I Don't Know How They Do It

I continue to be impressed by chess players who can manage both an unusual chess opening line and the bullet time control.

And win.

I mean, I could easily play a few meaningless moves and lose on time. I know how to do that.

But in the following game HenriDepraz brings home the full point - with checkmate - in under 10 moves.

HenriDepraz - ls103

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 

I looked at this move in the first year of this blog, 2008. 

Of course, White can now simply play 4.Nxe5, but what's the fun in that? 

My most comprehensive coverage was in "Jerome Gambit: Again the Early Sources"

Looking again (see "Jerome Gambit: Early Sources") through Peter J. Monte's The Classical Era of Modern Chess (2014) I noticed that the Jerome Gambit-related line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+ (see "Offside" for starters) has appeared as early as in Rodrigo "Ruy" López de Segura's Libro de la invencion liberal y arte del juego del Axedrez (1561) and Giulio Cesare Polerio's Ordini di giuochi degli scacchi in diversi modi, cosi di mano, come sottomano, cio e in offenza, e dife[n]za co[n] altri bellissimi partiti, sono di Guilio Cesare Polerio alias l'Apruzzese. Giocandosi del Pari (1594).

 Monte writes

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5: Mentioned in Lopez III, xiv, the move 3...Na5 is refuted by the sequence 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ etc. in Polerio's D16 and 29.

The early lines of play are given

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5

Last move in Lopez III, xiv. 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

* 5...Ke7 6.d4 d6 7.Bg5 Nf6 8.Nd3 h6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 Bg4 11.f3 Bh5 12.Qd2 in Doazan D16

* 5...Ke6 6.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Qxa5 and

* 5...Ke8 6.Qh5+ Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Qxa5 in Doazan D29

"Doazan" refers to Gabriel Eloy Doazan's 1843 article in Le Palamede, where his "Un manuscrit sur les echecs" presented one of Polario's manuscripts. 

4.Bxf7+ 

There are 2,860 games with this move in The Database. White scores 71%.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 

Black's King steps back.

Stockfish 16.1 slightly prefers 5...Ke7, e.g. 6.d4 d6 7.Bg5+ Nf6 8.Nd3 h6, when play gets wild - 9.Qh5 hxg5 10.Qxh8 Nxe4 11.0-0 Bf5 but supposedly equal, where White has a Rook and a pawn (and a safer King) for two pieces.

6.d4 

Simple enough.

With only one minute on the clock, White does not explore 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.d3 Bh6 10.Bxh6 Nxh6 11.Qg5+ Kf7 12.Qxa5 with four pawns (and a safer King) for a piece. 

6...d6 

Encouraging - or overlooking - White's next move.

7.Qh5+ Ke7 

Black would have better chances to hold on with 7...g6 8.Nxg6 Nf6 9.Qh4 hxg6 10.Qxh8 Nxe4 11.Bh6 Qf6 12.Qxf8+ Qxf8 13.Bxf8 Kxf8 when White would have a Rook and two pawns for two pieces. 

8.Qf7 checkmate

There are 7 games like this in The Database

Jerome Gambit: Complications, Complications, Complications

I continue to be amazed how players like angelcamina can find their way through the complications of the Jerome Gambit to gain the full point - all with only seconds of thinking time per move.

angelcamina - Gregigras

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2026

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

Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Qe7 

angelcamina has reached this position 22 times, scoring 14 - 6 - 2. 

9.O-O Nc6 10.Qc4+ Qe6 11.Qe2 

White has some work ahead of him to get things going.

11...Nd4 

It is always tempting to harass the enemy Queen. This move does not squander Black's advantage, but it reduces it.

12.Qd3 c5 13.f4 a5 

Planning to develop a piece to a6?

14.e5 

This is a complicated position to solve in a 1-minute game!

Black's best might be to return a piece while adding more tactical complexity - 14...b6 15.exf6 Ba6 16.f5 Qe5 17.Qh3 Bxf1 18.fxg7 Qxg7 19.Qh5+ Kg8 20.Kxf1 Nxf5 - ending up an exchange ahead.

15.Nxd5 Qxd5 16.c3 Rf8 

Stockfish 16.1 gives a line that keeps things even - 16...d6 17.cxd4 Qxd4+ 18.Qxd4 cxd4 19.Bd2 dxe5 20.fxe5+ Ke6 21.Rad1 Bd7 (21...Kxe5 22.Bf4+) 22.Rf4 Ba4 23.Rc1 Rhd8 24.Rc7 Bc6 25.Rxg7 Rg8 26.Rxg8 Rxg8 27.Rxd4 Rxg2+ 28.Kf1 Rxh2 29.Bc3.

Of course, the computer can calculate very rapidly.

17.cxd4 cxd4 

Safer was exchanging Queens after 17...Qxd4+.

18.Be3 

To win the d-pawn.

With more time, White would have found that he could grab a different pawn, with 18.Qxh7 Ke8 19.f5 Qg8. 

18...b6 19.Qxd4 Qe6 

It still was safer, instead, to exchange Queens.

20.f5 Qc6 21.Rac1 Qb7 22.Qc4+ Ke8 

23.f6 gxf6 24.exf6 Rf7 

The only way to put off checkmate was 24...d5.

25.Bf4 d5 26.Rce1+ Kf8 

27.Bh6+ Kg8 28.Re8+ Rf8 29.Rxf8 checkmate

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Be Careful

In the following game, Black introduces an interesting offer of a pawn, only to be met with an offer of a piece.

The defender must be careful, and, when he isn't, open lines facilitate White's attack.

HenriDepraz - sds_slothv2

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4

Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

 4.Bxf7+ 

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 6.c3 Nc6 7.Nxc6+ dxc6 

Black - with a piece for two pawns - has an edge, but, with his King at risk, he must be careful.

8.d4 Nf6 

This is asking for the Knight to be kicked. Stockfish 16.1 prefers 8...Kf7. 

9.e5 Nd5 10.Bg5+ Nf6 11.exf6+ gxf6 

12.Qe2+ 

Earlier in the year HenriDepraz tried 12.Be3 Kf7 13.Qh5+ Kg8 14.Nd2 Be6 15.O-O Bf7 16.Qf3 Bd6 17.Ne4 Kg7 18.Qg4+ Bg6 19.Ng3 Rg8 20.Nf5+ Kh8 21.Nxd6 Qxd6 22.Qf3 Rae8 23.Rfe1 Be4 24.Qf4 Rxg2+ 25.Kf1 Reg8 26.Ke2 Qe6 27.Kd2 f5 28.Rac1 Qxa2 29.Qe5+ R2g7 30.Bh6 Qxb2+ 31.Ke3 Qb5 32.Bxg7+ Rxg7 33.Qxb5 cxb5 34.Rg1 Re7 35.Kf4 a6 36.f3 Bd3 37.Rce1 Rxe1 38.Rxe1 a5 39.Re3 Bc4 40.Kxf5 a4 41.Kf6 h6 42.Re8+ White won on time, HenriDepraz - shekibkhan_2023, 2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2025. 

12...Kf7 13.Qh5+ Kg8 14.Be3 Bd6 

Missing a chance to exchange Queens with 14...Qd5.

Black's King has moved out of the center - but not for long.

15.O-O Be6 16.Nd2 Bf7 17.Qg4+ Kf8 

Having brought back his light-squared Bishop to chase the enemy King away, he should have put it to further use by blocking the check with 17...Bg6.

White now uses open lines to continue his attack on the King.

18.Bh6+ Ke8 19.Rfe1+ Be7 20.Ne4 Rg8 21.Nxf6 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Finished Quickly

In the following game, angelcamina shows his tactical skill and makes short work of his opponent's defense, for a quick finish.

angelcamina - Bohemio1975

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 

If Black is looking for a quiet, strategic game, he will be disappointed.

4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4 

angelcamina has reached this equal position in 42 games, scoring 73%. 

Black's best response, instead, was to return a piece and hit the center with 7...d5.

 8.dxe5 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Ne8 10.Qd5+ Kf8 11.Ba3+ d6 12.exd6 

White seeks open lines against Black's vulnerable King.

12...Nxd6 

With seconds to think per move, the defender thinks -Development!- and makes the wrong move choice. The Knight will be pinned along both the d-file and the a3-f8 diagonal.

13.e5 Qe7 14.O-O-O

Previously, angelcamina had castled kingside - 14.O-O Be6 15.exd6 Bxd5 16.dxe7+ Ke8 17.Rad1 Bc6 18.f4 g6 19.f5 gxf5 20.Rxf5 Rg8 21.g3 b5 22.Rdf1 Kd7 23.Rd1+ Ke8 24.Rc5 Bd7 25.Rcd5 Bc6 26.Rd8+ Rxd8 27.exd8=Q+ Kf7 28.Rf1+ Kg6 29.Qf6+ Kh5 30.Rf5+ Rg5 31.Qxg5 checkmate angelcamina - Juanka7, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024.

The text is even better.

14...Be6 15.exd6 Bxd5 

Stockfish 16.1, instead, suggests 15...cxd6 16.Qe4 Qg5+ 17.f4 Qf5 18.Rxd6 Qxe4 19.Rxe6+ Kf7 20.Rxe4 but Black is still lost. 

16.dxe7+ Black resigned

In the Washing Machine

 

Wandering the internet, again, I ran across a ton of short videos at "Chess With Durks" on TikTok, including one on the Jerome Gambit, and one featuring a variation of the Scotch Gambit - "In the Washing Machine" - so called because White is "throwing him [Black's King] around in the washing machine."

The Jerome Gambit game in the video features a rare line (I have only 5 examples in The Database). 

I noted in "Jerome Gambit: Warping Players' Minds?" 

* I had seen it in the video "jerome gambit | the jerome gambit | how to play the jerome gambit | The Master Tricks | chess traps", and, before that, in the game blackburne - karmmark, Jerome Gambit Thematic tournament, ChessWorld.net, 2007.

The Game: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nc6 8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qd5+ Kf6 10.Qf5 checkmate

And the "washing machine"? Durks has two videos.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.0–0 Nxe4 

6.Nc3

The Nakhmanson Gambit. See "Wandering Away For A Moment..."

The earliest example that I can find of this piece offer is Trajkovic, Mihajlo - Trifunovic, Petar, Belgrade (13), 1952 (0-1, 55).

Harding and Botterill, in their The Italian Game, (1977) note [notation changed from descriptive to algebraic]:

9.Nc3?! is interesting but unsound: a) 6...dxc3? 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Re1 with a strong attack b) 6...Nxc3! 7.dxc3 d5 8.Bb5 Be7 9.Nxd4 (or 9.Re1 0-0) Bd7 10.Ne2 a6 11.Ba4 Na5 -/+ Novopashin - Nezhmetdinov, Kislovodsk, 1966.  

6...dxc3 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qd5+ Ke7 

As an aside, in this line White has sacrificed a Bishop and a Knight, as in the Jerome Gambit, but in a different manner.

The King hunt is on.

9.Qxe4+ Kf7 10.Ng5+ Kf6 11.Qf4+ Kg6 12.Qf7+ Kh6 13.g4 Qe8

The offer of the Queen is only a distraction. In another video, Durks shows the alternative, 13...Qf6, but it doesn't change the outcome of the game.

 14.Ne6+ g5 15.Bxg5 checkmate

 

Jerome Gambit: Gimme Shelter

When White's central "Jerome pawns" are allowed to advance, and the defender has not found shelter for his King quickly enough, bad things can happen to the second player.

vagel - zagolmann

5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+ 7.c3 

7...Bxc3+ 

vagel has also faced 7...Bd6 8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.Qd5+ (9.Qh5+ Ke6 10.f4 g6 11.Qxe5+ Kf7 12.Qxh8 Qh4+ 13.g3 Qe7 14.Qxh7+ Kf8 15.Qxe7+ Kxe7 16.Na3 d6 17.Be3 Nf6 18.e5 dxe5 19.fxe5 Ne4 20.O-O-O Be6 21.Nb5 c6 22.Nd6 b5 23.Nxe4 Bd5 24.Bc5+ Ke6 25.Ng5+ Kf5 26.h4 Bxh1 27.Rxh1 a5 28.e6 b4 29.e7 bxc3 30.bxc3 a4 31.Rf1+ Kg4 32.Rf8 Black resigned, vagel - Aleks_198, lichess.org, 2023) 9...Kf8 10.Qxe5 d6 11.Qf4+ Nf6 12.O-O h5 13.Be3 Rh6 14.Qg3 h4 15.Qf3 Rg6 16.e5 dxe5 17.Bc5+ Kf7 18.Na3 Qd7 19.Nc4 Qe6 20.b3 b5 21.Nxe5+ Qxe5 22.Qxa8 h3 23.g3 Qe4 24.Qxe4 Nxe4 25.Bd4 Bb7 26.a4 a6 27.axb5 axb5 28.Ra7 Nd2 29.Rd1 Nf3+ 30.Kf1 Nxh2+ 31.Ke2 Bf3+ 32.Kd3 White resigned, vagel - iboshsh, lichess.org, 2022); 

7...Ba5 8.dxe5 Ke8 (8...Qh4 9.O-O d5 10.exd5 Bg4 11.e6+ Ke7 12.Qd4 Bb6 13.Qxg7+ Kd6 14.Bf4+ Kc5 15.b4+ Kb5 16.a4+ Kc4 17.Na3+ Kb3 18.Rfb1+ Kxa4 19.Nc2+ Kb5 20.c4+ Kxc4 21.Ne3+ Kb5 22.Qxh8 Qxf2+ Black resigned, vagel - matiasnangel, lichess.org, 2023) 9.e6 dxe6 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qb5+ c6 12.Qb3 Nf6 13.Bg5 Rf8 14.e5 Qd3 15.Bxf6 Qe4+ 16.Kf1 Bb6 17.Nd2 Qd3+ 18.Ke1 Qf5 19.Rf1 Rxf6 20.exf6 Qe5+ 21.Kd1 Qh5+ 22.Kc2 Qf5+ 23.Kc1 Qxf6 24.Nc4 Qf4+ 25.Kc2 Qe4+ 26.Kc1 Qf4+ 27.Kd1 Qg4+ 28.f3 Qf5 29.Nd6+ Black resigned, vagel - bugino17m, lichess.org, 2023; 

7...Nd3+ 8.Qxd3 Be7 9.O-O Ke8 10.f4 d6 11.f5 Nf6 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bh4 Qd7 14.Nd2 b6 15.Qc4 Bb7 16.e5 dxe5 17.dxe5 Nd5 18.f6 gxf6 19.exf6 Bxf6 20.Rae1+ Kd8 21.Bxf6+ Nxf6 22.Rxf6 Qxd2 23.Qg4 Qxe1+ 24.Rf1 Qe3+ 25.Kh1 Bc8 26.Rd1+ Ke7 27.Qg7+Ke6 28.Qxh8 Bb7 Black resigned, vagel-Saletinho, lichess.org, 2023; and

7...Qh4 8.dxe5 Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 (9.Be3 Bc5 10.O-O Qxe5 11.Kh1 Nf6 12.Bxc5 Qxc5 13.Nd2 d5 14.Nf3 Ne4 15.Ne5+ Ke8 16.Qh5+ g6 17.Nxg6 Kd7 18.Nxh8 Nxf2+ 19.Rxf2 Qxf2 20.Qxd5+ Ke7 21.Qe5+ Kd7 22.Rd1+ Kc6 23.Qd5+ Kb6 24.a4 c6 25.a5+ Kc7 26.Qd8+ Kb8 27.Qd6 checkmate, vagel - myrefugefortress, lichess.org, 2024) 9...Bc5 10.e6+ dxe6 11.Qh5+ g6 12.Qxc5 c6 13.Bg5 Qd3+ 14.Ke1 Qe4+ 15.Be3 Qc2 16.Nd2 Qxb2 17.Rd1 Ne7 18.Bg5 Re8 19.Ne4 Qc2 20.Nd6+ Kg7 21.Nxe8+ Kf7 22.Qxe7+ Kg8 23.Qg7 checkmate, vagel - GREGYVON, lichess.org, 2023.

8.bxc3 

Stronger was 8.Nxc3 Ng6 9.e5 (9.f4 d6 10.Qh5 N8e7 11.f5 Qd7 12.fxg6+ Nxg6 13.O-O+ Kg8 14.Bg5 c5 15.dxc5 dxc5 16.Rad1 Qe6 17.Rd8+ Nf8 18.Rfxf8 checkmate, vagel - Dabe_1234, lichess.org, 2024; 9.Bg5 Qxg5 White resigned, vagel - Fish2311, lichess.org, 2024) 9...d6 10.Qf3+ Ke8 11.O-O dxe5 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Qh5+ Ng6 14.Re1+ N8e7 15.Bg5 Qd6 16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.Rxe7+ Kxe7 18.Nd5+ Kd6 19.Rd1 c6 20.Nb6+ Kc7 21.Nxa8+ Kb8 22.Qa5 Kxa8 23.Rd8 Rxd8 24.Qxd8 Kb8 25.a4 Ne5 26.Qd6+ Black resigned, vagel - msd2310, lichess.org, 2020. 

8...Ng6 9.O-O d6 

More challenging of the center is 9...d5.

10.f4 N8e7 

White may still be a piece behind, and lagging in development, but his excellent "Jerome pawn" center makes up for it. In fact, the first player is probably better.

11.f5 Nf8 12.Qh5+ Kg8 

13.f6 g6 

Blocking the check and kicking the Queen.

The best defense was 13...gxf6 14.Rxf6 Neg6 15.Bg5 Qd7 16.Qh6 Qg7 17.Nd2 Be6 18.Raf1 which is still better for White.

14.f7+ Kg7 15.Bh6 checkmate

That's not the kind of checkmate that you see every day!

Game From the Grandmaster Simultaneous Exhibition

 

This summer, I shared that chessfriend and blog contributor Yury V. Bukayev had played against - and drawn - the grandmaster and coach GM Sergey N. Arkhipov in his15-board simultaneous exhibition in Moscow. See "Grandmaster Simultaneous Exhibition"

Here is the game, with a few diagrams.

GM Arkhipov, Sergey N. - Bukayev, Yury V. 

15-board simultaneous exhibition, Moscow, 2025,

July 26 ('The Chess Square 2025')

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.O-O Be7 5.d3 c5 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.e4 

The King's Indian Attack, played by Bobby Fischer - and Mikhail Botvinnik, Tigran Petrosian, Vasily Smyslov and Leonid Stein, to name a few others.

7...d4 8.e5 Nd7 9.Re1 Qc7 10.Qe2 O-O 11.Nf1 Nb6 12.h4 

12...Nd5 13.h5 f6 14.h6 g6 15.exf6 Bd6 

16.Ng5 Rxf6 17.Ne4 Rf7 18.Nxd6 Qxd6 19.Nh2 Bd7 20.Ng4 Raf8 21.f4 

21...Rf5 22.Bd2 Nf6 23.Bh3 Nxg4 24.Bxg4 R5f6 25.Qe4 g5 26.Re2 gxf4 27.Bxf4 e5 28.Bxd7 exf4 Draw

(The computer shows a possible continuation that confirms the draw - 29.Bxc6 Qxc6 30.gxf4 Rg6+ 31.Kf2 Qf6 32.Rh1 Qxf4+ 33.Qxf4 Rxf4+ 34.Ke1 Kf7) 

Well done, Yury!

Jerome Gambit: Things Happen in Bullet Chess

 

I asked the artistic side of ChatGPT to help me illustrate the following Jerome Gambit game, to show my best explanation for Black's 12th move (a pawn should have moved to d6).

Things happen in bullet chess.

NN - NN

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 Nf6 

11.d3 Kc6 

As Cliff Hardy once noted, "Very rare for someone to find this risky-looking, but pugnacious, move - and in bullet too!"

12.Nc3 Kd6 

I don't think that this was the intended move.

13.Bf4 Black resigned