The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is the Rodney Dangerfield of chess, always ready to complain "I tell ya, I don't get no respect."
In the following game, Black defends in the opening as if any old move would do. It's not surprising that he ends up on the wrong end of a miniature.
Wall,B - Dani
Chess.com, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6
7.f4 Nf6
If your opponent attacks your piece, don't move it away; attack something more valuable of his. (To be fair to Dani, Black has scored a surprising 43% with this move in The Database.)
8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5
White has recovered his two sacrificed pieces, but his opponent sees a chance to grab back a pawn.
9...Nxe4 10.Qd5+
Here Black resigned in Wall - Meinherr, Chess.com, 2010.
10...Kf8 11.Qxe4
11...d5
So far the game has followed the early gobo-breaker, ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic, 2005, where, after four more moves, both players timed out, for a double forfeit.
12.Qd4 Qe7+ 13.Kf2 Bg4 14.Qxd5
This "pawn grab", on the other hand, allows only a harmless "attack" on White's King.
14...Qe2+ 15.Kg3 h5 16.h4 Re8 17.Nc3 Qa6 18.d3 Qg6 19.Bd2 Be6+
One last try.
20.Qg5 Black resigned
Exchanging Queens simply leaves Black a piece down, with worse development.
When I play chess online (usually FICS) people all over the world get a chance to take a swing at the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and similar openings.
Sometimes, "technical difficulties" have to be overcome, along with the expected chess resistance.
perrypawnpusher - BHAseagull
blitz FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening is more popular with club players than with the chess elite, but Grandmaster Pavel Blatny has shown it to be much more playable than generally believed.
4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
I am not aware of GM Blatny ever facing the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, however.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6
I've faced this set-up 8 times before and surrendered 1/2 a point. Still, an objective look at the position shows that Black is better.
8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 b6
This move is new to me here. It was played, without 0-0 and ...h6, in gobo - HPotter, ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Tournament, 2005 (1-0, 45).
It is no longer a surprise when I see the Jerome Gambit – a "hyper-classical" opening if there ever was one – be met with a hypermodern style defense.
10.Qe3 Bb7 11.Nc3 Nf6
Now, if only Black could castle, he wouldn't have a care in the world.
12.f4 Qe7 13.d3 d6 14.f5 Nf8
A bit defensive, but Black has serious plans about protecting his King.
15.Bd2 Kd7 16.Rae1 Re8 17.Qd4 Kc8
Yes, Black plans to castle-by-hand on the Queenside. His position is solid enough that he can afford the time involved.
18.Qa4 Kb8 19.Nb5 Ba6
Inexplicable. My opponent made a comment (after the piece disappeared) indicating that he knew he had goofed.
Black defends and keeps his advantage, instead, with ...a7-a6.
Now White is winning, if he can avoid blunders.
20.Qxa6 Qd8 21.Qxa7+ Kc8 22.Qa8+ Kd7 23.Qxd8+ Kxd8
I was comfortable being three pawns up in an uncomplicated position. The only "exciting" moment left in the game comes about ten moves later.
24.Bc3 N8d7 25.Nd4 c5 26.Ne6+ Ke7
27.Nxg7 Reg8 28.Bxf6+ Kxf6 29.Ne6 Re8
30.Re3 b5 31.Rg3 b4
Adding to Black's technical difficulties over-the-board was the quickly disappearing time on his clock.
32.Rg6+
At this point my opponent disconnected.
In the past, this kind of thing (with a different opponent, I hasten to add) has been a source of fustration.
However, this time my opponent was amenable to resuming the game a couple of days later.
BHAseagull signed on, joined the game – and then let the last 35 seconds on his clock run out, losing on time.
As mentioned in the earlier "But – Is this stuff playable?? (Part II)" there are currently three Jerome Gambit thematic tournaments happening at ChessWorld, with a fourth one recently having been completed.
ChessWorld members and regular visitors may have forgotten that there was an even earlier Jerome tournament at the site. Here is the crosstable:
If you look closely, you'll see that the points scored don't quite add up. Of course not – this is a Jerome Gambit tournament: two of the games are double forfeits!
Here is one of the more interesting games:
jelgava - breaker
www.ChessWorld.net Tournament 2005
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+ 7.c3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 c6 9.dxe5 h6 10.Qf3+ Ke8 11.0-0 d6 12.Rd1 Qe7 13.exd6 Qe6 14.Qg3 g5 15.e5 1-0
