Jerome Gambit: It Helps to Be Prepared

Opponents facing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) would do well to be prepared. Even if the opening is officially "refuted", any old response will not do. The following game is a good example of how things can quickly go bad for the defender.

The games in the notes provide additional proof that Black needs to be careful.

Eelco_Niermeijer - CatharWitch
2 1 blitz, Chess.com, 2020

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 

Here, Black resigned recently in Martynas-S - OkKidA, 5 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2020.

8...Qe7

Also seen, lately,

8...Qf6 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.Nc3 (10.d3 Ng4 11.f3 Ne5 12.Bf4 Nc6 13.c3 Bd7 14.d4 Bb6 15.Nd2 Re8 16.O-O-O Na5 17.d5 Kf6 18.b4 g5 19.Bg3 Be3 20.bxa5 h5 21.Rhe1 Bc5 22.Rf1 h4 23.Bf2 Ba4 24.Rde1 Ba3+ 25.Kb1 Ke5 26.Nc4+ Black resigned Nobody_WhtSoEvr - CASHDAVIS, 5 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2020) 10...Be6 11.a3 c6 12.O-O Rf8 13.b4 Bd4 14.Bb2 b5 15.d3 Kg8 16.Nd1 Bb6 17.Bxf6 Rxf6 18.Ne3 d5 19.exd5 cxd5 20.Rae1 Rf8 21.Nd1 Bg4 22.Nc3 d4 23.Nxb5 a5 24.Re4 Bd7 25.Nxd4 axb4 26.axb4 Kh8 27.c4 Ba4 28.Ne6 Rf6 29.c5 Bc6 30.Re3 White won on time, Atti0130 - Narsin, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

8...d5 9.Qxh7+ Kf6 10.e5+ Kf5 11.O-O Kxe5 12.Qxg6 Bf5 13.Re1+ Kd4 14.c3+ Kd3 15.Qxf5+ Black resigned, HadesNoir - Ingerboi, 10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020;

8...Qg5 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.O-O Nh6 11.d4 Qg4 12.Qxh6+ Kg8 13.dxc5 Qxe4 14.Nc3 Qxc2 15.Be3 Qxb2 16.Bd4 Black resigned, gabrielebattaglia - FDACH00, 15 10, lichess.org, 2020;

8...Nf6 9.Qxd8 Black resigned, CasualGames4ever - Alanvarela10, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020 9...Nxe4 10.Qxc7+ Ke8 11.Qxh7 Nxf2 12.O-O Ng4+ 13.Kh1 Nf2+ 14.Rxf2 Bxf2 15.Qxg6+ Kd8 16.Qf6+ Ke8 17.Qxf2 Be6 18.Nc3 Rd8 19.d3 d5 20.Bg5 Rd6 21.Qxa7 Black resigned, akosimike - Dadlani_Harsh, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; and

8... Qh4 9. O-O (9.d4 Qxe4+ [9...Bh3 10.Be3 Re8 11.dxc5 Nf6 12.Qxe8+ Kxe8 13.gxh3 Qxe4 14.Rg1 Qxc2 15.Nd2 dxc5 16.Rg5 b6 17.Rd1 Qxb2 18.Nf3 Qxa2 19.Re5+ Kf7 20.Ng5+ Kg7 21.Re7+ Kg8 22.Rd8+ Black resigned, penguingim1 - sutcunuri, .5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020] 10.Be3 Qxg2 11.Qxh7+ Kf8 12.Rf1 Bh3 13.Nd2 Nf6 14.Bh6+ Ke8 15.Qh8+ Kf7 16.Qg7+ Ke6 17.dxc5 Rg8 18.Qxg8+ Nxg8 19.Be3 Kf7 20.cxd6 Qc6 21.dxc7 Qxc7 22.Rg1 Bf5 23.c3 Qc4 24.Nxc4 Black resigned, penguingim1 - sutcunuri, .5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020) 9... Qxe4 (9...Nf6 10.Nc3 Bh3 11.Qxa8 Qg4 12.g3 Qf3 White resigned, flash_ahaaa - thefinalzugzwang, 2 1 blitz, lichess.org, 2020) 10.Nc3 Qf4 11.Nd5 Qg4 12.Qxh7+ Kf8 13.d3 Qg5 14.Bxg5 Black resigned, Jelks_Cabaniss - alessandrochiesa, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com 2020. 

9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.Qxe7+ Kxe7 11.O-O Nf6 Black resigned

Interestingly enough, the same moves were played in youngrema - Stella-chan, lichess.org, 2020.

Jerome Gambit: It Is Easier To Attack Than Defend

The following game is a good example of how defense - especially defending against an attack on the King - is more difficult than attack. Black has ways for his King to escape punishment, but he is not able to find them, and the game ends as many gambits end, successfully for the attacker.

Ponce, Justin - NN
internet, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.Nc3 Nh6 

An interesting idea: attacking the Queen and leaving the f-file open for the Rook.

Recently, we have also seen 8...Qf6 9.d4 (9.Qh3 Qxf2+ 10.Kd1 Nf6 11.d3 Kc6 12.Bg5 d6 13.Qg3 Nfg4 14.Ne2 Qf7 15.d4 Nf2+ 16.Kd2 Nxe4+ 17.Kc1 Nxg3 18.hxg3 Qf2 19.Kd1 Bg4 20.Re1 Nc4 21.dxc5 Qd4+ 22.Kc1 Qxb2+ White resigned, noory - emranhamidm, FICS, 2020) 9...Qxf5 (9...Bxd4 10.Nb5+ Kc5 11.Nxd4 Kxd4 12.Be3+ Kc4 13.Qh5 Kb4 14.Qe2 Qc6 15.c3+ Ka4 16.b3+ Ka5 17.b4+ Ka4 18.Qd1+ Kb5 19.a4+ Kc4 20.Qd4+ Kb3 21.Rb1+ Kxa4 22.b5+ Qc4 23.Rb4+ Black resigned,  NN - NN, lichess.org, 2020) 10.dxc5+ Kxc5 11.Be3+ Kc6 12.exf5 Nf6 13.O-O-O d5 14.Bd4 Re8 15.f3 Bxf5 16.b4 a6 17.a4 b5 18.Rhe1 Nc4 19.Rxe8 Rxe8 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Nxd5 Re2 22.Rd4 Rxc2+ 23.Kd1 Rd2+ 24.Rxd2 Nxd2 25.Ne7+ Kd7 26.Nxf5 Nc4 27.axb5 axb5 28.Nd4 c6 29.Ke2 Nd6 30.Nb3 Ke6 31.Kd3 Kd5 32.Nd2 Nc4 33.Ne4 Ne5+ 34.Kc3 f5 35.Nf6+ Ke6 36.Nxh7 Ng6 37.Ng5+ Kf6 38.Nh3 Ke5 39.g3 f4 40.Nxf4 Nxf4 41.gxf4+ Kxf4 42.Kd4 Kf5 43.Kc5 Kf4 44.Kxc6 Kxf3 45.Kxb5 Kg4 46.Kc6 Kh3 47.b5 Kxh2 48.b6 Kg3 49.b7 Kg4 50.b8=Q Kf5 51.Qb5+ Ke4 52.Qd5+ Kf4 53.Kc5 Ke3 54.Qd4+ Kf3 55.Kd5 Kg3 56.Qc3+ Kf4 57.Qd3 Kg4 58.Kd4 Kf4 59.Qe4+ Kg5 60.Qe5+ Kg6 61.Ke4 Kf7 62.Qf5+ White won on time, penguingim1 - sutcunuri, lichess.org, 2020) 

9.Nb5+ Kc6 10.Qxe5 Kxb5 

Black can capture the Knight, but it would be safer to play something like 10...d6 or 10...Qe7.

11.a4+ Kc6 

Maybe now Black thinks he can get in ...d6, but it is too late for that. He needs another plan. He could have tried 11...Ka6 12.Qxc5 b6!? and his King can escape to b7.

12.Qd5+ Kb6 13.a5+ Kb5 

Again, Black would have helped himself more with 13...Ka6, this time answering 14.Qxc5 with 14...d5 (14...b6 is not as effective) 15.b4 Qd7 16.0-0 and White has an edge, although a checkmate isn't available.

However, after the text, it is.

14.c4+ Kb4 15.O-O 

Good enough.

You might want to work out the alternative: 15.b3 Qf6 16.Ba3+ Kxb3 17.Qd3+ Ka4 18.Bb2+ Kb4 19.Bc3+ Kb3 20.Bxf6+ Kb4 21.Qc3#. 

15...c6 

16.Qd3 Bxf2+ 17.Rxf2 d6 18.Qc3+ Kc5 19.d4 checkmate