Jerome Gambit: Chessgames.com Opening of the Day

If you visit the Chessgames.com website today, you will see that the Opening of the Day is the Kentucky Opening - otherwise known as the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

This is a fair acknowledgement, as it was 150 years ago that Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's games and analysis began appearing, starting with the Dubuque Chess Journal.

The site has only 10 Jerome Gambit games, but they do include 4 by Jerome, himself, as well as the early Amateur - Blackburne game, Hikaru Nakamura's game, and blog contributor Yury V. Bukayev's game.

Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale 1. A Jerome vs W Shinkman 0-1 21 1874 corr 2. A Jerome vs O A Brownson     ½-½ 29 1875 corr 3. A Jerome vs NN 1-0 20 1876 Casual game 4. A Jerome vs W H Colburn   0-1 34 1879 corr 5. NN vs Blackburne 0-1 14 1884 Casual game 6. E Sidran vs Ron Thompson 0-1 16 1992 CIS Casual email 7. L White vs NN 1-0 32 2003 Internet Section 15-A 8. L Nelson vs Z Sugar 1-0 20 2006 Queens-ch 9. Nakamura vs D Kollars 1-0 28 2020 Online 3 0 blitz 10. Yury Bukayev vs Valery Golshev 1-0 24 2021 Online 30 0 rapid

Jerome Gambit: And Yet Another Recovered Game

I have tried to post every one of my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games; win, lose, or draw; good, bad or ugly.

Still, sometimes, something slips through.

Earlier this year (see "Jerome Gambit: A Bit Awkward") I noticed that I had missed a game from 16 years ago - from before I started this blog.

So - time to fix that oversight. 

perrypawnpusher - gtomlinson

5 2 blitz, FICS, 2007

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 

This position is as old as Jerome's analysis in the April 1874 edition of the Dubuque Chess Journal and his game against Shinkman (0-1, 21) the same year.

10...Ke7 

The King anticipates a future Bishop pin along the b8-h2 diagonal.

11.Nc3 d6 

Both Rybka and Stockfish prefer 11...Nf6.

12.Nd5+ Kd8 

13.d3 

In this messy position I learned after the game that I could have played 13.d4!? Bxd4 (13...Qxd4 14.Qf8+ Kd7 15.Qf7+ Kc6 16.Qxc7+ Kb5 17.Be3) 14.Bf4 Qe6 (14...Qe8 15.O-O-O c6 16.Rxd4 cxd5 17.Rxd5 Qf7 18.Rxd6+ Ke8 19.Rhd1 Be6 20.Kb1 Nf6 21.e5 Nd5 22.Rxe6+ Qxe6 23.Rxd5) 15.O-O-O Bc5 (15...Bb6 16.Bxd6 cxd6 17.Qf8+ Qe8 18.Qxg7 Ne7 19.Nf6 Qf8 20.Rxd6+ Kc7 21.Qg3) 16.b4 Bb6 17.Bxd6 cxd6 18.Qf8+ Kd7 19.Qxg7+ Ne7 20.Qxh8 Nxd5 21.exd5 Qg6) 

13...Ne7 14.Nxe7 

Missing my chance for 14.d4 and advantage. The game shifts towards Black.

14...Kxe7 15.Rf1 Be6 16.c3 Raf8 17.Qe2 Rxf1+ 18.Kxf1 Rf8+ 19.Ke1 

White has no compensation for his sacrificed material.

19...Qf6 

This move preserves Black's advantage. The computers suggest that there is even time to go pawn-grabbing with 19...Qxh2. 

20. d4 Bb6 21.Be3 Qh4+ 22. g3 Qxe4 

Uh-oh. Bad things can suddenly happen in blitz. Black munches on another pawn (threatening Qh1+ and winning the Rook) - and it does not agree with him.

23.Bg5+ 

Of course.

23...Kd7 24.Qxe4 h6 25.Be3 c5 

Black lashes out, but opening lines to your King when you have only a Bishop for a Queen is quite risky.

26.dxc5 dxc5 27. Rd1+ Kc8 28.Qxe6+ 

Black resigned

A happy escape, most likely aided by the clock.

Good luck, as they say, is better than a license to steal.

Jerome Gambit: Coach (Part 2)

 [continued from the previous post]

As I wrote in the last post

Recently I decided to introduce the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.BXf7+) to the Chess.com bot Coach Mae. I was surprised to find that the Coach used some of my own coaching strategies in our game.

Coach Mae's comments are in purple. I have added diagrams and a few comments of my own.

perrypawnpusher - Coach Mae

Chess.com, 2023

11.Qf3 

Staying out of my reach, a fun choice. 

I tried the exchange of Queens on e5 against Kevin the fruitbat, 15 years ago.

11...Nf6 

Winning a pawn would be nice. 

12.d3 

Unfortunately for me, you noticed your pawn needed protection. 

It is interesting to note that, except for White's g-pawn being on g3 instead of g2, this is the same position as Jerome - Shinkman, Iowa, 1874 (0-1, 21).

12...Re8 

My queen is lined up with my king... 

The coach gives me a break.

Previously, I saw 12...b6 in perrypawnpusher - jeffgazet, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 31) and 12...Ke7 in perrypawnpusher - Buddy_Thompson, Chess.com, 2014 (0-1, 27).  

13.Bf4 

You got it. You immobilized my queen by pinning it to my king. That was the move! 

Thanks, coach!

13...h6 14.Nc3

You can start to think about castling. 

14...c6 15.O-O-O 

A fine move that connects your rooks!

15...Re6 16.Bxe5+ 

My favorite piece...gone. 

16...Rxe5 

I can take that, what else did you have in mind? 

17.d4 

You got me! Nice fork. 

17...Re8 

Moving my rook to a safer square! 

18.dxc5+ 

And now my king must deal with the discovered check... 

18...Ke7 

It's clearly time for my king to move. 

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit - Mate in 2

Over at YouTube I found the video "Jerome gambit - Mate in 2" with SkillerEP playing his favorite opening. 

It was a fun romp.

SkillerEP - goyong

10 0 blitz, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Ng6 8.Qd5+ 

In the video, SkillerEP said he was going to try something new. I suspect that this move, a "nudge", was it, as it only appears once in his 350 games in The Database - this game.

8...Kf6

9.f5 Bb6 

Save the Bishop!

10.fxg6 hxg6 11.b3 Ne7 12.Bb2+ Black resigned

White has his Bishop on the a1-h8 diagonal, similar to the early game Jerome - Shinkman, Iowa, 1876 (1/2 - 1/2, 42 ).

goyong could try 12...Bd4, but after 13.Bxd4 it would be checkmate.

Nicely done!

(If something about the game is nagging at you, Dear Reader, you may have noticed that 9.Qg5+ would have led to the win of Black's Queen. Remember, though, this was a blitz game. Also, understand that I have 23 games in The Database with the position before White's 9th move - and only four times was the check found. Ouch.) 

Jerome Gambit: Again Down the Rabbit Hole (Part 1)

 

I was planning on presenting a Jerome Gambit game that had a surprise (for me) Queen sacrifice by the defender, but along the way as I gathered background information, I tumbled down a rabbit hole...

Let me start the game, and then add the distractions.

pablosko - ItMyrrh

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 

I was shocked to see that 7.f4 had actually been played here, and against a grandmaster, at that.

analysis diagram

You can find the game in the notes in the post "Jerome Gambit: A Lot to Say" and see how GM Hikaru Nakamura finished things off in 17 moves.

7...d6 

The earliest reference that I have to this position comes from the July 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal, where Alonzo Wheeler Jerome mentions it as a sideline.

The first game that I have in The Database that reaches this position was published in the Dubuque Chess Journal of March 1876 - Jerome - Shinkman, Iowa, 1876 (1/2-1/2, 42).

8.f4 

This risky move deserves a diagram of its own.

Analysis by S.A. Charles in the October 1881 Brentano's Chess Monthly put forth 8.Nc3 as the best move, here.

Jerome, apparently, did not agree.

In June of 1900 he started a consultation chess game in the pages of the Literary Digest, offering to play the Jerome Gambit against readers. "See A Jerome Discovery" (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ) as well as "A Jerome Discovery (Afterword)" and "Return to the Literary Digest".

After the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Jerome wrote

A majority of those who sent Black's 6th move played 6...Bxd4. The reason given for this move is that as Black must lose a piece he had better get a P for it. This is not good reasoning, as White's continuation demonstrates: 6... Bxd4; 7.Qxd4 d6; 8.f4, and White still has the attack.

Was Alonzo Wheeler Jerome correct in his assessment?

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Checking With Bing

I checked with the new Bing.com (enhanced with AI) the other day, and this is what it had on the Jerome Gambit 

The Jerome Gambit is a chess opening that was invented in America. It is a very risky attack that involves sacrificing two pieces for two pawns, with the chances arising from the adversary’s king being displaced and drawn into the center of the board (en.wikipedia.org, thechesswebsite.com).

The opening is named after Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, who played it against William Shinkman in 1876, gaining popularity among players when it was published in the Dubuque Chess Journal. It used to be called the “Kentucky opening” and was changed to the Jerome Gambit in 1896 when it was featured in a treatise called “Chess openings, Ancient and Modern” (chess.com).

[The Dubuque Chess Journal, April 1874 introduced and labeled the line "Jerome's Double Opening". The Nordisk Tidende, May 1877, which was translated and reprinted in The Chess Player's Chronicle, August 1877, has the first reference I have found to "Jerome Gambit". Chess Openings Ancient and Modern, first edition, in 1889, covered the "Jerome Gambit", as did it's third edition in 1896. Joseph Henry Blackburne, in Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess in 1899 referred to the Jerome Gambit as "the Kentucky Opening." - Rick]

The Jerome Gambit can be used to pry the king out of safety and turn a relatively quiet Giuoco Piano (literally meaning “quiet game”) into a crazy king hunt, with many tricks, traps, and tactics. It works best in bullet, where you can surprise your opponent, winning precious time and putting them under stress, making it more likely for them to blunder (chess.com). Here is an example game featuring the Jerome Gambit:

 

Lc0_1 - N.N

1 0 bullet, Chess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Nf3+ 10.Kd1 Qf6 11.e5+ Nxe5 12.fxe5+ Qxe5 13.Qf8+ Kc6 14.Qf3+ d5 15.Re1 Qd4 16.h3 Bxh3 17.c3 Qf2 18.Qxf2 Bxf2 19.Rh1 Bg2 20.Rh2 Bf3+ 21.Kc2 Bxg3 22.Rf2 Be4+ 23.d3 Bxd3+ 24.Kxd3 Bxf2 25.Be3 Bxe3 26.Kxe3 Re8+ 27.Kd4 Re1 28.b4 Nf6 29.a4 Rhe8 30.b5+ Kd6 31.c4 R8e4+ 32.Kd3 Rxc4 33.Nd2 Rxa1 34.Nxc4+ dxc4+ 35.Kxc4 Rxa4+ 36.Kb3 Rh4 37.b6 axb6 38.Kc2 Rh3 39.Kd2 Ke5 40.Ke2 Kf4 41.Kf2 Rh2+ 42.Kg1 Kg3 43.Kf1 Ra2 44.Ke1 Kf3 45.Kd1 Ke3 46.Kc1 Kd3 47.Kb1 Rh2 48.Ka1 Kc3 49.Kb1 Rg2 50.Ka1 Kb3 51.Kb1 Rg1 checkmate

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome: How Strong?

 

I recently was asked how strong a player Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), was.

Finding an answer is a challenge.

Jerome lived 1834 - 1902, well before rating systems such as those devised by Harkness and Elo.

The first official use of the term "grandmaster", for example, was in the 1907 Ostend tournament.

On the other hand, from much earlier on the term "master" was freely and casually applied to players who were impressive in one way or another.

Official recognition as "master" by a particular chess body - say, the German Chess Federation - came only in the last quarter of the 19th century and had criteria which would exclude Alonzo Jerome.

Although some statisticians have looked at historical chess players to estimate their strength, Alonzo Jerome is handicapped by not being a very significant figure (outside of this blog, that is). For example, Jeff Sonas' Chessmetrics work looks at 13,000 chess players, but does not include Jerome.

The Edo Historical Chess Rating System does not list Alonzo Jerome, either.

Closer to home, the Database includes 27 games played by Alonzo Jerome, drawn from newspaper and magazine accounts of play. Of those, only 9 appear to be over-the-board encounters: 4 wins, 3 losses, 2 draws. 

Jerome scored 2 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw against Professor Orestes Augustus Brownson, whose life is documented in three volumes (1, 2 & 3) - none of which cover Brownson's chess. We are left with the Dubuque Daily Herald's 1892 bright but breezy reflection upon Brownson

His keen mental faculties found particularly agreeable employment at times in the intricacies of chess at which king's pastime he had few superiors in the country. 

Jerome had 1 loss and 1 draw against William A. Shinkman, the "Wizard of Grand Rapids".

In assessing Alonzo Jerome, we are left with a comment by J. W. Miller, the chess editor of the Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph chess column (previously of the Cincinatti Commercial Gazette; also with William Cook, Synopsis of Chess Openings, A Tabular Analysis,With American Inventions in The Chess Opening and Fresh Analysis Since 1882) 

In Cincinnati we met a number of players in the Mercantile  Library… We also had the pleasure of contesting several games with Mr. Jerome, of Paxton, Ill. He is well known as the author of the so-called Jerome Gambit, in which white sacrifices the Bishop by taking KBP on the fourth move of the Giuoco Piano game. Neither the gambit nor its author proved strong in the contest.

If the Edo rating given for J. W. Miller, 1956, is accurate, then Alonzo Wheeler Jerome probably was of average club player strength for his time period - the kind of guy, after all, who would play the Jerome Gambit.

Jerome Gambit: Don't Say That I Didn't Warn You

 

Although I enjoy playing and analyzing the Jerome Gambit, I also think it is fair to point out opposing points of view.

Therefore I would like to direct Readers towards a new YouTube video, "Refute the Jerome Gambit Easily"

The presenter, Watson, illustrates his ideas using, among other things, the sillycon defense, the annoying (or silicon) defense, and the pie-in-the face variation; as well as referring to the games GMHikaruOnTwitch - GM_xAhmedx. 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 and Jerome - Shinkman, 1874.

If you defend against the Jerome Gambit, don't say that I didn't warn you.

Jerome Gambit: The Elusive Corner (Part 1)

My recently completed Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game from the second round of the ongoing "Giuoco Piano Game" tournament at Chess.com was a loss, as I was steadily outplayed by my opponent, Cuilleanain.

The game was a continual attempt by me to turn the corner from a worse game to a better game - and it turns out there was no corner to turn, I was effectively going around in circles.

perrypawnpusher - Cuilleanain

Giuoco Piano Game tournament, 3 d/move, Chess.com, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6

This move was recommended by FM Eric Schiller in his Unorthodox Chess Openings (1998). It had first appeared in analysis by Jerome in the April 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal, and first played, according to The Database, in Jerome - Shinkman, Iowa, 1874 (0-1, 21)

9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qxe5+ Kxe5 11.b4 

We have gotten this far into the game - the first really critical position (after 4.Bxf7+ and 5.Nxe5+, of course) - and usually by now I would have filled this post with lots of comments.

Even a difficult loss hasn't dampened my interest in playing the Jerome Gambit.

Checking The Database, and looking at the mainline Jerome, the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit and the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit - almost 600 games - I have still scored 82%.

Now, it does seem a bit foolish to play the Jerome at a time control of 1 move every 3 days, although Alonzo Wheeler Jerome himself tested his opening in correspondence play.

Back to the text move, above...

The earliest example that I have of 11.b4 is from the computer vs computer game Matacz CCT7 - Imp 0.74b, 2005 (0-1, 54), mentioned in " 'Jerome pawns' - Clowning Around" (Matacz is a Winboard engine by Maciej Pestka.)

I have played 11.b4 several times (vs djdave28, twice; vs Altotemmi), but I think that it is more interesting that American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has played the move twice, and faced the move twice - albeit, in 3-minute blitz games. See

GMHikaruOnTwitch - Mrkooshaj, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 27);

GMHikaruOnTwitch - Thechesskid2021, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 37);

Damwon - GMHikaruOnTwitch, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com 2021 (0-1, 26);

simonsah2004 - GMHikaruOnTwitch, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 (0-1, 34).

11...Bf8 

A couple of years ago, in "Jerome Gambit: Beautiful", I mentioned that the first time that I had seen 11.b4 Bf8 in a game, was in BoomBoomTNT-YT - 123456789010chess, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020 (1-0, 21). The Database has seen only one other game, since (also a win for White).

From a practical point of view, the alternative of capturing the pawn with 11...Bxb4 has not been successful, as White has scored 4 - 0 in the relevant games. Komodo12.1.1 assesses White as almost 2 pawns better after 12.Bb2+. As I posted

As Yury Bukayev notes, move 11...Bxb4 creates a position of the bona fide master attack, which later became known to everyone after several GM Nakamura's videos.

Retreating the Bishop with 11...Bb6 has also been shown to be not successful in games played, with White again scoring 4 - 0 - although the computer rates Black as better (by a pawn and a half), because he can now answer 12.Bb2+ with 12...Bd4. 

Black has done best with the advance-and-retreat 11...Bd4 12.c3 Bb6, scoring 4 - 3 - 1, according to The Database. The computer rates Black then about 2 1/4 pawns better.   

After the text move, I was encouraged by Black's centralized King and his lack of development. I did not know it at the time, but Komodo 12.1.1 rates the position as a bit less than plus two pawns for Black. Still, I figured that in time I could turn the corner from a losing game to a winning one...

[to be continued] 

Jerome Gambit: How We Got Here

The Jerome Gambit is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc4 4.Bxf7+.

I am sure that the opening was played by someone shortly after the modern rules of play were settled upon. Such games are lost to posterity, however.

It has always been an amateur or club player's opening, although players as strong as grandmasters have played it for fun in blitz games. See "Jerome Gambit: GM vs GM!?" and "Jerome Gambit: All In Good Fun" for examples

The opening has gathered a number of names over the years. Best know is the Kentucky Opening, which is how Joseph Henry Blackburne referred to it in notes to the most famous Jerome Gambit game. Others

There were early references to Jerome's Double Opening and Queen's Gambit in Jerome's Double Opening before the simple Jerome Gambit won out as a name.

The July 13, 1917 issue of Western Mail of Perth, Australia, had a story referring to the opening as "The Verdun Gambit".

American chess legend George Koltanowski, as recorded in the September 1958 issue of the Precita Valley Chess Herald, referred to the "Ashcan Opening", riffing off the name of John E. Ishkan, who had played the opening in a tournament that Kolty had observed.

Editor Gary K. Gifford, in his Unorthodox Openings Newsletter #17, asked, fairly, "Jerome Gambit, or Jerome Gamble?"

Most recently, I have seen a YouTube video referring to the "Headless Chicken" opening.

When I first encountered the line, my thought was "Who is this Jerome guy, and why are they blaming this opening on him?"

So I began searching, looking at books, writing to people.

Who was Alonzo Wheeler Jerome? He was a farmer, an inventor, an author and an American Civil War soldier. His life can be glimpsed in "Alonzo Wheeler Jerome". 

How did Alonzo Wheeler Jerome establish his claim to the Gambit? He published analysis in the Dubuque Chess Journal in 1874. You can see that in "In the Beginning".

Jerome also tested his gambit in over-the-board and correspondence play. The earliest Jerome Gambit game by Jerome that I have found was played against William A. Shinkman in 1874.

The earliest example that I have found of the Jerome Gambit was actually played by Giovanni Tonetti in 1863. The game was published, but the opening was not named the "Tonetti Gambit" - see "Jerome Gambit: Startling Discovery". I have more research to do on Tonetti, but here is a thumbnail sketch

Banker and, in 1883, councilor for the Municipality of Rome. In 1863 he won a thematic tournament on Gambetto Muzio in Rome (+6 = 4 -2) in front of Bellotti, Ferrante and Seni. In 1874 he won a tournament that took place at the Caffè di Santa Chiara in Rome in front of Sprega and Bellotti. He took part in the National Tournament (Rome 1875) finishing second together with Maluta and behind Seni. Between 1891 and 1906 he published a lecture notes, with the collaboration of Ferrante, a "theoretical practical course" on chess, in which he reported a series of lectures held at the Roman Academy of Chess. He also composed numerous problems, many of which were published in his own book. The Italian Chess Federation made the federal library in his name and Salvioli dedicated "The last theory and practice" to him (1914).

This blog will move forward with new games and analyses, even as it delves into the past to uncover the history of 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc4 4.Bxf7+

Jerome Gambit: Boogyman (Part 1)

I suspect that some readers think that when I refer to our favorite chess opening, the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) as being "refuted" that I am just trying to scare them by invoking something imaginary - like a boogyman.

Not so. The opening is best played at the club level, at quick time controls. It can be far more challenging, otherwise.

However, even in a risky opening, there are riskier lines. One such example is capturing the Rook on h8 in Whistler's defense.

Some Jerome Gambit enthusiasts are happy to take on the  complications. They count on their experience with the opening, their tactical skills - and, often, their luck. But they are aware of the dangers that lurk.

This is all an introduction to some analysis (2004) by Brian Wall and Tyrin Price that I have occasionally referred to in past blog posts. It should be a caution to some, and a map of the difficulties ahead to avoid for others.

Some of the complications in analysis are due to tranlating the article to ChessBase and back. I have added diagrams. My occasional comments are in [blue].

   Modern computers make it tough on old gambits - It is still personally interesting to investigate shaky openings and discover beautiful new positions hitherto unexplored. A few plausible mistakes by Black and voila! - tactical nightmares appear.

[Brian makes a good case for playing the Jerome - Rick.]

It appears that the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) made its debut in the April 1874 edition of the Dubuque Chess Journal (p.358), in an article titled "New Chess Opening," beginning "We have received from A.W. Jerome, of Paxton, Ford county, Illinois, some analyses of a new move in the Giuoco Piano, first played by him, which we offer our readers as: Jerome's  Double Opening..."

Analysis was continued in the July 1874 issue of the DCJ (p.358), under the title "Jerome's Double Opening." There is the comment "Note: It should be understood that Mr. Jerome claims in this New Opening 'only a pleasant variation of the Giuoco Piano, which may win or lose according to the skill of the players, but which is capable of affording many new positions and opportunities for heavy blows unexpectedly.' "

Fittingly, the July 1874 DCJ issue also contained the game Jerome - Shinkman, which lasted 21 moves, and "Mr. Shinkman announced loss of the Queen or mate in six moves."    

A. W. Jerome - W. Shinkman, 1874.    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 Nf6 11.d3 Ke7 12.Nc3 g5 13.Rf1 c6 14.g3 d5 15.Bd2 Bg4 16.Qg2 Rhf8 17.h3 Nxe4 18.Bf4 gxf4 19.gxf4 Rxf4 20.Nxe4 Rxf1+ 21.Kxf1 and Mr. Shinkman announced loss of the Queen or mate in six moves.    -----------------------------    

The nice thing about the Jerome Gambit is that it is traditional in some circles to shout "Jerome!!" when you play 4.Bxf7+!! Then 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ and now Watson and Schiller recommend 6...Ke6 in Surviving Annoying Openings.[Survive & Beat Annoying Chess Openings, 2003]    

I don't know if all this was considered old hat 150 years ago but Tyrin Price, who is on my Yahoo list for BrianWallChess@Yahoogroups.com and also with me in  Chess_improvement@Yahoogroups.com, seems to have invented or possibly rediscovered a simple refutation. 

[to be continued]