The following game is another example of Black defending well, only to relax too early - and feel the sharpness of White's attack.
angelcamina - tbena
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 d6
9.O-O Bd7 10.f4
One of the weapons in the Jerome Gambiteer's arsenal.
10...Nc6 11.Qc4+ Be6 12.Qe2 Re8 13.f5
An annoying "Jerome pawn" move, another weapon.
13...Bc8 14.Qc4+ Kf8
15.Bg5
Ditto.
15...Ne5 16.Qb3 b6 17.Nd5
And, again.
17...Bb7
Black completes his development, and wonders "Have you got anything left?" White shows that he does.
18.Nxf6 gxf6 19.Bh6+ Ke7 20.Qe6 checkmate
Very pretty.
The following Jerome Gambit includes an enjoyable "seesaw" (or "windmill") theme that sets this game apart from other 1-minute, no increment, wins for White. It must have been great fun for angelcamina.
angelcamina - ThiccFantano
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. The Database shows that angelcamina is 23 - 0 - 1 with this line!
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Ng6 8.dxc5 Re8 9.O-O
9...Nxe4
Risky, but he gets away with it - this time.
10.Nxe4 Rxe4 11.Qd5+
This is White's idea, but it comes in a better form with 11.Qf3+.
11...Re6 12.f4 Kg8
Stepping off of the hot f-file, but staying on the uncomfortable a2-g8 diagonal. Better was 12...Ne7.
13.f5 Qf6 14.fxe6 Qxe6 15.Qxe6+ dxe6
White is up the exchange. There is now a temporary lull in the action, as both sides renew their development.
16.Bd2 Bd7 17.Bc3 Bc6 18.Rae1 Re8 19.b3 Nh4 20.Re3 Nxg2
Highlighting Black's Bishop along the a8-h1 diagonal. It is soon to be upstaged.
21.Rg3 Nh4 22.Rxg7+ Kh8 23.Rxc7+
The fun begins.
It seems unfair to point out 23.Rg3+ e5 24.Bxe5+ Rxe5 25.Rf8#.
23...Kg8 24.Rg7+ Kh8 25.Rxb7+
The fun continues. See the above note.
25...Kg8 26.Rg7+ Kh8 27.Rxa7+
As above.
27...Kg8 28.Rg7+ Kh8 29.Re7+ Kg8 30.Rxe8+
Ditto.
30...Bxe8
White has a comfortable lead in material, and Black is running short of time (which explains some of his following moves).
31.Rf4 Bh5 32.Rxh4 Be2 33.Re4 Bb5 34.Rxe6 Bc6 35.Re7 Bd7 36.Rxd7 Kf8 37.c6 Ke8 38.b4 h5 39.b5 h4 40.b6 h3 41.b7 Black lost on time
Wonderful!
Having played the Jerome Gambits currently available to me in the second round of the "Italian Game Classic" tournament at Chess.com (I have Black in one game, so I will have one more chance this round, after that contest is completed), I have just started play in the second round of the "Italian Game Battlegrounds" tournament at Chess.com, as well. I have Black in one game, but White in another - so, another Jerome Gambit!
I will share the game here, when it is completed.
The second round of the Italian Game Classic tournament at chess.com has started. I am in Group 5, along with FedeMamut, stur_lindberg and PDX84.
To start, I have White against FedeMamut and PDX84 - and have been fortunate to be able to play 2 Jerome Gambits.
As always, I will keep you informed of my progress, win, lose or draw.
Given enough time, and the lack of distractions, some problems can be solved effectively. Facing the Jerome Gambit in a 1-minute bullet game doesn't allow for much time, and the Jerome, itself, can be quite a distraction.
angelcamina - Master1615
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Qe7 9.O-O d6
10.f4 Nc6 11.Qc4+ Be6 12.Qe2 Rhf8
An earlier game saw the Rook move to the e-file, i.e. 12...Rhe8 in angelcamina - pippol7, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 30).
13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 Nxe5 15.Qxe5 Kg8
Black has returned the sacrificed piece for a pawn, and has an even game. He should remember the warning, however: When White equalizes in the Jerome Gambit, he has the advantage.
16.Bg5 h6 17.Bxf6 gxf6
Black might have considered 17...Rxf6 18.Rxf6 Qxf6 19.Qxf6 gxf6, when he would have the same pawn weaknesses as in the game, but White would have fewer pieces to attack them. Black's Bishop vs White's Knight would probably keep the game even.
18.Qg3+ Kh7 19.Rae1 Qc5+ 20.Qe3 Qxe3+ 21.Rxe3
Black follows the same general idea as given in the above note, but, as his time winds down, he now makes an unforced error.
21...Bf5
White now only has to make "safe" moves in order to make progress.
22.Rxf5 Rg8 23.Re7+ Kg6 24.Rf2 Rad8 25.Re6 Rgf8 26.h4 Kh5 27.g3 Kg4 28.Kg2 f5 29.Rf4+ Kh5 30.Re5 Rd6 31.Rexf5+ White won on time.
White's extra piece and pawn were bound to win, anyhow.
In the following 1-minute game, it is clear that things did not go as planned, for Black.
angelcamina - Master1615
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. Black was looking for a balanced, quiet game, but this changed things.
4...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4
Black has two extra pieces that he can return. He leads in development. Surely he is better? No, actually the game is about even. Nobody ever said that the Jerome Gambit made sense.
8.dxe5 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4
Sad. Best for Black was 9...Re8 10.exf6 Rxe4+ 11.Be3 Qxf6 12.0-0 d6, with an even game.
10.Qd5+
An improvement over 10.Qf3+, which still won, in angelcamina - puffy04, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 20)
10...Kf8 11.Qxe4 d6 12.Ba3 Qg5
Lashing out. Black tried 12...Be6 in angelcamina - apropes, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 21).
Black's King is at risk, and his defense fails.
13.exd6 cxd6 14.Bxd6+ Kg8 15.O-O Bf5 16.Qd5+ Be6 17.Qxe6 checkmate
There are many parts to the Jerome Gambit attack. An important one is the power of a White Rook along the f-file, where Black's King often resides. In the following bullet game - one minute, no increment - Black forgets this, to his demise. White has his choice of checkmates, soon after that.
angelcamina - Hamidi1986
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Neg4
Saving the Knight. In the regular Jerome Gambit line, a Black response (to d2-d4) of ...Bd6 would be suspect, but with the addition of his Knight on f6, as in this game, he is protected from a White Queen check on d5, so 7...Bd6, saving the Bishop, was probably best.
8.dxc5 d5
Opening things up.
9.exd5
Stockfish 10 prefers 9.cxd6 e.p. Qxd6 10.Qxd6 cxd6, with the position better for Black. Even worse, it would lead to a tedious game, not idea for 1-minute chess.
9...c6 10.d6 Qd7 11.O-O Qf5
12.f3
A slip, but Black, in turn, misses 12...Qxc5+. He should have at least asked himself, why did White choose the text over 12.h3.
12...Ne5 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.fxe4
Oops.
14...Qxf1+ 15.Qxf1+ Ke6 16.Be3
White already sees his checkmate; and, in doing so, bypasses 16.Qf5#.
16...Bd7 17.Qe2
As above.
17...Raf8 18.Bd4 Nf7 19.Rf1
Or 19.Qc4# or 19.Qg4#, but the game was already over in White's plans.
19...Ng5 20.h4
Almost there.
20...Rxf1+ 21.Kxf1 Nf7 22.Qc4 checkmate
Gotcha.
