Jerome Pawns to the Rescue

In the full Jerome Gambit, White sacrifices two pieces for two pawns. Sometimes, though, he sacrifices one piece for one pawn.

Regardless, the extra pawns ("Jerome pawns") often play a pivotal role in the game.

Consider the following.

Phillychampion - cancanika

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.O-O 

A couple of years ago, in  "Jerome Gambit: King Safety" I wrote

This is one of the "modern" - as opposed to "classical" - variations of the Jerome Gambit, so-called because Alonzo Wheeler Jerome and those back in the time when the gambit was first being sorted out all played the main alternative, 5.Nxe5.

Some modern chess computer programs suggest that White does best to sacrifice only one piece. (Stockfish 13 goes back and forth between 5.Nxe5 and 5.0-0 before settling at 30 ply upon 5.Nxe5) 

By the way, a quick look at the position after 4 moves, considering games in The Database shows

5.Nxe5 is the most popular move, with White scoring 57%; the next two most popular moves are 5.d4 and 5.c3 - followed by 5.0-0 which scores 39 %.

To keep statistics in perspective, it must be noted that the highest scoring move is 5.a4, with 100% in 4 games. More interestingly, 5.b4 was played in 13 games and scored 54%. Not surprisingly, 5.Nh4, 5.g4, 5.Nd4 and 5.Rg1 were each only played in 1 game, and each scored 0%.

According to The Database, Phillychampion has played this line in 56 games, scoring 54%.

5...Nf6 6.c3 Rf8 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.e5 

9...Ne8 

With only a minute of thinking time for the whole game, Black chooses what seems to be the safest move, the retreat. Instead, 9...Nd5 was fine, and kept the advantage.

10.Qb3+ 

Gambling.

The punishment of Black's last move was 10.Bg5. Phillychamp actually found the move against Spock1995 a couple of weeks earlier, in another bullet game (although he lost). It is not clear if he remembered.

10...d5 11.exd6+ Be6 

Black needed to move his King out to g6 - not the kind of move that would come to mind in a bullet game. Unfortunately, everything else gives White a better position.

12.d5 

"Jerome pawns" to the rescue.

12...Nd4 13.Nxd4 Bxd4 14.dxe6+ Black resigned