You don't tug on Superman's cape,

You don't spit into the wind,

You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger,

And you don't mess around with Slim.

                                  -- "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" by Jim Croce

If Bill Wall does you the favor of giving you "Jerome Gambit odds," do yourself a favor and try not to match tactics with him. It can only turn out one way...

billwall - mukak
Chess.com, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.0-0

One of the "modern" Jerome Gambit variations. White decides to offer only one piece, and then see what he can do with what Black eventually gives him.

5...Nf6 6.d3 h6 7.Be3 Be7 8.c4

Locking down the square d5. Often the watchwords of the "modern" variations are: no hurry, no error.

Also seen: 8.Nc3 a6 9.a3 Rf8 10.d4 exd4 11.e5 dxe3 12.exf6 exf2+ 13.Kxf2 Bxf6 14.Kg1 Kg8 15.Qd5+ Kh8 16.Ne4 Bxb2 17.Rae1 d6 18.Qh5 Black resigned, drewbear - Piratepaul, JG4 thematic, Chessworld, 2008.

8...d6 9.Nc3

Or, in an exhibition of computer play: 9.h3 Rf8 10.Nc3 Be6 11.Qb3 Na5 12.Qa4 c5 13.b4 cxb4 14.Qxb4 Kg8 15.Qa4 b6 16.Rab1 Rc8 17.Rfe1 Rf7 18.Nb5 Bd7 19.Qd1 a6 20.Nc3 Rb8 21.Re2 b5 22.cxb5 axb5 23.Reb2 b4 24.Rxb4 Rxb4 25.Rxb4 Qa8 26.Rb2 Rf8 27.Nb5 Qc8 28.a4 Nc6 29.Bb6 d5 30.Bc7 Be6 31.exd5 Bxd5 32.Nxe5 Nxe5 33.Bxe5 Nd7 34.Rc2 Qd8 35.Bc7 Qe8 36.Qg4 Bc5 37.d4 Nf6 38.Qe2 Bb4 39.Qxe8 Rxe8 40.Be5 Ra8 41.Bxf6 gxf6 42.Nc7 Be4 43.Re2 Rxa4 44.Rxe4 Bd6 45.g3 Bxc7 46.Rg4+ Kh7 47.Kg2 f5 48.Rh4 Bd6 49.Kf3 Ra3+ 50.Ke2 Kg7 51.Rh5 Kg6 52.g4 f4 53.Rd5 f3+ 54.Kd1 Bb4 55.Kc2 Be1 56.Rd6+ Kg7 57.Rd7+ Kf8 58.Kb2 Ra5 59.Rd6 Kg7 60.Rd7+ Kf6 61.Rd6+ Kg5 62.Rd7 Bxf2 63.Kc3 Be1+ 64.Kd3 Ra3+ 65.Ke4 f2 66.Rd5+ Kh4 67.Rh5+ Kg3 68.Rf5 Kg2 69.g5 hxg5 70.Rxg5+ Rg3 71.Rf5 Bd2 72.Rf8 Re3+ 73.Kd5 Rf3 White resigned, Hiarcs 9 - Junior 7, The Jeroen Experience, 2003.

9...Bg4 10.h3 Bh5 11.g4 Bg6

12.Nh4 Rf8 13.Qb3

13...Nxg4

Uncovering an attack on White's Knight on h4. White has an uncovered attack of his own, although for now Black is okay.

14.c5+ Kf6

Suddenly Black is much worse.

Rybka suggests a roughly equal game after 14...d5 15.exd5 Na5 16.Qa4 Bxh4 17.Qxg4 Qf6 18.Ne4 Bxe4 19.Qxe4.

analysis diagram







15.Nd5+ Kf7 16.Nxe7+ Kxe7 17.Nxg6+ Kd7 18.Nxf8+ Qxf8

19.hxg4

A nice touch: finally capturing the Knight puts White a Rook ahead.

19...Rb8 20.cxd6 cxd6 21.f4 exf4 22.Rxf4 Qd8 23.Rf7+ Kc8 24.Qe6+ Black resigned

It is mate next move.

Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (27)

Again the tame 7...d6 defense holds up for Black, and the tactical wiles of the computer strike before the human can take it down.

RevvedUp - Shredder 8
blitz 2 12, 2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.f4 d6 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+
A move as old as the 1993 Fisher-Kirshner - Knightstalker match (see "A Few Words With... Micah Fisher-Kirshner"). The alternative 9.Rf1 appeared in Fritz 8 - RevvedUp and RevvedUp - Hiarcs 8.

9...Kf7 10.Qh5+ g6
In 2006 I heard from Jeroen_61 of the Netherlands, who emailed me

Some time ago when Hiarcs 8 was released after receiving my copy I ran some small tournaments to see how things would go with Hiarcs. Other participants were Junior 7, Shredder Paderdorn (6.02) and Fritz 7. One of the tournaments I conducted with - the Jerome gambit as opening. They are games 40/40' + 40/40' + 40' (round robin two rounds, so 12 games in all). Only two were won by the white side.

Six of the games featured this line of play in RevvedUp - Shredder 8. (All were posted at a website that Jeroen_61 gave, although an attempt to use the url today got me the message De pagina is niet gevonden, which probably means just what it looks like.)
11.Qxe5
Oddly enough, the position is identical to that of the Blackburne line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 (see ''Nobody expects the Jerome Gambit!") except that Black's d-pawn is missing. This difference is probably in the second player's favor.

11...Bd4 12.Qf4+ Nf6
One reason not to use only database statistics in evaluating a position can be seen by the fact that I have 52 wins by White from this position, all computer games from Randy Tipton at HANGING PAWN :: Tip's Chess Blog (see "We are not alone..."). Of course, he only provided me with the Jerome Gambit wins, not the whole package of games.

13.c3

A "TN", but it is a prelude to a tactical oversight by RevvedUp.
13...Re8 14.cxd4 Rxe4+ White resigns