Jerome Gambit: Whistle While You Work

Without making a comparison between Bill Wall and Snow White (for starters, I don't think that she played chess), I have to say that the following miniature Jerome Gambit game brings to mind the picture of the player with the White pieces simply whistling while he works...

Most likely, he leaves his apponent a bit Grumpy.

Wall, Bill - Akela

internet, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Nc6

8.Qc4+ 

According to The Database, Bill has played 8.Qc4+ 7 times, but has also moved his Queen to the d1, d2, d3 and d5 squares

8...Ke8 

Or 8...Kf8 as in Wall,B - Guest526975, PlayChess.com 2016 (1-0, 18) 

9.O-O d6 10.Nc3 Nf6 

Or 10...Qe7 as in Wall,B - Kas55, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 17) 

Black's King looks uncomfortable.

White keeps building his position.

11.Bf4 Qe7 12.Rad1 Be6 13.Qb5 Rb8 14.Rfe1 a6 15.Qd3 Rf8

16.Nd5 Ne5 

Problems with the clock?

I attack your Queen, you attack my Queen, it's all good.

Instead, things hold together with 16...Qd7. 

But, not now.

17.Bxe5 

Part of Black's undoing.

17...dxe5 

Alas, 17...Qf7 was best but not enough. 

18.Nxe7

After Black captures the Knight, he will still only have two pieces for his Queen.

Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Down and Up

In the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) White is often down a piece, but up some pawns.

In the following game, we see how those pawns can command the field, giving White the advantage.

Wall, Bill - Yaya

SparkChess, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

6...Bb4+ 7.c3 Bxc3+ 

Apparently Black did not want to waste time on retreating a piece; or, possibly, he figured that it was time to return some of the sacrificed material. 

In any event, he had retreats like 7...Be7, 7...Bf8, 7...Ba5, 7...Ng6 and 7...Nc6, as well as the counter 7...Qh4 as alternatives.

8.bxc3 

According to The Database, Bill has captured with the pawn in 8 of his games, and with the Knight in 23 of his games. All 31 of the games were wins.

8...Ng6 

9.O-O 

An improvement over his earlier 9.e5 in Wall,B - PassCapture, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 22) 

9...d6 

The d-pawn should have advanced two squares. Perhaps Black was wanting to prevent 9...Nf6, which happened to have happened in Wall,B - Banken, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 19) 

10.f4 c6 

Black bolsters his center.

Seen previously was 10...Ke8 as in Wall,B - Yapwx, internet, 2021, (1-0, 17) 

11.Nd2 N8e7 12.g4 

Here come the "Jerome pawns"!

12...Qc7 

This move prepares Black for a possible e4-e5 by White, but the first player has other options.

13.f5 Nf8 

The defenders beging to stumble over each other.

14.Nf3 Nd7 15.Ng5+ Kf8 

The final slip.

16.Ne6+ Black resigns

Jerome Gambit: Coyote vs Acme

1-minute bullet chess reminds me of the Roadrunner cartoons, where, as fast as he can go, the coyote still cannot catch the roadrunner - in the following chess game, that would be angelcamina.

A description of the new animated movie, Coyote vs. Acme: Wile E. Coyote teams up with a lawyer to take on the Acme Corporation after years of defective gadgets thwart his chase of the Road Runner.

Yeah, I am pretty sure angelcamina's opponents can relate.

angelcamina - Viveksingh1031

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.f4 Nd3+ 

Creative and surprising, but not as strong as the standard 9...Qh4+ 10.g3 Qf6.

angelcamina has also faced

9...Qf6 10.fxe5+ Bxe5 11.Qh3 c6 12.Rf1 Qh6 13.Bxh6 Nxh6 14.Nc3 Bxc3+ 15.bxc3 Kc7 16.O-O-O d5 17.exd5 Bxh3 18.gxh3 cxd5 19.Rxd5 Rad8 20.Re5 Rhf8 21.Rfe1 Kb8 22.Re7 Nf5 23.R7e5 h6 24.Kb2 Nh4 25.R1e4 Nf3 26.Re7 Nxh2 27.Rxg7 Nf3 28.Ree7 Nd2 29.Rxb7+ Kc8 30.Rxa7 Kb8 31.Rgb7+ Kc8 32.Rh7 Nc4+ 33.Kb3 Nd6 34.Rhc7+ Kb8 35.Rh7 Nb5 36.Ra5 Black resigned, angelcamina - DESAI_51, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024; 

9...Nc4 10.Qd5+ Ke7 11.Qxd4 Nd6 12.O-O (12.Qxg7+ Nf7 13.b3 Ke8 14.Bb2) 12...Nf6 (12...Ne8) 13.e5 Nf5 14.exf6+ gxf6 15.Re1+ (15.Qe4+ Kf7 16.Qxf5) 15...Kf7 (15...Kf8) 16.Qd5+ Kg7 17.Qxf5 d6 18.Nc3 Bxf5 19.Nd5 c6 20.Ne7 Re8 21.Nxf5+ Kg6 22.Nh4+ Kg7 23.Nf5+ Kf7 24.Rf1 Qd7 25.Nh6+ Kg7 26.Ng4 Qxg4 27.b3 Re2 White resigned, angelcamina - xx420qwickscop69xx, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024; and

9...g6 (9.Qh4) 10.fxe5+ Bxe5 11.Qf3 Nf6 (11...Qh4+) 12.O-O Rf8 (12...Ke7 13.Bg5) 13.Qd3+ (13.Bf4) 13...Ke7 14.Bg5 (14.Nd2 d6)14...d6 15.Nc3 c6 16.Rae1 Be6 17.Ne2 Rf7 18.c3 Qc7 19.Nd4 (19...Raf8 20.Bh6 Re8 21.Nxe6 Kxe6 22.Rf3 Qa5 23.Ref1 Ke7 24.Kh1 Qb5 25.Qe3) 20.cxd4 (20.Qxd4 Qb6 21.Rxf6 Qxd4+ 22.cxd4 Rxf6 23.e5 dxe5 24.dxe5 Kf7 25.exf6 Rd8) 20...Raf8 (20...h6) 21.e5 dxe5 (21...Kd7) 22.dxe5 Qb6+(22...Re8 23.Qa3+) 23.Kh1 Bf5 (23...Bd5 24.e6 Rg7 25.Qc3 Ke8 26.Bxf6 Bxg2+ 27.Kxg2 Qb5 28.Bxg7 Rxf1 29.Rxf1) 24.exf6 checkmate, angelcamina - KPavlov, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2026. 

10.cxd3 Nf6 11.e5+ Bxe5 

Returning some of the sacrificed material is a good idea, but not this way. Instead, 11...Kc6 12.exf6 d5 and Black is still better.

But not any more.

12.fxe5+ Ke7 13.exf6+ gxf6 

14.O-O Kf7 15.Qd5+ 

Black resigned

Old vs Whippersnapper

 

At the chess club the other day, an elementary school player challenged me to a 1 0 game of chess.

I pointed out that, at my age, I couldn't even move that fast, let alone think that fast.

He went over to check on four players involved in bugouse chess, and listened to a discussion of duck chess.

I sat there, feeling old.

(However, later, without a clock, I checkmated that young whippersnapper.)

My Drawn Simultaneous Exhibition Game Against GM Alexander Zlochevskij At 'The Chess Square 2026'

                                                         

                      My Drawn Simultaneous Exhibition Game 

Against GM Alexander Zlochevskij

At 'The Chess Square 2026'

 

(by Yury V. Bukayev)

 

Dear readers, now I'd like to inform you briefly about my recent drawn game against the famous Grandmaster in his simultaneous exhibition in Moscow. All official materials on this event can be shown by the editors of https://moscowchess.org . After my previous drawn game against famous Grandmaster Sergey B. Smagin (later I'll tell you about this game, where 1. e2-e4 was played), where in some moments I played risky for myself, this my new draw seems to be suitable even for theoretical middlegame investigations on Pseudo-Trompowsky Opening (Pseudo-Tromp, Pseudo-Levitsky Variation). 

 Thus, here is this notable game.

 

GM Alexander B. Zlochevskij - Yury V. Bukayev

 13-board simultaneous exhibition, Moscow, 2026,

August 23 ('The Chess Square 2026')

1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 h6 3. Bh4 Nf6 4. Bxf6 exf6 5. e3 Bf5 6. Bd3 Bxd3 7. Qxd3 c6 8. c4 dxc4 9. Qxc4 Qa5+ 10. Nc3 Nd7 11. Ne2 Nb6 12. Qb3 f5 13. O-O Qb4 14. Qxb4 Bxb4 15. a3 Be7 16. Nf4 O-O 17. Rfc1 a5 18. Rc2 

18...Rfc8 19. Rac1 g5 20. Nd3 Nd7 21. Na4 Rd8 22. Nac5 Nxc5 23. Nxc5 

23...Ra7 24. g3 Kh7 25. Kf1 Rd5 26. Ke2 f4 27. gxf4 gxf4 28. Kd3 Rh5 29. Rh1 Rh3 draw  

                                         

 We can see that the game was always about even and that the interesting Black's attack at the end of the game has given some advantage to Black.

 

And here are else the photos of  maestro Alexander Zlochevskij's simultaneous exhibition:

 

My Won Simultaneous Exhibition Game Against GM Yury Piskov At 'The Chess Square 2026'

 

My Won Simultaneous Exhibition Game 

Against GM Yury Piskov

At 'The Chess Square 2026'

(by Yury V. Bukayev)

 

Dear readers, now I'd like to inform you briefly about my recent won game against the famous Grandmaster in his simultaneous exhibition in Moscow. All official materials on this event can be shown by the editors of https://moscowchess.org . After my previous drawn games against famous Grandmasters Sergey B. Smagin and Alexander B. Zlochevskij (I'll tell you about both of these games later), where I had an advantage in final positions, this my new success seems to be even more important. 

 Thus, here is this notable game.

 

GM Yury V. Piskov - Yury V. Bukayev

 20-board simultaneous exhibition, Moscow, 2026,

August 29 ('The Chess Square 2026')

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 Be7 5.Nbd2 O-O 6.O-O Nbd7 7.Ne5 Nxe5 8.dxe5 Nd7 9.f4 g6 10.Nf3 Nc5 11.b3 Nxd3 12.cxd3 c5 13.Bb2 Bd7 14.Rc1 b5 15.Qe1 a5 16.h4 a4 17.h5 axb3 18.axb3 Ra2 19.Rc2 c4 20.dxc4 bxc4 21.bxc4 dxc4 22.h6 Qa8 23.Nd4 Rb8 24.Bc3 Rxc2 25.Nxc2 Qe4 26.Nd4 Black won 

 

 We can see that the right STRATEGY was a cause of my rapid win. After the trivial move 26...Bf8! White loses the pawn h6. 

 

And here are the photos of maestro Yury Piskov's simultaneous exhibition:

After maestro Piskov's move 8.dxe5. Note: The player near me is listening music loudly, his game was stopped by the arbiter

After maestro Piskov's move 16.h4

                       GM Yury Piskov has made the move 17.h5

GM Yury Piskov has made the move 23.Nd4

The final position

Jerome Gambit: Oh, Never Mind...

                                                        

Today (I was not able to make the last meeting), I was back, again, at the very informal chess club that gathers at a local library every-other-week.

Three games, three wins; all by checkmate.

Two as Black, one as White.

No Jerome Gambit.

Maybe I need to work up a "reversed Jerome Gambit" - wait, I think I read something about that on a blog post, here...*

*(I suppose that I could start with "Worth a Second Look..." Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3, featuring a sort-of "reversed Jerome Gambit.")

Jerome Gamit: Maybe Not the Best Choice

Choices.

In the following Jerome Gambit game, the defender can choose to protect his King or to strike back in the center.

He chooses his King - and then doesn't - and has to deal with the consequences.

angelcamina - bullet62

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

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

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Rf8

Black begins to castle-by-hand.

The thematic 7..d5 was for choice. 

8.dxe5 Ne8

He would do better to continue his hand-castling, e.g. 8...Kg8 as in angelcamina - erfin, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020: 9.exf6 Bxf2+ 10.Kxf2 Qxf6+ 11.Qf3 Qd4+ 12.Be3 Rxf3+ 13.gxf3 Qf6 14.Rhg1 d6 15.Bg5 Qd4+ 16.Be3 Qb4 17.Rg3 Qxb2 18.Bd4 Qxc2+ 19.Ne2 Be6 20.Rxg7+ Kf8 21.Rag1 Re8 22.Rxh7 c5 23.Bc3 Qd3 24.Rgg7 b5 25.Rh8+ Bg8 26.Rhxg8 checkmate.

9.Qd5+ Kg6 

White dealt with the other retreat handily, 9...Ke7 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.exd6+ cxd6 12.Qg5+ Black resigned, angelcamina - kkkkkuuuuuuuu, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021. 

10.Qxc5 d6 

11.exd6 

Slightly better than 11.Qd4 h6 12.O-O Kh7 13.f4 Be6 14.f5 Bg8 15.e6 Nf6 16.Nd5 c6 17.Nxf6+ Rxf6 18.b3 d5 19.e5 Rxe6 20.fxe6 Bxe6 21.Qd3+ Kh8 22.Bb2 Qd7 23.Rae1 Re8 24.Rf2 c5 25.Ref1 g6 26.Rf8+ Rxf8 27.Rxf8+ Kg7 28.Qf3 Qe7 29.Rf6 Black resigned, angelcamina - MF-S, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 

11...Nxd6 12.Qe3 Qf6 13.O-O h6 14.e5 Black resigned

The pawn fork will win a piece, and that is enough for Black to turn over his King.

Jerome Gambit: Super Fast

The player DutchLiLi has almost 2,500 games in The Database (scoring 58%), with time controls of 3 minutes and 1 minute.

That's super fast.

DutchLiLi - BACollin

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 

Black can now go into Blackburne's defense with 7...d6, Whistler's defense with 7...Qe7, or come up with a defense of his own.

7...d6 8.Qxh8 

White can take the Rook - if he knows what he is doing.

8...Qh4 

Played by "X" against Lieut. Sorensen in Denmark in 1888. 

9.O-O

The strongest move is 9.d4, but in a 1-minute game, will it matter?

9...Bh3 

The move certainly has shock value.

Still, it appears in 34 games in The Database, and White scores 74%.

Perhaps Black got his moves mixed up? After 9...Nf6 10.Qd8 then 10...Bh3 and one side or the other can pursue multiple checks of the enemy King.

10.d4 

White's one move for advantage is 10.Qc3.

10...Qg4 

Bullet games! Arggghhh!

Instead, Black wins with the Blackburne-like offer of a Rook, 10...Nf6.

11.Qxh7+ 

White's Queen escapes, rushes to Her King's defense, and wins the game.

11...Kf6 12.Qxh3 Qg5 

A slip, but it hardly matters.

13.dxc5 

Giving the enemy Queen a chance to escape, but, again, it hardly matters.

13...dxc5 14.Bxg5+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: SpeakChess

SpeakChess

There is a very interesting website, SpeakChess ("Build an opening repertoire - and remember it under pressure") that covers, among other openings, the Jerome Gambit.

Special for this site, it is set so that one can "Train as White" or "Train as Black" for the opening, on the given board, as well as being able to "Explore All Variations".

Another section gives the first 12 moves of the Jerome, with explanations for each.

There is also a chart, compiled from online games, that shows "Wins by Rating".

There is a Frequently Asked Questions section, as well.

It is well worth taking a look.

Jerome Gambit: Out-Stranged Update

 

                             

I continue to be troubled by the game perrypawnpusher - NN, "The Italian Game" tournament, Chess.com, 2026 (1-0, 8), which began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 g5.

The move 3...g5 strikes me as one of the strangest ways to avoid (consciously or unconsciously) the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

From the earlier post, "Jerome Gambit: A New/Old Defense", my most recent examination

See "Jerome Gambit: Out-Stranged?" and "Jerome Gambit: Out-Stranged Post Script".

The earliest example of this defense [1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 g5] that I have seen is in Smeltzer,P - Elliott,J,  Detroit, 1990 (0-1, 24).

I was shocked to find that there are 63,000 games with this line of play (Black scoring 45.5% overall) at lichess.org. The top player using the defense was rated at 3113.

 A quick check today shows that there are now 65,000 games with this line of play in the lichess.org database - Black still scoring 45.5% - with no change in the rating of the top player using the defense.

Mind you, as compared to 50% for Black, against the Jerome Gambit. With those numbers, why avoid the Jerome?

Jerome Gambit: Decisions to Be Made

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game focuses on the White Rook on a1, and the Black Rook on h8.

There are decisions to be made, and they affect the outcome of the game.

deusmach - Viraaj_011

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 

A few comments -

From "Critical Line: 5...Kf8 (1)"

As early as his first Jerome Gambit article (Dubuque Chess Journal April, 1874), Alonzo Jerome considered the possibility that Black might refuse to capture the second piece with 5...Nxe5, and instead play for King safety instead with 5...Kf8.

In a letter to the American Chess Journal, March 1877, Jerome wrote

5...Kf8 leaves White's pawns intact while Black has lost two strong pawns and doubled another. This defense was adopted by G.J. Dougherty of Mineola, NY, a strong amateur, against whom I first played the opening, and I think he will agree that 5...Kf8 is not a good defense. He generally played 6.bc and that was the play of Mr. J. C. Young of Danville, KY, who subsequently abandoned the game. Why, I do not know, as it was not necessarily lost to either of us. It is a question with which Pawn it is best to take.

Oh, and from "The Jerome Gambit Article (Part 6)"

None of the analysts appear to have looked at 5…Ke8, which showed up in Blackstone - Dommeyer, skittles game, USA 1960, continuing: 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Nf4+ Kd8 10.d3 d6 11.Rf1 Qd4+ 12.Be3 Qf6 13.c3 1-0 An improvement for White might be 6.Nxc6, leading to a roughly even game; while Black improves over the text with 8…Nf6, holding the advantage

6.d4 

The earliest example that I have of this position in The Database comes from a serious member of the modern "Jerome Gemeinde"

stretto - BenWB, blitz, FICS2007

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Nxc6 Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qf3 Qxc6 10.Rf1 Qc5+ 11.Be3 Qxc2+ 12.Nd2 Ne7 13.Kg1 Qxb2 14.Qf7+ Kd8 15.Qf8+ Rxf8 16.Rxf8 checkmate

Mainline here 6.Nxc6 Qh4 7.d4 Qxe4+ 8.Be3 Bf8 9.Qh5+ g6 10.Qe5+ Qxe5 11.Nxe5 with an edge.

 

6...Nxd4 

Or, from other games with deusmach

6...Nf6 7.dxc5 Nxe5 8.Bg5 Kf7 9.O-O h6 10.Bxf6 Qxf6 11.Qd5+ Qe6 12.Qd4 c6 13.Nc3 b6 14.Na4 Bb7 15.b3 a6 16.Rae1 b5 17.Re3 bxa4 18.Rh3 Qe7 19.bxa4 Kf6 20.f4 Qe6 21.fxe5+ Ke7 22.Rhf3 Raf8 23.Rxf8 Rxf8 24.Rxf8 Kxf8 25.Qd6+ Qxd6 26.cxd6 Kf7 27.Kf2 Ke6 28.Kf3 Kxe5 29.c4 Kxd6 30.Kf4 g6 31.g4 Kc5 32.h4 d6 33.e5 dxe5+ 34.Kxe5 Kxc4 35.Kf6 Kb4 36.Kxg6 Kxa4 37.Kxh6 Bc8 38.g5 Bf5 39.g6 Be6 40.g7 Bxa2 41.Kh7 c5 42.h5 Bb3 43.h6 Bc4 44.g8=Q Bxg8+ 45.Kxg8 c4 46.h7 c3 47.h8=Q c2 48.Qa1+ Kb3 49.Qc1 a5 50.Qe3+ Black resigned, deusmach - Jagmith_123, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024;

6...Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6 8.dxc5 Qe7 9.O-O Qxc5 10.Nc3 Qxh5 11.Be3 Nf6 12.Rae1 Ng4 13.h3 Nxe3 14.fxe3 Nh4 15.e5 Qg6 16.Rf4 Qxg2 checkmate, deusmach - baraaakabawy12, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024;

6...Nxe5 7.dxe5 Bb6 8.Be3 Qe7 9.Bxb6 axb6 10.O-O Qxe5 11.Nc3 Qe7 12.Re1 d6 13.e5 dxe5 14.Qh5+ Qf7 15.Rxe5+ Kf8 16.Re8+ Kxe8 17.Re1+ Kf8 18.Qb5 Qxa2 19.Qe8 checkmate, deusmach - kurchik1, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024; and

6...Bxd4 7.Qh5+ Ke7 8.Bg5+ Kd6 9.Bxd8 Black resigned, deusmach - Rexa1011, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025 

7.Qh5+ g6 8.Nxg6 

A decision point: Does Black give up the Rook with 8...hxg6? Does Black capture the pawn on c3, forking White's King and Rook?

After 8...hxg6 9.Qxh8 Kf7 10.Qh7+ Kf8 11.Bh6+ Nxh6 12.Qxh6+ Kf7 White has two pawns and a Rook against two Bishops, which Stockfish 17.1 (30 ply) sees as an advantage of about a pawn.

After 8...Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nf6 (9...Nxa1 allows checkmate in 6, starting with 10.Ne5+) 10.Qxc5 hxg6 11.Qxc2 and White is better.

8...Nf6 9.Qxc5 hxg6 

Inserting 9...Ne6 befor capturing the Knight is the way to go, keeping White's advantage from growing. 

10.Qxd4 

White is clearly better, material wise and King safety wise.

10...Qe7 11.O-O Qxe4 

A slip.

The condemned army has its last meal.

12.Qxf6 Qxc2 13.Re1+ Qe4 14.Rxe4 checkmate