A Long Day In The Life of the Jerome Gambit

Sometimes Jerome Gambit games are easy, sometimes not. Sometimes they are pretty, sometimes pretty ordinary. Always they are complicated. Always they are exciting. Enjoy the following game, high notes and low.


Laaber - Ausxh,
blitz, FICS, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+

The text is thematic, but 6.Nxc6 is probably better: 6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.Qh5+ g6 (7...Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qd6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.e5 Ng4 11.Qf4+ 1-0 Wall,B - Gebba, Chess.com, 2010) 8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qc3 Qxe4+ 10.Kf1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest1609773, PlayChess.com, 2013;

Not 6.Nxc6 bxc6? 7.Qh5+ as seen in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25); perrypawnpusher - zsilber, blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½, 42);  Wall,B - Qwerty, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9); and Wall,B - LFTN, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 20), for example.

Interestingly, Stockfish 6 prefers 6.Nxc6 Qh4!?

6...g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+

Best!?

8.Kd1 

8.Kxf2 is playable: Blackstone,J - Dommeyer,C, Campbell, CA 1960 (1-0, 13); Philidor 1792 - Guest834593, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 16); ZahariSokolov - naijachampion, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 34).

The alternative, 8.Kf1, doesn't work if Black follows up with 8...Nf6!?, but that hasn't shown up in The Database yet, only 8...hxg6?! in jecree - lhoffman, FICS, 2008. 

8...Nf6 9.Nxh8+

White is overlooking something.

9.Qf3 was seen in Petasluk  - Klonkku, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 57). 

9...Kf8 

Black, too: 9...Nxh5.

And some thing else.

10.Qf5

Missing: 10.Qf7 checkmate. 

10...d6 11.Qxf2 

White will be up the exchange and a couple of pawns once he gives back the Knight at h8.

11...Bg4+ 12.Ke1 Qe8

Trying to mix it up again.

13.d3 

There was nothing wrong with 13.Qxf6+.

13...Kg7 14.Bg5 Nxe4 15.dxe4 Qxe4+ 16.Be3 Nd4 

White is winning, but it may not feel that way to him.

17.Nc3 Nxc2+ 18.Kf1 Nxe3+ 

19.Kg1 Qe5 20.Re1 Rxh8 21.Rxe3 Qd4

The extra Rook will help White, once it gets free. But first White will take advantage of Black's last move and win the Queen.

22.Re7+ Kg6 23.Qxd4 Rf8 24.Qxg4+ Kf6 25.Qe6+ Kg5 26.h4+ Kf4 27.Nd5+ Kg3 28.Qh3 checkmate

A Second Chance to Decline

Here is a recent game played by Philidor 1792, from a cache of games he sent not long ago. His opponent declines the offer of a second piece with an inaccuracy that is worth knowing - and punishing. 

Philidor 1792 - Guest834593
3 0 blitz, PlayChess.com, 02.11.2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

While declining the second piece is as old as Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29), the safest place for Black's King to retreat to is f8, not e8.

6.Qh5+

It's possible that 6.Nxc6 is stronger, but who can resist checking the King?

On the other hand, White's Knight capture is tricky, as 6...bxc6? is not the correct response - see perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25); perrypawnpusher - zsilber, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2-1/2, 42); Wall,B - Qwerty, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 9); and Wall,B - LFTN, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 20).

Neither is 6...dxc6? the right move - see Wall,B - Gebba, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 11).

Although I have suggested the untried 6...Bf2+ in "Don't Drive Like My Brother", the best response for Black, still untried as far as The Database is concerned is 6...Qh4!?, as after 7.d4 Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 10.Nb4 Bxd4 11.Nd5 Kd8 Black has an equal game. (Of course, he turned down a second piece to get there.)

6...g6

Silly alternatives: 6...Kf8 7.Qf7 checkmate,  perrypawnpusher - platel, blitz, FICS, 2011  and 6...Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Nxc6+ Kf6 10.Qf5 checkmate, Kennedy - WeakDelphi, 2 12 blitz, 2008.

7.Nxg6 Bxf2+

Instead, 7...Qf6 was no solution in perrypawnpusher - schachix, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 10).

8.Kxf2 Qf6+

Black goes astray: 8...Nf6  was the way to keep an edge.

9.Nf4+ Kd8 10.d3 Nge7

Or 10...d6 11.Rf1 Qd4+ 12.Be3 Qf6 13.c3 Black resigned, Hultgren,R - Harrow, Campbell, CA 1960. 

11.Nc3 d6 12.Rf1 Ng6 13.Kg1

Usually it is Black who has to castle-by-hand. White is two pawns ahead, with a safer King.

13...Qd4+ 14.Kh1 Nge5 15.Nfd5 Be6 16.Be3 Black resigned

Black's Queen is trapped in the middle of the board!

Don't drive like my brother

Tom and Ray Magliozzi host the "Car Talk" program at NPR radio. They dole out auto advice in a humorous style, and they close each time with the exchange

"Don't drive like my brother."
"Don't drive like my brother."

That about sums up my opinion of the following funny game, as platel and I can each say

"Don't play like my opponent."
"Don't play like my opponent."

perrypawnpusher - platel
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

Declining the second piece is an acceptable strategy, but going back to e8 (where a follow-up Queen check by White is possible) has not been recommended.

6.Qh5+

At the time that I played this move, I knew that the "right" choice was 6.Nxc6, since either 6...dxc6 or 6...bxc6 would allow White to play 7.Qh5+ followed by capturing the Bishop; for example, as in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25) and Wall,B - Qwerty, chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9).

Looking at 6.Nxc6 now, I still think that it is best for White, but I wanted to point out two untested responses that might surprise the first player.

a) 6...Bxf2+ (as long as Black is going to lose this piece, he decides to get a pawn for it) 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Qf3 Qxc6 (avoiding doubled c-pawns) when White is a bit better. He has to be careful because of the loose pawn on c2 and the King and Queen being on the same file (vulnerable to ...Ne7 and ...Rf8).

analysis diagram








Black also has the untried counter-attacking

b) 6...Qh4, (which I mentioned about 3 years ago in this blog) may be better than the capture of the Knight at c6, as well. White's best response is 7.d4, and after 7...Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 material is even, i.e. 10.Nb4 Bxd4.

analysis diagram









I think that White may have a tiny edge after 11.Nd5, and he may have better chances with his Kingside pawn majority as opposed to Black's Queenside pawn majority; but, in reality, Black's two Bishops probably balance all that out.

6...Kf8

In light of my two 6th move recommendations for Black, I have to say that this was the move that got Black into hot water, not 5...Ke8.

After the recommended 6...g6, White has the thematic 7.Nxg6, but, again, things are far from rosy for him – unless he is faced with 7...hxg6, when White plays 8.Qxh8 with advantage, as in Petasluk - Trasimene, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 18).

Black takes a step forward by interjecting 7...Nf6, so that after 6...g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qxc5 he can then grab the Knight at g6 with 8...hxg6. White has three pawns for his sacrificed piece, but Fritz 8 is pretty stubborn about giving Black a slight edge.

The biggest challenge to White's 7th move Knight sac at g6, however, is 7...Bxf2+ – followed, in due course, by ...Nf6 and then the capture of the White Knight, e.g. 8.Kxf2 Nf6 (much better than the 8...Qf6+ of  Hultgren,R - Harrow, Campbell, CA 1960 and Blackstone - Dommeyer, skittles game, California, USA 1960 [1-0, 13] ) 9.Qh4 Rg8. White's Knight cannot retreat and will be lost (10.Nf4 Nxe4+).

It may be that White should refrain from sacrificing his Knight, and meet 6...g6 with 7.Nxc6 (anyhow), although after 7...gxh5 8.Nxd8 Kxd8 he has to hope that he can gather in one (or both) of the h-pawns in order to reach equality.

Which is a long way of saying that while 6.Nxc6 leads to "only" an even game, that's still  a better outcome than can be expected after 6.Qh5+.


By the way, the silly 6...Ke7 (in response to 6.Qh5+) got a workout in my games against a weak computer several years ago – see "One (or both) of us needs help" Part I and Part II.

7.Qf7 checkmate

I won the game, but I thought it would be fair to let my opponent "win" the analysis.

A Short Wall(k)

Bill Wall (see "Welcome to the World of Wall") likes short chess games. One way to find them is to play them himself, even using the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). 

Wall,B - Qwerty
Chess.com, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

One of Black's more interesting defenses to the Jerome Gambit involves not capturing the Knight on e5 – see "In the Beginning..." and "Critical Line: 5...Kf8 Parts 1, 2, 3 and Revisited" – but Black's King is much safer on f8 than he is on e8.

6.Nxc6

This move is stronger and more thematic than the otherwise Jerome-ish 6.Qh5+.

6...bxc6

According to Rybka, Black's best here is 6...Qh4, and play may continue 7.d4 Bb6 8.Nb4 Qxe4+ 9.Qe2 Qxe2+ 10.Kxe2 Bxd4 11.Nd5 Kd8 with a slight edge to White.

With Black's King on f8, the capture 6...dxc6 would maintain Black's advantage. That doesn't work well with the King on e8, however: 7.Qh5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qd6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.e5 Ng4 11.Qf4+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Gebba, Chess.com, 2010.

7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qxc5

Further research might focus on the game chesspsychoten - fao, FICS, 2002, and the thematic move 8.Qe5+!? which produces a modified and successful version of an attack on the Whistler Defense: 8...Qe7 9.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 10.Kf1 Qe6 11.Qxh7 Qf6 12.Qxg8+ Ke7 13.f3? Ba6+ White resigned.

8...Ne7

Or 8...d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.Nc3 Ng4 11.Qg3 Ne5 12.d4 Nc4 13.b3 Na3 14.Bxa3 Ba6 15.0-0-0 Rb8 16.e5 Rf8 17.exd6 cxd6 18.Rhe1+ Kd7 19.Qxd6+ Kc8 20.Qxc6+ Qc7 21.Qxa6+ Kd7 22.Qe6+ Kd8 23.Bxf8 Qxh2 24.Qc6 Qxg2 25.Re8 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz FICS, 2008.

9.Qc3

Black resigned. Two pawns down, King stuck in the middle of the board, no counter-play: he's had enough.

Ooops...

I usually initiate challenges at the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS) but for the following game my opponent suggested first that we play. There was a 250 point rating gap between us, so I figured that I would even things out a bit by giving him "Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) odds."

The opening line was topical, which is why I present the game; but the notes will be minimal, as it turned out to be a serious mis-match.


perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa
blitz 2 12, FICS 2008


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

An odd idea looked at in an earlier post. See "You, too, can add to Jerome Gambit theory..."

6.Nxc6

Louis Morin played an alternative twice online: 6.Qh5+ Black resigns, guest 289 - guest 5120, ICC 2 12, 2004 and 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qxc5 hxg6 9.d3 d6 10.Qc3 Rf8 11.Bg5 Be6 12.Nd2 a5 13.0-0 Nb4 14.a3 Na6 15.Rae1 c6 16.e5 dxe5 17.Qxe5 Nc7 18.Ne4 Ra6 19.Nxf6+ Kf7 20.Nh7 Re8 21.Bxd8 Rxd8 22.Qxc7+ Black resigns, guest2036 - guest612, ICC 2001.

6...bxc6

This routine move simply leaves White a couple of pawns up. More inspired was 6...Bxf2+ 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Kg1 Qxc6 when Black is down only one pawn.

The best choice for Black seems to be 6...Qh4, which seems to leave the game equal after 7.d4 Qxe4+ (or 7...Bb6 8.Nb4 Qxe4+) 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 10.Nb4 Bxd4. This is not exactly a "refutation" of the Jerome Gambit (a Jerome refutation should show Black's winning advantage), but it is a straight-forward transition to a quiet, even game, should that be Black's desire.

7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qxc5 d6

There was a pawn to be had now with 9.Qxc7 Bd7, but I decided to consolidate my game.

9.Qe3 Nf6

The rest of the game is not pretty, and in another 10 moves you can start counting the checkmates that I missed, but I'd rather draw the curtain here.

10.Nc3 Ng4 11.Qg3 Ne5 12.d4 Nc4 13.b3 Na3 14.Bxa3 Ba6 15.0-0-0 Rb8 16.e5 Rf8 17.exd6 cxd6 18.Rhe1+ Kd7 19.Qxd6+ Kc8 20.Qxc6+ Qc7 21.Qxa6+ Kd7 22.Qe6+ Kd8 23.Bxf8 Qxh2 24.Qc6 Qxg2  25.Re8 Black resigns