Jerome Gambit: Jiwooko piano

 A Dogpile.com search on "4.Bxf7+" turned up a Korean language page on the Jiwooko piano, which had a very knowledgeable description of the Jerome Gambit (translation by Google Translate)

This is a romantic line that attacks by dragging out the king while throwing two minor pieces . After sacrificing the bishop to drag out the king, Nxe5+ throws the knight, and then Qh5+ attacks both the knight on e5 and the king dragged out to f7. It is a tricky position using the queen, and if the opponent does not respond well, the game can be led in your favor . However, since it starts by throwing two minor pieces that are not even pawns, and it is not a gambit with a complicated line or difficult to respond to like the King's Gambit , it can be seen as closer to an entertainment opening.[1] White can recover one minor piece by forking with 6.d4 , but this tends to result in losing only one minor piece (since he lost two pieces before winning one), so 6. Qh5+ is often played. However, there is an easy and powerful line that intuitively makes it difficult to attack the king in exchange for giving up a knight with 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 d6, so it is not difficult to deal with. Hikaru [Nakamura] has shown this a few times during his Tricks Only speed runs.

[1] Similarly, the Double Muzio Gambit, which gives two minor pieces, can be a bit tricky to attack as the Rook and the queenside bishop also participate in the attack, but this line is incomparably easy to deal with as it attacks with only the queen. 

Jerome Gambit: A Conflict of Ideas

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game features a conflict of ideas that plays out over the board, with the gambiteer coming out a move too late.

xElucidatoRx - polgg98

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.O-O Bh3 

This interesting offer of a piece was looked at 16 1/2 years ago, in the post Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (4)

A very interesting miscalculation: if the "material grubbing" computer now takes the Bishop with 10.gxh3, Black draws with 10...Nf6 11.Qxa8 Qxh3 12.Qxb7 Qg4+ 13.Kh1 Qf3+ 14.Kg1 Qg4+ etc.

White does better to rescue his Queen with 10.Qc3 – which explains why Blackburne's move [Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885] was 9...Nf6 (instead of the text 9...Bh3) trapping Her Majesty.

Further, in Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (5), it was clear that Black should have played 9...Nf6 instead of 9...Bh3.

By the way, the whole "Drilling Down" series of posts, starting with Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (1), is worth revisiting

This post starts an extended series (which may be interrupted from time-to-time for news, games or analysis) wherein the intrepid "RevvedUp" (a good chess player) and his trusted companions Hiarcs 8, Shredder 8, Yace Paderborn, Crafty 19.19 and Fritz 8 explore the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) by taking turns playing the White and Black pieces. 

The human moves first, and takes notice of the defense the computer plays. In the next game, where he moves second, the human plays that defense against a new computer – and sees how it attacks. In the third game, the human plays the recent attack against his new computer foe. Collectively, the players drill deeper and deeper into the Jerome Gambit.

10.d4 

The Database contains 7 other games with this move, with White scoring 3 - 4.

10...Qxe4 

I have seen only one game where Black, instead, grabbed the opportunity to play 10...Nf6 11.Qxa8 Qg4 12.g3 Qf3 White resigned, quimera999 - olakunran, 2 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020. 

11.f3 

Blitz games can be exciting, but they can also be dangerous. White's last chance was 11.Qxh7+ followed by 12.Qxh3.

11...Bxd4+ 12.Kh1 Qe2 13.Qxh7+ 

The right idea, but too late.

13...Bg7 14.Qxh3 Qxf1 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: ChessFam

I recently visited the ChessFam Facebook page to check out the video, 

"Discover this brilliant chess tricks and punish the Jerome Gambit!!"

It was fun to watch two regular players play over the infamous game 

Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884.

A higlight of ChessFam's posts is his collection of "Photos" which can 

be a chessboard diagram featuring a "Move of the Day", a photograph

of a chess player, a poster-like picture with educational or inspirational

content, and even a few humorous chess comic panels - like the one

at the top of this post.

Check it out.

 

Jerome Gambit: Hardly A Drawing Weapon

The following Jerome Gambit game of mine reminded me of a post from earlier this year, "Jerome Gambit: Is A Draw Good Enough?", where I pondered

One timeless question when it comes to the Jerome Gambit has been whether a draw is a good enough result for White, after his wild sacrifices.

According to The Database, I have played 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ almost 800 times, and only 7% of the games were drawn.

In addition, I scored 82% in those games, so the Jerome has hardly been a drawing weapon for me.

I have also been helped by a rating advantage: on average, I was rated about 170 points above the average rating of my opponents - giving "Jerome Gambit odds" in many of those games. Based on ratings expectancy, I should have scored 72%; perhaps it was the Jerome that boosted my scoring another 10%.

Against kelasui, below, I was the lower rated player, however: my ratings expectancy was 40%.

Was the draw a favorable outcome for me? 

Did my opponent quickly grow tired of the whole affair and simply turn over 1/2 a point?

More questions to ponder.

perrypawnpusher - kelasui

3d/move, Chess.com, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 d6 

Ah, yes, the "silicon" or "annoying" defense. For a discussion, check out "Jerome Gambit: Dealing With the Annoying" (among others).

8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Kf7 

Or 9...Ke7 10.Qg3 Kf7 11.Qxe5 Bd4 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qe2 as in perrypawnpusher - TheNatureBoy, Chess.com 2021 (0-1, 24). 

10.Qh5+ Ke6 11.Qh3+ Kf7 12.Qh5+ Ke6 Draw

I was comfortable with the draw.

Apparently, my opponent was comfortable with the draw.

Only Stockfish 16.1 was not comfortable, rating my opponent's position as 3  pawns better than mine.

Oh, well...

Was H.Nakamura Right? Is JG ‘Unbreakable’, Is EG ‘Lemgendary’ For Beginners’ Games? (Part 7)

                        

         Was H.Nakamura Right? Is JG ‘Unbreakable’, Is EG ‘Legendary’

For Beginners’ Games? (Part 7)

(by Yury V. Bukayev)

Dear readers, again and again I repeat the following. If an expert’s appraisal is based on something without real proofs, he can be right or “almost right” here sometimes. That is so, even in the case where he realizes that his appraisal is hasty, or non-serious, or bold, or emotional. Sometimes he is right here for a large per cent (for example, 55, 75 or 95) of cases which he appraises.

We remember Rick Kennedy’s post ‘Jerome Gambit: Which Tier? Unbreakable?’ (September 23, 2020) where the notable dialogue about the standard system of the Jerome gambit (JG) between Top GM Hikaru Nakamura and IM Levy Rozman was shown as the part of their popular video and as its approximate text. Thus, they have discussed there what chess opening tier for beginners’ practice is right for it. The end of this text contains several phrases by Mr. Nakamura where he places the standard system of JG near the top of ‘Unbreakable’. Mr. Nakamura’s words contain no proofs of this very high appraisal. In my opinion, the tier’s name ‘Unbreakable’ is very arguable, because we discuss an opening practice, not an opening theory: each opening can be broken in a game as a result of practical mistakes of a player. But this name plays no role for us, just this very high appraisal of 4.Bxf7+ for beginners’ practice is important for our consideration.

Before writing of my Part 1 of this analytical research (please, look at it: it’s a blog post of October 16, 2022) it was enough difficult for me to prove this Hikaru Nakamura’s appraisal, for a large per cent of cases. It was necessary to choose a certain control of time for beginners’ games, and I have chosen an unlimited one. And in the Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 of this research I have made some clear proofs of this Mr. Nakamura’s appraisal and some “not absolutely clear proofs” of it. We shouldn’t forget that the word ‘unbreakable’ includes a draw, not only a win.

And here are my new invented traps - no.11 and no.12 - which are based on a similar ‘natural’ reaction of a beginner.

Traps 11 and 12. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 (Black defends his pieces, it is a typical response for an unlimited game.) 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5 Qxe5 10.Qf3 Nf6 11.b4! AN Bxb4!? (I started to consider other possible Black's captures here in Part 5 and Part 6 of this investigation.) 12.0-0 (The other good way is 12.c3, although in both cases White's main chance is to use Black's typical psychology...) 12...Qxa1!? (It’s a typical reaction for beginners and not only for them. Moreover, 12…Qxa1 isn’t a bad move here, so, again, it is a new true opening variation, in fact.) 13.c3 Qxb1?! (It’s also a typical reaction for beginners and not only for them, so 13.c3 is my trap no.11.) 14.e5+! Kxe5 (If 14...Ke6?, then 15.exf6!) 15.Re1+ Kd6 (Black tries to retreat and to avoid immediate checks - it's a typical psychology.) 16.d4 (White's threat 17.Bf4# is enough here to beat the majority of opponents-beginners) 16...Qxc1! 17.Rxc1. Here Black has two "natural ways":

A) 17...Ba5?! 18.Qg3+!, and White stands better,

B) 17...Ba3 18.Re1 Rg8?! (Black defends his pawn g7, but it isn't a good defence here.) 19.c4!, and White stands better. (So 18.Re1 is my trap no.12.)

That is why White will get here also a very large per cent of identical successful results against beginners. And against much more strong players!

It maybe, the invention of my traps 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and my approaches (Part 1, Part 2) will cause Mr. Nakamura’s and Mr. Rozman’s wish to replace the standard system of JG into their top tier ‘Legendary’ (on ‘GMHikaru’ YouTube channel).

Contact the author: istinayubukayev@yandex.ru

© 2025 Yury V. Bukayev (Copyright © Bukayev Yury Vyacheslavovich 2025). All rights reserved.

[A legal using of this investigation with a reference to it is permitted and doesn't require author's consent.]

Jerome Gambit: A Deadly Pin

The following Jerome Gambit game is a good example how the dangers of the opening follow into the middlegame, and the defender cannot afford to let up his efforts.

anilone - ihffff

10 0 rapid, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Nf6 

Looked at in this blog over 16 years ago, in "A Jerome Gambit Brawl".

Stronger was Sorensen's move, 6...Qh4. The text leads to an even game. 

7.dxe5 Bxf2+ 

This is very interesting, although Stockfish 16.1 prefers 7...Qe7

8.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 9.Ke3 

9...Ng5 

A bit better, and thematic, was 9...d5. 

10.Rf1+ Kg8 11.Kf2 Ne6 12.Kg1 

Both Kings are safe. Black plans to advance his h-pawn, putting the blocked-in Rook to use on the h-file.

12...b6 

A slip, but White does not notice.

13.Nc3

Dangerous was 13.Qf3. 

13...Bb7 14.Nd5 h5 15.c4 h4 16.h3 Qe8 17.Qg4 

Black's best defense is now 17...Bxd5 18.cxd5 Nc5 19.Rf5 Rc8 20.Be3 c6, although White would still be better.

17...Rh5 

Focusing on the e-pawn, but overlooking something.

18.Nf6+ 

Forking the King, Queen and Rook; the g-pawn is pinned.

Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Adding to Theory

I recently received an email from chessplayer Rahul T Reji. (I have added a few diagrams.) He adds to Jerome Gambit theory.

I have been analyzing a particular position in the Jerome Gambit and believe I may have found a move worth considering. I have pasted below the PGN detailing the line for your review. You will notice that although black does not make any major blunders, the game slips away from its grasp very quickly. I would love to hear your thoughts on it and whether you think it holds any potential in practical play. It is currently the second most popular choice on chess website lichess.org, the most common being 9.Qe3

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qb5+ 

The most common response to d6 is the move Qe3, which is also the best engine move. However, I found that playing Qb5+ and then Qb3 leads to a slightly more advantageous position (when playing against humans) the Queen on the b3 square controls the f7 square, preventing the very common castling "by hand" maneuver (Kf7 Re8 Kg8), while also restricting development of the bishop on c8, as it would lead to the loss of the b7 pawn. 

9...c610.Qb3 

Computer gives this position -1.9, whereas after 9.Qe3, computer gives -2.1 

10...Nf6 11.O-O Qc7 12.Nc3 Bd7 13.d4 Ke7 14.f4 Rae8 15.f5 Nf8 16.e5 16.Ng4 

Very natural move, which is also a blunder. In order to avoid complete collapse, black had to sacrifice a pawn here - with dxe5

17.Bg5+ Nf6 

only move 

18.exf6+ gxf6 19.Rae1+ Kd8 20.Bxf6+ Kc8 21.Bxh8  Black Resigned

I have a little to add to Mr. Reji's work.

But, as you will see, only a little.

I appreciate that he could shine a light on a pretty hazy bit of the opening. He is right, it does hold potential for practical play, for the reasons he points out.

A couple of years ago, in the post "Jerome Gambit: Easy Come...," I looked at the game angelcamina - FutureWorld_Champion, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023, which featured 10.Qc4 instead of 10.Qb3, but noted

In earlier games angelcamina has retreated his Queen to b3 or b4

Currently, The Database show 12 of angelcamina's games with 9.Qb5+ c6 10.Qb3 but none of them have appeared on this blog.

Eleven years ago, in the post "Tangled", I shared the game Wall,B - Guest7556673, PlayChess.com, 2014, which did see 10.Qb3; as did "My House! My House! My Kingdom for a House!" with the game Wall,B - Yunfan, Chess.com, 2011.

After the latter post, I pointed out

This is something new: in almost 24,000 games in The Database, this position does not show up at all!

To update, The Datbase currently has over 116,000 games. 34 of those games go 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qb5+ c6 10.Qb3. In 1/3 of the games, angelcamina played White.