"Win and lose withe the Bishop sacrifice Gambit" is how the "Bishop Sacrifice Gambit?!" is introduced in the "Adventures of a Chess Noob" blog at Chess.com.

An essential component of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) - along with the Queen sally to h5 - is Bxf7+.

The video and games on the "Bishop Sacrifice Gambit" gives a good look at the dangers that can come to the defense, in the Jerome Gambit and other openings.

Fun and educational.

Jerome Gambit: Deadly Line

 

A quick look at a deadly line in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), on Reddit

"Jerome Gambit (one nasty way to get a 10 move checkmate)"

Jerome Gambit: Fun

 

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is fun.

Check out hokiejoe17's tiktok video on the Jerome "A fun gambit to play when not taking things too seriously"

Also, if you missed an earlier post with Jerome Gambit tiktok links, here we go again: "Jerome Gambit: Everywhere"

Jerome Gambit: Pleasant Relaxation

The latest Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) video that I have discovered on YouTube.com is "how to beat opponent in chess । jerome gambit chess । bishop's opening boi variation । chess tricks" which shows an interesting game and a pleasant checkmate.

It is a presentation of The Master Tricks, which has quite a collection of videos, including an earlier one mentioned on this blog a year ago in "Jerome Gambit: Relaxing".

Jerome Gambit : Chimera

Working through recent games in The Database I came across a game that was a combination of the Bishop Opening, Petroff Defense and Jerome Gambit.

I checked out this blog, and did not find much coverage. Most of it was in "Jerome Gambit: Speedrunning Tricks" with a note referring to blitz games played by Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura against online club players.

For bonus material, if you are interested in the Jerome-ish 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, there is a game each in 

"Speedrunning to 3000 With Tricks Only"

"Tricks that work on 1000 rated players"

Checking YouTube.com, I found a game with the line, put to music.

It seems that almost everything that the Jerome Gambit touches turns to strangeness.

mbokhari - Khojah15

10 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bxf7+ 

Although I have not paid much attention to this line, a check of The Database shows 426 games, with White scoring 60%.

I also noticed that The Database has 176 games with this line by mbokhari, where he scores 70%.

Those are some pretty wild numbers.

For comparison, there are 15,110 games with this position at lichess.org, where White scores 54%. Still, quite decent for a Jerome relative.

4...Ke7 

Declining the piece sacrifice is more psychology than solid chess assessment: Black simply does not want to play White's line.

The Database has 11 games with 4...Ke7, and it must be noted that White wins 91%

By comparison, lichess.org 140 games, where White wins 57%.

It is good to play a line where, when your opponent avoids what you want, your chances improve.

5.O-O 

Alternatives that mbokhari has explored:

5.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 6.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7.Kg1 d5 8.d3 Nf6 9.Bg5 Kf8 10.Nc3 c6 11.h3 Qb6+ 12.d4 c5 13.Na4 Qd6 14.Nxc5 Nc6 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.Bh5 Rg8 18.Qd2 Rb8 19.Qh6+ Rg7 20.Rf1 Qg3 21.Qxf6+ Kg8 22.Qd8 checkmate, mbokhari - Khojah15, 3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

5.Bb3 Bxf2+ 6.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7.Kg1 d6 8.d3 Nc5 9.Bg5+ Kd7 10.Bxd8 Kxd8 11.Nc3 Nxb3 12.axb3 Bg4 13.Ne4 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Nd7 15.Ng5 Rf8 16.Ne6+ Ke7 17.Nxf8 Black resigned, mbokhari - Khojah15, 5 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

5.d3 Bxf2+ 6.Kxf2 Ng4+ 7.Kg1 Kxf7 8.Ng5+ Ke8 9.Qxg4 d5 10.Qf3 dxe4 11.Qf7 checkmate, mbokhari - Khojah15, 10 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2021; and 

5.h3 Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8 7.d4 Bd6 8.f4 Bxe5 9.fxe5 Nxe4 10.O-O d5 11.Nc3 Ng3 12.Rf3 Qh4 13.Nxd5 Bg4 14.Nxc7+ Kd8 15.Nxa8 Bxf3 16.Qxf3 Nd7 17.Bf4 Black resigned, mbokhari - Bermuda2020, 3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2022. 

Of course, it was also okay to just withdraw the Bishop with 5.Bb3 when White would be better.

5...Nxe4 

Black continues his strategy; capturing the Bishop was still the strongest move.

6.d3 

White has also played 6.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 7.Rxf2 Nxf2 8.Kxf2 Kf8 9.Kg1 d6 10.Qf3 Ke7 11.d4 dxe5 12.Bg5+ Kd6 13.Bxd8 Rxd8 14.dxe5+ Kxe5 15.Nc3 Rf8 16.Re1+ Kd6 17.Qd5 checkmate, mbokhari - Khojah15, lichess.org, 2021.

The note to White's 5th move remains relevant.

6...Bxf2+ 

Wild. You can kind of tell that this is a blitz game, right?

7.Rxf2 

I was shocked to see that Stockfish 15 saw 7.Kh1 as the strongest reply, suggesting that the text move squanders most of White's advantage. The idea is that after the forces retreat with 7...Nf6 8.Bb3 Bb6 the important point is that Black's King is very vulnerable.

7...Nxf2 8.Bg5+ 

White improves on 8.Kxf2 d6 (8...Rf8 9.Bg5+ Kxf7 10.Bxd8 Kg8 11.Bxc7 Nc6 12.Bd6 b6 13.Bxf8 Kxf8 14.Ng5 Kg8 15.Qf3 Nd8 16.Qd5+ Kf8 17.Qxa8 Black resigned, mbokhari - yerbarrett, lichess.org, 2021) 9.Bg5+ Kf8 10.Bxd8 Kxf7 11.Ng5+ Ke8 12.Bxc7 Nc6 13.Bxd6 Rf8+ 14.Bxf8 Bg4 15.Qxg4 Nd4 16.Qd1 Ne2 17.Qxe2 Rd8 18.Qxe5+ Kxf8 19.Ne6+ Kf7 20.Nxd8+ Black resigned, mbokhari - Khojah15, lichess.org, 2020.

8...Kxf7 

Finally.

9.Bxd8 

The move calls out to be played - but is actually a mistake. White can scramble to a small advantage (according to the computer) with 9.Nxe5+ Kg8 10.Qh5 Qf8 11.Nc3 h6 12.Bh4 Nc6 13.Ng6 Qe8 14.Qd5+ Kh7 15.Nxh8 d6 16.Bxf2 Be6 17.Qe4+ Kxh8 18.Re1 Bf7 19.Qxe8+ Rxe8 20.Rxe8+ Bxe8 21.Nb5 Nb4 22.Nxc7 Bd7 23.a3 Nxc2 24.Bxa7 Ne1. Whew! That is a lot to look at in a blitz game.

Fortunately for White, the complications and the clock begin to wear away at Black's advantage.

9...Nxd1 10. Nxe5+ Ke8 11.Bxc7 Nxb2 12.Nc3 Na6 

13.Bd6 

Blocking the pawn that blocks the Bishop that hems in the Rook... A very Jerome-ish idea.

13...g6 

Despite the fact that the Queens are off the board, his leads to checkmate.

It is funny how often Stockfish 15 shows its disdain for the Jerome Gambit by suggesting that the best line of play in many positions is for White to force a draw. In this case: 13...Rf8 14.Nd5 b6 15.Bxf8 Kxf8 16.Rf1+ Ke8 17.Rf7 d6 18.Re7+ Kf8 19.Rf7+ draw 

14.Re1 

This is good, but also is 14.Nd5 Kd8 15.Nf7+ Ke8 16.Nxh8 b6 17.Nf6+ Kd8 18.Nf7 checkmate. 

14...Kd8 

A slip, but there was no saving things.

15.Nf7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Full of Ideas

As I mentioned years ago in "What an Idea",

Gerald Abrahams wrote in his book, The Chess Mind [1960], that the smallest unit in a chess game was not the move, but the idea. 

The following 1-minute game has a number of interesting ideas, which account for its educational and entertainment value.

angelcamina - LambertLambert

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

Here we have a typical Jerome Gambit setup, where White has two "Jerome pawns" for a sacrificed piece. His goal is to attack the enemy King. His opponent is aware of this, and takes steps.

10.Nc3 Kg8 11.O-O h6 12.f4 Kh7 13.d4 Re8 

LambertLambert seems to be knowledgeable about the Jerome Gambit. Indeed, according to The Database, he defended against it at least once, a month earlier, in Alexzy19 - LambertLambert, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022 (1-0, 43).

Black has castled-by-hand.

White's pawns are ready.

14.f5 Nf8 15.Bd2 b6 16.Rae1 Bb7 17.Qf4 Qe7 

Black acts to resist White's pawn advance, but misses the more effective 17...N8d7.

Remember, this is a 1-minute game, and these kinds of things are going to happen.

18.e5 dxe5 19.dxe5 Nh5 20.Qg4 Qf7 21.e6 

White's e-pawn creates problems, and Black decides to deal with it by returning a piece.

21...Nxe6 22.fxe6 Qg6 23.Qxg6+ Kxg6 24.e7 Nf6 

The passer is a pain. However, White shows that there are other things to worry about, as well, and the defender's game falls apart.

25.Nb5 Rac8 26.Nxa7 Ra8 27.Nb5 Rac8 28.Bf4 c6 29.Nd6 Rc7 30.Nxe8 Nxe8 Black resigned

After 31.Bxc7 Nxc7 32.e8/Q Nxe8 33.Rxe8 White's material advantage would be overwhelming, and it looks like Black did not see the chess clock coming to his rescue.

Jerome Gambit: Not So Fast

 

Bullet games are fast. With a minute for either player to win the game, they have to be.

The following game shows both players speeding past chances that come into and out of focus - until White pulls things together and finds the win.

angelcamina - XI888IX

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qh4 

In this position, Black usually sacrifices his Rook with either 7...d6, Blackburne's defense, or 7...Qe7, Whistler's defense.

Here, however, Black offers a finesse: after 8.Qxh8, then 8...Qxe4+ would transpose to the strong attack that comes out of  Whistler's defense, without having offered or allowed the exchange of Queens that could happen in the ordinary Whistler, i.e. 8.Qxe7+.

I am tempted to call this the "DodgyGong defense", based on the early game perrypawnpusher - DodgyGong, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 34).

8.Qxc5

White wisely focuses on capturing the Bishop, leading to a small advantage.

8...Qxe4+ 9.Kd1 

White's King must now be displaced. A little bit better was 9.Kf1 giving some protection to the g-pawn.

9...d6 

10.Qe3 

This move looks so reasonable at first glance, it can be hard to see right away that it gives Black a large advantage. 

Can you see how?

10...Qxg2 

White's King is in grave danger.

11.Re1 Qxh2

Rule of thumb in bullet: When in doubt, grab material.

Instead, Black would crush with 11...Bg4+.

12.Qe8+ Kg7 13.b3 

Hurrying to put his Bishop on b2.

Stockfish 15 has a suggestion that only a computer would find in the available time: 13.Re7+ Kh6 14.d3+ Kh5 15.Re2 Qg1+ 16.Kd2 Bg4 17.Qxa8 Bxe2 18.Kxe2 Qxc1 19.Qc8 Qg5 20.Kf1 Qf5 21.Qxb7 Nf6 22.Nd2 Qh3+ 23.Qg2 Qxg2+ 24.Kxg2 Kg4  with a small advantage to Black.

13...Nf6

Again, the killer move was 13...Bg4+.

14.Qe7+ 

White takes over, for good.

14...Kh6 15.d3+ Kh5 16.Qxf6 Bg4+ 17.f3 Raf8 18.Qg5 checkmate