Jerome Gambit: Wandering the Internet

 

Wandering the internet I discovered Doug Barlow's OCF Chess website,

OCF Chess is an online chess community dedicated to helping players of all levels reach their full potential. Our blog features tips and tutorials from experienced players, offering advice on a range of topics from basic openings to advanced endgames. 

There is a lot of interesting, educational and entertaining content on the site - how could you possibly scroll past the entertaining but bogus "The Chess Battle of the 20th Century: Hitler vs Lenin" for example ? - so of course I settled quickly on "Exploring the Jerome Gambit: A Risky but Fun Opening".

A critical eye is necessary, however.

The opening starts with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4?! exd4 5.O-O Nf6 6.e5 d5 7.exf6 dxc4.

Actually, that line begins as the Italian Gambit (you might enjoy Jude Acers and George Laven's The Italian Gambit (and) A Guiding Repertoire for White - E4!) before moving on to the Max Lange Attack.

Similarly

This opening starts with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4, where White sacrifices a pawn to gain control of the center and open lines for their pieces.

That line is actually the venerable Evans Gambit.

The Jerome Gambit is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5.

The section "Is The Jerome Gambit Any Good?" is honest

[W]hile the Jerome Gambit can be a fun and interesting opening to play, it is not recommended for serious competitive play where sound strategic choices are crucial for success 

but occasionally off the mark

The Jerome Gambit is a chess opening that involves sacrificing a pawn in order to gain a strategic advantage.

Not just a pawn.

This is corrected in "Is The Jerome Gambit Sound?"

While it may lead to some interesting and exciting games, the sacrifice of two pieces is rarely justified and can put White at a significant disadvantage.

There is an interesting diagram of a position that could have come from Jerome Gambit games Fixxxxxer - Killuminati6933, blitz, lichess.org, 2022 (1-0, 11) or Wolfpack1051 - DragonBen, bullet, lichess.org, 2022 (1-0, 45) where Black has varied with the TN 8...Bd4 (instead of the stronger 8...d5) and White now has the crushing 9.Qd5+ (You saw that, right?)

The "Jerome's Double Opening" was introduced to the chess world in "New Chess Opening" in the April 1874 Dubuque Chess Journal.

The Conclusion of "Exploring the Jerome Gambit: A Risky but Fun Opening" is the same as mine

for those who enjoy experimenting and are looking for a bit of fun, the Jerome Gambit can be a great option to try out in casual or blitz games.

Thank you, Mr. Barlow.