Jerome Gambit: Surprise Opening

Sometimes the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) comes as a surprise to the defender, and it takes only a few inaccurate moves for White's attack to take over and produce a victory. This is especially true in blitz chess, as the following game illustrates

Lasonialadiablo - Starrgirl

3 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Nf6 

The Jerome Gambit can be a good "surprise" weapon. Here, Black protects his Rook, which only became vulnerable because of 6...g6 - which seemed like a good move at the time. Best was to offer the piece with either 7...d6 or 7...Qe7, with complications to follow.

8.Qxc5 b6 

Also recently seen:

8...d6 9.Qc4+ Be6 10.Qc3 Qd7 11.e5 dxe5 12.Qxe5 Qd5 13.Qxc7+ Qd7 14.Qxd7+ Bxd7 15.O-O Ne4 16.d3 Nc5 17.Be3 Bf5 18.Bxc5 Black resigned, Toby - Mouad, 45 20, lichess.org, 2020; 

8...Nxe4 9.Qc4+ d5 10.Qd4 Ng5 11.O-O Bf5 12.d3 c5 13.Qxc5 Rc8 14.Qxa7 Ne6 15.Na3 Rc7 16.Nb5 Rc5 17.Qxb7+ Kf6 18.b4 Rc8 19.c4 Rf8 20.cxd5 Rc2 21.dxe6 Bxe6 22.Bh6 Rg8 23.Rae1 Bc8 24.Qf3+ Bf5 25.Re3 Rc8 26.Rfe1 Qd7 27.Qf4 g5 28.Re6+ Qxe6 29.Bxg5+ Rxg5 30.Rxe6+ Kf7 31.Qxg5 Kxe6 32.Nd4+ Kd5 33.Qxf5+ Kxd4 34.Qxc8 h6 35.b5 h5 36.b6 h4 37.b7 Ke5 38.b8=Q+ Kf6 39.Qb5 h3 40.Qbf5+ Kg7 41.Qcf8 checkmate, carlopatti - Computer Level 6, Chess.com, 2020; and

8...Re8 9.d3 d5 10.f3 dxe4 11.fxe4 Bg4 12.O-O b6 13.Qg5 Qd4+ 14.Be3 Qe5 15.Qxe5 Rxe5 16.Bd4 Re6 17.Nd2 c5 18.Bc3 Be2 19.Rf2 Bg4 20.h3 Bh5 21.g4 Kg7 22.Bxf6+ Rxf6 23.Rxf6 Kxf6 24.gxh5 gxh5 25.Rf1+ Kg5 26.Kh2 c4 27.Nxc4 Rc8 28.c3 b5 29.Ne5 Rd8 30.Nf7+ Kg6 31.Nxd8 Black resigned, angelcamina - merhad, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020. 

9.Qe3 Bb7 10.d4 d5 11.e5 Nh5 12.Qf3+ Kg7 

White has 2 extra pawns, one of them passed and protected. He is not yet thinking about the endgame, however, he is thinking about attack.

13.g4 Rf8 14.Qh3 Nf4 15.Bxf4 Rxf4 

16.Nd2 Qf8 17.O-O-O Qb4 

White offers a pawn, Black decines, White offers, Black declines. In a 3 3 blitz game, time is of the essence, not necessarily material.

18.Nf3 Bc8 

19.Ng5 Bxg4 

A slip. He needed to play the defensive 19...h6, driving the Knight back. Now his attack rolls on to victory.

20.Qxh7+ Kf8 21.Rdg1 Bf3 22.Ne6+ 

22...Ke8 23.Rxg6 Rf7 24.Rg8+ Qf8 25.Nxc7+ Rxc7 26.Rxf8+ Kxf8 27.Qxc7 Re8 28.Rg1 Bh5 29.Qg7 checkmate

Ouch!