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