Jerome Gambit: Juggling Tactics

Players good with tactics enjoy the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). They also enjoy blitz games.

So it stands to reason that they would enjoy ther Jerome Gambit played at blitz speed.

In the following game, both players have chances to uncover the tactics imbedded in different positions. Ultimately, White is more successful.

Choner - Jaggerjuice

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qe3

An ordinary Jerome Gambit position - The Database has 123 games with it. Black decides to give a hypermodern treatment.

9...b6 10.Nc3 Bb7 11.O-O Nf6  

So far things have progressed scientifically for Black. He has a piece for two pawns, and Komodo 12.1.1 assesses him as a bit more than 3/4 of a pawn ahead.

12.e5 

The kind of aggression you sometime see in a 3-minute blitz game: more bark than bite. Black can simply grab the intruder. Instead, he falls prey to a typical Jerome Gambit temptation.

12...Ng4

Attacking the White Queen is often a distraction. Here, the move still maintains Black's advantage, but the straightforward 12...Nxe5 was more to the point. 

13.Qg3 N4xe5 

You see, the advanced Knight not only attacked the enemy Queen, it threatened to capture the pawn at e5. 

Alas, the retreat 13...Nh6 was the right idea, preserving Black's advantage. 

14.Re1

White pins the enemy Knight to the Queen, and, behind her, the King. He plans a pawn strike to win the piece. 

He was probably not aware that this leads to a checkmate in 10 - for Black.

14...d6 

This is solid, and sufficient, but it misses 14...Nf3+ 15.gxf3 Qxe1+ 16.Kg2 Rf8 17.Ne4 Bxe4 18.d3 Bxf3+ 19.Qxf3 Nh4+ 20.Kg3 Rxf3+ 21.Kg4 Qg1+ 22.Kxh4 Qg2 23.Bg5 Rh3 checkmate.

Brutal. 

15.f4 

Attacking the pinned Knight, per plan.

Surprisingly enough, Black can now just grab this pawn, as well.

15...Nf3+

A move too late, and out of place.

Instead, the stronger 15...Nxf4 has to be met by 16.d4, again hitting the pinned Knight, because 16.Qxf4, instead, would fall to 16...Nf3+ 17.Qxf3 Qxe1+ 18.Qf1 Qxf1+ 19.Kxf1 when Black would be the exchange ahead.

Stockfish 14.1 suggests that 15...Nxf4 16.d4 Nxg2 17.Rf1 Rf8 18.Bg5 Nf3+ 19.Rxf3 Rxf3 20.Bxe7 Rxg3 21.hxg3 Kxe7 22.d5 b5 23.Nxb5 Kd7 24.Kxg2 Bxd5+ 25.Kg1 Rb8 26.Nc3 Bc6 27.b3 Re8 would be better for Black. That is a lot to figure out quickly, however.

The text move should not work - and doesn't - because White's Rook is protected, another result of White's last move.

16.gxf3 Ne5 

Throwing himself in the line of fire in a vain attempt to protect the Queen.

17.fxe5 dxe5 18.Rxe5 Black resigned