Jerome Gambit: The Temporal Finish Line

When you play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) in a bullet game, you can win with a devastating attack - or you can cause your opponent so many problems that he takes up so much time calculating that he doesn't make it over the temporal finish line, and loses on time.

It is like that old joke about the large carnivorous beast, which, in this case, is the clock. Can you out-run your opponent?

angelcamina - Javier_Electrico

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+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qc4 Nf6 

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece. His King is safer. 

Development can be an issue for a few moves, but then the players need to execute a plan.

10.Nc3 c6 11.O-O Qe7 12.d3 Be6 

Black will target the enemy Queen. 

13.Qb4 a5 14.Qb6 Ra6 15.Qe3 Ng4 16.Qg3 h5 17.f4  

A complicated, but balanced position.

The clock now begins to seriously affect play.

17...Ke8 

Too many of his pieces are at risk, and this does not help.

18.h3 Nf6 19.f5 

Or 19.Qxg6+. 

19...Ne5 20.fxe6 h4 

21.Qg6+

A slip neither player noticed.

21...Kd8 22.Qf5 Kc7 23.Bf4 g6 24.Qg5 Rf8 25.Bxe5 dxe5 26.Qxe5+ 

White is back to calling the tune. The Queen will have her say.

26...Kb6 27.Na4+ Ka7 28.Qd4+ b6 29.c4 White won on time

White is better: he has more material, he has central "Jerome pawns", he has two active Rooks (compared to Black's blocked-in rook at a6).