Sunday, August 29, 2021

Jerome Gambit: Nightmares



I like to think that some of the victims of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) have nightmares about being over-run by "Jerome pawns". (Perhaps in the guise of "Killer Shrews"?) Certainly the following bullet game - where pieces come at you quickly - had a scary feeling about it that might linger after the final move.


linganno - mirolim

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2021


1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nf6 


If you are playing quickly and your opponent is unfamiliar with the Jerome Gambit, you might very well encounter this strike-back-at-the-Queen-quickly-oops move. There are 110 examples in The Database.

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 

And, just like that, White has his sacrficed material back, with interest.

9...d6 10.Qe3 Re8 11.d3 d5 12.e5 Ng4 13.Qg3 d4 14.h3 


The beginning...

14...Nh6 15.O-O Nf5 16.Qf2 Be6 17.Nd2 Bd5 18.b3 Nh4 19.g3 Ng2


This move is a bit of a surprise, but surprises in bullet can cause the opponent to invest time in thought - seconds that are not available, later on in the game. White deals with it easily, though.

20.Ne4 Ne3 21.Bxe3 dxe3 22.Qxe3 c6 23.c4 Be6 24.Ng5+ Ke7 25.Nxe6 Kxe6 


Black's King takes the lead in defending against the pawns, but perhaps he should not. It could give His Majesty some dangerous ideas...

26.d4  g6 27.Rad1 Qc7 28.d5+ cxd5 29.cxd5+ Kf5 30.g4 checkmate




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