Jerome Gambit: Remain Vigilant

Sometimes the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) explodes decisively. Other times, White has to bide his time, waiting for a tactical opportunity. In the meantime, Black has so also remain vigilant, as a slip could prove fatal.

Such a slip occurred in the following game.

TheCuriousGreg - kibria77
15 10 bliz, Chess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ 

Komodo 10 actually prefers 5.d4 here. A recent example:  5...Qf6 6.dxe5 Nxe5 7.Qd5+ Qe6 8.Nxe5+ Kf6 9.Qxe6+ Kxe6 10.Ng6 Bb4+ 11.c3 Bc5 12.Nxh8 Nf6 13.O-O b6 14.Ng6 Ba6 15.Re1 Ng4 16.Be3 Bd6 17.f3 Nf6 18.Nf4+ Ke5 19.g3 Nh7 20.Bd4 checkmate, TCNB - Kawllie, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020. 

5...Nxe5

An example of how Jerome-ing an opening can disturb the defender: 5...Ke8 6.Qh5+ Black resigned, Anonymous - Anonymous, Chess.com, 2020. 

6.d4 

Another example of how Jerome-ing an opening can disturb the defender: 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Nd5 Bc5 8.d4 Black resigned, Anonymous-Anonymous, Chess.com, 2020) 

The main 6th move alternative has also seen a lot of play, recently, and is worth looking at, game-by-game: 6.Qh5+ Ke6 (6...Ng6 7.f4 [7.O-O Nf6 8.Qe2 d6 9.d4 Be7 10.e5 dxe511.dxe5 Nd5 12.Qf3+ Ke8 13.Nc3 Nxc3 14.bxc3 Be6 15.Qxb7 Nxe5 16.Bf4 Bc8 17.Qb5+ Bd7 18.Qxe5 Rg8 19.Rae1 Bc6 20.Rd1 Black resigned, aniketbhave - MoeHoward55, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020; 7.Qf5+ Nf6 8.e5 Nh4 9.Qf3 Nxf3+ White resigned, aniketbhave - ComplexRailway, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020; 7. d4 Nf6 8. Qf3 Kg8 9. e5 Nh7 10. Qd5 checkmate, Freitag - NN, 3 2 blitz, Chess.com, 2020] 7...Qh4+ 8.Qxh4 Nxh4 9.O-O Be7 10.b3 g5 11.fxg5+ Ke8 12.gxh6 Rxh6 13.d4 Rf6 14.Rxf6 Bxf6 15.Bb2 c5 16.e5 Bg7 17.dxc5 Nf5 18.Nd2 Nfe7 19.Nc4 Nc6 20.Re1 b5 21.Nd6+ Kd8 22.Re4 Nge7 23.Nf7+ Kc7 24.Bc1 Nxe5 25.Bf4 N7c6 26.Bxe5+ Bxe5 27.Nxe5 Nxe5 28.Rxe5 d6 29.cxd6+ Kxd6 30.Rxb5 Ba6 31.Rh5 Kc7 32.g4 Rg8 33.g5 Be2 34.Rh7+ Kb8 35.h4 Rg6 36.Rh8+ Kb7 37.Rh7+ Kb6 38.Rh6 Rc6 39.Rxc6+ Kxc6 40.g6 Ba6 41.Kf2 Bc8 42.Kf3 Be6 43.Kf4 Kd6 44.Kg5 Ke7 45.h5 Kf8 46.Kf6 Bg8 47.g7+ Ke8 48.h6 a6 49.c4 a5 50.Kg6 Ke7 51.h7 Bxh7+ 52.Kxh7 Black resigned, Barbarossa2000 - johnnytaylor7, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020; 6...g6 7.Qxe5 Bd6 [7...d6 8.Qxh8 Qe7 9.d3 Ke8 10.Qd4 c5 11.Qd5 Nf6 12.Qc4 Bd7 13.Nc3 Bc6 14.Bf4 Nd7 15.O-O-O Nb6 16.Qg8 Nd7 17.Bxh6 Nf6 18.Qxf8+ Qxf8 19.Bxf8 Kxf8 20.Rde1 Ng4 21.f3 Nf2 22.Rhf1 Nxd3+ 23.cxd3 b5 24.a3 b4 25.axb4 cxb4 26.Nd5 b3 27.e5 Ke8 28.Nc7+ Kd7 29.Nxa8 Bxa8 30.exd6 Kxd6 31.Re4 Bxe4 32.fxe4 a5 33.Rf3 Ke5 34.Kd2 Kd4 35.Rf6 a4 36.Rxg6 a3 37.Ra6 axb2 38.Rd6+ Kc5 39.Rd5+ Kb4 40.Rd4+ Kc5 41.Rd5+ K4 42.Rd4+ Kc5 43.Rd5+ draw, aniketbhave - Pknocks11, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020] 8.Qxh8 b6 [8...Qe7 9.Qd4 c5 10.Qc4+ Kf8 11.d3 Qf6 12.O-O h5 13.Re1 Nh6 14.Bxh6+ Ke7 15.Re3 Qe5 16.g3 Qxb2 17.e5 Qxa1 18.exd6+ Kxd6 19.Bf4+ Kc6 20.Qa4+ Kd5 21.Qb3+ Kc6 22.Be5 d6 23.Bxa1 Black resigned, aniketbhave - charlie385, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020] 9.Qh7+ Kf8 10.Qxg6 Bb7 11.f3 Ne7 12.Qxh6+ Kf7 13.Qe3 Bc5 14.Qe2 Qh8 15.c3 Ng6 16.g3 Ne5 17.d4 Nc6 18.dxc5 bxc5 19.Be3 d6 20.Qc4+ Ke7 21.b4 Ne5 22.Qb5 Rb8 23.O-O a6 24.Qa5 c6 25.bxc5 dxc5 26.Qc7+ Kf6 27.f4 Nd3 28.Rd1 Nb2 29.Rd6 checkmate dopstra - u3ao, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 6...Kf6 7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.d3 Bd6 10.Qd5+ Kf8 11.O-O Ne7 12.Qd4 c5 13.Qe3 Qc7 14.c4 Bxh2+ 15.Kh1 Bf4 16.Qxf4+ Qxf4 17.Bxf4 g5 18.Bd6 Ke8 19.Bxc5 b6 20.Bd4 h5 21.Bxh8 Black resigned, aniketbhave - danatherton2000, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com 2020) 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Nc6 9.Bf4+ Ke7 10.Nc3 (10.Qc5+ d6 11.Qd5 Ke8 12.Qh5+ Kd7 13.Qf7+ Qe7 14.Qf5+ Kd8 15.Qh5 Qxe4+ 16.Be3 Qxg2 17.Qh4+ Be7 18.Qg3 Qxh1+ 19.Ke2 Bg5 20.f4 Bf6 21.d5 Nd4+ 22.Kd3 Qd1+ 23.Bd2 Qxc2+ 24.Ke3 Nf5+ White resigned, aniketbhave - Lucasrapun, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com,  2020) 10... d6 11.Nd5+ Ke8 12.Qg6+ Kd7 13.Qf7+ Nge7 14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5 Qe8 16.e6+ Kd8 17.Bxc7 checkmate, lakapburak - pxj923, 3 2 blitz, lichess.org,  2020 

6...Ng6 7.f4 

White has also tried 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.O-O Bxc3 9.bxc3 d6 10.Qh5 Nf6 11.Qf3 Kg8 12.e5 dxe5 13.Qg3 Bf5 14.dxe5 Nh7 15.Ba3 Ng5 16.f4 Ne4 17.Qe3 Kh7 18.g4 Qd7 19.Rad1 Qe6 20.gxf5 Qxf5 21.Kh1 Rad8 22.Rde1 Nd2 23.Rf2 Nc4 24.Qc5 Ncxe5 25.Qxe5 Nxe5 White resigned, TheCuriousGreg - luiseduardomunoz1058, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020.

7...d5 8.e5 Bf5 9.O-O Bb4 

To keep White's Rook off of e1, but it allows the pawns to start rolling. 

10.g4 Be4 11.f5 Nh4 12.c3 Be7 13.Nd2 Bd3 14.Rf2 c5 15.Nf3 Be4 

Black still has control of things, but he has to remain vigilant.

16.e6+ Kf8 17.Ne5 Rh7 

Well, yes, White was threatening the Knight fork at g6...

18.Ng6+

If this were not a blitz game, White would probably have found 18.Nd7+ Ke8 19.Qa4!? Nf6 20.Nxf6+ Kf8 21.Nxh7+ Kg8 22.Bxh6+!? Kxh7 23.Be3 when he would have a Rook and 3 pawns for a Bishop and a Knight, which would be about equal in the middlegame (and maybe a slight bit better in an ending).

18...Ke8 

Black avoids the messy alternative, 18...Nxg6 19.fxg6+ Nf6 20.gxh7+ Bxh7 21.g5 hxg5 22.Qh5, but stumbles into checkmate from the other wing.

19.Qa4+ b5 20.Qxb5+ Black resigned

20...Qd7 21.Qxd7 checkmate is too painful to allow on the board.

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws"

Jerome Gambit: Daily Grind

The following game tests White: Can he switch his plans from a smashing, crashing attack on the King to a sedate, grind-it-out middlegame?

TCNB - Jerry_89
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+ 

I have seen this move a lot, lately. Black wants to get the Queens off of the board, and is willing to return the sacrificed material - plus a pawn interest - to do so. White must change his expectations from an early attack on the King to winning a slow, methodical pawn-up Queenless middlegame.

8.Kxf2 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6+ 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6 11.Nc3 d6 

White will get enough play if Black captures the pawn, i.e. 11...Nxe4 12.Kg1+ Kg7 13.d3 Nf6 14.Nc3 d6 15.Bg5 Rf8 16.Bxf6+ Rxf6 17.Rxf6 Kxf6 18.Nd5+

12.Kg2 

Another recent game continued: 12.Rf1 Kg7 13.Kg2 b6 14.d3 Bb7 15.b3 c6 16.Bb2 Rhf8 17.Rf2 Kg8 18.Raf1 Nd7 19.Rxf8+ Rxf8 20.Rxf8+ Kxf8 21.h4 h5 22.Kf3 Kf7 23.Ne2 d5 24.exd5 cxd5 25.Kf4 Nf6 26.c4 dxc4 27.dxc4 Bc8 28.Bxf6 Kxf6 29.Nd4 Bd7 30.b4 Be6 31.Nxe6 Kxe6 32.Kg5 Kf7 33.c5 bxc5 34.bxc5 a5 35.c6 Ke6 36.Kxg6 Kd6 37.c7 Kc6 38.c8=Q+ Black resigned OnceaPawnaGambit64 - Gusejnov, 3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2020 

12...c6 13.d3 Bg4 14.Rf1 Kg7 15.Bf4 d5 

Often in the Jerome Gambit the move ...d5 helps Black, but in this case it is overridden by tactical issues.

16.Be5 Rhf8 17.Rf2 Rae8 18.Bd4 dxe4 19.Nxe4 Bf5 20.Nxf6 Rxf6 21.Bxf6+ Kxf6 22.g4 Kg5 23.gxf5 gxf5 

24.Raf1 Re5 25.h4+ Kxh4 26.Rxf5 Rxf5 27.Rxf5 Black resigned


graphic by Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws"