The Jerome Gambit: Jerome Gambit: Savage Queen, Timid King

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.Bxf7+) game shows White's Queen plundering both the Queenside and the Kingside, bringing home the win against an enemy King that skitters this way and that - all in a 1-minute game.

angelcamina - mvp_23

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 N8e7 9.O-O

angelcamina has also played 9.Qe3, i.e. 9...Rf8 (9...Nc6 10.O-O Qe711.f4 d6 12.d4 Kd7 13.Nc3 Rf8 14.b3 b6 15.Ba3 Bb7 16.Rad1 Rad8 17.e5 Kc8 18.f5 Nh8 19.e6 Rf6 20.Nd5 Rff8 21.Nxe7+ Nxe7 22.c4 Nxf5 23.Qg5 h6 24.Qg4 Ne7 25.Rxf8 Rxf8 26.Rf1 Nhg6 27.Rxf8+ Nxf8 28.Qxg7 Nfg6 29.c5 bxc5 30.dxc5 Bd5 31.cxd6 cxd6 32.Bxd6 Bxe6 33.Bxe7 Nxe7 34.Qxe7 Bf5 35.h3 White won on time, angelcamina - mcisak, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019) 10.O-O d5 11.e5 Bf5 12.f4 Bxc2 13.Nc3 Qd7 14.d4 Qf5 15.Bd2 Qd3 16.Qxd3 Bxd3 17.Rac1 Be4 18.Nxe4 dxe4 19.g4 Nd5 20.Rc5 Ndxf4 21.Bxf4 Rxf4 22.Rxf4 Nxf4 23.Rxc7 Ne6 24.Rxb7 Nxd4 25.Rxg7 h6 26.Rg8+ Kf7 27.Rxa8 Nf3+ 28.Kf2 Nh4 29.Rxa7+ Black resigned angelcamina - pede26, lichess.org, 2021.

9...d6 10.Qb5+

Chasing the b-pawn. He has also retreated his Queen: 10.Qe3 Be6 11.f4 Bc4 12.d3 Ba6 13.Nc3 Rf8 14.f5 Ne5 15.Qh3 h6 16.Qh5+ Kd7 17.Bf4 N7c6 18.Nd5 Kc8 19.Rfe1 b6 20.c3 Bxd3 21.Rad1 Bc4 22.Bxe5 Nxe5 23.Nb4 Qg5 24.Qh3 Qg4 25.Qe3 Qg5 26.Qd4 Nf3+ 27.Kf2 Nxd4 28.Rxd4 Qh4+ 29.Kg1 Qxe1 checkmate, angelcamina - DHIEVS, lichess.org, 2021.

10...Bd7 11.Qxb7 Kf7

Preparing to castle-by-hand? An alternative was 11...Bc6.

12.Qb3+ Be6 13.Qf3+ Ke8 14.d4 Rf8 15.Qe2

White's Queen has returned home safely.

White's 3 extra pawns may balance Black's extra piece; Black's lead in development may balance his King's risky placement in the center of the board.

15...Rf7

Preparing for a walk by his King.

Instead, Stockfish 15 recommends 15...d5 16.c4 dxe4 17.d5 Bf5 18.Nc3 Qd7 19.Nxe4 Kf7 20.f3 Kg8 and sees Black as better.

Once again, the placement of the defender's pieces at e6 and g6 call forth the attacker's f-pawn.

16.f4 Nh8 17.f5 Bd7 18.Qh5

White could have applied more pressure with 18.c4 or 18.Bg5, but this is a bullet game, and he goes for direct attack.

18...Kf8

It seems paradoxical, possibly opening up his Kingside, but the computer prefers 18...g6, assessing 19.Qe2 gxf5 20.Nc3 Kf8 21.Bg5 Qb8 22.exf5 Nxf5 23.g4 Qb6 24.Rxf5 Rxf5 25.gxf5 Qxd4+ 26.Be3 Qh4 27.Qe1 Qxe1+ 28.Rxe1 Nf7 as only a slight edge for White.

Now things begin to go to pieces.

19.Qxh7 Ke8 20.Qxh8+ Rf8 21.Qh5+ Rf7 22.f6 g6