I have been looking over my old (30+ years) score sheets, and checking out the openings they contain.
I played the Four Knights Game, and the Reversed Four Knights Game.
Against the Sicilian Defense, I did not risk facing the Najdorf or Dragon - I played the Wing Gambit 2.b4, if I were feeling adventurous, and the Snyder, 2.b3, if I were feeling cautious.
In fact, I played 2.b3 against both the Caro Kann and the French Defenses, as well, regardless of how I was feeling.
Likewise, against 1.e4 I played the French Defense, if I were feeling cautious, or the Latvian Gambit, if I were feeling adventurous.
All of the games were examples of a club player, choosing a club player's opening, in a club tournament.
None of the games were played at bullet, blitz, or even rapid, time controls. They were slow games.
I make these distinctions because today some adventurous club players dive into blitz games with their opening weapons, and use them to help navigate the dangers of the whirlpools they encounter.
So - the following game is one such example.
The weapon is the Jerome Gambit.
The game is not mine, but by a chessfriend who is willing to try the opening.
(The comments are mine.)
[If you insist on looking for grandmaster Jerome Gambit games, use the Search box on the right for "Hambleton" or "Nakamura".]
keegers2 - Tagkinho
10 0 rapid, lichess.org, 2026
1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4... Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6
The lichess.com annotation - by Stockfish 19? - is that Black's move is a mistake; that 6...Ke6 is best (and the example it gives as an alternative is that of the "Annoying Defense").
I suppose that if I were rated 3300+, like Stockfish, I would be critical of 6...g6, too, although, through human eyes, it is a perfectly fine response to White's check - as are 6...Ke6, 6...Kf8, and 6...Ng6.
7.Qxe5 Qe7
Whistler's defense, quite strong and suggesting that Black is familiar with the Jerome Gambit.
8.Qd5+
Suggesting that White is familiar with Yury V. Bukayev's explorations of this move in "Anatoly Karpov & Jerome Gambit (Parts 7 & 8) "and "JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 16)"
8...Kf8 9.Nc3
Here, the computer suggests the novelty 9.b4, which I do not understand at all. In fact, the whole line of play it gives is above my club player head: 9....Bxb4 10.O-O [Um, sure, but doesn't the dark square Bishop go to b2, now, instead?] h5 [Development, anybody?] 11.Qb3 [Preparing for Nc3, without having to worry about doubled pawns if ...Bxc3, right?] b6 [Staying away from 11...Qxe4 12.Nc3 Bxc3 13.Qxc3 Rh7 14.Qxc7 Qc6, right?] 12.d4 Ba6 13.c4 c5
Fortunately, it wasn't me playing White.
10.Qd3
10...d5
Black plays a thematic move - and the computer frowns.
"Ke8 was best" it opines.
I'm not even going to argue; Tagkinho's move looks fine to me.
11.O-O
Safety - not pawn-grabbing (11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.Qxd5) - first.
11...dxe4 12.Qg3
About White's last move, to quote the robot in the 1960s TV series "Lost in Space": Danger, Will Robinson!
Okay, so keegers2 is playing the White pieces, not Will Robinson, but you get my point, right?
[to be continued]
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