Jerome Gambit: He Who Takes the Queen's Knight Pawn...

As a young chess player I remember being cautioned He who takes the Queen's Knight pawn sleeps in the gutter. It was a warning against using your Queen to grab a small amount of material at the risk of taking her out of play with poor results.

This notion came up last year in the blog post "Jerome Gambit: The 'Debate' Again" concerning the game Wall, Bill - Gilex, internet, 2022 (1-0, 21).

Playing blitz at lichess.org, tacticgod (with 165 games in The Database) has tackled the question in a number of games. 

tacticgod - Tosch2

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

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

7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qd5+ Be6 

Developing and protecting the King. Is it worth giving up the pawn? Stockfish 15 definitely thinks so.

However, this is a blitz game, and Black must find the right moves in order to keep his advantage. In the meantime, White would do well to activate pieces to help his Queen.

9.Qxb7 

Irving Chernev in the October, 1974 CHESS magazine wrote that, according to a Hungarian proverb, It is never safe to take the queen knight pawn with the queen - even when it is safe.

White has three pawns for his sacrificed piece.

Black is better developed, although his King is more exposed.

9...N8e7 

tacticgod has faced alternatives:

9...Nf6 10.f3 (10.d3 Qd7 11.O-O Rhb8 12.Qa6 Rb6 13.Qa3 Rab8 14.Qc3 Kg8 15.f4 Bf7 16.b3 Rc6 17.Qd2 Nf8 18.Bb2 Qg4 19.Qf2 N8d7 20.Na3 a6 21.Nc4 d5 22.Ne3 Qe6 23.f5 Qe7 24.exd5 Nxd5 25.Nxd5 Bxd5 26.Qg3 Nf6 27.Rae1 Qc5+ 28.Kh1 Qxc2 29.Bxf6 Rxf6 30.Rc1 Qxa2 31.Rxc7 Bf7 32.Rxf7 Rxf7 33.Qxb8+ Rf8 34.Qb6 Qe2 35.Rf3 Qd2 36.Qe6+ Kh8 37.h3 Qd1+ 38.Kh2 Qxb3 39.Qxb3 Black resigned, tacticgod - fox_eg, lichess.org, 2022) 10...Qd7 11.O-O Rhb8 12.Qa6 Nf4 13.d4 Ng6 14.Qe2 d5 15.e5 Ne8 16.f4 Bf5 17.Nc3 c6 18.Na4 Nc7 19.Nc5 Qc8 20.h3 Ne6 21.Nxe6 Bxe6 22.g4 Nh4 23.Qf2 Qd8 24.f5 Bc8 25.b3 Kg8 26.f6 Ng6 27.Bg5 Be6 28.f7+ Kf8 29.Bxd8 Rxd8 30.h4 Nh8 31.g5 Rd7 32.Qg3 Rc8 33.h5 Re7 34.h6 Ng6 35.hxg7+ Kxg7 36.Qh2 Rf8 37.Qh6+ Kh8 38.Rf6 Rexf7 39.Rxe6 Nf4 40.Rf6 Ng6 41.Rxg6 a5 42.Rf6 Rxf6 43.gxf6 Rg8+ 44.Kh2 Rg6 45.Qf8+ Rg8 46.Qf7 h6 47.Rg1 Rxg1 48.Kxg1 h5 49.Qg7 checkmate, tacticgod - kd28. lichess.org, 2022; and

9...Rb8 10.Qxa7 Nf6 11.d3 d5 (11...Ng4 12.O-O Qh4 13.h3 N4e5 14.Qe3 h6 15.f4 Nc6 16.f5 Nge5 17.fxe6+ Kxe6 18.c3 g5 19.d4 Nc4 20.Qe2 Ke7 21.Qxc4 Qxe4 22.Na3 Rhf8 23.Bxg5+ hxg5 24.Rfe1 Qxe1+ 25.Rxe1+ Kd7 26.Qe6+ Kd8 27.d5 Ne5 28.Nc4 Rxb2 29.Nxe5 dxe5 30.d6 Rff2 31.Qe7+ Kc8 32.Qxc7 checkmate, tacticgod - Jumaa19, lichess.org, 2022) 12.f3 dxe4 13.fxe4 Re8 14.O-O Kg8 15.Bg5 Rxb2 16.e5 Nxe5 17.Nc3 h6 18.Bh4 Nc6 19.Qa3 Qd4+ 20.Bf2 Qb4 21.Qxb4 Rxb4 22.Be3 Rb2 23.Rac1 Bxa2 24.Bxh6 Nd4 25.Bg5 Ng4 26.h3 Ne3 27.Rf4 Ndxc2 28.Nxa2 Rxa2 White resigned, tacticgod - Paul_Bishop, lichess.org, 2022. 

Black's strongest response to the pawn capture is the sharp 9...Qg5!?, allowing White to grab a Rook or check the King. It shows up only once in The Database 10.O-O (10.Qxa8 is met by 10...Qxg2 and Black is much better; 10.g3 is probably best) Bh3 (10...Nf4!? is stronger) 11.Qxc7+ N8e7 12.Qc4+ Kf8 13.g3 Qg4 14.f3 Qd7 15.Rf2 Rc8 16.Qd3 Nc6 17.Nc3 Nce5 18.Qe3 Nc4 19.Qd4 Nge5 20.d3 Nb6 21.f4 Ng4 22.Rf3 Qf7 23.Qxd6+ Kg8 24.f5 Qh5 25.Qe6+ Kf8 26.Qxc8+ Ke7 27.Qxh8 Ne5 28.Qxg7+ Kd6 29.Qf6+ Kd7 30.Rf4 Nf3+ 31.Kf2 Nxh2 32.Qg7+ Kc6 33.Qf6+ Kb7 34.Qe7+ Ka6 35.Rh4 Ng4+ 36.Ke1 Qxh4 37.gxh4 Bf1 38.Kxf1 Ne3+ 39.Ke2 Nbc4 40.Bxe3 Nxe3 41.Kxe3 Kb6 42.Nd5+ Kb5 43.b3 Kc6 44.a4 a5 45.Qc7 checkmate, PedrosF1 - CHESSGINT22, lichess.org, 2020.

10.O-O Ne5 

I think that the Knight would be more effective at f4. At e5, it encourages f2-f4-f5.

tacticgod also faced 10...Rf8 11.f4 (11.d3 Kg8 12.f4 Bc8 13.Qb3+ Kh8 14.Nc3 Bd7 15.d4 Nc6 16.Be3 Rb8 17.Qa3 Nb4 18.Rac1 Nc6 19.f5 Nge7 20.Ne2 Qe8 21.c3 Qf7 22.b4 Qf6 23.Rf3 Nd8 24.Rcf1 Nf7 25.Nf4 Bc6 26.d5 Bb5 27.Bd4 Qg5 28.R1f2 Ne5 29.Rg3 Qf6 30.Nh5 Qh6 31.Be3 Qxh5 32.h3 Qd1+ 33.Kh2 Nc4 34.Qxa7 Nxe3 35.Rxe3 Qc1 36.Rg3 Rbc8 37.Qd4 Qh6 38.Rg4 Qf6 39.Qe3 c6 40.c4 Bxc4 41.e5 Qxe5+ 42.Qxe5 dxe5 43.Rxc4 cxd5 44.Rxc8 Rxc8 45.f6 gxf6 46.Rxf6 Kg7 47.Re6 Re8 48.Rxe5 d4 49.Re4 Kf7 50.Rxd4 Ra8 51.Rd2 Ra3 52.b5 Nc8 53.Rb2 Nb6 54.g4 Kg6 55.h4 h5 56.g5 Kf5 57.Rf2+ Kg4 58.Rg2+ Kf3 59.g6 Nd5 60.g7 Nf4 61.Rg3+ Ke4 62.Rxa3 Black resigned, tacticgod - oliveirarrm, lichess.org, 2022) 11...Rb8 (11...Bd7 12.f5 Ne5 13.Qb3+ Ke8 14.d4 N5c6 15.c3 Qb8 16.Qd1 Kf7 17.Qh5+ Kg8 18.Qg5 Rf7 19.b3 Qd8 20.Qg3 Bc8 21.Bg5 Qd7 22.Nd2 Ba6 23.Rf2 Kh8 24.Qh4 Re8 25.Nf3 Ng8 26.a3 Nf6 27.Bxf6 Rxf6 28.Re1 Bd3 29.Rd2 Ba6 30.c4 Qe7 31.Ng5 h6 32.Ne6 Rxe6 33.Qxe7 R6xe7 34.Rc1 Rxe4 35.d5 Ne5 White resigned, tacticgod - Mensah10, lichess.org, 2022) 12.Qxa7 Bd7 13.d4 Kg8 14.f5 Nc6 15.Qa4 Nge7 16.Qc4+ Kh8 17.c3 Qe8 18.g4 Qf7 19.Qxf7 Rxf7 20.b3 g6 2.f6 Ng8 22.g5 h6 23.h4 hxg5 24.hxg5 Nd8 25.Rf4 Ne6 26.Rh4+ Rh7 27.Rxh7+ Kxh7 28.Na3 c5 29.d5 Nc7 30.Nc4 Nb5 31.Bd2 Bg4 32.Kf2 Rd8 33.Kg3 Bh5 34.a4 Na7 35.Bf4 Nc8 36.a5 Rd7 37.a6 Na7 38.Nxd6 Rd8 39.e5 Nc8 40.Nf7 Re8 41.e6 Nb6 42.c4 Nc8 43.a7 Nb6 44.Nd6 Ra8 45.Nb7 Nxf6 46.gxf6 Kg8 47.Nxc5 Kf8 48.Bd6+ Ke8 49.f7+ Black resigned, tacticgod - Iniesta12, lichess.org, 2022. 

11.f4 Nd7 12.f5 

12...Nc5 

It is tempting to attack the intruding Queen while making an escape route for the attacked Bishop, but this idea falls immediately to 13.fxe6 check.

In this complicated position Black should have tried 12...Bc4 13.d3 a5!? because the Bishop would be safe, e.g. 14.dxc4 Nc5 15.Qb5 c6 and the Queen will not escape. Instead of grabbing a piece, White would need to open a line of retreat for his Queen with 14.e5!? (even game) although things can still be complicated  14...Bd5 15.e6+ Kg8 16.Qb5.

It is all a lot to work out in a blitz game. 

13.Qb5 Bd7 14. Qc4+ Ke8 

White's Queen has escaped the consequences of her greed - this time.

The face-off between Her Majesty and three enemy pieces is interesting.

15.b4 Na4 16.d3 a6 

It looks like Black plans to continue to harass with an upcoming 17...Bb5.

17.Qd4 Kf8 

This move does not protect the King, it puts him at great risk. Even though it is ugly, the better defense of the g-pawn was 17...Rg8. 

18.f6 

The position screams out for this move.

18...Nf5 19.fxg7+ Black resigned

A favorable outcome for White, despite the non-involvement of his Queenside pieces.