Jerome Gambit: Heard To Be Believed

                                                             

My latest Google Alert sent me to the short video "Win In 9 Moves: Jerome Gambit!" by @ChessHomieOfficial.

It has to be seen to be believed.

Or, more accurately, heard.

The commentator yells, excitedly, the supposed moves of the Jerome Gambit, as they appear (allegedly) on a very strange chessboard (both ranks and files are lettered, neither numbered), with pieces set up, er, creatively - Is that Black with 9 pawns? Does he have 2 Kings? Is Black attacking in the Jerome? Does White have tripled pawns on the a-file (indicating at least 3 captures, but Black isn't missing that many)?

Checking out other videos by the same creator, I have to consider them more performance art than actual chess presentations.

Still, they bring a smile.

Jerome Gambit: And Yet... (Part 2)

                                             

Of course, it is possible to "improve" the Jerome "Face Palm Variation", mentioned in "Jerome Gambit: And Yet...(Part 1)".

To quote from "Jerome Gambit: Comfortable in the Calmer Game"

From "Jerome Gambit: The Improved Face Palm Variation?!"

Having taken a look at what I called the "Face Palm Variation" of the Jerome Gambit, I wondered if there was an "improved" variation, where White played an early d2-d4, so that his Knight could safely move to g5 with the support of his dark square Bishop.

I quickly recalled the game Wright -  Hunn, Arkansas,1874, played about a half year after Alonzo Wheeler Jerome published his first analysis of his gambit in the Dubuque Chess Journal. The game began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+.

The line was referred to as The Macbeth Attack on the Italian language website Sacchi64. It has a relationship to the Italian Gambit, (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4) as explored by Jude Acers and George S. Laven in their book The Italian Gambit and A Guiding Repertoire for White - 1.e4, (although they were not interested in Bxf7+)  as well as to the Lewis Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.d4) and the Von der Lasa Gambit, (1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Bc4 Bc5).

 But, I am not sure that I want to play the line - at least not yet. 

The Dubuque Chess Journal, November, 1874, referred to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ as"an unsound variation of Jerome's double opening".

That's good enough for me.

For now, at least.

     

Jerome Gambit: Uh, Maybe Next Time

                                                       

Today, I finally made it, again, to the very informal chess club that meets at a local library every-other-week.

I played three over-the-board games and won them all - none of them a Jerome Gambit, alas, as I had achieved earlier; in part because I had the Black pieces in two of the games.

Still, I was feeling rather Jerome-ish. All of the games ended with a checkmate.

My opponent in each game played some innocuous moves that gave me tempos that I then used in preparing and executing my attacks - something that was reinforced from playing the Jerome. This is likely a theme in some of your own Jerome Gambit games, as well.

I was guided by he maxim Three pieces and an attack; yet was happy to exchange Queens to eliminate a defender or to avoid slowing down my initiative.

True, I may get my (chess) clock cleaned* next time, but for now I feel just fine.

(*The idiom "getting your clock cleaned" means to be thoroughly defeated or beaten, often in a competitive context)

Jerome Gambit: And, Yet... (Part 1)

I thought that this blog had finished off this game's opening variation with posts like this, from "Jerome Gambit: I Tried", summarizing 

"Death of a Variation" was not the first time, but it was a not-so-subtle hint. That was followed by "Public Service Announcement" and "A Mention is Not an Endorsement". You might think that "Re-Inventing the Flat Tire" might do it. 

Even coming up with a specific name for the variation - "Jerome Gambit: The Face Palm Variation" didn't stamp it out.

Why all the fuss? Check out the following game.

deusmach - ggg_540

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Ng5+ 

Getting ahead of himself...

Remarkably, The Database has 851 games with this opening. Not so surprisingly, White scores 27%.

Admittedly, the average difference in rating betwen White and Black in this case is 90 points - in Black's favor - but the expectancy for the first player would still be about 40%.

The conclusion is obvious: avoid 5.Ng5+

5...Kf8 

Wait, wait, wait... What about 5...Qxg5?

6.O-O Qxg5 

Well, then...

7.Nc3 a6 8.d4

This is the idea behind 5.Ng5+: attack both the Bishop and the Queen. Had Black captured the Knight on move 5 (see above), he could have responded to 6.d4 with 6...Qxg2, but that Queen move, now, would be quite an error. 

8...exd4 9.Bxg5 Black resigned

Blitz games can be so cruel.

Jerome Gambit: Tactics To The Rescue

1-minute bullet games require an attention to tactics. 

I suppose that if you took only a second of thinking time per move, you could establish a long game where you slowly ground down your opponent - but even then, tactics would likely show up.

In the following Jerome Gambit game, angelcamina makes his moves - and then, when given the opportunity, finishes the game with a tactical shot.  

angel_camina - saqo198627

1 1 bullet, Chess.com, 2026

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

The Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

(Curious note: The Database shows that the line scores 40%, versus 53% for 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+.)

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6 8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.f4 Bxc3+ 10.bxc3

Well, that was quick.

White has only a pawn for his sacrificed piece, but in a bullet game, just about anything can happen.

It helps that angel_camina has already had this position in 16 of his earlier games: familiar territory.

10...d6 11.O-O c6 

Avoiding 11...Nxe4? 12.Qd5+ snaring the Knight.

12.Qe2 Re8 13.e5 Nd5 14.c4 

The "Jerome pawns" at work.

14...Qb6+ 

An intermezzo move. Black's Knight will advance, but it should simply retreat, instead.

15.Kh1 Nc3 

16.Qh5+ Kg8 

A slip.

After 16...Kf8 17.Qxh7, Black's Knight and Queen seem misplaced, while White has his Rook on the f-file, facing the enemy King; as well as the threat to challenge the a3-f8 diagonal with his Bishop.

17.Qxe8 checkmate

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Chess Indigestion

 

In the following game, Black creates his own problems by ingesting too many pawns.

yankaramparmkatan - KIGO67

classical, lichess.org, 2026

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4. Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 

Black does best, now, to think about retreating his King from his exposed position.

Instead, the King gobbles some pawns - much to his dismay, he discovers.

6.f4 

White supports his advanced Knight.

Trickier, but more main line, is 6.c3, e.g. 6...Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Ke6. 

6...Nf6 

The next day yankaramparmkatan faced the stronger 6...Qh4+, i.e. 7.g3 Qh3 8.c3 d6 9.cxd4 dxe5 10.dxe5 (10.d3!?) 10...Qg2 11.Qb3+ Ke7 12.Qb4+ Kf7 13.Qc4+ Be6 14.Qxc7+ Ke8 15.Rf1 Rc8 16.Qxc8+ Bxc8 17.Nc3 Bb4 18.d3 Qxh2 19.Rf3 Bg4 20.Re3 Qg1+ 21.Kd2 Qd1 checkmate, yankaramparmkatan - bcsy1, classical, lichess.org, 2026 

7.c3 Nc6 8.O-O Nxe5 

Unwise, unsafe. 

9.fxe5 Kxe5 

Black's King is dining too far from home.

10.d4+ Ke6 11.e5 Ne4 

Now the Knight goes wandering... The defense after 11...Be7 12.exf6 Bxf6 is grim, but still his best. 

12.Qg4+ 

Forking the King and the Knight.

As you might expect, 12.d5+ leads to checkmate.

12...Kd5 

This also leads to mate. 

After 12...Ke7 13.Qxe4 White would dominate the board. 

13.c4+ Kxd4 14.Rd1+ Kxe5 

Just one more bite...

If you have the time, you can confirm the following line: 14...Kc5 15.Be3+ Kb4 16.Rd5 c5 17.Qxe4 Ka5 18.b4+ Ka6 19.Rxc5 d5 20.exd6 Bxd6 21.Ra5+ Qxa5 22.b5+ Qxb5 23.cxb5+ Ka5 24.Nc3 Bb4 25.Qc2 Bxc3 26.Qxc3+ Kxb5 27.Rb1+ Ka4 28.Qb4 checkmate 

15.Qf4+ Ke6 16.Qxe4+ Kf7 17.Rf1+ Kg8 

The alternative was to give up the Queen with 17...Qf6.

18.Qd5 checkmate

Confuzzled

 

My main chess tools used in preparing this blog are an ancient version of Chessbase - #9 - and Stockfish (currently 17.1) running in the Fritz 10 environment.

If it works, why fix it?

One option Chessbase offers is to prepare an Opening Report, based upon a reference database.

I just ran a Report on 16,200 games in The Database that start 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+.

Quite oddly, after Black captures with 4...Kxf7, the Report recommends 5.Rg1 for White.

I wasn't expecting that.

It turns out that The Database has exactly one game with that move - a 2015 game played at FICS, where White was checkmated in 35 moves.

I think I will give the move a pass.

Jerome Gambit: Black is Winning, Until He Isn't

I have seen it happen (The Database says tens of thousands of times) in the Jerome Gambit: White has a blistering attack, although "objectively" the defender is better; but, then, slowly - or suddenly - Black surrenders his advantage.

mouathalsebaie - yasireljeque01

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2026

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Qf6 8.Rf1 

White gives up castling Kingside, to add more pressure on the enemy King.

The Database has 375 games with this position; White scores 60%; Stockfish 17.1 is skeptical, to the tune of about 2 1/2 pawns.

8...g6 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.fxe5 

10...Qg5 

A puzzling move, turning over the advantage to White.

Instead, he had the logical 10...Qxe5.

11.Nc3 

His Bishop is now protected, so he can play d2-d4.

11...c6 12.d4 Qh5 

13.Qxh5 gxh5 14.dxc5

White is up 2 pawns, with better development.

14...b6 15.Bg5+ Ke8 16.O-O-O 

Stockfish 17.1 (32 ply) evaluates White as about a Rook's worth of material better.

Black's central pawn shield now crumbles, surrendering to the "Jerome pawns".

16...h6 17.Bh4 bxc5 18.e6 d5 19.exd5 Ne7 20.d6 

Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Nightmare

I dream of smashing, crashing attacks flowing from the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

The opening, however, can be undone by mis-spent tempos, as in the following game, turning it into a bit of a nightmare. 

Buchmann, Hans Pete - Wunder, Stefan

Remote Random-225 email, 2026

Here is the position after 17....Nxe4 

That was enough for White, who resigned.

Black has five pieces developed, versus two for White. 

Black's King is safe, White's King is exposed.

Three possible lines:

18.dxe4 Bg3+ 19.Qxg3 Qd1 checkmate

18.hxg4 Bg3+ 19.Qxg3 Nxg3 20.Rxf8+ Rxf8 21.Nd2 Qe6+ 22.Ne4 Qxg4 23.Nxg3 Qxg3+ 24.Kd2 Qe5 25.d4 Qxd4 26.Ke2 Rf2+ 27.Ke1 Rxg2 28.Be3 Qxe3+ 29.Kf1 Qg1 checkmate

18.Qxg4 Bg6+ 19.Ke2 Rxf1 20.Qxe7 Re1+ 21.Kf3 Rf8+ 22.Qf5 Rxf5+ 23.Kg3 Nd6 24.Nc3 Bf2 25.Bf4 h5+ 26.Kf3 Rxa1 27.Kxf2 Rxf4+ 28.Ke2 Rg1 Black is ahead 2 Rooks for a pawn

Jerome Gambit: Cure Worse Than the Illness

Sometimes, in finding a way to avoid an attack, the defender finds himself in even more of a problem.

In that case, the "cure" can be worse than the "illness".

Wall, Bill - Anonymous

internet, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bb4 

                               

Well, isn't that an interesting way to avoid the Jerome Gambit.

I have not faced this defense.

Bill has faced it - and played it.

4.a3 

Kicking the Bishop.

Also:

4.c3 Ba5 (4...Bd6 5.d4 Nf6 6.dxe5 Bxe5 7.Nxe5 Nxe5 8.Bd3 d5 9.exd5 Qxd5 10.Bc2 $2 Qxg2 11.Rf1 Nf3+ 12.Ke2 Bg4 13.Kd3 Ne5+ 14.Kd2 Rd8+ White resigned, Nobby - Wall,B, internet, 2012) 5.b4 (5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.b4 Bb6 7.b5 Na5 8.Nxe5+ Kf8 9.d3 Nf6 10.O-O d6 11.Nf3 Bg4 12.Nbd2 a6 13.a4 axb5 14.axb5 Qd7 15.c4 Kf7 16.e5 dxe5 17.Nxe5+ Kf8 18.Nxd7+ Bxd7 19.Bb2 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest651355, internet, 2017) 5...Bb6 6.b5 Na5 7.Nxe5 Nxc4 8.Nxc4 Qh4 (8...Bxf2+ 9.Kxf2 Qf6+ 10.Qf3 Qxf3+ 11.gxf3 d6 12.Rg1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Michael4, internet, 1996) 9.O-O Qxe4 10.Re1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Not2gr8, internet, 1996; 

4.O-O Nf6 5.c3 Bd6 6.d4 O-O 7.dxe5 Nxe5 8.Nxe5 Bxe5 9.f4 Bd6 10.e5 Bc5+ 11.Kh1 Ne4 12.Qe2 d5 13.Bd3 Bf5 14.Be3 Bxe3 15.Qxe3 c6 16.Na3 f6 17.Bxe4 Bxe4 18.exf6 Qxf6 19.Rae1 Rae8 20.Qg3 Re6 21.Nb1 Bxb1 22.Rxb1 Re2 23.Qf3 Rfe8 24.Qg4 Qd6 25.h4 a5 26.Qg3 R8e4 27.Qg5 Rc2 28.Rbe1 Rxb2 29.Rxe4 dxe4 30.f5 Qf6 31.Qf4 h6 32.Re1 Qxc3 33.Qxe4 Qf6 34.Qe6+ Qxe6 35.Rxe6 $2 Rxa2 36.Re7 b5 37.Rc7 b4 38.Rxc6 b3 39.Rb6 a4 40.g4 b2 41.g5 Ra1+ 42.Kh2 b1=Q White resigned, Guest556949 - Wall,B, internet, 2013; and  

4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Nd5 Bc5 6.O-O O-O 7.d3 h6 8.c3 d6 9.b4 Bb6 10.a4 a6 11.Re1 Nxd5 12.Bxd5 Be6 13.a5 Ba7 14.Bxe6 fxe6 15.Qb3 Qe7 16.h3 Qf6 17.Ra2 Qg6 18.Nh2 Rae8 19.Ng4 h5 20.Ne3 Qf7 21.f3 g5 22.Kh2 Qf4+ 23.Kh1 Qf6 24.b5 axb5 25.Qxb5 Rb8 26.Bd2 Bxe3 27.Bxe3 g4 28.a6 gxf3 29.a7 Ra8 30.Qxb7 Rxa7 31.Bxa7 Nxa7 32.Qxa7 fxg2+ 33.Rxg2+ Kh8 34.Qxc7 Rg8 35.Rxg8+ Kxg8 36.Rg1+ Kh8 37.Qxd6 Qf3+ 38.Kh2 Qf2+ 39.Rg2 Qf4+ 40.Kg1 Qe3+ 41.Rf2 Qe1+ 42.Kg2 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest3899120, internet, 2015; 

4...Be7 

Or 4...Bc5 5.b4 Bb6 6.O-O d6 7.h3 Nf6 8.Re1 O-O 9.Bb2 Nxe4 10.Rxe4 d5 11.Bxd5 Qxd5 12.Nc3 Qd6 13.b5 Nd4 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 15.a4 Bf5 16.Ba3 Qg6 17.Rh4 Bxc2 18.Qg4 Rfd8 19.Qxg6 Bxg6 20.Re1 f6 21.Ne4 a6 22.Bb4 axb5 23.axb5 Ra4 24.Bc3 f5 25.Bxd4 Rdxd4 26.Nc3 Rxh4 27.Nxa4 Rxa4 28.Rxe5 Ra1+ 29.Kh2 c6 30.b6 Rb1 White resigned, Cesarian - Wall,B, internet, 2002

5.d4 

An odd Scotch opening.

5...d5 

The more reserved 5...d6 was called for, instead. 

6.exd5 Nxd4 7.Nxe5 Bc5 

Black might have tried 7...Nf5, intending ...Nd6, but 8.Bb5+ Kf8 9.O-O would have kept White's advantage. 

8.O-O Qh4 

Remember the old adage Three pieces and an attack - it doesn't apply here.

9.Re1 Bh3 

Optimism.

10.Ng6+ Black resigned

Black will lose his Queen, and also a minor piece.

Jerome Gambit: Running the Maze

Facing (or playing) the Jerome Gambit - or similar sacrificial attacks - at bullet speed, is a lot like running a maze.

Something angelcamina does well, again and again.

angel_camina - Dr-HatimBT

1 1 bullet, Chess.com, 2026

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bb4 

I am not sure what Black is getting at with this move. If 4.c3 Ba4 5.d4 exd4 6.0-0 Bb6 7.cxd4 d6 8.Nc3 Nf6 White is better.

4.Bxf7+ 

Jerome-izing the game. angelcamina has over 1,700 games in The Database.

The Database has only one other game with this position, a bullet game where Black was better the whole game - but lost on time.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

The text move is good, although 6...Ng6 is better. 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ne7 

Black kicks the enemy Queen. He could have explored exchanging it with 8...Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6, a familiar Jerome Gambit motif. 

9.Qxe5+ Kc6 

10.c3 Bd6 11.Qd4 

Where else to go? Maybe 11.Qh5. 

11...b6 12.e5 Bc5 13.Qe4+ 

13...Kb5 

The clock is ticking. Possibly Black missed the best move, 13...d5, because of concern about the possibility 14.exd6+ Nd5 15.c4, attacking the pinned piece. If so, the riposte 15...Re8 is sufficient. 

After the text, White can grab a Rook - and also endanger the enemy King.

14.Qxa8 Ka5 

If you run in a maze, there is a chance that you will run into a wall. 

Black's King looks at risk. Black is down material. White can choose how to proceed.

15.b4+ Bxb4 16.cxb4+ Kxb4 17.Qe4+ Ka5 18.Nc3 Ka6 19.O-O Bb7 

Unfortunate. It happens in bullet chess.

20.Qa4 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Danil Li

My "Google Alerts" found a 2026 chess video by young Danil Li (one his many videos) that proclaimed The Jerome Gambit is one of the wildest openings in chess  

Agreed.

In the following bullet game, Danil finishes his opponent quickly:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 

This position is at least as old as Tonetti - Ruggieri, Rome, 1863 (1-0, 23)

8.f4 

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome started 10 of his games this way.

8...g6 

Kicking the White Queen. 

If I were to say that I won from this position in games lasting 17 and 38 moves, and drew one game in 59 - I would also have to point out that in this game Danil concludes his contest quicker.

9.Qxe5+ Kc6 10.Qd5+ Kb6 11.d4 

11...Bb4+ 12.c3 Ba5 

A slip. The Bishop needed to go to f8.

13.b4 Qf6 14.Qxa5+ Kc6 15.Qc5 checkmate

Well done!

If You Are Going to Cross the Stream...

If you are going to cross the stream, it helps to know where the rocks are.

In the following game, angel_camina walks steadily, while his opponent eventually loses his footing and falls into the drink.

angel_camina - p0hanghang

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+ 

According to The Database, angelcamina has a win with 7.Nc3 and one with 7.Ng3.

He is 12 - 0 with 7.Neg5+.

Playing bullet chess against angelcamina is slippery business.

7...Kg8 8.d4 h6 9.Nh3 Bxh3 10.gxh3 e4 

So far, Black can be happy with his game - but, with his clock? I wonder.

11.Ne5 Nxe5 12.dxe5 c6 13.Rg1 Kh7 14.Qg4 Rg8 

The threat is not to g7, but to g6, as White quickly shows. The loss of time is critical.

15.Qg6+ Kh8 16.Bxh6 Qe7 17.Bg5 Qxe5 

When short on time, grab material.

Not this time.

18.Qh5 checkmate