I thought that Jon Speelman had had the last, friendly, justifiable, Grandmaster laugh at the Jerome Gambit four years ago, in his "Agony Column #24" over at chessbase.com, where he dissected a couple of my games that I had shared with him - but it turns out that I was wrong.
YouTube.com has recently posted a video by Canadian GM Aman Hambleton (aka TOMMYFOOKINSHELBY, at Chess.com, see the previous blog posts "Jerome Gambit: Smash Finish" and "Unasked Questions") that hilariously gives the Jerome Gambit, this blog, and me, our just due - and then some. All in good fun.
It is must viewing for all Readers.
In the meantime, especially to those new to this blog, let me quote from a post from the first month of this blog, a dozen years ago, titled "But - Is this stuff playable? (Part 1)"
Of course not.The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) has many refutations.
I'm glad that's settled.
Maybe a more useful question would be -- Under what conditions might the Jerome Gambit be playable?
Perhaps in friendly games, in bullet games, in blitz games, in games where you are giving "Jerome Gambit odds" to a weaker player - the opening might just be playable. (It is helpful to keep in mind Geoff Chandler's whimsical "blunder table" in this regard.)
I am reminded of Gary Kasparov's response, when someone suggested 1...g5!? as a response to 1.c4 - "Chess isn't skittles". Certainly he was right - at the grandmaster and master level of play. But, for many club and amateur players, chess is skittles; and the Jerome Gambit fits right in.
By the way, from an academic point of view, the Jerome Gambit is often a study of "errors in thinking" - exactly how does someone lose to "the worst chess opening, ever"?
???????
I wanted to share another game by TOMMYFOOKINSHELBY (see "Jerome Gambit: Smash Finish") because it answers an unasked question or two...
TOMMYFOOKINSHELBY - Fafa05
5 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
The Two Knights Defense, often a stumbling block on the way to the Jerome Gambit, although White has options; see, for example, "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense", parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.
4.Bxf7+
This line doesn't have a name, as far as I know, but it might as well be "the impatient Jerome Gambit". The earliest game that I have with it in The Database is from 2001, but it has to be much older than that. My research is lacking here.
Philidor1792, who has contributed much to this blog, explained his approach to the line in "What's Going On Here?"
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6
Or
6...Nc6 as in Philidor 1792 - guest1334, Bereg.ru, 2014 (1-0, 20), You [Philidor 1792] - Stranger, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 18), Philidor 1792 - guest3018, Bereg.ru 2014 (1/2 - 1/2, 24), and Philidor 1792 - guest345, Bereg.ru, 2014 (1-0, 15); or
6...Nc4 as in You - Stranger, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 26); or
6...Neg4 as in Philidor1792 - Stranger, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 27); or
6...Qe7 as in Philidor 1792 - Juppzupp, PlayChessBase.com, 2014 (1-0, 24).
7.e5 Ne8
Black has also tried
7...Qe8 in Philidor 1792 - Guest10161477, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 29);
7...Nd5 in You - Stranger, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 16) and You - Stranger, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014 (1-0, 17), as well as Philidor 1792 - Guest838140, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 28);
7...d5 in Philidor 1792 - guest5, Bereg.ru 2014 (1-0, 42);
7...Qe7 in Philidor 1792 - guest1278, Bereg.ru 2014 (1-0, 29); and
7...d6 in Philidor1792 - Guest805466, PlayChessBase.com 2014 (1-0, 62).
8.Qf3+ Kg8
For some reason, Black preferred
8...Nf6 in Philidor 1792 - CrinjuChess, PlayChess.com 2014 (1-0, 46), Philidor 1792 Sauron2005, PlayChess.com 2014 (1-0, 25), and Philidor 1792 Ppion, PlayChess.com 2014 (1-0, 36); and
8...Ke7 in Philidor1792 - Guest691264, PlayChessbase.com 2014 (1-0, 14)
9.Qd5 checkmate
Oh. Right. Nice work, TOMMY.
I recently received a 3-minute blitz game from a Chess.com player who has become excited about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Given his success in the following game - including the finish - it is easy to understand why.
TOMMYFOOKINSHELBY - samuelwillwin
3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3. Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+
The "nudge", another way of getting the defender to waste time on "Why did he do that?"
7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qe7
10.Nc3 c6 11.d4 Nf6 12.O-O Kf7 13.f4 Ng4
"When in doubt, attack White's Queen", said many regretful defenders.
14.Qf3 d5
The advantage is flowing toward White, and this quickens things. The bold 14...h5 or the bolder 14...Qh4 might have slowed things down a bit.
15.f5 dxe4
Same slip as with move 13 - but, remember, this is a 3-minute game. Given enough time, this move might never see the light of day.
16.Qxg4 Nf8 17.Nxe4 h5 18.Qf4 Nd7
Will the defense hold? One clue: Black's Knight blocks his Bishop which locks in his Rook. Another: next move, Black's King will block his other Rook.
19.Ng5+ Kg8 20.Bd2 Nb6 21.Rae1 Qf6
22.Re8+ Qf8 23.Rxf8+ Kxf8 24.Qd6+ Kg8 25.Qd8 checkmate
Nice.
