Jerome Gambit: A Fun Game

I recently received a fun game. It wasn't perfect, it was a blitz game between a couple of club level players. In fact, at times it resembled a couple of wrestlers, wearing roller skates, on ice...

But - White played the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), he aggressively went after the enemy King, and he kept at it until there was a checkmate.

That's why we play the Jerome, right?

Play over the game. How much will you see? How much will you miss?

xLopap - Joaozin0016

3 2 blitz, Chess.com, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.Nc3 

An energetic alternative to 8.f4. The Database has 121 earlier examples, with White scoring 27% - but xLopap plans to improve on that.

8...Ne7 9.Nb5+ Kc6 10.Qxe5 Kxb5 

Black's King has wandered far from home. Is there a checkmate yet?

White can sacrifice a pawn with 11.d4 d6 12.Qg3 Bxd4 13.Qb3+ but that doesn't seem to be enough. He decides, rightly, to get a Rook pawn - and behind it, a Rook - involved.

11.a4+ Kc6 12.d4 

Which pawn, which pawn?

Do you go for the King, or do you stop and pick up a piece?

He could have tried 12.Qc3 b6 13.d4 d6 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.Qxg7, but that seems like a distraction.

Besides, he is playing against another average guy, not Stockfish. Let's get that center pawn out.

12...Bd6 

A good idea at a bad time. Simplest would have been to kick the enemy Queen with 12...d6. He still is going to surrender the Bishop after 13.Q-moves (Why?) but a long-term strategy will pull him through.

The problem? In a 3 minute blitz game, there often is not time to develop a long-term strategy. 

13.d5+  

Attack the King! 

White, however, overlooks his sudden good fortune and a chance to end the game... How?

13...Kb6 

It is still: Target the King.

14.Qd4+ 

The Queen continues her attack, and maintains her dominance over the Bishop - which, at least, no longer blocks the d-pawn, which blocks the light-squared Bishop, which hems in the Rook... Typical problem in defenses agaist the Jerome Gambit.

After the game, Stockfish 13 cooly suggested 14.a5+, instead, when 14...Ka6 15.Qc3 b6 (Black will lose a piece, anyhow) 16.axb6+ Kb7 17.bxa7 Nxd5 (saving the poor Bishop from e4-e5) 18.exd5 Qe7+ would be enough push back for Black to try to settle things down and have an edge.

14...Bc5 

The White Queen is doing a lot of moving, but so is the Black Bishop. It was not clear (tick, tick, tick...) that 14...c5 was the way out: 15.dxc6+ Kc7 16.cxb7 Bxb7 17.e5 Bxe5 (that poor Bishop!) 18.Qxe5+ d6 (stalwart pawn!) 19. Qc3+ Nc6 when Black would have the standard piece-for-two-pawns Jerome Gambit defender edge - and the King hunt would be over. 

15.a5+ Kb5

There are no good squares for the King to go to, but why is this worse than 15...Ka6?

16.Qa4+ 

This works. So does 16.Qd3+ Kb4 17.Qc3+ (or 17.Bd2+) checkmate.

16...Ka6 17.Qc4+

Piece or pawn?

After the game it will be good to look at 17.b4.  Black's best response would be 17...Bxf2+ (the Bishop simply can not escape tragedy) 18.Kxf2 c6 19.c4 (funny move) b6 20.axb6+ Kxb6 21.c5+ Kb7 22.dxc6+ dxc6 23. Qa6+ Kc7 (the King is escaping!) 24.Bf4+ Kd7 25.Rad1+ Nd5 26.Qc4 Rf8 27.exd5 Qh4+ 28.g3 Rxf4+ 29.Qxf4 Qxf4+ 30.gxf4. White has the endgame advantage of the exchange and a pawn - and that pawn is an advanced, protected passed one.

17...b5 18.Qxc5 

It was bound to happen.

18...d6 19.Qb4 

19...c6 20.c4 

Must... get... to... enemy... King...

20...cxd5 

Expecting 21.cxd5. He needed to find 20...Rb8, when White could try to blow things up with 21.c5, or sigh and play 21.0-0.

21.Qxb5 checkmate

Excelsior!