Jerome Gambit: Opening Delayed, Ending Accelerated

In a 1-minute bullet game, a better knowledge of the opening is helpful, but what is more important is making good - not necessarily "great" - moves quickly. 

It also helps to have calm nerves, as the speed of the game accelerates and your clock's flag is hanging...

The following game is an exciting example.

angelcamina - Orla99

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 

The Two Knights Defense.

4.d3 Bc5 

Now we have a quiet Italian Game.

5.Bxf7+ 

Jerome-ized.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

Here we have a Jerome Gambit where it has taken White two moves to get his pawn to d4, giving Black the chance to develop his King's Knight in the meantime.

There are 44 examples in The Database.

Not suprisingly, Stockfish 15.1 (36 ply) sees the position as about 2 1/2 pawns better than the regular Jerome Gambit position, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4, where it prefers Black.

The equalizing factor in this situation is that, according to The Database, angelcamina has played 269 1-minute Jerome Gambits, scoring 86%. He knows what he is doing.

7...Bb4+ 8.c3 Bxc3+ 

Black has to give back one of the two sacrificed pieces. This is his solution.

Simpler and stronger would have been 7...Bxd4.

9.bxc3 

White could have helped his development with 9.Nxc3, but he was thinking about pawn play against the enemy Knights.

9...Ng6 10.e5 Re8 11.O-O Nd5 12.Qb3 c6 13.c4 Ndf4 

14.g3  

The Knight is vulnerable, but the solution takes a bit longer: 14.Bxf4 Nxf4 15.Qf3 Qg5 16.g3 Rf8 17.Qxf4+ Qxf4 18.gxf4 Ke7 with about an even game.

14...Ne2+ 15.Kg2 Nxc1 

15...Nxd4

16.Rxc1 Kf8 17.Nc3 

17...Qg5 

The clock is ticking. As the time available shrinks, so does the depth of analysis. Things get wild.

White shows his skill and experience.

18.f4 Qg4 19.Rf1 c5 20.f5 Nh4+ 21.Kg1 Nf3+ 22.Kg2 Nd2 23.Qa3 Nxf1 24.Qxc5+ Kg8 25.Rxf1 b6 26.Qd5+ 

The enemy Rook hangs.

26...Kh8 27.Rf4 

Very nice. Instead, 27.Qxa8 Qxd4 would have given Black equalizing chances.

Now the pieces fly. Beat the clock.

27...Qh5 28.Qxa8 d5 29.Qxd5 Re7 30.Qd8+ Re8 31.Qd5 Bb7 32.Qxb7 g6 33.f6

33...Rf8 34.Qe7 Qh6 35.Qxf8+ Qxf8 36.e6 h6 37.e7 Qf7 38.Nd5 Kh7 39.Re4

White won on time

Whew.