Jerome Gambit: It All Adds Up

When you have played over 500 Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games, it is a good bet that you know what is going on, what your choices are, and what your opponent's choices are. This, in turn, makes the "1-0" come easier.

Wall, Bill - Guest616903

PlayChess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome played this move a few times, although he preferred 6.Qh5+. The Database - which reflects my research, and certainly does not have all of AWJ's games - shows his record with 6.d4 as 1-0-1 with 3 unfinished games. It shows his record with 6.Qh5+ as 5-10-1, with 3 unfinished games.

The Database points out that Bill Wall has played 6.d4 in 312 games, scoring 92%, while he has played 6.Qh5+ in 226, scoring "only" 89%.

6...Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Nc6 

He could also have supported his Knight in its post with 7...d6.

8.Qc4+ 

Bill has been in this position before, and has chosen other moves, as well:

8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.Qc4 d6 11.O-O Ne5 12.Qb3 c6 13.f4 Nf7 14.Be3 Qe7 15.Rae1 Be6 16.Qb4 a5 17.Qd4 Ng4 18.Bc1 c5 19.Qd3 h5 20.h3 Ngh6 21.f5 Bd7 22.Nd5 Qd8 23.f6 g6 24.Ne7 Ne5 25.Qxd6 Nhf7 26.Qxc5 b6 27.Qd5 Be8 28.Bf4 Qxd5 29.exd5 Bb5 30.Rf2 Nd7 31.Nxg6+ Kg8 32.Nxh8 Kxh8 33.Re7 Kg8 34.Be3 Rc8 35.b3 Nde5 36.Bxb6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest7503555, PlayChess.com, 2017;

8.Qd2 Nf6 (8...d6 9.Nc3 Be6 10.O-O g6 11.f4 Nge7 12.Nd5 Bxd5 13.exd5 Nb8 14.f5 gxf5 15.Qe2 Qd7 16.Bh6 Ke8 17.Rae1 Rg8 18.Rxf5 Kd8 19.Rf7 Re8 20.Bg5 c6 21.Qh5 cxd5 22.Rfxe7 Rxe7 23.Rxe7 Qb5 24.Qf7 Nd7 25.Rxd7+ Kc8 26.Rd8 checkmate, Wall,B - 1063314, lichess.org, 2017) 9.Nc3 d6 10.O-O Bg4 11.b3 Re8 12.Bb2 Kg8 13.Rae1 Nb4 14.a3 Nc6 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Rxe1 17.Qxe1 Ne5 18.f4 Ng6 19.f5 Nh4 20.Qe6+ Kh8 21.Qh6 Nxf5 22.Rxf5 Bxf5 23.Qxg7 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest10755845, PlayChess.com, 2018; 

8.Qd1 Nf6 9.Nc3 d6 10.O-O Re8 11.Bf4 Nxe4 12.Qd5+ Be6 13.Qxe4 g6 14.Rae1 Bxa2 15.Qxe8+ Qxe8 16.Rxe8 Rxe8 17.Nxa2 Nd4 18.Be3 Nxc2 19.Rc1 Nxe3 20.Rxc7+ Re7 21.Rxe7+ Kxe7 22.fxe3 d5 23.Nc3 Kd6 24.Nb5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - PerGranBom, lichess.org, 2017; and

8.Qd3 Nf6 9.Nc3 d6 10.O-O h6 11.f4 Re8 12.Bd2 Kg8 13.Rae1 a6 14.Nd5 Be6 15.Bc3 Bxd5 16.exd5 Nb8 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Qg6+ Kf8 19.Qxh6+ Kg8 20.Qg6+ Kf8 21.Re5 dxe5 22.fxe5 Nd7 23.exf6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Number555777, lichess.org, 2017. 

8...Kf8 

Slightly better than 8...Ke8 9.O-O d6 10.Nc3 Qe7 11.Re1 Ne5 12.Qd4 c5 13.Qd2 Nf6 14.f4 Nc4 15.Qe2 Be6 16.e5 Bg4 17.Qxc4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Kas55, lichess.org, 2016. 

9.O-O 

Or: 9.Bd2 d6 10.O-O Nf6 11.Nc3 Ne5 12.Qb3 b6 13.Rfe1 Qe7 14.f4 Nc6 15.e5 dxe5 16.fxe5 Nxe5 17.Qb5 Nfd7 18.Bf4 c6 19.Qf1 Ke8 20.Bxe5 Nxe5 21.Rxe5 Qxe5 22.Re1 Qxe1 23.Qxe1+ Kd7 24.Ne4 Kc7 25.Qg3+ Kd8 26.Qg5+ Ke8 27.Qxg7 Rf8 28.Nd6+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest7127865, PlayChess.com, 2019. 

9...Ne5 

Returning to his post, and harassing the enemy Queen while he is at it. Komodo 11 still sees Black as a little bit better, but he could also have tried 9...Qf6, e.g. 10.Nc3 Qd4 11.Qe2 Nge7 12.Nb5 Qb6 13.Be3 Qa5 14.c4 a6 15.Bd2 Qb6 16.Qf3+ Kg8 17.Qb3 axb5 18.c5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest526975, PlayChess.com, 2016.

10.Qb3 Nf6 11.f4 Neg4 

Off to adventures on the Kingside!

12.e5 Nh5 13.Qh3 Nxf4

This does not look right. Best was probably to return the Knight to f6 and surrender a piece, i.e. 13...Nhf6 14.exf6 Nxf6.

14.Rxf4+ Kg8 15.Qb3+ d5 16.exd6+ Black resigned

It is checkmate next move.