Method In't

Playing the Jerome Gambit - or any other opening, as far as I am concerned - in bullet (1 minute, no increment) chess is madness; but, as the following game from lichess.org shows, as was said by Hamlet, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't"

obamaGANDON - JAVAD76
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7

Listed in lichess as "Bishop's Opening, Jerome Gambit" but referred to on this site as the "Abrahams Jerome Gambit". For a recent discussion, see "Alert!"

4.Qh5+ g6 

One advantage for the attacker in bullet chess is if the defender does not know the best opening moves, the game can be over very quickly due to an early blunder. Here, for example, Black's best move is 4...Kf8, with an advantage.

On the other hand, this is a bullet game, and anything can happen.

5.Qxe5 d6

The only other game that I have with this line in The Database  continued 5...Qe7 6.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 7.Ne2 Qxg2 8.Qxh7+ Kf8 9.Rf1 d6 10.d4 Bxd4 11.Nxd4 Qe4+ 12.Ne2 Bg4 13.Nbc3 Qxc2 14.Bh6+ Nxh6 15.Qxh6+ Kg8 16.Qxg6+ Qxg6 17.Rg1 Nd7 18.h3 Re8 19.Rxg4 Kf7 20.Rxg6 Kxg6 21.Nd5 Ne5 22.Nxc7 b5 23.Nxb5 a5 24.Nxd6 Re6 25.Nf4+ Black resigned, burraburra - grechy, FICS, 2011. 

Best, according to Houdini, is 5...Bxf2+ (getting a pawn for the endangered piece) 6.Kxf2 Nf6 when White has an edge, a pawn up.

With the text, Black may be remembering the Blackburne Defense to the regular Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6) but the Rook sacrifice does not work here.

Up the exchange and two pawns, White "only" has to make normal moves and watch his clock.

6.Qxh8 Be6 7.Nf3 d5 8.Qxh7+ Kf8 9.Qxg6 Bf7 10.Qf5 Nh6 11.Qf4 Ng8 12.exd5 c6 13.0-0 cxd5 14.Ne5 Black forfeited on time 

Truth Is Stranger Than - Whatever...

The Jerome Gambit is a strange chess opening. It seems unfair to say that some moves should not be played - in an opening that, itself, should not be played. (See, for example, "But – Is this stuff playable?" Parts I and II)

Yet, I must again (see "Public Service Announcement") protest White's fifth move in the following game.

burraburra  - batmanzerothree 
blitz, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ 

This move seems to throw away a piece. I much prefer that White throw away a piece, instead, with 5.Nxe5. Even the Jerome Gambit has its limits.

Still, I found 431 games with this move in The Database, with White scoring 24%, and that includes 99 wins!

5...Qxg5

The expected response. However, less than two weeks earlier, the same opponents had played differently: 5...Kf8 6.Qf3+ Ke7 7.Nf7 and here Black resigned. (It seems rude to suggest that 7...Nd4 would have led to a winning game for the defender - after all, so did 4.Bxf7+.)

6.d3 Qxg2 7.Qh5+ g6 White resigned

Update: Old Dog Can Still Bite

Most chess players, if they have ever heard of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), know of the game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885, where the British master dismantled the opening and then destroyed it with a Queen sacrifice. They have a pretty good assessment of the Blackburne Defense, 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6!?, giving up the Rook to distract, and, eventually trap out of play, White's Queen.

Players more familiar with the Jerome Gambit may have seen analysis that indicates that White, not Black, is better in this line.

Players very familiar with the Jerome Gambit may have seen analysis that indicates Black can draw, or force a draw, in a very, very complicated position.

All of which suggests that White can be happy when facing the Blackburne defense - if he knows what he is doing. Otherwise, that old dog is likely to bite, as in the following game.

burraburra  - rsiemon
blitz, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.g3

White's Queen-escape line is, instead, 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Qd8 Bb6 11.e5 dxe5 12.Qd3.

This seems a lot saner than 9.d4, e.g. 9...Nf6 (or 9...Qxe4+) 10.e5 dxe5 11.Nd2 Bxd4 12.0-0 Be6!? when there is plenty of madness in the position after 13.Nf3 (or 13.Qxa8 Bd5 14.Qc8 Ng4 15.Qxc7+ [15.Nf3 Bxf3 16.Qxc7+ Kg8 17.Qc4+ Kf8 18.Bh6+ Qxh6 19.Qc8+ Ke7 20.Qc7+ etc] 15...Ke8 16.Nf3 Bxf3 17.Bf4 Bxf2+ 18.Kh1 Qh3 19.Qc8+ Ke7 20.Bg5+ Kf7 21.Qxg4 Qxg4 22.Rxf2 Qxg5 23.Rxf3+ Kg7 24.Re1) 13...Bxf2+ 14.Rxf2 Qxf2+ 15.Kxf2 Rxh8 16.Nxe5+. The game is even, if White survives.

However, the text in the game, 9.g3 wins - for Black.

9...Qxe4+ 10.Kf1 Qxh1+

Or 10...Bh3+, Black resigned, facing 11.Kg1 Qg2# as in LukeWarm - blackburne, Jerome Gambit Thematic, 2010.

11.Ke2 Qe4+ 12.Kd1 Bg4+ 13.f3 Bxf3 checkmate

graphic by The Wizard of Draws

Public Service Announcement

Every once in a while I have to post some games, to caution those who experiment with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) that a certain line just is not playable.*



Kaarvek  - LuigiBot
standard, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ White resigned


burraburra - chintoo
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ Qxg5 6.d4 Qxg2 White resigned


darumsdad - MRKumar
standard, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ Qxg5 6.d3 Qxg2 White resigned


FURST - cubs
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ Qxg5 6.Qf3+ Qf6 7.Qxf6+ Nxf6 White resigned


roadcyclist - roomys
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ Qxg5 6.Qf3+ Nf6 7.0-0 Nd4 8.Qc3 Ne2+ White resigned


Why do players continue to try an early Nf3-g5+ ? Perhaps because of games like the following

drumme - jherman
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.Qf3 h6 8.Qf7 checkmate











(*-The Database has 379 games with the 5.Ng5+ line, including 81 wins and 10 draws for White, scoring 23%, so I guess that it is not completely unplayable.)