A Jerome Addiction

Bill Wall sent me his first Jerome Gambit of 2015 with the following note.

I just can't help myself.  As soon as I see 3...Bc5 I just have to play 4.Bxf7.  I told myself not to play it and work on other Italian variations.  But oh no.  I see 3...Bc5, I have to play 4...Bxf7+.  It must be a Jerome addiction.
Anyway, I played a nice Jerome on FICS, my first Jerome of the year.  He got his knight trapped, forgetting to make an exit for himself, and I later mated him.  He had a good game up to 16...c6, blocking a pawn I might have taken, but overlooking his knight can't move anywhere safe after 17.h3.

Wall,B - CMSK
FICS, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 Qe7 

The Jerome Gambit, Jerome variation, first outlined in the Dubuque Chess Journal, July 1874.

Three of Bill's games continued 7...d6: Wall,B -GoldCoinCollector, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 17); Wall,B - GuestZCLK, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 15); and Wall,B - Schichua,S, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 22).

8.Qf4+ Nf6 

Instead, Black continued with 8...Qf6 in Wall,B - Guest340293, PlayChess.com, 2012, (1-0, 41),  Wall,B - Josti, PlayChess.com, 2013, (1-0, 26),  and Wall,B - Guest4644930, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 26).

9.d3 d6 10.Nc3 Be6 11.0-0 h6

12.Be3 g5

Black is feeling aggressive!

13.Qf3 Kg7 14.e5 

Bill notes better may be 14.Bxc5 dxc5 15.e5 Nd7 16.Qxb7. 

14...Ng4 15.Bxc5 

Not 15.Qxb7? Nxe3. 

15...dxc5 16.Rae1

 Still, Bill cautions,16.Qxb7?! Rab8 17.Qxa7 Rxb2.

16...c6? 

As Bill mentioned in the note above, this strands the Black Knight. Better: 16...Rhf8 17.Qe2 (17.Qxb7 Rab8 18.Qxa7 Rxb2) 17...h5; 
16...h5 17.Qxb7 Rab8 18.Qxa7 Rxb2 19.Re2. 

17.h3 Raf8 18.Qg3

Or 18.Qd1 Nxf2 19.Rxf2 Rxf2 20.Kxf2 Rf8+ 21.Kg1. 

18...h5

If 18...Nxf2 19.Rxf2 Rxf2 20.Qxf2 Rf8 21.Qe3. 

19.hxg4 h4 

Black's attack looks dangerous, but it will become clear that White is in control.

20.Qh3 Qd7 21.Ne4 Bxg4 22.Qe3 Rh5 

Admitting his Kingside pawn structure needs reinforcing, but this allows a fork.

23.Nf6 Rxf6 24.exf6+ Kxf6 25.Qxc5

25...h3 26.Qf8+ Kg6 27.Re7 hxg2 28.Qf7+ Kh6 29.Qg7 checkmate

Most of the Time

If you are facing Bill Wall and the Jerome Gambit, it will not do to make good moves most of the time. You have to make good moves all the time - or you will lose, most of the time. The following game is a good example.

Wall,B - Guest4644930
PlayChess.com, 2014

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

The Jerome Gambit, Jerome variation, first outlined in the Dubuque Chess Journal, July 1874.

7.Qxe5 Qe7

After 7...d6, three of Bill's games later transposed into the current game: Wall,B -GoldCoinCollector, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 17); Wall,B - GuestZCLK, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 15); and Wall,B - Schichua,S, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 22). 

8.Qf4+ Qf6 9.Qg3 d6 10.0-0 

Instead, 10.Nc3 Ne7 11.0-0 was Wall,B - Josti, PlayChess.com, 2013, (1-0, 26), while 10.c3 was seen in Wall,B - Guest340293, PlayChess.com, 2012, (1-0, 41). 

10...Nh6 11.c3 Bd7 12.d4 Bb6 13.Nd2 Nf7 14.Nc4 Ke7 15.a4 Rae8 

Black had defended well, and plans on castling-by-hand on the Queenside, as well as returning a piece for some pawns. All well and good, but, as things turn out, more prudent would have been the preventative 15...a5,even at the cost of having his pawn structure broken up. 

16.a5 Bxd4 17.cxd4 Qxd4 18.b3 Kd8 19.e5 

Uncomfortable. Black is doing everything "right", yet this move upsets him. He defends by further extracting his King from the center, while 19...Nxe5 should have kept the game about even.

19...Kc8 20.Bb2 Qg4 21.Qc3 Nxe5

Now this falls to a tactical shot.

22.Nxd6+ Kb8 23.Nxe8 Rxe8 24.Rfe1 Bc6 25.Qg3 Qb4 26.Bxe5

Black resigned

Stuck in the Middle

White's attack on Black's King is a standard theme in the Jerome Gambit. Sometimes it is deadly to be stuck in the middle.

Wall, Bill - Schichua, Stephen
FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

7.Qxe5 d6

Bill has faced the Jerome Defense to the Jerome Gambit, 7... Qe7, a couple of times: Wall,B - Guest340293, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 41) and Wall,B - Josti, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 26).

8.Qg3 Qf6 9.d3

Or 9.O-O as in Wall,B - GuestZCLK, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 15), or 
9.Nc3 a6 10.Nd5 Qf7 11.d4 Bxd4 12.Bf4 Bxb2 13.Rb1 Ba3 14.Qxa3 Nf6 15.Nxc7 Nxe4 16.Bxd6+ Kg8 17.O-O Black resigned, Wall,B - GoldCoinCollector, Chess.com, 2010.

9...h6 10.O-O Ne7

11.Nc3 Bd4 12.Nb5

Threatening 13.Nxc7.

13...Bb6 

Or, Bill notes, 12...Be5 13.f4 Bd4+ 14.Be3 Bxe3+ 15.Qxe3 Qxb2 16. Nxc7.

13.Be3 c5 14.Nxd6 Qxb2

Black is counting on his Queen to provide counterplay, but it can be risky to leave the King stuck in the middle of the board.

15.f4 c4

White can handle the tactical skirmish 15...Qxc2 16.f5 Qxd3 17.Rad1 Qxe3+ 18.Qxe3 c4 19.Rd4

16.Nxc4 Qxc2 17.Bxb6 axb6 18.f5 

The three central "Jerome pawns" give White the advantage.

18...b5 19.f6

White presses his attack.

19...gxf6

Of course, if 19...bxc4 then 20.Qxg7+ Ke8 21.Qxe7 checkmate.

20.Rxf6+ Ke8 21.Nd6+ Kd8 22. Nf7+ Black resigned 

After 22...Ke8 (22...Kd7 23.Qd6+ Ke8 24.Qd8#) 23.Nxh8 Qc5+ 24.Kh1 Black has the swindle 24...Rxa2, but after 25. Raf1 (25. Rxa2? Qc1+ winning for Black) White is firmly in control with a strong attack.