Jerome Gambit: Think Fast!

To succeed at chess at bullet speed - 1-minute chess - it is helpful to have a good eye for tactics.

The following game, from regular contributor angelcamina, is a good example.

angelcamina - Farbic

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ 

The Noa Gambit, the Monck Gambit, or the Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. If Black had been expecting 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bd3 dxe4 7.Bxe4 Bd6 with a quiet position (although he would have to look out for Yury V. Bukayev's recommendation, 8.Bxc6+) this may have come as a surprise.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe4 d5 

7.Neg5+ 

Or 7.Nc3 e4 8.Ng1 Bc5 9.d4 Bxd4 10.Nge2 Bb6 11.O-O Rf8 12.Nxd5 Kg8 13.Nxb6 axb6 14.Qe1 Ne5 15.Qc3 Qf6 16.Bf4 Ng4 17.Qxf6 Nxf6 18.Bxc7 Bg4 19.Ng3 Rac8 20.Bxb6 Rxc2 21.Bd4 Rd8 22.Bc3 b5 23.a3 Rd3 24.h3 Be6 25.Rad1 Bb3 26.Rxd3 exd3 27.Rd1 Bc4 28.Ne4 Nd5 29.Nd2 Nxc3 30.Nxc4 Rxb2 31.Rxd3 Nd1 32.Kh2 Rc2 33.Rd8+ Kf7 34.Ne3 Nxe3 35.fxe3 Rf2 36.Rd7+ Kg6 37.Ra7 White won on time, angelcamina - florianschreib, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019. 

7...Ke8 

Or 7...Kf6 8.d4 Bg4 9.dxe5+ Nxe5 10.Qd4 Bxf3 11.Nxf3 Qe7 12.Bg5+ Black resigned, angelcamina - GrainBowl, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023; or

7...Kg8 8.d4 e4 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 h6 11.Nxe4 Bb4+ 12.c3 Be7 13.Ng3 c6 14.O-O Be6 15.f4 Kh7 16.f5 Black resigned, angelcamina - Otschin_Karascho, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024.

8.d4 h6 9.Nh3 e4 10.Ne5 

The light-square Kingside weaknesses make Black's monarch a bit uneasy.

10...Nxe5 11.Qh5+ 

It is not clear if White overlooked Black's next move, or if he decided to mix things up, hoping to find advantage down the line.

11...Nf7 12.Nf4 Qf6 13.Nxd5 Qd6 14.Bf4 Qc6 

A slip. It can happen at such time controls.

15.Nxc7+ Ke7 16.Nd5+ Ke8 17.Nc7+ Ke7 

Repetition saves time for both players and gives a few more seconds for reflection. angelcamina does not want a draw.

18.Nxa8 Qxc2 

Black's Queen will not do as good a job harassing the White King as White's pieces will in harassing the Black King.

19.O-O Be6 20.Rac1 Qxb2 21.Rc7+ Ke8 22.Rxf7 Bxf7 23.Qe5+ Be7 Nc7+ Kf8 

25.d5 

This move gives Black the opportunity to exchange Queens, which he should have taken. The Queens come off the board shortly, but it costs more.

25...Qb6 26.d6 Qxd6 27.Qxd6 Bxd6 28.Bxd6+ Kg8 

White's extra piece and better placed Rook now create tactics to finish the game.

29.Rc1 Bxa2 30.Nb5 a6 31.Nd4 Kh7 32.Rc7 Rd8 33.Be5 b5 34.Rxg7+ Kh8 35.Rd7+ Black resigned