Jerome Gambit: Two Complaints

Two complaints about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ) are that White gives up a piece for some pawns, and then he moves his Queen too often.

The following game is a parody of these concerns, as White's pawns roam the board, and one promotes to a Queen - with two Queens to move around, the opponent can hardly avoid checkmate. 

Bill Wall's tactical awareness brings the full point home.

Wall, Bill - Kumar

sparkchess, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qc3 

Varying from the more popular 8.Qg3 and the less frequent 8.Qf4+.

8...Qe7 

Bill has also faced 8...Qf6 in Wall,B - Guest10254637, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 38) and  Wall,B - Irene, internet, 2024.

Also 8...Nf6 9.d4 Bb6 10.f3 a5 11.O-O a4 12.Be3 Bd7 13.Nd2 Bb5 14.Rfe1 Qd7 15.Nc4 Bxc4 16.Qxc4 d5 17.Qd3 dxe4 18.fxe4 Kf7 19.Rf1 Ke8 20.Rad1 Rf8 21.e5 Ng4 22.Qxh7 Nxe3 23.Qg6+ Rf7 24.e6 Qe7 25.Rxf7 Nxd1 26.Rxe7+ Kxe7 27.Qf7+ Kd6 28.Qd7 checkmate, Wall,B - Noob, internet, 2025. 

9.d3 d5 10.O-O Bb4 

When in doubt, attack the enemy Queen.

In this case, it is Stockfish 16.1's choice, too.

11.Qd4 dxe4 12.dxe4 Bc5 13.Qc3 Bb6 

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece, and an unsafe enemy King to focus on. At the same time, Black's dark square Bishop prevents f2-f4 for now, and he has the Bishop pair.

Bill puts his "Jerome pawns" to work.

14.e5 Bd7 15.a4 Bc6 16. a5 Bc5 17.h4 

Oh, those pawns! It is interesting to note that the computer sees the position as equal.

17...a6 

Focusing on the wrong pawn, Black slips. He needed a different pawn move, 17...h6.

18.Bg5

The Jerome Gambit offers oportunities for the tactically aware.

18...Nf6 19.exf6 Qe4 

Black casually threatens checkmate. Note that the defensive f2-f3, blocking the a8-h1 diagonal, is not possible.

Much to his dismay, however, White now has a forced checkmate.

20.fxg7+ Kf7 

Avoiding 20...Ke8 21.gxh8/Q+ Bf8 22.Re1 Kd7 23.Rxe4 Bxe4 24.Qhf6 Bd5 25.Qh3+ Ke8 26.Qhe6+ Bxe6 27.Qxe6+ Be7 28.Qxe7 checkmate

21.Qf6+ Ke8 22.gxh8=Q+ Kd7 23.Qhg7+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Paving the Way

Once again, the "Jerome pawns" have a say in the following game, paving the way to victory.

Wall, Bill - Gevaar

sparkchess, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

The Database has 1,302 games with this position. White scores 63%.

10.O-O c6 

Instead, 10...Ng4 was seen in Wall,B - Guest1660564, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 32). 

Also, 10...Kf7 11.d4 (11.Re1 Re8 12.d3 Kg8 13.Nc3 b6 14.f4 Bb7 15.Qg3 d5 16.e5 Nd7 17.f5 Ngxe5 18.Bg5 Qb8 19.Bh6 g6 20.Nb5 c6 21.Nd4 Nxd3 22.Qxd3 Rxe1+ 23.Rxe1 c5 24.fxg6 Ne5 25.gxh7+ Kh8 26.Qg3 Black resigned, Wall,B - ClemChess, internet, 2021) 11...Re8 12.Nc3 Kg8 13.f4 Bf5 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Bc8 16.Qd3 Nd5 17.Ne4 b6 18.Bg5 Qd7 19.Rf2 a5 20.b3 Ba6 21.c4 Nb4 22.Qc3 Nc6 23.Rd2 Qg4 24.Re1 h6 25.h3 Qf5 26.Bxh6 gxh6 27.Rf2 Qc8 28.Nf6+ Kg7 29.Nxe8+ Qxe8 30.e6 Nce7 31.d5+ Kg8 32.Rf7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest2163615, PlayChess.com 2019; 

And 10...Qe7 as in  Wall,B - Dasasary, internet, 2024 (1-0, 34).

11.f4 Qc7 

Or the Queen can go to 11...Qe7 as in Wall,B - HeHe, chess.com 2010 (1-0, 19). 

12.d4 Ng4 

When in doubt, harass the enemy Queen.

The Knight soon gets in trouble.

13.Qd3 Rf8 14.c4 

Incidentally, there are 20 games in The Database with pawns at c4, d4, e4 and f4.

14...d5 15.h3 dxe4 

When your piece is attacked, you may not have to move it, if you can attack one of your opponent's pieces of greater value.

Good advice, but not in this situation, as White can move with check.

16.Qxe4+ Kd8 17.hxg4 Bxg4 

White is ahead only a pawn, and lags in development, but his center control ("Jerome pawns"!) and safer King make a great difference.

18.f5 Be2 

A slip

19.Bg5+ Ne7 20.Qxe2 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Silicon Sense of Humor

                                 

Looking at my database of games by the online computer program Boris-Trapsky (playing at lichess.org) I wondered, did the last two of its games that we looked at (see "Jerome Gambit: Silicon Miniature (Parts 1 & 2") show "contempt" for the human opponent, at least in the choice of openings?

I checked, and I have used the idea of "contempt" by compters in the past, but in a different way. In "Contempt?!"

If two chess players are equally matched and have fought hard in a game against each other, a draw might be a reasonable outcome.

If opponents in a game differ greatly in their strengths, the weaker player might be quite satisfied to split the point, while the stronger player might be unwilling to do so, except as a last resort.

Chess-playing programs have to take this into account: given that most of their opponents will be weaker than them, how ready should they be to accept a draw? It would be the height of absurdity if a human could open a game, for example, with 1.e4 and an offer of a draw – and the computer, seeing itself as worse off (even slightly, Black's fate) would agree to cease hostilities...

Programming a level of resistance to accepting draws is called setting its "contempt" level. Set it high enough, and the computer will play on, down a Rook or a Queen. That's contempt!

Nice comment about chess-playing programs resisting drawing against lower-rated players, but not quite what I was looking for.

Maybe, though, the program can be accused of having a sense of humor, starting a game this year with 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qf3+ Qf6 5.b4 - and winning in 35 moves!

Jerome Gambit: Checkmate the Queen

Many games end with checkmating the King. The following entertaing Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) encounter ends with "checkmating" the Queen.

Wall, Bill - Gouba

sparkchess, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+ 

Not quite as good as ...Bxd4, but good enough 

7.c3 Bxc3+ 

Black has to lose a piece, and this is how he chooses to do that. The Database has 338 games with this capture, with White scoring 55%.

Black might have considered, instead 7...Be7 (15 games in The Database, White scores 53%) or 7...Ng6 (26 games in The Database, White scores 52%).

The real counter attack comes from 7...Qh4. The Database has 29 games with this move, with White scoring a paltry 26%.

For a more balanced look, Stockfish 16.1 (33 ply) rates 7...Ng6,  7...Be7, and 7...Qh4 closely, with the first considered about 1/4 pawn better than the last. All, of course, maintain Black's advantage of 2+ pawns.

8.Nxc3 Ng6 9.O-O 

The computer already gives White an edge here.

9...c6 

Preparing ...d4-d5, but it could have been played directly. 

 10.f4 N6e7 

Or 10...d6 11.f5 N6e7 12.Bg5 h6 13.Qh5+ Kf8 14.f6 g6 15.fxe7+ Ke8 16.exd8=Q checkmate, Wall,B - Guest2047860, PlayChess.com 2019

11.g4 

The "Jerome pawns" look intimidating.

Although this position is unique in The Database, there are 173 games with the d4+e4+f4+g4 pawns.

11...Nf6

Evening the game. Either a center strike, with 11...d5, or a wing challenge, with 11...h5, was called for, instead. 

12.f5 Rf8 

Sang froid, but I prefer 12...d5. There was also, again, the chance to open the h-file for the Black Rook, with 12...h5.

13.h4 

If a little is good, a lot has to be better.

13...Kg8 

Seeking shelter from the (pawn) storm.

14.e5 Nfd5 15.Ne4 

15...Nxf5 

Giving back some material, to reduce the impact of the pawns.

Necessary, however, was to play 15...d6 first.

The analysis that follows is complex - thanks go to Stockfish 16.1.

 Certainly, 16.Nxd6 seems reasonable, when 16...Nxf5 17.gxf5 Qxh4 18.Kg2, and White's naked King makes the first player struggle for an even game, according to Stockfish, e.g. 18...Be6 19.Bd2 Nc3!? 20.bxc3 Bd5+ 21.Rf3 Rad8 22.Qh1 Qg4+ 23.Kf2 Rxd6 24.Rg1 Qxf3+ 25.Qxf2 Bxf3 26.exd6 Bh5 27.Ke1 Re8+ 28.Kf2 Rf8 29.Ke1 Re8+ etc. draw

16.e6 does not fare better, and actually fares worse: 16...Qc7 17.h5 Bxe6 18.fxe6 Rxf1+ 19.Qxf1 Rf8 20.Qd3 h6 21.g5 Qc8 22.Qh3 Nf5 23.e7 Ndxe7 24.gxh6 gxh6 and Black is better.

Likewise 16.f6 dxe5 17.fxe7 Rxf1+ 18.Qxf1 Qxe7 and 16.exd6 Nxf5 17.Bg5 (17.gxf5 Qxh4 18.Qe1 Qg4+ 19.Ng3 Bxf5 20.Rxf5 Rxf5 21.Qe6+ Kh8 22.Qxf5 Qxg3+ 23.Kh1 Qxd6 and Black is better.

No wonder Black simply took the f-pawn.

16.gxf5 Qxh4 17.Qf3 

Securing the Kingside.

17...b6 

Hoping to add his Bishop to the fray.

18.Bg5 Black resigned

Black's Queen is trapped.

Jerome Gambit: Madness

 

My Google Alerts has returned another find, a video titled "Jerome Gambit madness", by @Utkarshchess123.

It features a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) 

ending in checkmate (not quite). The final  position, arising

out of Whistler's Defense, is actually a checkmate in 5 for Black.

It is another object lesson that White should not grab the poisoned Rook

on offer.

Readers can add 14.Kc3 Qc4+ 15.Kd2 Nf6 16.Qg7+ (every move loses)

Kxg7 17.Nc3 Qxd4+ 18.Ke1 Qxf2#

Jerome Gambit: Silicon Miniature (Part 2)

                                                      

Here is another game example from chess program Boris-Trapsky ("see Jerome Gambit: Boris Trapsky [Parts 1 & 2]").

Again, it is a miniature. It also shows a sharp opening "book". 

Boris-Trapsky - terijane

10 0 rapid lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ 

Again, the Abrahams Jerome Gambit.

3...Kxf7 4.f4 

An interesting, aggressive move, most likely in Boris-Trapsky's opening "book".

The Database has 194 games with this line. White scores 59%.

4...Nf6 

Black immediately slips, with a move that appears normal.

His best line, if complicated, starts with 4...Bxg1.

5.fxe5 Nxe4 

Again, Black has a hard time finding his way. Boris-Trapsky's programmers have done a good job preparing an opening which challenges the defender.

Probably best for Black was 5...Re8 6.d4 d5 (6...Nxe4 7.dxc5 d5 equal) 7.dxc5 Nxe4 equal.

Still, having an equal position against a computer program can be ominous. 

6.Qf3+ Kg8 7.Qxe4 d6 

With 7...d5 8.exd6 Qxd6 Black would be able to fight, albeit a pawn down.

8.Qc4+ Kf8 9.Ne2 b5 

It is worth a pawn to get the White Queen off of the deadly a2-g8 file. The gambit does not work.

10.Rf1+ Ke8 11.Qf7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Silicon Miniature (Part 1)

                                   

Last year we took a look at the chess program Boris-Trapsky ("see Jerome Gambit: Boris Trapsky [Parts 1 & 2]") and I thought it was time to see what it has been up to.

Here is a miniature that shows the silicon monster closing out a game in under a dozen moves.

Boris-Trapsky - supermanslim

Casual classical game, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ 

The Abrahams Jerome Gambit., a Jerome Gambit relative.

3...Kf8 

Declining the sacrifice, perhaps out of caution, perhaps not willing to cooperate with White's line of play.

This decision moves the  position evaluation (35 ply), according to Stockfish 16.1, from about 2 1/2 pawns better for Black, to 2 pawns for White.

4.Qh5 

Interesting. I do not know how deep Boris-Trapsky's "book" is, but that may be one reason that it avoids the simple retreat, 4.Bb3. 

4... Bxf2+

Trying to "upset" the program. The position is now equal.

5.Kxf2 Qf6+ 

This allows Black to win the Bishop at f7.

Safer was 5...Nf6 6.Qh4 Kxf7. 

6.Nf3 Qxf7 7.Qxf7+ Kxf7

Things have settled down, and, in a move, White will simply be a pawn ahead.

8.Nxe5+ Ke7 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.Nf3 d6 11.d3 Black resigned

The second player sees no future for his game.

Jerome Gambit: Grave Danger

The following game brings to mind the caution about the Jerome Gambit, The first to panic loses the game, which we looked at a few weeks ago.

In the end, Black's King wanders too far from home, and into grave danger.

sinca22 - Jeff_Starkmann

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 

Black decides to not go along with White's plan, capturing on e5 with the Knight.

The Database has 173 games with this position, with White scoring 60%. In support of this practical advantage, Stockfish 16.1 assesses (28 ply) White's advantage to be a little over 1 pawn.

For comparison sake, the capture 5...Nxe5 appears in The Database in 31,128 games, when White scores 57%. 

So, the text move, from a practical point of view, is only slightly worse for Black than if he had stayed with regular lines.

The psychological benefit of surprise, or of forcing White out of a main line,  is also significant.

Also, see the posts "Jerome Gambit: Over the Rainbow (Part 1)" and "Jerome Gambit: You Can Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later".

6.f4 

Instead, 6.Qg4+ is the killer move that has to be found here. 

According to The Database, only 29 games (17%) have it. A recent example is Wall, Bill - Docteur, SparkChess, 2025: 6...Kxe5 7.d4+ Bxd4 8.Bf4+ Kxe4 (8...Kf6 9.Bg5+) 9.c4 Ne5 10.Nd2+ Kd3 11.Qf5 checkmate 

6...Nxe5 

7.fxe5 

In a later game, sinca22 found out that this pawn capture is not the best move, although good moves still lead him behind, for example 7.d4 Qh4+ 8.g3 Qg4 9.Qxg4+ Nxg4 10.dxc5; or 7.Nc3 Qh4+ 8.g3 Qg4 9.fxe5 Qxd1+ 10.Kxd1 Bd4 11.Ne2 Bxe5 12.d4 Bf6 13.e5 Bd8 14.c4 d5 15.b3 Ne7 16.Rf1 Kd7

7...Kxe5 

This move helps White, and further endangers Black's King.

One way the game could have gone is 7...Qh4+ 8.g3 (8.Ke2 Qxe4+ 9.Kf1) Qxe4+ 9.Qe2 Qxh1+ 10.Qf1 Qxh2 11.d3 Qxg3+ 12.Kd1 Qg4+ 13.Qe2 Qg1+ 14.Qe1 Qg2 15.Qe2 Bf2 16.Nc3 Qg1+ 17.Kd2 Ne7 White resigned, sinca22 - zakareya-omran, lichess.org, 2022 

8.c3 

Preparing d2-d4, which was possible to play directly 8.d4+ Bxd4 9.Bf4+ Ke6 10.Qxd4 d6 11.Nc3 Kf7 12.0–0 Nf6 13.Nd5 Re8 14.Bg5

8...Nf6 

Choosing development and safety over attack. Often in the Jerome Gambit, a Queen move is the best, as here: 8...Qh4+ 9.g3 Qxe4+ 10.Qe2 Qxe2+ 11.Kxe2 Kf6

Now, White collects the enemy King.

9.d4+ Bxd4 10.cxd4+ Kxe4 11.O-O Re8 

If 11...Kd5 the King still has not escaped mate, following 12. Qb3+. 

12.Nc3 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Jerome Pawns on the March

In the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), the defender may not know quite what to do with his extra piece, but the attacker has a very good idea what to do with his extra pawns.

As in the following game.

MikeMikeMikeHUMPDAY - miancar

3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Qe7 

Black is looking good. He has a piece for two pawns. However, his King is not safe.

From a practical point of view, though, the Database has 118 games with this position, with White scoring 71%. 

10.O-O Nf6 11.Nc3 Be6 

This move always seems risky, leading to a loss of time, when paired with a Knight on g6. This is another one of those times when 11...d5 was more in tune with the position. 

12.d4 

The computer likes 12.f4 Bf7 13.d4 Kg8 14.f5 Nf8 15.e5 Re8 16.e6 Nxe6 17.fxe6 Qxe6 with an even position.

12...c6 

Protection for the center. More active was 12...Re8 13.f4 Bc4 14.Re1 Ng4 15.Qg3 Qh4 16.Qxh4 Nxh4 with an equal game. 

13.h3 

Keeping an enemy Knight off of the g4 square. 

13...Kf7 14.f4 Bd7 

15.e5 Nd5 16.Nxd5 cxd5 17.f5 

The "Jerome pawns" are on the march!

17...Nf8 

It might have been time to return material with 17...Nxe5 18.dxe5 Qxe5 but White would still be better. 

18.e6+ 

Black resigned