The following Jerome Gambit game features play alternating different sides of the board. It is a long journey for White - but he comes out ahead, in the end, when Black can not keep up (the story of many defenders).
Wall, Bill - GuestYKQX
FICS, 2019
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6
Bill has had this position about 80 times.
8.Nc3 Nf6 9.Bg5 Re8 10.O-O-O Kg8
Black has castled-by-hand, Kingside. White's King has castled Queenside. This dynamic will play out.
11.f4 Nc6 12.Qa4
Her Majesty has ideas about how she can influence the enemy King, from afar. Also, there may be a b-pawn available, soon. According to The Database, this is a new move.
12...Qe7 13.Nd5 Qf7 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Qb3 Be6
The eternal question arises in the Jerome Gambit as well: Does one who grabs the b-pawn sleep in the gutter? Bill decides to find out.
16.Qxb7 Bxd5 17.exd5 Ne7 18.Rhe1 Rec8
White has 2 pawns for his sacrificed piece, but he still has a lot of work to do.
19.Qb3 Nf5 20.Qd3 Ng7 21.g4
Back to the Kingside.
21...Re8 22.Rg1 Re7 23.h4 Rae8 24.h5 Re3
Black's dynamic counterplay keeps him better - for now.
25.Qa6 f5 26.h6 fxg4
Opening lines against your own King can not be wise.
27.Rxg4 Qf8
A slip. Time?
28.Rxg7+ Kh8 29.Qxa7 Qxf4 30.Kb1 Re1 31.Rg1 Rxd1+ 32.Rxd1 Qxh6 33.a4
The a-pawn advances. It has an advantage over Black's h-pawn, which is blocked, for now.
Also, Black's King is vulnerable. Ultimately, that makes the difference.
33...Rc8 34.a5 Qh5 35.Qd4+ Kg8 36.Rg1+ Kf8 37.Qg7+ Ke8 38.Qg8+ Kd7 39.Rg7+ Black resigned
The Jerome Gambit is most known for the Bishop sacrificed at f7, and the active role the Queen plays. In the following game, however, a Knight stars. At first it seems to be making a transparent threat, but it quickly overwhelms the defender's game.
Wall, Bill - Anonymous
lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6
8.O-O Nf6 9.Bf4 Qe7 10. f3 Rf8 11. Nc3 Kg8
Black has castled-by-hand. He has the advantage in this middlegame, but he must make good use of his opportunities.
12.Rad1 Nc6 13.Qd2 a6 14.Rfe1 Qf7 15.b3 Ne7 16.Ne2 Ng6 17.Be3 Nd7 18.c4 Nde5
White has developed quickly and has strong pressure on the pawn at d6. He will be able to take over the game, if his opponent slips. He starts with the "Jerome pawns".
19.f4 Nc6 20.f5 Nge5 21.Nf4 Ng4 22.Nd5 Nxe3 23.Rxe3 Ne5
24.Rg3 Kh8 25.c5 dxc5 26.Qc3 Nd7 27.Nxc7
White's Knight threatens the Rook at a8 - and even more. Black should counter with 27...Nf6!?, with his own threat to win the exchange (after ...Nxe4), but he underestimates the danger and replies routinely.
27...Rb8 28.Ne6
The Knight threatens the Rook at f8, the pawn at g7 - and even more.
28...Rg8 29.Ng5 Qe7 30.Nxh7 Re8
Of course, if 30...Kxh7, then 31.Rh3+ Qh4 32.Rxh4 checkmate
31.Ng5 Nf8 32.Qf3 Kg8 33.Qh5 Bxf5 34.exf5 Black resigned
White's pressure on the Kingside will win material, as Black defends, first, attacks on his King, and then, deals with the advancing "Jerome pawns".
In some Jerome Gambit games, Black returns a sacrificed piece forthwith, as part of his "scientific" defense. In other games, he resists and resists, giving the piece back only very begrudgingly.
Witness the following game.
Wall, Bill - Piedras
ChessTempo.com, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Be6
This move, combined with the placement of the Knight on g6, calls out the advance of White's f-pawn. It is interesting to watch Black wriggle and jiggle and try to have his pieces escape.
10.f4 d5 11.f5 d4 12.Qd3 Nf4 13.Qf1 Qh4+ 14.g3 Qh3 15.gxf4 Qxf1+ 16.Kxf1
Black has returned the sacrificed piece, and is down a pawn.
16...Bc4+ 17.d3 Ba6
Calmness returns - but only briefly.
18.Rg1 Kf7 19.Nd2 Nf6 20.b4 b6 21.Bb2 c5 22.bxc5 bxc5 23.e5 Nd5
The "Jerome pawns" are on the march. When the Rooks join in, it will be the end of Black's King.
24.e6+ Kf6 25.Ne4+ Ke7 26.Rxg7+ Kf8 27.Rf7+ Kg8 28.Kf2 Black resigned
A defender unfamiliar with the Jerome Gambit might search for some opening ideas from elsewhere, and try to apply them to the defense. That is a useful practice, and sometimes it works - but not in the following game.
Wall, Bill - Euphron
FICS, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bd6
I sometimes wonder when Black plays this move, if he is remembering the Fork Trick, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Nxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bd3 dxe4 7.Bxe4.
Still, there is a problem applying the logic of that opening line to the Jerome Gambit. The straight-forward 6...Bxd4 was simpler and stronger.
7.dxe5 Bxe5
The piece was safer on e7 or even f8. That is one of the interesting Jerome Gambit wrinkles.
8.Qh5+
There are 64 games in The Database with this move. White scores a solid 67%. (Bill: 100%)
For comparison, there are 69 games with 8.Qd5+. White scores 76%. (Bill: 100%)
8...Kf8
Black's King backs away from the action. "Stronger" (it may not feel that way for someone new to the Jerome Gambit) was 8...Ke6, but White still got plenty of play in Wall,B - Nikelin, lichess.org, 2017, (1-0, 14)
Also dealt with harshly was 8...g6, e.g. 9.Qxe5 Nf6 10.Bg5 Re8 11.Qf4 b6 12.e5 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016.
9.Qxe5 d6 10.Qf4+Qf6 11.Nc3
White is a pawn up, and doesn't mind exchanging Queens. If Black initiates the swap, the recapture will help White's development. The first player certainly has no need to enter complications.
11...c6
This keeps White's Knight out of d6, but weakens the d6 pawn, and this will have an effect on the rest of the play in the game.
12.O-O Bd7 13.Qg3 Nh6 14.Bf4 Nf7 15.h4
White's h-pawn plays more in the coming action than Black's h-Rook.
15...Re8 16.Rad1 Ne5 17.Bg5 Qe6 18.f4 Nf7
19.f5 Qe5 20.Bf4 Qc5+ 21.Kh1 Bc8
Making room for the Rook to slide over to d8 and protect the pawn on d6. Too late.
22.f6 g6 23.Bxd6+ Nxd6 24.Rxd6 Black resigned
White is only 2 pawns up, but they are the mighty "Jerome pawns", and their advance will cause destruction.
The second round of the Italian Game Classic tournament at chess.com has started. I am in Group 5, along with FedeMamut, stur_lindberg and PDX84.
To start, I have White against FedeMamut and PDX84 - and have been fortunate to be able to play 2 Jerome Gambits.
As always, I will keep you informed of my progress, win, lose or draw.
Sometimes the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) will lead to tactical mayhem by White, and it is relatively easy - if still educational - for the observer to anticipate the line of play. Sometimes, however - as in the following game - the Jerome Gambiteer develops a strong attacking position, and he has to work out a series of moves to gather in the full point; then, the educational value of the game is even greater.
Wall, Bill - Anonymous
lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8
I expected a rash of 5...Kf8 games after the post "Jerome Gambit: Success at Last (Sort of)" which featured a game where Bill surrendered a draw in the line - after 15 straight wins.
6.Nxc6
No more experimenting - Bill had tried 6.0-0 in his last game with the line, and, after 6...Nf6, continued with 7.Nd3. The text is probably strongest.
6...dxc6 7.O-O Qf6
White has only scored 50% against this move, according to The Database - if you ignore Bill's two wins, against no losses, that is.
8.Nc3 Be6
Or 8...Bd6 9.d4 h6 10.e5 Bxe5 11.dxe5 Qxe5 12.Re1 Qg5 13.Bxg5 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016,
9.d3 Ne7
Instead, 9...Rd8 let Black keep an edge, in Wall,B - Guest4658155, PlayChess.com, 2019 (1-0, 29).
10.Be3 Bb6 11.Qd2 h6 12.Rae1 Kg8 13.f4 Kh7
14.f5 Bd7
As will become clear, the Bishop was safer retreating to c8. Black has just connected his Rooks, however, and does not want to interfere.
15.e5 Bxe3+ 16.Rxe3
The position is complicated, and it is not a surprise that Black does not find a defense. The Black Queen may be relativelyt safest after 16...Qh4, but 17.e6 then threatens the Bishop, and White will build his attack when he can play f5-f6 and Ne4.
16...Qg5 17.Ne4
The Queen is trapped.
17...Qh5 18.Rh3 Qe8
Her Majesty has escaped, but His Majesty is doomed.
19.Nf6+ gxf6 20.Qxh6+ Kg8 21.Qxh8+ Kf7 22.Rh7 checkmate
