Here is a game from the first round of the Jerome Gambit tournament at RedHotPawn.com. Both White and Black clearly have a grasp of the opening, and the battle is an entertaining one. The outcome is an indication of how the second round - and the tournament - will turn out.
SeinfeldFan91 - ZorroTheFox
Giuoco Piano Jerome Gambit Tournament
RedHotPawn.com, 2016
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4
7.O-O Ng4 8.h3 Bd6 9.e5 Be7
Recommended,but there are no other examples in The Database.
Alternatively:
9...Nxe5 Giving the piece back is "scientific" but leads to an equal game according to Stockfish 7. 10.dxe5 Bxe5 11.Qd5+ (11.f4 Bd6 12.Qd5+ Kf8 13.Nd2 Nf6 14.Qd3 b6 15.Ne4 Bb7 16.Nxd6 cxd6 17.Qxd6+ Kf7 18.Qd3 Rhe8 19.Bd2 Kg8 20.f5 Nh5 21.Bc3 Nf4 22.Qc4+ Kh8 23.Rxf4 Qh6 24.Rg4 Rg8 25.f6 g6 26.f7+ Rg7 27.Qb4 d5 28.f8=Q+ Rxf8 29.Qxf8 checkmate, Darthnik - aufdermaur, FICS, 2011) 11...Kf6 (11...Kf8 12.Qxe5 d6 13.Bg5 Qxf2+ 14.Rxf2+ Black resigned, ndrwgn - balahap, FICS, 2013) 12.Re1 d6 13.Rxe5 dxe5 14.Qd8+ Ne7 15.Qxh8 Qe4 16.Qf8+ Ke6 17.Bg5 Qb4 18.Qxg7 Bd7 19.Qf6+ Kd5 20.Nc3+ Kc4 21.b3+ Kxc3 22.Qxe5+ Qd4 23.Bd2+ Kxd2 24.Qxd4+ Kxc2 25.Rd1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016; or
9...Bxe5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 (10...N4h6 11.Nc3 Ne7 12.Re1 Rf8 13.Re4 Qxe4 14.Nxe4 Kg8 15.Bxh6 gxh6 16.Nf6+ Kh8 17.Qd3 Ng6 18.Qc3 c6 19.Nh5 Rf5 20.e6+ Ne5 21.e7 Black resigned, iconsisonline - atizzle, FICS, 2010) 11.Qd5+ Kf6 12.f4 Ng6 13.Nc3 d6 14.Be3 Ke7 15.Rae1 Kd8 16.Nb5 Nf6 17.Qc4 Ne8 18.Bf2 Qf6 19.Bd4 Qh4 20.Rxe8+ Kxe8 21.Nxc7+ Kf8 22.f5 Ne5 23.f6 gxf6 24.Qd5 Kg7 25.Qxd6 Rg8 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 27.Bxe5 and White won, Sorensen,S - X, Denmark, 1888; or
9...Nxf2 10.Rxf2+ Nf6 11.Rf4 Qg3 12.Rf3 Qg6 13.exd6 cxd6 14.c3 b6 15.Qb3+ Ke7 16.Re3+ Kd8 17.Na3 Bb7 18.Re2 Nh5 19.Nb5 Ng3 20.Rf2 Ne4 21.Re2 Rf8 22.Be3 Ng3 23.Rd2 Qe4 24.Re1 Rf3 25.Bg5+ Black resigned, Darthballz - Leftang, FICS, 2011.
10.hxg4 Nh6
Reasonable and straight-forward, especially since White's response "forces" Black to make a move he wants to make, anyhow; but 10...d6 was deeper and better.
11.g5 Ng4
Of course. Still, taking the g-pawn was better, as now the game has equalized - although that may not be apparent at first glance.
12.Qf3+ Ke8 13.Qh3 Bxg5 14.Bxg5 Qxg5 15.Nc3 d5
15...h5!? was a thematic alternative.
16.f4 Qg6
Thinking "attack" when "defense" was better attended to by 16...Qd8.
17.Nxd5 Kd7 18.f5 Qg5 19.e6+ Kc6
The alternative 19...Ke8 20.Rae1 is pretty bad for Black, but everything else leads to mate.
20.Qc3+ Kxd5 21.Qc5+ Ke4 22.Rae1+ Ne3 23.Qe5 checkmate
Working on the previous blog post, I noticed that the defender (counter-attacker) had played that variation a few years earlier. The game was interesting enough to share, especially since the defender seemed conversant in Jerome Gambit strategies.. Again, however, "reality" outplayed "the book".
iconsisonline - atizzle
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4
7.O-O
This is stronger than 7.dxc5 of Sutarsa - atizzle, blitz, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 19).
7...Ng4 8.h3 Bd6 9.e5 Bxe5
Following Sorensen - NN, Denmark, 1888, pragmatically returning the extra piece for a pawn (or two). Alternatives:
9...Nxf2 10.Rxf2+ Nf6 11.Rf4 Qg3 12.Rf3 Qg6 13.exd6 cxd6 14.c3 b6 15.Qb3+ Ke7 16.Re3+ Kd8 17.Na3 Bb7 18.Re2 Nh5 19.Nb5 Ng3 20.Rf2 Ne4 21.Re2 Rf8 22.Be3 Ng3 23.Rd2 Qe4 24.Re1 Rf3 25.Bg5+ Black resigned, Darthballz - Leftang, blitz, FICS, 2011; and
9...Nxe5 10.dxe5 Bxe5 11.f4 (11.Qd5+ Kf8 12.Qxe5 d6 13.Bg5 Qxf2+ 14.Rxf2+ Black resigned, ndrwgn - balahap, standard, FICS, 2013) Bd6 12.Qd5+ Kf8 13.Nd2 Nf6 14.Qd3 b6 15.Ne4 Bb7 16.Nxd6 cxd6 17.Qxd6+ Kf7 18.Qd3 Rhe8 19.Bd2 Kg8 20.f5 Nh5 21.Bc3 Nf4 22.Qc4+ Kh8 23.Rxf4 Qh6 24.Rg4 Rg8 25.f6 g6 26.f7+ Rg7 27.Qb4 d5 28.f8Q+ Rxf8 29.Qxf8 checkmate, Darthnik - aufdermaur, blitz, FICS, 2011
Black's best defense seems to be 9... Be7 10.hxg4 d6.
10.dxe5 N4h6
Sorensen's opponent tried 10...Nxe5, which is playable, if risky, after 11.Qd5+ Kf6.
11.Nc3 Ne7 12.Re1 Rf8
Again, Black shows his understanding of the "big issues" in the defense, as he prepares to castle-by-hand.
Unfortunately, the move allows his Queen to be trapped.
White follows up quickly.
13.Re4 Qxe4 14.Nxe4 Kg8 15.Bxh6 gxh6 16.Nf6+ Kh8 17.Qd3 Ng6 18.Qc3 c6 19.Nh5 Rf5 20.e6+ Ne5 21.e7 Black resigned
When you are new to playing the Jerome Gambit, you are bound to miss some of its "subtleties", as, most likely, will your opponent. The best advice, as with all gambits, is to "Keep fighting".
The player of the white pieces in the following game has only one Jerome in The Database. Yet his play could be a lesson to veterans of the opening.
Sutarsa - atizzle
blitz, FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4
This move, as opposed to 6.Qh5+, was Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's preference when he started playing the opening.
The Database has 1,346 games with 6.d4; White scores 51%. By comparison, it has 3,520 games with 6.Qh5+; White scores 55%.
6...Qh4
Black's move, a bold counter-gambit seen as early as 1888 in Sorensen - NN, Denmark, is what makes White's 6th move risky - although you will have to take my word for it.
The move shows up only 214 times in The Database (16% of the 6.d4 games) and White scores a misleading 68%.
On the other hand, in a blitz or club game, you might like your odds as White.
7.dxc5
This is a dangerous position for White. Best is 7.O-O.
7...Qxe4+ 8.Be3 Nf6
Black's move is solid and good, but the consistent 8...Qxg2 is better.
9.O-O Neg4 10.Nc3 Nxe3 11.fxe3 Qxe3+ 12.Kh1 Rf8
Black has only one other game in The Database himself, from four years earlier, but he understands the necessity of safeguarding his King - here, by castling-by-hand.
White has to act fast. While behind in material, he can at least take small encouragement in his opponent's undeveloped Queenside.
13.Qd5+ Qe6 14.Qg5 Kg8 15.Rae1 Qc6
This simple "get out of the way of the Rook" move is the cause of Black's upcoming troubles. Instead, 15...h6 16.Qg6 Qf7 would help him consolidate.
16.Re7 Rf7
The alternative isn't much better: 16...Ne8 17.Rxf8+ Kxf8 18.Nd5 Qxc5 19.Rxe8+ Kxe8 20.Nf6+ gxf6 21.Qxc5.
17.Nd5 Qxd5
Black slides toward checkmate instead of surrendering his Queen. Instead, he could have tried 17...h6 18.Nxf6+ Qxf6 19.Rxf6 Rxe7 (19...hxg5 20.Re8+ Kh7 21.Rxf7) 20.Qd5+ Re6 21.Rxe6 dxe6 22.Qd8+ Kh7 23.Qxc7 or 17...Kf8 18.Rxf7+ Kxf7 19.Qh5+ Kf8 20.Nxf6 gxf6 21.Re1 Qe6 22.Rxe6 dxe6 with dreary prospects. Both lines are worth playing over to see the attack unfold.
18.Qxd5 Nxd5 19.Re8+ Black resigned.
