Jerome Gambit: Comparable

Two openings - the Jerome Gambit and the Abrahams Jerome Gambit - are similar in some ways, and different in others.

In the following game, lichess.org player feritTurkey demonstrates the benefits of an opening line that he has played at least 373 times.

feritTurkey - makoppo

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+

The Abrahams Jerome Gambit. It appears in 19,021 games in The Database, with White scoring 51%. 

That compares with 39,663 games in The Database with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, scoring 52%.

3...Kxf7 4.Qh5+ g6 

With 2 minutes of thinking time for the game, this would seem a resonable move - especially if the defender were familiar with the Jerome Gambit - but here the only move to maintain Black's full advantage is 4...Kf8. 

5.Qxe5 Qf6

Again, the proper move is 5...Bxf2+, i.e. 6.Kxf2 Nf6 7.Qf4 Rf8 8.e5 Kg7 9.Nf3 equal game.

6.Qxc5

White has a 2 pawn advantage, but Stockfish 16.1 evaluates his advantage as almost twice that.

6...d6

This doesn't help. Instead, he should put his Knight or his Queen on c6 and try to hold on, rooting for the clock. 

7.Qxc7+ Nd7 8.Nf3 Ne7 9.O-O Nc6 

Locking in White's Queen

10.d4 Kg7 

A little better is 10...Nxd4 11.Qc4+ Ne6 12.Nc3 Nb6 13.Qb4 Rd8. 

11.Bg5 Qe6 

Instead, 11...Qf8 leads to being more confined, i.e. 12.d5 Nce5 13.Nd4 Kg8 14.Ne6 Qf7 15.Nd2. 

12.d5 Qxe4 13.dxc6 bxc6 14.Qxd6 Qxc2

Now White has a mate in four

15.Qe7+ Kg8 16.Bh6 Qxb2 17.Nbd2 Nf6 18.Qg7 checkmate