Jerome Gambit: Stuff Happens

At least as long ago as Traité Théorique et Pratique du jeu des Echecs, par une Société des Amateurs (1786), chess players have suggested that if Black and White each play perfectly, the result will be a draw.

Club level play often varies quite a bit from "perfect", however, reflecting the lament that stuff happens.

The following game illustrates.

angelcamina - iciaren

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4 

Hoping that the pin on the Knight will allow the capture of the pawn on e4, but he has not seen far enough.

8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxe4 

10...Qe7 

angelcamina has also faced 10...Bxc3+, e.g. 11.bxc3 Qe7 12.0–0 d6 13.Ba3 (13.f4 Bd7 14.Ba3 Bb5 (14...Bc6 15.Qe3 Re8 16.Rad1 g6 17.Qg3 Kg7 18.c4 Rhf8 19.Bb2 Kg8 20.f5 Black resigned, angelcamina - CATCHESS11, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024) 15.c4 Bc6 16.Qe3 Ke8 17.Rae1 Kd8 18.Rd1 Kc8 19.Qh3+ Bd7 20.Qg3 g6 21.exd6 cxd6 22.Bxd6 Qe4 23.Rfe1 Qf5 24.Re5 Qg4 25.Qd3 Bc6 26.g3 Rd8 27.Re7 Qf3 28.Rc7+ Kb8 29.Rxc6+ Rxd6 30.Qxd6 checkmate, angelcamina - Heptrook, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025) 13...Kg8 14.Qf3 Qxe5 15.Rae1 Qf5 16.Qxf5 Bxf5 17.Re7 h6 18.Rxc7 Bxc2 19.Rxb7 Kh7 20.Re1 Rhf8 21.Ree7 Rf6 22.Rxg7+ Kh8 23.f3 Bd3 24.c4 Bxc4 25.Bb2 Rff8 26.Rh7+ Kg8 27.Rbg7 checkmate, angelcamina - likinfride, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019. 

Also, 10...Qe8 11.Qxb4+ Black resigned, angelcamina - ngx11, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020. 

11.O-O d6 12.Nd5 

White will win the Bishop, but he also had the simple 12.Qxb4.

12...Qxe5 13.Qf3+ Bf5 14.Nxb4 

14...Ke7 15.Bg5+ Kd7 16.Rfe1 c6 

Ooops, the Queen is hanging... Remember, this is a bullet game, and stuff happens.

17.Rxe5 dxe5 18.Rd1+ Kc7 19.Qxf5 Rhf8 20.Qd7+ Kb6 21.Be3+ c5 22.Rd6+ Ka5 23.Qxb7 Black resigned

Checkmate is coming.