Jerome Gambit + blitz chess = exciting play

It has been fun following the games of many Jerome Gambit players, including, recently, DANNYALBERTO at the online site FICS. In the following game, he forgets the best line that he had once discovered - but manages to pull off a win in under a dozen moves, anyhow, proving, once again, that "Jerome Gambit + blitz chess = exciting play".

DANNYALBERTO - boggus
3 0 blitz, FICS, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

The Database has 69 with DANNYALBERTO playing White in the position; he scores 64%.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Qg5 

Black plays the thematic move in the Blackburne Shilling Gambit! Best, however, even with the increased risk to his King, was to take the Knight, 6...Kxe5.

7.cxd4 

A bit too casual was 7.O-O, which was followed by an uneven game: 7...Qxe5 8.cxd4 Qxd4 9.d3 Bb4 10.Qb3+ Ke7 11.Be3 Qd6 12.d4 Ba5 13.e5 Qb6 14.Bg5+ Ke8 15.Qc4 h6 16.Bh4 Ne7 17.a3 Qc6 18.Qd3 Qd5 19.b4 Bb6 20.Rd1 d6 21.Nc3 Qf7 22.exd6 cxd6 White lost on time, DANNYALBERTO - Steftcho, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2016.

7...Qxg2 

Black's Queen threatens mayhem on the Kingside!

The game is soon to be over - but not as Black plans.

8.Rf1 

Forgetting this from last year: 8.Qb3+ Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Nc4+ Kc6 11.Qd5 checkmate, DANNYALBERTO - boggus, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2019. 

He had also played the very reasonable 8.Qf3, which brought victory after 8...Qxf3 9.Nxf3 Nf6 10.Nc3 c6 11.d3 d5 12.Ng5+ Ke7 13.b3 h6 14.Nf3 Bg4 15.Ne5 Bh5 16.Rg1 g5 17.Ba3+ Ke8 18.Bxf8 Rxf8 19.exd5 cxd5 20.Kd2 Ke7 21.Rae1 Kd6 22.Nb5+ Ke7 23.Ng6+ Kf7 24.Nxf8 Rxf8 25.Nd6+ Kg6 26.Nxb7 Rb8 27.Nc5 a5 28.Re6 Kf5 29.Rxf6+ Kxf6 30.Nd7+ Kf5 31.Nxb8 Kf4 32.Rg3 Bg6 33.Nc6 h5 34.Ne7 Bh7 35.Nxd5+ Kf5 36.Ne7+ Kf4 37.Nc6 h4 38.Rg1 g4 39.Nxa5 Bf5 40.Nc4 Kf3 41.Ne3 Bd7 42.Nxg4 Bxg4 43.a4 Bc8 44.Rg7 Kxf2 45.d5 h3 46.d6 Be6 47.b4 Bd5 48.a5 Bg2 49.d7 Kg1 50.d8=Q Kxh2 51.Qd6+ Kh1 52.Qg3 h2 53.Qxg2, checkmate, DANNYALBERTO - fluters, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2019. 

He also experimented with (got away with) the dangerous 8.Qh5: 8...Qxh1+ 9.Ke2 Qxe4+ 10.Kd1 Nf6 (10...Qxd4 11.Nf3 Qf6 12.Nc3 d5 13.Qxd5+ Ke7 14.d3 c6 15.Qb3 Qxf3+ 16.Kc2 Qxf2+ 17.Bd2 Nf6 18.Re1+ Kd6 19.Qf7 Qf5 20.Ne2 Be6 21.Bf4+ Kc5 22.Qxb7 Bd6 23.Be3+ Kd5 24.Qb3+ Ke5 25.Bd4 checkmate, DANNYALBERTO - boggus, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2016) 11.Qf7+ Kd6 12.Nc4+ Kc6 13.Ne5+ Kb6 14.Qb3+ Ka6 15.Qa4+ Kb6 16.Nc4 checkmate, DANNYALBERTO - fluters, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2019. 

8...Qxe4+ 9.Qe2 Qxe2+ 10.Kxe2 

Material is even, and White has an advantage in development, but his pawn structure is a mess. Komodo 10 gives Black about a pawn advantage, provided he addresses his need for development.

Instead, Black sees the opportunity to go pawn hunting with his now relatively safe King - but he has overlooked something.

10...Kd5 11.Nf7 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit Fun

I have been playing through new and unexamined games in the updated The Database. There are many entertaining and educational games - and one player (among many) who caught my eye was DANNYALBERTO, at FICS. He shows up mostly with Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+) with the occasional Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) thrown in, from 2015 to the present. (He scores a very decent 64%.)

Check out the following end-of-the-game positions, just a few among many. The kind of fun that they represent is what draws many club players to the Jerome Gambit and various Jerome-ish lines.

DANNYALBERTO - Tseatsy, blitz, FICS, 2016

DANNYALBERTO - boggus, blitz, FICS 2016

DANNYALBERTO - NightEagle, blitz, FICS, 2017

DANNYALBERTO - fluters, blitz, FICS, 2019