The Jerome Gambit: Keep Up the Pressure

Friday, October 10, 2025

Keep Up the Pressure

The following game is another from SUPREMEAPAP, providing another lesson for club players.

SUPREMEAPAP- NN

3 2 blitz, Chess.com, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7

The Hungarian Defense, one way to avoid facing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). However...

4.O-O

It is good to revisit 4.d4 Nxd4 5.Bxf7+ from the game LarryC - wetvader, 45 15 ICC 2007 (1-0, 28), presented in "Here, Have Another..." Yes, LarryC is Grandmaster Larry Christiansen

4...Nf6

Now, White sacrifices.

5.Bxf7+

It is interesting to review three alternate choices from over 170 years ago -

5.Nc3 d6 6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 O-O 9.h3 b6 10.Be3 Bb7 11.e5 dxe5 12.Qxe5 Bd6 13.Qg5 Ne4 14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.Qg4 Bxc2 16.Bd4 Bg6 17.Bc3 Qc8 18.Qd4 Black resigned, Mahescandra - Cochrane, Kolkata, 1853;

5.d3 O-O 6.c3 d5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.h3 Kh8 9.Re1 f6 10.d4 Nb6 11.Bb3 exd4 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13.cxd4 Bf5 14.Nc3 c6 15.Be3 Bb4 16.Qf3 Qd7 17.Red1 Bxc3 18.bxc3 Nd5 19.c4 Nc3 20.Re1 Be4 21.Qg3 Bg6 22.Rac1 Ne4 23.Qh4 Rae8 24.c5 f5 25.f3 Nf6 26.Bg5 Nd5 27.Bf4 Nb4 28.Bd6 Nd3 29.Rxe8 Rxe8 30.Rd1 Nb4 31.Re1 Bf7 32.Rxe8+ Qxe8 33.Bxf7 Qxf7 34.Qd8+ Qg8 35.Qc7 h6 36.Be5 Nd3 37.Qxb7 Nxe5 38.dxe5 Qxa2 39.Qc8+ Kh7 40.Qxf5+ Kh8 41.e6 Qe2 42.Qf7 Qc4 43.Qf8+ Kh7 44.Qf5+ g6 45.Qf7+ Kh8 46.Qf8+ Kh7 47.e7 Qxc5+ 48.Kh2 Qd6+ 49.f4 Black resigned, Cochrane,J - Mahescandra, Kolkata, 1855; and

5.d4 Nxe4 6.dxe5 O-O 7.Re1 Nc5 8.c3 Ne6 9.b4 a6 10.a4 d6 11.exd6 Bxd6 12.Na3 Qf6 13.Qd3 Nxb4 14.cxb4 Qxa1 15.Bg5 Qxe1+ 16.Nxe1 Nxg5 17.Nac2 Be6 18.h4 Bxc4 19.Qxc4 Ne6 20.Qd5 Rab8 21.g3 Rfd8 22.Qf5 c5 23.bxc5 Nxc5 24.Nf3 h6 25.a5 b5 26.Nb4 Re8 27.Qd5 Rbd8 28.Qc6 Bf8 29.Kg2 Re6 30.Qc7 Rd7 31.Qc8 Rd1 32.Nc6 Rd3 33.Nfd4 Re1 34.Nf5 Rd7 35.Nce7+ Rdxe7 36.Nxe7+ Rxe7 37.Qxc5 Re6 38.Qc8 g6 39.f4 b4 40.Qb7 Kg7 41.g4 Rf6 42.g5 Rxf4 43.Qxa6 hxg5 44.hxg5 b3 45.Kg3 b2 46.Kxf4 b1=Q 47.Qf6+ Kg8 White resigned, Mahescandra - Cochrane,J, Kolkata 1855.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Ng6 8.e5

White keeps the pressure on.

8...Nd5

Here we go.

Black is still better, but he has missed the strongest defense, 8...Re8 9.exf6 Bxf6 10.Nc3 Kg8 returning some material and taking his King to safety.

9.Qf3+ Ke8 10.Qxd5 Rf8

Black's situation is something like wearing a tight, uncomfortable suit - and having everyone say how good it looks on him.

Stockfish 17.1 evaluates the second player as almost 3 pawns more attractive. That is okay for White - It ain't over 'til it's over
as Yogi Berra used to say.

11.f4 c6 12.Qe4