The Return of Jerome Gambit for Dummies (Part 4)

As I continued looking for the "essence" of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), or at least an insight into how it "works", I discovered that some of the 7-move games in The Database began to "predict" some of the regular main lines.

For example, in the following three games White's recovery of one of the pieces that he had sacrificed is enough for Black to surrender, even though the second player actually remained with the advantage.

mediax - TJay2465
Jerome Gambit Thematic
ChessWorld.net, 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 1-0

Petasluk - mihck
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 1-0

perrypawnpusher - Aerandir
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 1-0

Some of the other short games began to highlight the attacking ideas open to White in the Jerome Gambit, if the defense faltered.

stivb_99  - spymaster
gameknot.com, 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 (in The Database, White won 6 out of 8 games against this move) 6.Qh5 d6 7.Qf7#


Esistes - ClosetDoor
blitz, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 (The Database, White won 22, lost 8, and drew 1 against this move) 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qf7#

escapade  - Sakebomb
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 Nxd4 6.Nxe5+ Ke8 7.Qh5+ (in 89 games in The Database that reached this position, White won 59%) 1-0


perrypawnpusher - gelgel
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke7 7.Qxe5+ 1-0


Knight32 - Haroldlee123
Jerome Gambit Thematic,
ChessWorld, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.c3 Nf6 6.Ng5+ Kg8 7.Qb3+  (White won 2 of 5 games with this position in The Database) 1-0

Accelerated Instant Victory

I am not particularly a fan of the Accelerated Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, but for those who play it, the following game should be a reminder that a false move like 5...Ke8 for Black can lead to another kind of Instant Victory.

Ghandy - Kwanza
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.Bxf7+

White does not wait for a Black Bishop to appear at c5, he sacrifices anyhow. Although the opening does not appear to have a name, it looks like an Accelerated Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

Perhaps thinking, on reflex, that the King will be safer here. However, we will now see an ending similar to that presented in "Instant Victory" and "Instant Victory Redux".

6.Qh5+ Ke7

Black can throw in 6...g6 as in GFcrafty - Suigeneris, blitz, FICS, 2001, but after 7.Qxg6+ the result will be the same.

7.Qf7+

Also successful was 7.Ng6+ Kd6 8.Qd5 checkmate as in Dasistes - GeorgeVonGeorge, blitz, FICS, 2008.

However, 7.0-0 was not successful, as in EvashUcrushU - mrcain, FICS, 2009, which continued 7...Nxe5 (7...Qe8 was a bit better) 8.Qh4+ (White should have taken the draw by repetition with 8.Qxe5+ Kf7 8.Qd5+ etc.) g5 9.Qg3 d6 White resigned.

7...Kd6 8.Nc4+

Not quite as accurate was 8.Qd5+ but it was sufficient for the full point after 8...Ke7 9.Ng6+ Ke8 10.Nxh8 Nce7 (falling on his sword) 11.Qf7 checkmate in Esistes - SURPRISE, blitz, FICS, 2010.

8...Kc5 9.Qd5+ Kb4 10.c3+ Ka4 11.b3 checkmate

Today's game is the same as GFcrafty - tomamelheim, blitz, FICS, 2001.