Jerome Gambit: A Quick Example

Blitz games do not always allow for deep analysis of a position. Sometimes you have to grab ahold of an idea and go with it.

This can benefit the prepared Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) player who is ready to immediately punish a move that only looks good on the surface.

The following game is a quick example.

thunder_84 - wightnight

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

6...Bd6 

As I have written before

I sometimes wonder when Black plays this move, if he is remembering the Fork Trick, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Nxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bd3 dxe4 7.Bxe4.

Still, there is a problem applying the logic of that opening line to the Jerome Gambit. The straight-forward 6...Bxd4 was simpler and stronger.

7.dxe5 Bxe5 

Instead, 7...Be7 8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.0–0 c6 10.Qd3 d5 11.exd6 Qxd6 12.Qf3+ Qf6 13.Qe2 Be6 14.Nc3 Nh6 15.Be3 Kf7 16.f4 Bd7 17.f5 Rhd8 18.Qh5+ Kf8 19.Rad1 Be8 20.Qf3 Bf7 21.e5 Qh4 22.f6 gxf6 23.exf6 Bd6 24.g3 Bxg3 25.hxg3 Qh3 26.Ne4 Ng4 27.Rxd8+ Rxd8 28.Rf2 Bd5 29.f7 Nxf2 30.Bc5+ Kg7 31.f8Q+ Rxf8 32.Qxf8+ Kg6 33.Qf6+ Kh5 34.Qf3+ Ng4 35.Qf5+  White won on time in thunder_84 - Mikhail_50, blitz, lichess.org, 2021. 

8.Qd5+ 

This is the alternative Queen check mentioned in "Jerome Gambit: Occasionally, Think Like A Computer".

8...Kf6 

Or 8...Ke8 9.Qxe5+ Qe7 10.Qd4 Nf6 11.Nc3 c5 12.Qe3 d5 13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Qxe3+ 15.Bxe3 Kd7 16.Bxc5 b6 17.Be3 Ba6 18.b3 Kd6 19.0–0–0 Rhe8 20.Rhe1 Re5 21.Bf4  Black resigned, thunder_84 - AliAliev, blitz, lichess.org, 2021.

9.f4 Bd6 

Or 9...Bxf4 10.Bxf4 Ne7 11.Qg5+ Kf7 12.0–0 Kg8 13.Nc3 h6 14.Qg3 d6 15.Rad1 Qe8 16.e5 Nf5 17.Qf2 dxe5 18.Rfe1 Qf7 19.Bxe5 Kh7 20.Nd5 c6 21.Nc7 Rb8 22.Rf1 Rf8 23.Qd2 Black resigned, thunder_84 - dndn0215, blitz, lichess.org, 2021. 

10.Qg5+ Black resigned

The lesson here is if you try to "Out-Think A Thinker (Not)", it is best to understand that "Defending Requires Attention" and that "Not Taking It Seriously Has Consequences".