Jerome Gambit: More Fun Quick Finishes

Some evenings I work late into the night, researching and analyzing, trying to find the elusive path to bringing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) a step or two further away from "just another refuted opening" and a step or two closer to being a "real" opening. (See "Jerome Gambit: Pinocchio" and "Jerome Gambit: Velveteen Rabit Part 1".)

Then, in the next morning's email, I get another handful of games with notes like "This is my first Jerome Gambit, ever, and I totally crushed the guy!" and I realize that the Jerome is not about finally becoming a boring, normal opening.

The Jerome Gambit is about playing chess and having fun.

So - here are some more quick hits that recently arrived.

The checkmate in the following game never gets old. We have seen this kind of thing before, and we will, no doubt, see it again.

GraysonTheHoff - tengodosperras
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6 7.e5 Nd5 8.Qf3+ Kg8 9.Qxd5#


The Jerome Gambit can inspire the sacrificial tendency in other openings, too. Jerome Sicilian, anyone?

UnitedN51 - Usern4me
3 2 blitz, Chess.com, 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 a6 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ne5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6 7.Qf5#



Here, the Petroff Defense, by transposition, meets the Jerome Gambit. Any guess which wins?

Hipernight - newguy587
3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nxe4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kg8 6.Qh5 Nf6 7.Qf7#


I don't know a lot about playing the Jerome against the Hungarian Defense, but players are kind enough to teach me.

EN93 - AreaPedonale
10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.d4 d6 8.Qf5#


My daughter bought me Murray Chandler's How to Beat Your Dad at Chess. I am sure she meant no harm. The following game could have wound up in that book. I hope the son didn't get grounded.

Son - Dad
friendly blitz, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Nc6 9.Qd5#


Finally, a Jerome Gambit that ended when the defender realized that his defense hadn't really defended.

Leicand - joskyano
3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Qh5+ Black resigned