Dear Jerome Gambit Gemeinde,
As this blog continues its daily march toward post #250, I occasionally ask myself "Why bother with the Jerome Gambit? (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)"
The answers (there are many) are easy to come by.
I love chess: the play of it, its history, its games, and its analysis. Not just the well-known "stuff" but the arcane and even the "useless" stuff.
There's also the joy of the interaction with other similarly-minded chess players: face-to-face, via email, online and through the printed word.
And the Jerome Gambit itself, in all its weirdness, notoriety and fame: there's a chance that it's improving my chess, after all... Here's a recent online blitz game of mine - not a Jerome, mind you, but a Danish - and you'd almost believe that I understood my opponent's gambit, figured out some tactical counterplay (although I missed some easier mates), and stayed in the game until he cooperatively handed it over to me.
Just like in the Jerome Gambit.
josephandrew - perrypawnpusher
rated blitz game
FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 d5 6.Bxd5 Nf6 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qxd8 Bb4+ 9.Qd2 Bxd2+ 10.Nxd2 Nc6 11.Ngf3 Bg4 12.0-0 Rae8 13.Rfe1 Bxf3 14.gxf3 (better: 14.Nxf3 since 14...Nxe4? 15.Rxe4 Rxe4 16.Ng5+ +-) 14...Rhf8 15.Rac1 Kg8 16.Kg2 Nd7 17.Rg1 Nde5 18.Kg3 Nd3 19.Rc2 (19.Rb1) 19...Nxb2 ( 19...Ncb4 20.Rxc7 Nxb2 21.Rxb7 Rd6) 20.Rxb2 b6 ( 20...Nd4 21.Re1 Re6 22.Kg2 Rg6+ 23.Kf1 b6 24.Re3 c5-/+) 21.Rc2 Re6 (21...Nd4!) 22.Nb3 Rg6+ 23.Kh3 Rxg1 24.Rxc6 Rxf3+ 25.Kh4 Rxf2 26.h3 Rf4+ 27.Kh5 g6+ 28.Kh6 Rh4 checkmate
