Jerome Gambit: Gemini's Turn

                                                         

I have been fascinated by Artificial Intelligence and the Jerome Gambit:  see 

"JeromeGambit: AI" 

"Jerome Gambit: AI Once More"  

"Jerome Gambit: Has ChatGPT Learned Anything" 

"SMH: ChatGPT Again" 

"ChatGPT Strikes Again!"

Today, I checked with Google's Gemini: 

Q: Tell me about the chess opening the Jerome Gambit

A: The Jerome Gambit is one of the most aggressive, unsound, and purely psychological openings in chess. It is a "hope chess" opening where White sacrifices two minor pieces (a Bishop and a Knight) just to drag the Black King into the open and hunt for a checkmate.

The Moves

The Jerome Gambit arises from the Giuoco Piano (Italian Game).

1.e4 e5

2.Nf3 Nc6

3.Bc4 Bc5

4. Bxf7+? (The starting shot)

I think Gemini has the right - almost human - perspective. 

Jerome Gambit: In the End, the "Jerome Pawns" (Part 2)

                                                 

[continued from the prevous post]

perrypawnpusher - benjicappy

Chess.com, 2025

20.g4 

As H. L. Mencken is sometimes misquoted as saying

for every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, obvious, and wrong

Here, my plan was to kick the Knight - and then? Not quite sure.

(Don't try this at home, as they used to say on TV.)

20...g6 

Challenging White's advance is a good idea, but an even better idea might be to stifle it, with 20...g5, as capturing the pawn en passant with 21.fxg6 would allow opening the dangerous h-file with 21...hxg6.

Now, for a moment, the center takes priority, if only to inject a bit of chaos for both sides. Muddle, muddle

21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.exd5 Qd8 23.Re6 

I know that the advanced Rook is annoying, but there was still time for the defender to find ...g6-g7.

23...Rxe6 24.dxe6 

Now, Black has one more chance to advance his g-pawn, 24...g5. In turn, White should not exchange pieces with 25.exf7 gxh5, but, rather, retreat the Bishop with 25.Bf2, with an edge.

24...Nh6 

The Knight had to go somewhere - if it were going anywhere at all.

25.g5 

Now, White is clearly better.

 25...Nxf5 26.gxf6 Kb8 27.Re1 Nxd4 

At this point I realized that my board at home was set up wrong. Fortunately, I caught it in time.

Now, advancing either advanced pawn leads to a win. 

28.f7 Qf8 29.Bf6  Black resigned

The "Jerome pawns" rescued my game.

Jerome Gambit: In the End, the "Jerome Pawns" (Part 1)

White's extra pawns in the following Jerome Gambit game ultimately help decide the game.

Much of the following analysis, this post and next, is post mortem.

perrypawnpusher - benjicappy

Chess.com, 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 b6 

An interesting idea.

More mainstream is 9...Nf6 10.O-O d5 with advantage to Black.

10.O-O Bb7

Or 10...Nf6 11.f4 Qe7 12.d3 Bb7 as in perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 22) and perrypawnpusher - alvarzr, blitz, FICS, 2013 (0-1, 59). 

11.Nc3 

Or 11.d4 Nf6 12.Nc3 as in perrypawnpusher - ponomargoal, Giuoco Fun, Chess.com 2024 (0-1, 40). 

11...Nf6 12.d3 Qe7 13.f4 Kd7 

Black has a piece for two pawns, and leads in development. Still, Stockfish 16.1 assesses the second player's position is about 2/3 of a pawn better. 

14.Qh3+ Kd8 15.f5 

Possibly premature.

15...Ne5 16.Bg5 Kd7 17.d4 Nf7 18.Bh4 Rae8 19.Rfe1 Kc8 

benjicappy is well-placed to resist any aggression I might conjure, but it still must be tried.  

That said, it might better begin with a2-a4, with a focus on the enemy King. 

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Complication After Refusal

In the following game, when Black refuses the sacrificed Bishop, White complicates things - and then safeguards the refused piece.

True, he then exchanges the prelate, but it is not often that a Jerome Gambit leads to a material advantage after a half dozen moves.

Reiepula - ensaladadefrutas

2 2 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

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

4...Kf8 

Black wants no part of the sacrifice.

Has he seen it before? The Database has 120,000 games, and has only 1 other game where ensaladadefrutas faced the Jerome Gambit - and it was played after this one. 

By the way, The Database has 1,111 games where Black plays 4...Kf8. White scores 61%. 

5.Nxe5 

Instead of withdrawing the Bishop to b3 or c4 or d5 - or exchanging it off, with 5.Bxg8 - Black first complicates the position.

The Database has 298 games with this move. White scores 56%. 

5...Nxe5 6.Bxg8 

Just for the record, had White chosen 6.d4, then 6...Kxf7 would reach a position regularly in the Jerome Gambit - with White to move, instead of Black.

6...Ng6 

I don't know what to make of this move.

Reieula has also seen:

6...Rxg8 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Qf6 9.0–0 Nf3+ White resigned, Reiepula - Realstealth, lichess.org, 2022; 

6...Rxg8 7.d4 Bb6 8.dxe5 Qh4 9.0–0 Ke7 10.Nc3 c6 11.b3 Rf8 12.Ba3+ c5 13.Qd6+ Ke8 14.Nd5 Bd8 15.Bxc5 Rf7 16.Rad1 b6 17.Ba3 Bb7 18.Nc7+ Bxc7 19.Qxc7 Bxe4 20.Qc4 d5 21.Qc6+ Kd8 22.Qxa8+ Kd7 23.Rxd5+ Ke6 24.Qc6+ Kf5 25.Rd4 Qg5 26.Rxe4 Black resigned, Reiepula - Niiiiik08, lichess.org, 2023; 

6...Bxf2+ 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Ke2 Rxg8 9.Rf1 d6 10.Rxf6+ gxf6 11.Qf1 Bg4+ 12.Ke1 Ke7 13.d4 Nc6 14.Be3 Rae8 15.Nc3 a6 16.Nd5+ Kf7 17.Qxf6 checkmate, Reiepula - Robertjudo, lichess.org, 2024; and

6...Kxg8 7.d4 Bb4+ 8.c3 Ba5 9.dxe5 Qh4 10.Qd5+ Kf8 11.Qxa5 Qxe4+ 12.Be3 b6 13.Qa3+ c5 14.0–0 Bb7 15.Bxc5+ Ke8 16.f3 Qe2 17.Bf2 h5 18.e6 h4 19.exd7+ Kd8 20.Bxh4+ Rxh4 21.Qf8+ Kc7 22.Qxg7 Rxh2 23.Qg3+ Kxd7 24.Qxh2 Qe3+ 25.Kh1 Qe2 26.Na3 Qxb2 27.Rad1+ Kc6 28.Qh6+ Kc5 29.Qg5+ Kc6 30.Qd5+ Kc7 31.Nb5+ Kb8 32.Qd6+ Kc8 33.Rb1 Qe2 34.Rfe1 Qf2 35.Re8 checkmate, Reiepula - hombrepopa, lichess.org, 2024; 

7.Bb3 

Of course.

7...Qf6 8.O-O d6 

White has an advantage in King safety and material (plus 2 pawns) and is clearly better.

9.Nc3 Ne5 

I remain fascinated by the number of defenders who put their Knight on e5, as if saying "Go ahead, hit me".

10.d4 Ng4 

Quite possibly the clock affected this move, due to the 3-minute time control.

11.dxc5 Qh4 

Hope springs eternal.

12.h3 Ne5 13.Qd2 Ke7 

To bring his Rook into play.

For shock value, if White were running short of time, too, the second player might have tried 13...Bxh3 14.gxh3 Nf3+ although after 15.Kg2 Nxd2 16.Bxd2 he still would be worse. 

14.Qg5+  Black resigned

Exchanging Queens now would leave White ahead by a piece and a couple of pawns.

Jerome Gambit: Wandering Knight

In the following game, Black's wandering Knight undermines his defense and fuels White's attack.

Reiepula - Houssem43

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qe3 Ne5 

The Knight provokes the pawns.

This may not be the best plan for Black, as The Database gives a record of 2 - 6. He might try 8...Nf6 instead.

9.d4 Nc4 10.Qb3 Be6 

Protecting the Knight, threatening the Queen, and... overlooking something. 

11.d5 

Cutting off the support to the Knight.

Black's best response is to thoughtfully return material and exchange the problematic piece: 11...Bxd5 12.exd5 Qe7+ 13.Be3 Nxe3 14.fxe3 when White only has an edge.

11...Nb6 12.dxe6+ Ke7 13.Bg5+ Black resigned

Tournament: Not only the Italians

 

I have joined the "Not only the Italians plays the Italian game" tournament at Chess.com.

As the second-highest rated player in my group of 5 I have some high hopes to be one of the two to advance. There are 15 groups, in all.

I have managed to play a Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, a Noa Gambit, and a Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (see previous post).

Win, lose, or draw, the games will all wind up on this blog. 

BSJG: Quickly Turn the Game Into A Mess

                                               

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+) can quickly turn the game into a mess - one that can prove deadly to the defender's King.

perrypawnpusher - zgajek

Not only the Italians play the Italian, Chess.com, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 

Declining the piece with 4...Ke7 is insufficient, 5.Bxg8 Rxg8 (5...d6 6.d3 Be6 7.Bg5+ Kd7 8.Bxd8 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - michon, blitz, FICS, 2013) 6.Nxe5 Kd6 7.Nf3? (7.Nc7+) c5 8.Nxd4 cxd4 as in, perrypawnpusher - michon, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 41).

5.Nxe5+ Ke6 

Not quite a strong is 5...Ke7 6.c3 d6 7.cxd4 dxe5 8.dxe5 as in perrypawnpusher - michon, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 18)

6.c3 

I have been 8 - 0 with this move. 

6...Nc6 

Black's move is Stockfish 16.1' s choice (30 ply), resulting with an advantage of about 3/4 pawn for Black. 

Grabbing material with 6...Kxe5 7.cxd4+ is a critical line, where Black does best to tip toe away with 7...Ke6 

7.d4 Nce7 

Creative.

Black's safest path was 7...Nxe5 8. dxe5 Kf7 and the King retreats toward safety. 

7...Nf6 is not sufficient, followed by 8.O-O Ke7 9.Nxc6+ dxc6 10.e5 Qd5 11.exf6+ gxf6. 

8.d5+ 

Less powerful, but still effective is 8.Qg4+ as in perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 8)

8...Kxe5 

Or 8...Kd6 9.Nc4+ Kc5 10.b4+ Kb5 11.Nba3+ Ka6 12.Qa4 checkmate 

Or 8...Nxd5 9.Qxd5+ Kf6 10.Qf7+ Kxe5 11.Bf4+ Kxe4 12.Nd2+ Kd3 13.Qf5 checkmate 

9.Qd4+ Kd6 10.Bf4 checkmate

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, it looks like the board is 6x8 squares.

And j'doube.

ChatGPT still needs to up its game, at least as an artist.

For a warmup, see "JeromeGambit: AI", "Jerome Gambit: AI Once More", and 

"Jerome Gambit: Has ChatGPT Learned Anything" and SMH: ChatGPT Again".

BSJG: Off-Setting Surprises

One reason club players employ the Jerome Gambit - or its relative, the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, as in this game - is the surprise or shock value. Putting the defender off his or her game can lead to quick gains.

perrypawnpusher - zgajek

Not only the Italians play the Italian, Chess.com, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

See "Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit" with my note to the game perrypawnpusher - patitolo FICS rated blitz, FICS, 2005 (1-0, 18)

Here I was supposed to capture the e-pawn and foolishly fall to my death: 4.Nxe5 Qg5 5.Nxf7 Qxg2 6.Rf1 Qxe4 7.Be2 Nf3 checkmate as in Muhlock - Kostic, Cologne 1912

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

So-called, even though I have not yet found any Joseph Blackburne games with either the Shilling Gambit or the Shilling Jerome Gambit; and the same for Alonzo Wheeler Jerome. The earliest example of the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit  in The Database is Nater, Carl - Rogers, Ian, Begonia op 9th, Ballarat, 1975 (0-1, 46). 

I suspect that I was supposed to be surprised by Black's third move; and it looks like he was surprised by my fourth move.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 

The Database shows that I am 8 - 0 with this move, in this opening.

6...Nc6 

Black's move is Stockfish 16.1's choice (30 ply), assessing the position as about 3/4 pawn better for the second player.

7. d4 Nce7 

Avoiding the pawn fork, but the straightforward 7...Nxe5 8.dxe5 is fine as long as Black retreats his King with 8...Kf7 or challenges the center right away with 8...d6.

8.d5+ 

Or 8.Qg4+ Black resigned, in perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.

8...Kxe5 

Might as well, as all moves lose, e.g. 8...Kd6 9.Nc4+ Kc5 10.b4+ Kb5 11.Nba3+ Ka6 12.Qa4 checkmate; and 8...Nxd5 9.Qxd5+ Kf6 10.Qf7+ Kxe5 11.Bf4+ Kxe4 12.Nd2+ Kd3 13.Qf5 checkmate 

9.Qd4+ Kd6 10.Bf4 checkmate

Jerome Gambit Book (Part 8)

 

                                     

A summary

From Part 1

Bill Wall, whose games and comments have graced many posts on this blog, recently informed me of a book on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) at archive.org...

The cover indicates the book is by "Chess Notes", although the first of that name that comes to mind is Edward Winter's "Chess Notes" - and I seriously doubt that this is Winter's work. I have emailed him about this, and will share his response. 

 As we have seen in Part 7

...I have received word from Mr. Winter, who says the book is not his work.

Further, in Part 2

As mentioned in the earlier post, the following game from the book features "W So" playing the Jerome Gambit against "Delmonico" in the "N Eljanov Memorial final 6th 2021"...

I suspect that if the reference is to Wesley So, an American grandmaster rated over 2750, if he had played a Jerome Gambit it would be notable, and it would have been covered on chess sites all over the internet - yet that has not happened. (Especially since Stockfish 16.1 assesses the final position as about 4 1/4 pawns better for Black.) I have messaged Mr. So about this, and will share his response.

From the entry in Wikipedia

Wesley Barbossa So (born October 9, 1993) is a Filipino and American chess grandmaster, a three-time U.S. Chess Champion, and the first World Fischer Random Chess Champion. He is also a three-time Philippine Chess Champion. On the March 2017 FIDE rating list, he was ranked number two in the world and had an Elo rating of 2822, making him the fifth-highest-rated player in history.

I recently heard back from Mr. So, who wrote, unsurprisingly

Total BS these chess ebooks. No such tournament that I know of and if there is I never played in it nor used that gambit. Have a nice day.

Returning to Part 1

Many of the notes to the games within are by "Kitty Kat", otherwise unidentified. A Chess.com robot entity? I don't know.

As Bill Wall recently wrote to me

This Kitty Kat guy wrote in one of his books that he plays corr. chess and seems to be American.

What can I say, now?

Here, kitty, kitty! Here, kitty, kitty! 

Jerome Gambit: Just Like That

GeNer4tion_KiLL - mahan9191

Streamer Arena August '25, 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 

Blackburne's defense, an offer of a Rook. I think that the game is ultimately a draw, but there are complications along the way.

8.Qxh8 Qh4 

9.d4 Qxe4+ 10.Be3 Bb6 

Black would do better with 10...Qxg2, to counter White's aggression. 

11.Qxh7+ Black resigned

Black is down an exchange and a couple of pawns. His King is in danger, while White's King is not.

Jerome Gambit: Leads to A Highly Complex Position

 

In 900 Miniatures of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, Eduardo Piza writes

When discussing the merits of a particular move, it is important to consider not only its immediate impact but also its long-term consequences. A move that may appear to be a poor decision at the time may, in fact, be a strategic error that leads to a highly complex position where it is likely that one of the players (or both) will end up making a mistake. This is precisely what occurs when a gambit is proposed. A move that is not entirely accurate is deliberately made, which introduces an inequality into the position, creating a high degree of difficulty and making it unlikely that the opponent will find the optimal defense

Piza has in mind the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxd4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3, but he might just as well have been talking about the Jerome Gambit,  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+. 

Jerome Gambit Book (Part 7)

 

I have an update concerning an ongoing chess mystery.

As I wrote in "Jerome Gambit Book (Part 1)"

Bill Wall, whose games and comments have graced many posts on this blog, recently informed me of a book on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) at archive.org...

The cover indicates the book is by "Chess Notes", although the first of that name that comes to mind is Edward Winter's "Chess Notes" - and I seriously doubt that this is Winter's work. I have emailed him about this, and will share his response. 

Having expanded upon the topic further - see Parts 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 - I can now report that I have received word from Mr. Winter, who says the book is not his work.

He further points out that there is a slew of e-books (146) identified as being by "Chess Notes". They can be seen at the Internet Archive,  both game collections and ECO-style tables. 

Both book formats transcend the "database dump" label, including diagrams, for example (see below), and formatting; although they still have occasional repetitions in the game introductions that are indicative of merged databases, done without the necessary culling.  

Although the books are mostly concerned with individual openings, some focus on particular maestri - Bird, Firouzja, Gukesh, Dommaraju, Maghsoodloo, Muzychuk, Svidler, Wei and Yip.

Some of the books report on tournaments - Moscow 1935, Chennai 2024, Qatar Masters 2024, US Chess Masters 2024, Djerba Chess Festival 2025, Monaco Women's FIDE Grand Prix 2025, Nikosia Women's FIDE Grand Prix, and Tata Steel 2025.

All of the books can be read on the Internet Archive website. There is a helpful search function. The books can also be downloaded (I chose the PDF format for Jerome Gambit.)

So - the Jerome Gambit book is not Edward Winter's creation, and I continue to research who the author might be. 

Two Knights Good Night

What to do, on the way to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), if you meet the Two Knights defense, instead?

Some will answer: sacrfice, anyway!

Guest2711112842 - Guest2432796094

Chess.com, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 

My personal preference when facing the Two Knights defense has been to play 4.Nc3 and to hope for 4...Bc5, allowing the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit with 5.Bxf7+.

Also check out "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense" Parts 1, 2, 3, 4. 

4.Bxf7+

Some players strike first, in a sort of an impatient Jerome Gambit.

From the 2024 post "Jerome Gambit: Impatience"

Four years ago, in the blog post "Unasked Questions" I looked at the Two Knights line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Bxf7+ and commented 

This line doesn't have a name, as far as I know, but it might as well be "the impatient Jerome Gambit". The earliest game that I have with it in The Database is from 2001, but it has to be much older than that. My research is lacking here.

Subsequently (see "Jerome Gambit: Facing Up to 4.Bxf7+ in the Two Knights [Part 2]"), thanks to Dr. Timothy Harding's UltraCorr 3A (2010) collection of correspondence chess games, I uncovered Draper, Dr - Child, AW., Belfast - Dublin team correspondence match-2 1891-2, an earlier game with that "impatient" line.

4....Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Nc6 

White has sacrificed two pieces for two pawns. He is counting on his opponent's shaky King - and possible uneasiness in a strange position - to arrive at some compensation,

7.e5 Nd5 8.Qf3+ 

8...Ke6 

Stepping into danger to protect his attacked Knight.

A much safer alternative is 8...Nf6, giving some of the sacrificed back.

9.c4 Bb4+ 10.Kf1 

It may not be readily apparent, but this square is the best for the King.

10...Nxd4 

Not looking into the position deep enough. Blitz?

11.Qxd5+ Kf5 

Ouch. The problem with 11...Ke7 is 12.Bg5+ and White loses his King.

12.Qf7+ Ke4 

Interposing with 12...Qf6 will still lead to checkmate. 

13.Qf4+ Kd3 14.b3 Rf8 15.Qe3+ Kc2 16.Na3+ Bxa3 17.Qd2 checkmate

Very nice!