Jerome Gambit: Maniac Alert

If the defender in the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game is indeed a "bullet maniac", then he adopted the correct strategy in his 3-minute blitz game against Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura - attack, attack, attack.

That he was ultimately not successful was neither the fault of his plan, nor the vindication of the Jerome Gambit, but, rather, the fact that he was playing such a strong opponent.

GMHikaruOnTwitch - BulletManiac30sec

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7 

Black plays Whistler's defense, offering the Rook for a brutal counter-attack after 8.Qxh8?! Qxe4+.

It was interesting to watch GM Nakamura consider his next move, while asking himself "Is this a trick or is he bluffing?"

8.Qf4+ 

"I don't think he's bluffing," Nakamura decided, rightly. "I think this is some kind of weird prep."

8...Qf6 9.Qg3 Bd6 

Pure aggression. Its is a rare move, appearing only in Wall,B - Guest3289310, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 38) and Wall,B - Guest744598, PlayChess.com, 2020 (1-0, 22).

GM Nakamura also faced 9...d6 10.c3 h5 11.d4 h4 12.Qd3 Bb6 13.Nd2 h3 14.g3 Ne7 15.f4 Bg4 16.O-O Kg7 17.Nc4 d5 18.Ne3 dxe4 19.Qxe4 Qe6 20.Qxe6 Bxe6 21.b4 c6 22.Bb2 Rhe8 23.c4 Rad8 24.g4 Bc8 25.Kf2 Ng8 26.c5 Bc7 27.d5+ Kf7 28.Rad1 Bxf4 29.Nc4 Bxg4 30.Kg1 g5 31.Rd4 Rxd5 32.Nd6+ Kf8 33.Rdxf4+ gxf4 34.Rxf4+ Bf5 35.Nxf5 Rd1+ 36.Kf2 Rd2+ 37.Kf3 Rxb2 38.Nd6+ Ke7 39.Re4+ Kd7 40.Rxe8 Ne7 41.Rb8 Rxh2 42.Rxb7+ Ke6 43.Ne4 Rxa2 44.Ng5+ Kf6 45.Nxh3 Nd5 46.Nf4 Ra3+ 47.Ke4 Nxf4 48.Kxf4 Ke6 49.Ke4 Ra4 50.Kd3 a5 51.bxa5 Rxa5 52.Kc4 Ra4+ 53.Kb3 Rh4 54.Rg7 Kd5 55.Rg5+ Kd4 56.Kb4 Rh1 57.Rg4+ Kd5 58.Rg5+ Kd4 59.Ka5 Rb1 60.Ka6 Rb5 61.Rh5 Rxc5 62.Rh4+ Kd5 63.Kb6 Rb5+ 64.Kc7 Rb3 65.Rh5+ Kc4 66.Kxc6 Rc3 67.Rh4+ Kb3+ 68.Kb5 Kb2 69.Ka4 Rb3 (hurrying to avoid a time forfeit, Black falls into checkmate) 70.Rh2+ Ka1 71.Kxb3 Black resigned, GMHikaruOnTwitch - 30second-guy, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021

10.Qe3 Bf4 11.Qe2 Nh6 12.O-O Re8 

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "When you strike at a king, you must kill him." BulletManiac30sec must keep up the pressure, or risk the grandmaster's ire.

13.g3 Bd6 14.d4 Nf5 15.c3 Kg7 16.Qd3 b6

Black returns a piece to continue his development. His two Bishops, especially the one headed for the a8-h1 diagonal, look powerful.

17.exf5 Bb7 18.Nd2 gxf5 19.f3 Kh8 20.Nc4 h5 

Still more aggression. White now removes one of the dangerous Bishops.

21.Nxd6 cxd6 

Necessary, as the Queen capture would lose the pawn on f5. However, the shaky nature of Black's pawn structure will eventually become significant.

22.Bf4 h4 23.Rae1 h3 24.Kf2 Kh7 25.g4 Qh4+ 26.Bg3 Qg5 

27.Qxf5+ Qxf5 28.gxf5 Ba6 29.Rg1 Kg8 

Stepping into danger. 

30.Be5+ Kf7 31.Rg7+ Kf8 32.f6 

White's Bishop can afford to pretend that it's a "Jerome pawn".

32...dxe5 33.dxe5 Bc4 34.f4 

Opening the way for White's Rook to travel to the h-file.

34...d6 35.Re3 dxe5 36.Rxh3 Bxa2 37.Rh8+ Bg8 38.Rhxg8 checkmate