Jerome Gambit: Amusement

From the pages of the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, June 18, 1881

A letter received from Mr. A. W. Jerome calls attention to the fact that he does not claim the Jerome Gambit to be analytically sound, but only that over the board it is sound enough to afforda vast amount of amusement.

Sometimes, White is amused. Sometimes, Black is.

There is a lesson there, somewhere.


DeathStroke97 - lunareclipse777
15 10 blitz, Chess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

Black's move is strong - if he knows some of the refutations of the Jerome.

Black's move is weak - if he is merely trying to hold onto all of the sacrificed material.

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 

Often Black plays 8...Qf6. Is the text move, instead, just an annoying check before the Queen moves to f6? Or - is there something more?

9.g3 Nf3+

Wow.

This move goes back to a fictional game presented in the American Chess Magazine, June, 1899, which lampooned the recent introduction of chess-by-telephone.

Such a move is also a strong indication the Black knows something about the Jerome Gambit, and has decided to launch a strong counter-attack. The line is complicated - The Database shows White winning 29 games, losing 21, and drawing 3 - but "objectively" dangerous for the first player.

10.Ke2 

White needed to play 10.Kf1, or at least 10.Kd1. It is not enough to rely upon his first impression that the Queens will be exchanged.

10...Nd4+

White resigned


After 11.Kd1 Nxf5 12.gxh4 Nxh4 it is true that the Queens have come off of the board - but Black remains 2 pieces ahead.