Bxf1 19.Kxf1 Ng4 20.Bd4 Nxh2+ 21.Ke2 Rhe8+ 22.Kd3 Ng4
White is down a Rook for a pawn; pretty grim. Black continues his steady play,
23.Nb6 N4e5+ 24.Kc2 Rb7 25.Re1 Ra7 26.Kb1 Ng4 27.Rf1 Re2
28.Na4 Rd2 29.Bb2 Rxf2 30.Rh1 Nf6 31.Bxf6 Kxf6 32.Rxh7 Rxg2
33.Rh3 Ke5 34.Rd3 Nf4 35.Re3+ Kd4 36.Rf3 Nd3 37.Rf1 Ra8 38.Rd1 Rf8 White resigned
Black's extra Rook will enter the fray and finish things off. Pretty good result for being surprised by the Jerome Gambit.
If the Jerome Gambit comes as a surprise, the defender has to construct some kind of defense, even if it is home-made. In the following bullet game, Black's efforts lead to a quick disaster.
angelcamina - medved29
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Be7
With one minute (and no increment) for the whole game, it is difficult to create a defense from scratch.
Instead, 7...d6 would have been the Blackburne defense, while 7...Qe7 would have been the Whistler defense. Both lead to lively play.
8.Qxh8 Bf6
Black's idea, but it doesn't work. He could have kept his deficit at the exchange and a couple of pawns with 8...Nf6 9.Qxd8 Bxd8 10.Nc3 d5, but he would still face the prospect of being ground down.
9.Qxh7+ Bg7 10.O-O d6 11.f4 Nf6 12.Qh4 Qe7
13.Nc3 Be6 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Rh8 16.Qg3 Black resigned
Black will lose the Knight, leaving him a Rook and a couple pawns down.
In my second game in the first round of the "Italian Game Battlegrounds" tournament at Chess.com, I got the chance, again, to play in Jerome Gambit style when it wasn't absolutely necessary. What can I say?
perrypawnpusher - Aborygen
Italian Game Battlegrounds, Chess.com, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5
I have covered this line in many past posts. It doesn't seem to have a name. The idea, apparently, is that Black wants to exchange a Knight for a Bishop, after 4.Bb3 Nxb3, etc.
White's best response to 3...Na5 is to go along with the plan, after grabbing a pawn: 4.Nxe5 Nxc4 5.Nxc4 d5 (Stockfish's suggestion) 6.exd5 Qxd5 7.Ne3, when it is difficult to find Black's compensation for the material, other than whatever psychological discomfort White may have for being pulled out of his opening routine.
4.Bxf7+
The Jerome Gambit treatment. What can I say?
I have played this three times before: perrypawnpusher - metheny, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 8); perrypawnpusher - sebapvar, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 10 ); and perrypawnpusher - wred, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 35).
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7
Strange, because it seems to block Black's development, but after the game Stockfish 10 identified this move as best.
6.Nc3 Nf6 7.d4 d6
White has 2 pawns for his sacrificed piece, and Black's King is uneasy, while one of his Knights appears unemployed.
8.Nd5+
The idea here is that Black needs more than 8...Nxd5 9.exd5 dxe5 because of 10.Bg5+, winning the Queen.
8...Ke8 9.Bg5
This seems to be a novelty, according to The Database, but it is a reasonable idea: if, now, 9...dxe5, then 10.dxe5, and Black's Knight at f6 is pinned and will be lost. Still, that might have been the best route for my opponent to take.
9...Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Qh5+
The idea behind exchanging on f6.
11...g6 12.Nxg6 hxg6 13.Qxg6+
White is down 2 pieces for the moment, but he has 4 extra pawns.
13...Kd7
Black's King seeks safety on the Queenside. It might have been a bit more secure on the Kingside, after 13...Kf8 14.Nxf6 Qe7, but White would still be better, as his 4 pawns would outweigh Black's extra piece.
14.Nxf6+ Kc6
15.b4
Hitting the offside Knight.
15...Nc4 16.b5+
A two-fold move: If Black captures the pawn, White's Rook can come into play, with check, with Rb1+; and if Black does not capture the pawn, White has stopped him from playing ...b7-b5 - I had been looking at a possible Qf7, attacking the Knight and possibly bringing the Queen over to the Queenside, but what if the defender just supported the Knight with the pawn?
16...Kb6
Black does not want the pawn, yet, and now White's 17.Qf7 would be met by 17...Rf8, and things would not be so clear after 18.Qxc4 Qxf6. Time to get White's Knight out of the way.
The position is complicated, but White has to at least gain back material - while threatening checkmate various ways.
17.Nd5+ Ka5
Persistent in resisting the pawn, but this opens up another avenue of attack for me.
18.Qg3
If Black now captures the b-pawn, White gathers in some material: 18...Kxb5 19.Qb3+ Kc6 20.Qxc4+ Kd7 21.Nxc7 and White would simply be 4 pawns up. In the meantime, White threatens to bring his Queen to c3 or b3 - with check.
18...Qh4
Threatening White's pawn at e4, and possibly, after that, White's uncastled King; but it is too late. White keeps moving with check.
19.Qc3+ Kxb5 20.Nxc7+ Kb6 21.Nxa8+ Black resigned
If, now, 21...Kb5, White's Rook would finally enter the fray with 22.Rb1+, and the Knight would be lost.
