Jerome Gambit: Quick Win, Nice Finish

Winning a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game can be a lot of fun.

Winning it at bullet speed, and finishing it off with a sharp checkmate can make it even more enjoyable.

angelcamina - lq110205r

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qb5+ 

9...Qd7 10.Qb4 

angelcamina has also played

10.Qb3 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.O-O Qe6 (12...Ke7 13.d4 Re8 14.f4 Kf8 15.e5 Nd5 16.Nxd5 cxd5 17.Qxd5 dxe5 18.Qxd7 Bxd7 19.dxe5 Bf5 20.c3 Ke7 21.b3 Rac8 22.Ba3+ Ke6 23.c4 Red8 24.h3 h5 25.Bb4 Rd3 26.Rad1 Rcd8 27.Rxd3 Rxd3 28.Kf2 Nxf4 White resigned, angelcamina - C_Maringe, lichess.org, 2022) 13.Qa3 Rf8 14.d3 Kf7 15.f4 Qd7 16.Qb3+ d5 17.e5 Ne8 18.d4  Kg8 19.f5 Rxf5 20.Rxf5 Qxf5 21.Be3 Nf4 22.Rf1 g5 23.g3 Qg4 24.Kh1 Nh3 25.Nxd5 cxd5 26.Qxd5+ Be6 27.Qd6 Nxd6 28.exd6 Bd5+ 29.Rf3 Bxf3 checkmate, angelcamina - Medinad, lichess.org, 2022; 

10.Qc4 Nf6 11.Nc3 Qe6 12.Qa4+ Bd7 13.Qb4 b6 14.O-O Rf8 15.f4 a5 16.Qd4 Ne7 17.d3 Nc6 18.Qe3 Kf7 19.b3 Kg8 20.Ba3 Kh8 21.Rae1 Rab8 22.Qh3 b5 23.Bb2 Nb4 24.Re2 Qxh3 25.gxh3 Bxh3 26.Rf3 Bg4 27.Rg3 Bxe2 28.Nxe2 Nxc2 29.e5 Nd7 30.e6 Nf6 31.h4 Rfe8 32.h5 Rxe6 33.h6 g6 34.f5 Rxe2 35.Bxf6+ Kg8 36.Bd4 Re1+ Black won on time, angelcamina - HenryLalu13, lichess.org, 2022; and

10.Qe2 Qc6 11.Nc3 Nf6 12.O-O Bg4 13.f3 Bh5 14.d4 Kd7 15.g4 Bxg4 16.fxg4 h5 17.g5 Ng4 18.h3 Raf8 19.hxg4 hxg4 20.Be3 Nh4 21.Qxg4+ Kd8 22.Rxf8+ Rxf8 23.Qxh4 Kc8 24.g6 Kb8 25.Qg4 a6 26.Rf1 Rd8 27.Rf7 Rh8 28.Qd7 Qxd7 29.Rxd7 Kc8 30.Rxg7 Rf8 31.Rf7 Rh8 32.g7 b6 33.gxh8=Q+ Kb7 34.Qg7 Kc6 35.Rxc7 checkmate, angelcamina - Trajche1980, lichess.org, 2022

10...Nf6 

An interesting alternative was 10...Qg4!? 

11.O-O Qg4 12.f3 Qd7 13.d4 Kf7 14.Nc3 Rf8 15.Qb3+ Qe6 16.d5 Qd7 17.f4 Kg8 

18.e5 dxe5 19.fxe5 Nh5 

In a 1-minute game, moves can come like reflexes, and a pawn advance in the center often chases a Knight to the rim - but in this case the correct move was the simple 19...Nxe5. 

20.Rxf8+ Kxf8 21.e6 Qd6 22.Be3 Nf6 23.Rf1 Kg8 

Black works to safeguard his King and control White's advanced "Jerome pawns".

The game is even, but White pushes on.

24.Nb5 Qe5 

Stockfish 15.1 suggests 24...Qe7 25.Nd4 Qd6 26.Nb5 Qe7 etc. draw.

By giving up the blockade, Black's Queen steps into danger.

25.Bd4 Nxd5 

The clock is the villain here. He needed to try 25...Qxd5, when 26.Bxf6 Bxe6 27.Qxd5 Bxd5 28.Nxc7 Bxg2 29.Kxg2 Rc8 30.Bxg7 Kxg7 31.Ne6+ Kg8 32.Nd4 would lead to a position where White would be a pawn up, but there would be clear drawing chances.

Now the game races to checkmate.

26.Bxe5 Nxe5 27.Qxd5 Ng6 28.e7+ Kh8 29.Rf8+ Nxf8 30.exf8=Q checkmate