Jerome Gambit: Defending His Way to Victory

If you have the advantage in a chess game, the recommendation goes, you should attack - or run the risk of having the advantage disappear.

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game shows White on the defensive in the beginning, as Black tries to use his advantage - but not successfully. By the time White is done with his quiet moves, he has a better game, and then goes on to victory.

amazinggamer99 - Kunalkant

2 1 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.d3

This move was seen most recently in a couple of 3 minute blitz games by SanitationEngineer (see "Jerome Gambit: GM vs GM, Upset" and "Jerome Gambit: GM vs GM, Upset Again").

Black's King is relatively safe on f8. His Bishop at c5 prevents easy castling by White, putting a Rook on f1 to stare at His Majesty.

9...Be6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Qxe3 Ng4 12.Qd2 Qh4 

White has disposed of Black's dark square Bishop, but now faces another threat, should he castle.

13.Nc3 h5 

Aggressive blitz play. 

14.h3 Rh6 

An interesting Rook lift, but over-estimating the power of the current pin on White's h-pawn: things can change.

15.g3 Qe7 16.hxg4 Bxg4 

White has achieved a somewhat better position, largely by defending. He could now prepare to castle Queenside with 17.f3, as 17...Bxf3 18.0-0 would win the exchange, i.e. 18...Rf6 19.Qe3 Qf7 20.Nd5. Instead, he positions his Queen to escort the f-pawn - and is immediately gifted with the exchange, after all.

17.Qe3 Rf6 18.Nd5 Qf7 19.Nxf6 Qxf6 20.f3 Qxb2 

This threat can be dealt with - by not castling.

21.Kd2 Be6 22.Rab1 Qxa2 23.Qg5 b6 24.Qxh5 Qa5+ 

White's Queen looks like trouble, so Black exchanges it off, but the problems do not stop.

25.Qxa5 bxa5 26.Rb7 a4 27.Rh8+ Bg8 28.Kc1 a3 29.f4 a5 

Black's passed a-pawns are not going to amount to anything, especially after White closes down the a2-g8 diagonal.

30.c4 a4 31.Kb1 g6 32.Rxc7 Rb8+ 33.Ka2 Rb3 

He might as well try to distract his opponent and hope for help from the clock.

34.g4 Rxd3 35.Rc8+ Ke7 36.Rhxg8 Re3 37.e5 dxe5 38.fxe5 Kd7 39.Rgd8+ Ke6 40.Re8+ Kd7 41.c5 Rxe5 

Clock or slip? Doesn't matter.

42.Rxe5 g5 43.Rb8 Kc7 44.Rb6 Black resigned