Jerome Gambit: Not Quite A Guaranteed Loss

Bill Wall has 2,000 Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and related games in The Database.

Facing his Jerome Gambit is not quite a guaranteed loss, but he does score 89% with it.

You have been warned.

Wall, Bill - Kumar

internet, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7. f4 Ng6 8.Qxc5 

Bill has experimented with 8.f5!?+ Kd6 9.fxg6 Kc6? (9...Nf6) 10.Qd5+ Kb6 11.Qb3+ Kc6? (11...Ka6) 12.Nc3 hxg6 13.Qd5+ Kb6 14.Na4+ Ka5 15.b4+ Kxa4 16.Qb3+ Kb5 17.a4+ Kc6 18.Qd5+ Kb6 19.Qxc5+ Ka6 20.Qa5 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest1157782, playchess.com, 2013. 

8...Kf7 

Bill has also faced 

8... Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6 (9...Qe7? 10.Qf5+ Kd6 11.Qd5 checkmate, Wall,B - JQZY, FICS, 2020) (9...Qg4) 10.f5+ Kf7 11.fxg6+ Qxg6 12.O-O+ Nf6 13.e5 d6 14.Qxc7+ Bd7 15.Qxd7+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Arty, PlayChess.com, 2014); and 

8...d6 9.f5+ Ke7 10.Qa3 Ne5 11.d4 Nc4 12.Qc3 Nb6 13.Bg5+ Nf6 14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5 Kf7 16.O-O Nfd5 17.e6+ Ke8 18.Qxg7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest3980985, PlayChess.com, 2015. 

9.O-O d6 10.Qc4+ Be6 11.Qe2 Bd7 

Stockfish 15.1 sees White with an edge, but it has to be a small one.

12.Nc3 c6 

This move keeps White's Knight off of the d5 square. An alternative to consider was 12...c5 to discourage a d2-d4.

13.e5 d5 

This move gives White's "Jerome pawns" too much leeway. More in line with the position was 13...Nge7 14.d4.

14.f5 Nxe5 15.Qxe5 Nf6 16.d4 Re8 17.Qg3 Kg8 

Black has returned the sacrificed piece. White is up a pawn.

18.Bg5 Rf8 19.Rae1 Kh8 20.Rf4 Qb6 

The Queen looks for adventure, but should have stayed home to help protect the Kingside. She returns, but the delay is crucial.

21.Bxf6 Rxf6 22.Re7 Rg8 23.Rxd7 Qxb2 

24.h4 Qxc2 25.Rg4 Qxf5 26.Rgxg7 Qf1+ 27.Kh2 Black resigned

Checkmate is unavoidable.