Jerome Gambit: Fingerprints

The following blitz game has Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) fingerprints all over it.

Alfil-de-Oro - chipichipichapachapa

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2026

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

Temporarily transposing into a "modern" variation of the Jerome Gambit - one without the "classical" Nxe5+.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 

Transposing to more "classical" lines.

7...Bd6 

Alfil-de-Oro has also faced the stronger 7...d5, i.e. 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Be3 Qe7 10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 c6 12.Bd4 Be6 13.f4 Rhf8 14.f5 Bc8 15.f6 Qe6 Black resigned, Alfil-de-Oro - itsfungus, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024. 

Much more often he has faced 7...Bxd4 - in 170 games, scoring 53%.

8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.f4 Bd6 10.e5 Bc5+ 11.Kh1 Ne8 

Black's Knight has been driven from the field, but that is not all.

12.Qd5+ Kf8 13.Qxc5+ Qe7 

Against 13...d6 he has scored 2 - 1, with a timeout loss (the clock ran down when he had a checkmate in 7) Alfil-de-Oro - lguoterry, 5 0  blitz, lichess.org, 2024 (0-1, 30); and a couple of wins in Alfil-de-Oro - MEFTUN0666, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024 (1-0, 32) and Alfil-de-Oro - Thisisaddictive, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025 (1-0, 18). 

14.Qc3 d6 15.Be3 dxe5 16.fxe5+ Kg8 

Avoiding having his Queen skewered to his King with 17.Bc5.

17.Bc5 

Black resigned

It turns out that even after his King moves, the Black Queen is skewered - to the f8 square, where White's Rook threatens to arrive to deliver checkmate.

So, Black must give up his Knight with 17...Nd6 18.exd6 cxd6 if he wants to keep in the game - a piece down.

He declines.