Jerome Gambit: Blitz, It Happens

Blitz chess can be exciting, even more so when you add the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), but it can also be annoying if it limits how deep the players can analyze in complicated positions. 

Jakub2201 - kareol83

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 

Now: Blackburne's 7...d6 or Whistler's 7...Qe7. 

7...d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.O-O Nf6 

10.Nc3 

White goes for development, perhaps after realizing that only his Queen is in play. Still, he needed to continue 10.Qd8 Bh3 11.Qxc7+ as mentioned in the previous post (See "Jerome Gambit: Surprise Ending"). 

10...Qg5 

Missing his major threat, 10...Ng4, when White can wrigle, but he cannot escape e.g. 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8 Qg3 14.Qg8+ Kxg8 15.exf5 Qh2 checkmate 

Blitz, it happens.

11.Qd8 

Reaching the escape square one move too late, as Black demonstrates.

11...Bh3 12.Qxc7+ 

Gotta try...

12...Nd7 

The snarky computer points out 12...Kg8 13.g3 Qh5 14.Qxb7 Qf3 15.Qxa8+ Kg7 16.Qb7+ Nd7 17.Qxd7+ Bxd7 18.g4 Bxg4 19.d3 Bh3 20.Bh6+ Kxh6 21.a3 Qg2 checkmate. 

13.g3 

Would you agree with Stockfish 16.1 that White would get sufficient compensation for his Queen after 13.Qxd7+ Bxd7 14.d4 Qe7 15.dxc5 dxc5 16.Bf4  ? 

The game remains messy - and the clock is ticking.

13...Qg4 

The computer suggests that there is now a draw after 14.Qxb7 Qf3 15.Qd5+ Ke7 16.e5 Nxe5 17.d3 Bd4 18.Bg5+ Kd7 19.Rae1 Rf8 20.Bf4 Rxf4 21.gxf4 Bxc3 22.Rxe5 Qg4+ 23.Kh1 Bxe5 24.Qb7+

If it says so... 

14.Nd5 Qf3 15.Nf4 Bxf2+ 16.Rxf2 Qd1+ White resigned

Jerome Gambit: Surprise Ending

The following Jerome Gambit has much to recommend it: it has exciting tactics, interesting history - and a surprise ending.

kav03232 - RIFL

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 

This looks scary, but White can defend.

9.O-O 

But not this way. The key is 9.d4

From "Traps and Zaps", which quotes from Bruce Pandolfini's Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps.

An improvement suggested by Munoz and Munoz in the August 1885 Brooklyn Chess Chronicle, repeated by Fletcher in Gambits Accepted (1954) and Druke in the November 1987 Gambit Revue, to give some early citations. (Actually, the move is rarely mentioned, but see "A Closer Look (Part V)".) 

After 9...Nf6 (9...Qxe4+ is defused by 10.Be3 when neither 10...Qxg3 or 10...Qxc2 gives Black enough) 10.Nd2 Bxd4 11.O-O 

Now, a draw is available.

9...Nf6 

As Emil Gelenczei said in his 200 Eroffnungsfallen, "the bag is closed" - (I speak German like a French cow...)

10.Qd8 

Anticipated by Harris,Sgt. W. A. - Quayle,E. H., correspondence Los Angeles, CA, 1944 (0-1, 14) and analyzed in Chandler,Geoff - Dimitrov,Todor, 5 minute special game, 2004 (1-0, 13).

10...Bh3 

Offering the Rook or the Bishop.

11.Qxc7+ 

The safe way: checking the enemy King repeatedly, taking the draw.

Taking the Rook with 11.Qxa8 leads to being checkmated by 11...Qg4 12.g3 Qxe4 etc,

11...Kf8 

Any other move leads to advantage by White.

Now, White can force a draw with 12.Qxb7 Qg4 13.Qxa8+ Kf7 14.Qb7+ and continued checking of the enemy King.

White can also offer Black the option of forcing a draw, with 12.gxh3 Qxh3 13.d3 Qg4+ 14.Kh1 Qf3+ drawing.

But what if the first player does not want a draw?

12.d4 

After this, Black has a checkmate with 12...Qg4 13.g3 Qf3, with ...Qg2# coming up.

However, to Black's misfortune, at this point White won on time

Jerome Gambit: Lazy Day

I'm feeling a bit lazy today, suffering a bit from caffeine deficiency disorder, so here is a short Jerome Gambit game, with a lot of comment and analysis that I have previously provided in earlier posts.

Yawn.

STOCHASTIC95 - juangenio

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 

In the post "Harried", I noted

White reaches an interesting position, historically. Here "Amateur" played 8.Qxh8 and after 8...Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6 10.c3 he was crushed by Blackburne: 10...Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8 Qxh3+ 14.gxh3 Bxe4 checkmate.

At that time, 10.Qd8 was suggested by J.B. and E.M. Munoz, giving White the better game; although, almost 120 years later, Chandler and Dimitrov showed that Black could hold the draw.

 Also, from "Jerome Gambit: Drawing From History"

In an earlier post, "War", concerning the game AsceticKing9 - blackburne, ChessWorld Jerome Gambit tournament 6, 2011, I wrote

The Blackburne Defense, harking back to Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884. See "Nobody Expects the Jerome Gambit!" 

Not surprisingly, the modern "blackburne" has played this sacrificial line as well. See "blackburne as Blackburne with black".

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.O-O Bh3 

Instead, 9...Nf6 (before ...Bh3) would have led to the best known Jerome Gambit game, and a delightful checkmate - by Black.

Subsequently, and perhaps with a sense of relief, Geoff Chandler and Todor Dimitrov have shown that the game should end as a draw. 

The position in the diagram is interesting. Does Black have an attack on the King? Is the White Queen in danger? Can the game transpose to Blackburne's line?

I checked The Database, and it showed 11 - 3 - 1 (77%) for White. The lichess.org database has 359 games, with White scoring 70%. 

How does this come about?

10.gxh3 

This move is good enough for a draw.

Stronger was 10.Qc3! Be6 (10...Bxg2 11.Kxg2 Nf6 (11...Qxe4+ 12.Qf3+ Qxf3+ 13.Kxf3 Nf6 14.Nc3 Re8 15.Kg2 b5 16.Nxb5 Re2 17.d4 Bb6 18.b3 Rxc2 19.Bg5 Ng4 20.a4 Black resigned, Anti-Duhring - CptKnorke, lichess.org, 2023) 12.Qg3 Qxe4+ 13.Qf3 Qe5 14.Nc3 Rf8 15.d3 Kg8 16.Qe2 Qf5 17.Ne4 Re8 18.Nxf6+ Kf7 19.Qxe8+ Black resigned, Astral1119 - LittleRock, lichess.org, 2021) 11.d4 (11.Qg3 Qf6 (11...Qh5 12.d3 Rf8 13.Be3 Nf6 14.Bxc5 dxc5 15.Nc3 Kg8 16.f4 c4 17.f5 Bf7 18.e5 Ng4 19.e6 Be8 20.Rae1 gxf5 21.h3 f4 22.Qxg4+ Qxg4 23.hxg4 Black resigned, neelnikhar - abdoessam311, lichess.org, 2021) 12.Nc3 h5 13.d3 Nh6 14.Bxh6 Black resigned, Chess-For-All - irakligunia, lichess.org, 2017) 11...Bb6 12.Nd2 Nf6 13.Nf3 Qh5 14.Ng5+ Ke7 15.e5 Ng4 16.h3 Nh6 17.exd6+ cxd6 18.Qe3 Black resigned, Fritz 8 - RevvedUp, 2 12 blitz, 2006. 

Wild, as 1-minute games are, was 10.d4? Qg4? 11.g3? Qf3? 12.Qxh7+ Ke6 13.Qxh3+ Ke7 14.dxc5 Nf6 15.Bg5 Kf7 16.Bxf6 Kxf6 17.Nd2 Qe2 18.Rad1 Kg7 19.cxd6 Rh8 20.Qd7+ Kg8 Black resigned, DutchLiLi - dikkebertha, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022. 

10...Qxh3 

Black needed to realize that he had escaped a bad outcome (i.e. 10.Qc3!) and should have run for a draw.

With 10...Nf6, offering a Rook, Black would have enticed White into helping him check his way to a half-point: 11.Qxa8 Qxh3 12.Qxb7 (not 12.Re1 Ng4 13.d4 Qxh2+ 14.Kf1 Qxf2 checkmate, IsidraRules - brachiotheragon, lichess.org, 2021) 12...Qg4+ (not 12...Ng4 because of 13.Qb3+ winning) 13.Kh1 Qf3+ 14.Kg1 Qg4+ etc with a draw by repetition.

11.Qc3 

Instead, 11.d4 Qg4+ 12.Kh1 Qf3+ 13.Kg1 Qg4+ 14.Kh1 Qf3+ 15.Kg1 Qg4+ was drawn in angelcamina - ermit, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022. 

11...Qg4+ 12.Qg3 Black resigned

Whew!

Back to the current game -

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.O-O Bh3 

Reaching a position covered in the notes above. The Database shows 25 games with this position, with White scoring "only" 75%, despite Stockfish 16.1 assessing White as being 4 1/4 pawns ahead.

10.Qc3 

The only winning move, as we have, again, seen above.

Black resigned

The Drawn Game Grandmaster Olga Girya - Yury Bukayev

                                     

As I mentioned in a recent post, "Grandmaster Olga A. Girya Simultaneous Exhibition", Grandmaster Olga A. Girya recently had a 15-board simultaneous exhibition in Moscow, and one of her opponents was Chessfriend and major contributor to this blog, Yury V. Bukayev.

Here is their game. Yury's chess knowledge is apparent.

GM Olga A. Girya - Yury V. Bukayev

simultaneous exhibition, Moscow, 2025, 

July 13 ('The Chess Square 2025')

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Qe7 

As in Vidmar, Milan Sr - Nimzowitsch, Aaron, Semmering 1926.

5.g3 O-O 

As in Vidmar, Milan Sr - Alekhine, Alexander, New York, 1927.

6.Bg2 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 d6 

As in Budo, Alexander S - Botvinnik,Mikhail, URS-ch07 Moscow, 1931.

8.Nc3 e5 9.O-O Re8 10.e4 Bg4 11.d5 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 c5 

As in Osnos,Viatcheslav - Polugaevsky, Lev URS-ch sf , 1960

13.Bg2 a6 14.a4 Nbd7 15.Rae1 Rf8 16.f4 Ne8 17.f5 h6 

18.Bf3 Qg5 19.Re3 Nef6 20.Qf2 Ng4 21.Bxg4 Qxg4 22.Kg2 f6

23.h3 Qh5 24.g4 Qe8 25.h4 Kf7 26.Rg3 Rh8 27.Rh1 Ke7 28.Rgh3 Qf7 29.Qe3

Yury reports, the last Black's move was made under very heavy conditions of thinking because dear arbiter required to finish the simultaneous exhibition (this simul had a limitation of time, and the limit was near already). Draw was fixed on the 29th move by agreement of the opponents because White's advantage is very little only, and it is difficult to create an effective attacking plan.

 

Jerome Gambit: Get An Edge, Then Simplify

The "Italian opning [sic] rapid players tournament" - although the time control was not rapid, but 3 days per move - has concluded.

Of the five players, top-rated Shienny_Loves_Cats finished undefeated with 8 points.

I came in second, with 5 1/2 points. In a hurry to finish a game and the tournament, I accepted a draw in a game, when a bit more analysis of the position would have shown a clear winning path. Ah, well.

My Jerome Gambit game with Shienny_Loves_Cats has already appeared in  "Jerome Gambit: Ouch (Parts 1 & 2)".

Here is the other Jerome Gambit that I managed to achieve. My strategy was simple: get an edge, then simplify.

perrypawnpusher - SirGalton

Italian opening rapid players,Chess.com, 2025

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

Black should do fine with this defense - if he knows what he is doing.

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.Na3 

Yury V. Bukayev has examined this move and 8...Bxa3, which was seen in Bukayev,Y - Karpov,A, tempo, 10+0  2022 (1-0, 18); although he judged 8...Qf6 to be a stronger move.

paulybuckets, at lichess.org, is 4 - 3 - 1 with 8.Na3.

8...Qf6 

Or 8...c6 as in perrypawnpusher - Klewnom, Italian Game tournament, Chess.com,  2023 (0-1, 22). 

Now, a center skirmish allows me to claw back some material.

9.Nc4+ Nxc4 10.Qd5+ Ke7 11.Qxc5+ Nd6 12.e5 Qe6 13.O-O 

13...b6 14.exd6+ cxd6 15.Qg5+ 

Trying to stir something up.

15...Kf7 16.Qh5+ g6 

My guess is that my opponent was annoyed with the Queen checks and responded with a quick move that said Go away! After all, he already had to put up with the Jerome Gambit...

17.Qf3+ 

"I don't want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members" said Grouch Marx.

17...Kg7 18.Qxa8 Ba6 19.d3 Nf6 

White is up the exchange and a pawn, with a safer King.

20.Qf3 

Taking the Queen out of danger, but missing 20.Bh6+ Kxh6 21.Qxh8.

Missing tactics like this prolongs my games.

21...Rc8 21.c3 Qg4 22.Qxg4 Nxg4 23.Rd1 Ne5 24.d4 

Being content to slowly convert my advantage.

24...Nd3 25.a4 

Things are a bit congested on the Queen's side, so opening the a-file seems like a good idea.

25...d5 26.a5 Nxc1 27.Rdxc1 Bc4 28.axb6 axb6 29.Ra7 Black resigned

The Impatient Jerome Gambit

The following encounter between club level players is a good example of "impatience" vs "inattention".

This time, impatience wins.

I hope that both players enjoyed their game as much as I do.

Samuel123four - Andres263k

10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2025

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

This game is an interesting mixture of modern play and earlier exploration, and I was pleased to receive it.

I had looked at this line a while back, for example "Jerome Gambit: Facing Up to 4.Bxf7+ in the Two Knights (Part 2)"

[T]he earliest example that I have found of the Two Knights "impatient Jerome Gambit" line, 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bxf7+, is the following game. It is just the start of the investigation, as it raises many more questions than it answers.

The game referred to in that earlier post, Draper, Dr - Child AW, Belfast - Dublin team correspondence match-2, 1891-92 (0-1, 20), almost immediately diverges from the modern line.

 4...Kxf7 5.Ng5+ 

White wastes no time continuing his aggression.

Notice how more effective this Knight move is when Black has a Knight on f6, rather than a Bishop on c5, as in the troubling Face Palm variation.

The Database has 890 games with the current game's position. White scores 49% - a coin toss. 

By the way, Dr. Draper continued in his game, instead, with the quiet 5.Qe2. 

5...Ke8 6.O-O d5 

Black has no intention of going gently into that good night. His position is better, and he wants to make something of it.

Therein lies the seeds of his defeat: besting the Jerome Gambit (and its relatives) requires continued attention to the task.

7.exd5 Nxd5 8.Qh5+ 

Immediately taking advantage of the absence of Black's Knight.

Stockfish 16.1 evaluates three responses, one leading to checkmate by White, one leading to an equal game - and the move played in the game at hand.

8...g6 

The defense continues to defend.

9.Qf3 Qxg5 10.Qxd5 

An exchange of pieces.

10...Bh3 

Black tries his hand at attacking.

11.d4 Nxd4

Capturing a  pawn, with thoughts of ...Nxc2, perhaps, and then winning the Rook at a1.

But he slips - a major danger in facing Jerome Gambit or Jerome-like openings is that a moment of inattention can be all that it takes to move an assessment from "-+" to "+-".

And, so it is, here.

12.Bxg5 

Ouch.

12...c6 13.Qxe5+ Be7 14.Qxe7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: The BoardGameXpert Returns

 

Two new videos from TheBoardGameXpert:

What Is The Basic Theory Behind The Jerome Gambit? - The Board Game Xpert - YouTube   What Is The Basic Theory Behind The Jerome Gambit? In this engaging video, we'll dive into the fascinating world of the Jerome Gambit, ...

What Is The Best Refutation Of The Jerome Gambit? - The Board Game Xpert - YouTube   overview of the Jerome Gambit, a chess opening known for its aggressive nature. We'll cover how the gambit starts and the typical moves that ... (An incomplete quote from the second video - "Castling kingside is important for king safety and connecting rooks." Since Black's King has moved, he can only castle-by-hand.)

Jerome Gambit: Back Rank Mate

One of the earliest checkmates a player learns is the "back rank mate" which takes advantage of the enemy King being sheltered by a row of unmoved pawns, preventing escape from a fatal check.

In the following game, Bill Wall does not get to deliver that check, but his various threats to do so determine the game.

 

Wall, Bill - Dasasary

sparkchess, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

6.Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.O-O Nf6 

Seen as early as Jerome - Shinkman, Iowa, 1876 (1/2-1/2, 41 ).

Black has a piece for a pawn. White has a plan. 

9.f4 Nc6 10.Qd1 

New for Bill. Five times previously, he had chosen 10.Qd3. 

10...Re8 

Good. Black avoids 10...Nxe4 11.Qd5+ Ke8 12.Qxe4+ when he would only have an edge. 

11.Nc3 Kg8 

12.f5 

Setting a trap. 

12...Nxe4 

Having rightly resisted the e-pawn at move 10, he suddenly finds the poisoned pawn appealing. 

13.Nxe4 Rxe4 14.Qd5+ 

14...Re6 

A sad necessity. 

15.fxe6 Qe7 16.Bg5 

16...Qxe6 

Better was 16...Bxe6 17.Qxc6 Qxg5 18.Qxc7 Bd5 19.Rf2 Re8 but it would still leave the second player behind.

17.Rae1 

Offering his Queen.

17...Ne5 

Or 17...Nd4 18.Qxd4 checkmate in 12. 

18.Rxe5 Black resigned

The White Rook cannot be taken by the Queen, because she is pinned. The pawn cannot take the Rook, as this would allow 19.Qd8+ checkmate