Jerome Gambit: Not Toothless

The Jerome Gambit may be "refuted", but it is not toothless. As Black discovers in the following game, even the most crass tactical shot can be winning, if the defender is not careful.

Wall, Bill - Benjamin

internet, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.O-O Nf6 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb6

Black has to give up a piece. He decides that it will not be the Bishop.

8.dxe5 Nxe4

This capture is an error. After 8...Ne8, Stockfish 15.1 decides that best for White is to draw by repetition, 9.Qf3+ Kg8 10.Qb3+ Kf8 11.Qf3+ etc. An alternative is 9.Qd5+.

9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxe4 d5 

11.Qf3+ Ke7

Careless.

12.Bg5+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Pressure, Tactical Error

The Jerome Gambit can apply pressure, until a slip leads to a tactical error, and White records another win.

Wall, Bill - Ahmad

internet, 2023

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.O-O 

A "modern" Jerome Gambit, as opposed to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's "classical" 5.Nxe5+ - but wait.

5...Nf6 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6 

8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.f4 Bd6 10.e5 Bc5+ 11.Kh1 Ne8 

The "Jerome pawns" have won the battle for the center against the enemy pieces, and now the Queen moves in to grab a loose piece.

12.Qd5+ Kf8 13.Qxc5+ 

Okay, White is better, but, after a breather, the pawns have more work to do.

13...d6 14.Qb4 b6 

15.f5 Bb7 16.f6 gxf6 17.Bh6+ Kf7 18.Qc4+ d5 19.Qg4 Rg8 

Overlooking something.

20.e6+ Ke7 21.Qxg8 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Stumbling and Tumbling Knights

In an even Queenless middle game, Black's Knights stumble and tumble and give the game away.

To be sure, Bill Wall, with the White pieces, had a hand in that, too.

Wall, Bill - Excelencia

internet, 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.Qe3 Nf6  

Here we have a standard Jerome Gambit position, one that appears over 700 times in The Database, with White scoring 66%.

10.f4 Ng4 

This is not a "bad" move for Black, but it is another example of the defender deciding to harass the Queen.

11.Qg3 Qe7 

Consistent would have been 11...Qh4 12.Qxh4 Nxh4, with an edge to Black.

12.O-O Rf8 13.d3 Qh4 

Deciding upon the exchange after all.

14.Qxh4 Nxh4 

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece. The game is even.

15.h3 Nh6 16.Nc3 c6 17.f5 

Hunting the Knights.

17...g5 

A slip. Instead, 17...N4xf5 18.exf5 Bxf5 19.Be3 would have led to an edge for White. 

18.Bxg5 Nxg2

Things would open up too quickly after 18...N4xf5 19.exf5 Nxf5 20.Rae1+.

 19.Bxh6 Rf6 20.Bd2 Nh4 21.Bg5 Black resigned

BSHG: Know Your Defense

In the following game, White is more familiar with the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit than Black is with the Blackburne Shilling Gambit. The result is predictable.

Mbokharie - saeedhashem1988

10 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 

Or 5...Ke7 6.c3 Ne6 7.d4 d6 8.Nf3 Nf6 9.d5 Nc5 10.Bg5 Ncxe4 11.Bxf6+ gxf6 12.O-O Bf5 13.Re1 Kd7 14.Nd4 Bg6 15.Qg4+ f5 16.Nxf5 Nf6 17.Qh3 c6 18.Ng7+ Kc7 19.Ne6+ Kb6 20.Nxd8 Rxd8 21.Qe3+ c5 22.Na3 a6 23.Nc4+ Ka7 24.b4 b5 25.Na5 Nxd5 26.Qf3 Rd7 27.Qxd5 Bg7 28.bxc5 Bf7 29.Qd2 d5 30.c6 Rc7 31.Qe3+ Black resigned, Mbokharie - baba_jdw78, lichess.org, 2023; or 

5...Ke8 6.c3 Nc6 (6...Ne6 7.d4 Qf6 8.O-O d6 9.Qa4+ Ke7 10.f4 c6 11.Nf3 b5 12.Qc2 Ba6 13.e5 Qf7 14.exd6+ Kd7 15.f5 Nd8 16.Ne5+ Kc8 17.Nxf7 Nxf7 18.Qe4 Bxd6 19.Qxc6+ Kb8 20.Qxa6 Ne7 21.Qxb5+ Kc7 22.Qa5+ Kd7 23.Nd2 g6 24.fxg6 hxg6 25.h3 Ng5 26.Nc4 Nf5 27.Nxd6 Kxd6 28.Bxg5 Black resigned, Mbokharie - sohaib75, lichess.org, 2023) 7.Qh5+ Ke7 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Nc4+ Kc5 10.Qd5 checkmate, Mbokharie - saeedhashem1988, lichess.org, 2023. 

6.c3 Qg5 

This is the thematic move for the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, but better in this position was 6...Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Ke6 8.d5+ Kd6 9.d4 Qh4 10.Nc3 c6 11.e5+ Kc7 12.d6+ Bxd6 13.exd6+ Kxd6 14.O-O Nf6 15.Qf3 Kc7 16.Bf4+ d6 17.Bg3 Qg4 18.Qxg4 Nxg4 19.Ne4 Rd8 20.Rac1 Bf5 21.Nc3 Rac8 22.Nb5+ Kb8 23.Nxd6 Rxd6 24.Bxd6+ Ka8 25.Rfe1 Nf6 26.Re7 Be4 27.Rxg7 Bd5 28.Be5 Ne4 29.Rxh7 Bxa2 30.f3 Ng5 31.Rh8 Rxh8 32.Bxh8 Ne6 33.Re1 Kb8 34.Re5 Kc8 35.Rf5 Kc7 36.Be5+ Kb6 37.h4 a5 38.h5 Bb1 39.Rf6 Ng5 40.h6 a4 41.d5 Bd3 42.dxc6 bxc6 43.Rd6 Bf5 44.Bf4 Ne6 45.Be3+ Kc7 46.Rd2 Nf8 47.g4 Bh7 48.Bc5 Ng6 49.Rd6 Nh4 50.Kf2 Ng6 51.g5 Kb7 52.Rd7+ Black resigned, Mbokharie - baba_jdw78, lichess.org, 2023 

7.cxd4 Qxg2 8.Qb3+ Kd6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qf7+ Kd8 11.Qxf8 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Harassed

I have seen Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games where White's Queen is harassed, but I  don't think that I have ever seen anything like the following game.

 angelcamina - pekasmed

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+ Ke7 8.Qxc5+ d6 

Here we go.

9.Qc4 Be6 10.Qb4 b6 11.O-O c5 12.Qb5 Nf6 13.d3 Qd7 14.Qa6 Rhd8 

15.f4 Nf8 16.f5 Bf7 17.Nc3 Rab8 18.Bg5 Qb7 19.Qb5 Be8 20.Qc4 Bf7 21.Qa4 a5 22.Nd5+ 

22...Qxd5

I am not sure if this was a mouse slip or an oversight or because this is a bullet game. In any event: Game Over.

Instead, 22...Bxd5 23.exd5 Qxd5 maintained Black's advantage

23.exd5 N8d7 24.Rae1+ Kf8 25.Bxf6 Nxf6 26.Re6 Bxe6 27.fxe6 Ke7 28.c4 Rf8 29.Rxf6 gxf6 30.Qd7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Funniest Jerome Gambit

Yury V. Bukayev sent me what may be the funniest Jerome Gambit ever played. Sure, the players are children, and the Jerome is an excellent choice for them, but, still...

D.K. - P.B.

EU-ch U08 Germany, 2003

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Nf3 Bc5 

Reaching the Jerome Gambit via the Bishop's Opening.

5.O-O Bxf2+ 

Well, that came as a surprise. More psychology?

6.Rxf2 Nd4 

A painful mis-step.

Not surprisingly, The Database has another game with the much more normal 6...Nf6: 7.Ng5+ Kg8 8.c3 d6 9.Qb3+ Kf8 10.Qf7 checkmate, UmusBdreamin - QFM, FICS, 2008. 

7.Nxe5+ Ke8 

Okay, White is in control, with more material and a coming attack on an unsafe King. What would you do?

8.Rf7 

Planting a Rook in enemy territory, but leaving himself open for the counter 8...Qg5!?.

Strongest was adding the Queen: 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Nxg6 Nf6 10.Qe5+ Ne6 11.Nxh8 d6 12.Qxf6 Qxf6 13.Rxf6.

Even 8.Nf7 was better motivated. 

8...Nh6 9.Nc3 

White is right, the Rook does not have to move, but this is not the correct choice - 9.Qh5 was. 

9...Rf8 

Looking to eject the enemy Rook, but this was also a mistake. 

10.Rxg7 

10...Rxf8+ with advantage to White.

10...Rg8 

The Rook has a job, and it intends to do it, wrong-headed as ever.

Instead, 10...Qf6! 11.Qh5+! Kd8!, where White has some advantage, but he will need to find the best moves to keep it, because the position is sharp.

11.Rxg8+ 

Why not? White sees nothing wrong with cooperating with Black, here.

You probably saw that he also had 11.Qh5+ Kf8 12.Rf7+ Ke8 13.Rxh7+ Kf8 14.Qxh6+ Ke8 15.Qh5+ Rg6 16.Qxg6+ Kf8 17.Qf7# 

11...Nxg8 Black resigned

12.Qh5+ leads to checkmate.

Jerome Gambit: A Few Tactical Ideas in Your Pocket

It is always good to have a few tactical ideas in your pocket - you never know when they might come in handy. 

The following game is won by such an idea.

Mauricio060215 - Cpt_Joseph

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

 4...Kxf7 5.O-O 

This is one of the so-called "modern" variations of the Jerome Gambit, because Alonzo Wheeler Jerome and early players all focused, instead, on 5.Nxe5+.

White decides that sacrificing one piece is enough.

The Database has 1,971 games, with 5.O-O. White scores 41%.

It has 20,917 games with 5.Nxe5+. White scores 57%  

But our silicon friend suggests that the story is not over. At 40 ply, Stockfish 15's analysis is that 5.Nxe5+ is only .2 of a pawn better than 5.O-O. That's not much of a difference at all.

The question should be: How wild a game do you want?

5...Be7 

Black has defensive plans.

6.c3 d6 7.d4 Nf6 

8.dxe5 dxe5 

Okay, thinks White, let's try something

9.Qb3+ Be6 

Bingo!

So many defenders against the Jerome Gambit love to harass the White Queen.

But White is ready.

10.Ng5+ 

Of course.

Rememer, this is a 5 minute blitz game. Such a thing is less likely to occur with longer time controls.

10...Kg6 

Black flees his castle behind a wall of pawns.

11.Qxe6 Rf8 12.Qf5+ Kh6 13.Nf7 checkmate

Very nice.