Jerome Gambit: Cousin Redux

angel_camina opens his game with a cousin of the Jerome Gambit, and does quite well with it.

It is a good illustration of the maxim that A move isn't bad, if the opponent does not refute it.

angel_camina - iShowSidd

1 1 bullet, Chess.com, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ 

Quoting from an earlier post, "Not Regarded to Be A Very Good Move (Part 1)"

The Bishop sacrifice goes by different names.

It has been referred to as the Noa Gambit. Charles Thomsas Blanshard, in his Examples of Chess Master-Play (1894) said of 5.Bxf7+ "The text move, a hobby of Dr. Noa, develops Black's game." See Noa,J - Makovetz,G, DSB-07 Kongress, Dresden, 1892 (0-1, 27).

It has also been called the Monck Gambit. In Pollock Memories: A Collection of Chess Games, Problems, &c., &c., Including His Matches with Eugene Delmar, Jackson Showalter, and G.H.D. Gossip (1899), William Henry Krause Pollock gave a crushing 19-move miniature ending in checkmate as "[A] very fine example, known in Dublin years ago as the 'Monck Gambit' ." 

More recently, Rev. Tim Sawyer, of Blackmar Diemer Gambit fame, applied the very apt name "Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit".

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe4 d5 7.Neg5+ 

Despite the opening's overall reputation, angelcamina has scored 11 - 0 from this position. 

He has also been successful with 7.Nc3 e4 8.Ng1 Bc5 9.d4 Bxd4 10.Nge2 Bb6 11.O-O Rf8 12.Nxd5 Kg8 13.Nxb6 axb6 14.Qe1 Ne5 15.Qc3 Qf6 16.Bf4 Ng4 17.Qxf6 Nxf6 18.Bxc7 Bg4 19.Ng3 Rac8 20.Bxb6 Rxc2 21.Bd4 Rd8 22.Bc3 b5 23.a3 Rd3 24.h3 Be6 25.Rad1 Bb3 26.Rxd3 exd3 27.Rd1 ? Bc4 28.Ne4 Nd5 29.Nd2 Nxc3 30.Nxc4 Rxb2 31.Rxd3 Nd1 32.Kh2 Rc2 33.Rd8+ Kf7 34.Ne3 Nxe3 35.fxe3 Rf2 36.Rd7+Kg6 37.Ra7 1-0 angelcamina - florianschreib, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019. 

7...Ke8 

Or 7...Kg8 8.d4 -

        8...Bg4 9.dxe5+ Nxe5 10.Qd4 Bxf3 11.Nxf3 Qe7 12.Bg5+ 1-0,            angelcamina - GrainBowl, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023;

        8...e4 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 h6 11.Nxe4 Bb4+ 12.c3 Be7 13.Ng3 c6 14.0–0 Be6 15.f4 Kh7 16.f5 1–0, angelcamina  - Otschin_Karascho, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024;

        8...e4 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 Be7 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.Qxd8+ Bxd8 13.Bf4 Bf5 14.0–0–0 Be7 15.e6 Rd8 16.Rxd8+ Bxd8 17.Re1 Bf6 18.f3 exf3 19.e7 f2 20.e8Q#, angelcamina  - rutkaycabuk, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024; 

        8....e4 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 c6 11.Nxe4 Bf5 12.Ng3 Bg6 13.0–0  h6 14.f4 Be7 15.f5 Bf7 16.Qg4 Kh7 17.Nh5 Bxh5 18.Qxh5 Qb6+ 19.Kh1 Rhf8 20.Qg6+ Kh8 21.f6 gxf6 22.exf6 c5 23.Qg7#, angelcamina  - Lelzwashere, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024;

        8....e4 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 h6 11.Nxe4 Bg4 12.Qxg4 dxe4 13.Qxe4 Bc5 14.Bd2 Qe7 15.0–0–0 a5 16.f4 b5 17.f5 Kf7 18.e6+ Kf6 19.Bc3+ Kg5 20.h4+ Kh5 21.g4#, angelcamina - dv_66, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025;

        8....e4 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 Be7 11.h4 c6 12.Qh5 Qf8 13.e6 h6 14.Nf7 Rh7 15.Qg6 Bxe6 16.Nxh6+ Kh8 17.Qxe6 gxh6 18.Be3 Re8 19.Bd4+ 1–0, angelcamina - CATCHESS11, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025;

        8....e4 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 Be7 11.h4 h6 12.Nh3 Bxh4 13.Nf4Bg5 14.Qxd5+ Qxd5 15.Nxd5 c6 16.Bxg5 hxg5 17.Ne7+ Kf7 18.Rxh8 Kxe7 19.0–0–0 b5 20.Rdd8 Bb7 21.Rxa8 Bxa8 1–0, angelcamina - filipe-abc,1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025;

        8....h6 9.Nh3 e4 10.Ne5 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Bxh3 12.gxh3 Bc5 13.Rg1 c6 14.Qg4 g5 15.h4 Kh7 16.hxg5 hxg5 17.Qh5+ Kg7 18.Rxg5+ Qxg5 19.Qxg5+ Kf7 20.Qf6+ Kg8 21.Be3 Bf8 22.0–0–0 Bg7 23.Rg1 Rh7 24.Bh6 Rxh6 25.Qxh6 Kf7 26.Rxg7+ Ke8 27.Qh8#, angelcamina - lalakt, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

Or 7...Kg6 8.d4 h6 9.Nxe5+ Nxe5 10.dxe5 hxg5 11.Qd3+ Kf7 12.O-O Bc5 13.Be3 Bxe3 14.fxe3+ Kg8 15.e4 dxe4 16.Qxd8+ Kh7 17.Qxg5 Be6 18.Qh4+ Kg8 19.Qe7 Bf7 20.Rxf7 Kh7 21.Rxg7+ Kh6 22.Qf6+ Kh5 23.Rg5+ Kh4 24.Qf4 checkmate, angelcamina - cheesecomputer, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

8.d4 e4 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 

Stockfish 17.1 (35 ply) evaluates this position as completely even (0.00) and I will have to take its word for it. Fortunately, I have more than one minute to evaluate the whole game.

10...Bf5 

Over-protecting the pawn at e4. The move will quickly prove useful.

11.Be3 h6 12.Qh5+ 

Ouch.

White wins if his opponent now moves his King or his Bishop, but what about the g-pawn?

12...Kd7

Like I was saying...

The clock pressures both the attacker and the defender.

13.Qf7+ Be7 

The King would not find safety on the Queenside.

One nightmare will suffice: 13...Kc6 14.Qxf5 hxg5 15.Qe6+ Kb5 16.a4+ Kb4 17.Bxg5!?

14.Qxf5+ Kc6 15.Ne6 Qd7 

Giving up the ghost.

16.Nd4+ Black resigned

Black's Queen will fall, and then mate will arrive in a half-dozen moves.