It can be uncomfortable to play against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) or one of its relatives. That discomfort can lead to less-than-perfect play, or even outright mistakes. Sometimes the feel-bad defense can lead Black to give up the game prematurely, as happens in the following Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit game.
perrypawnpusher - JohnBr
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.
The Bishop sacrifice is not forced, of course. White could continue instead with 5.c3 Bb6 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 d6 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.h3 0-0 10.Re1 with a small advantage.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+
7...g6
Stronger, but requiring more courage, was 7...Ke6.
8.Qxe5 Black resigned
Certainly there is more in the position than Black sees, as he still has a slight advantage: see perrypawnpusher - islanderchess, blitz FICS 2008 (1-0, 46); perrypawnpusher - wadada, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0,19); and perrypawnpusher - PravinMamania, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 50).
The important thing to remember is that after 8...Bf8! White cannot capture the Rook, as the Queen will be trapped and won. White should play 9.d4 and attend to his "Jerome pawns."
If you want them to stop laughing, as I've said before, first you have to stop telling jokes...
It can be hard enough to get an opponent to take you seriously when you play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), but further inaccurate play only encourages further resistance: if you've played like a clown in the opening, who's to say that you won't play like a clown in the middle or end game as well...?
I have nobody to blame except myself for what felt like an over-due resignation by my opponent in the following game.
perrypawnpusher - amirelattar
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.
6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4
8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 d6
The updated New Year's Database has 9 games with this, position, with White scoring 67%. This statistic is doubly misleading: first, in 6 of those games I played White and scored only 40%; and second, despite the outcome of the games, Black is clearly better in this position.
10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Re8 12.Bd2 Kg8
White has two of his "Jerome pawns" watching the center and his Rooks are connected. On the other hand, Black has castled-by-hand and has an extra piece.
13.Rae1 Nb4
An odd oversight, this Knight harassing the Queen.
Previously there was: 13...Kh8 14.h3 Nb4 15.Qe2 Bd7 16.Bc1 Nfd5 17.Nxd5 Nxd5 18.Qh5 Nf6 19.Qg6 Re6 20.e5 Ng8 21.Qg3 Qe7 22.exd6 cxd6 23.b3 Rxe1 24.Rxe1 Qf7 25.Bb2 Re8 26.Rf1 Nf6 27.Qd3 d5 28.g4 Ne4 29.f5 Qe7 30.Qxd5 Ng5 31.Kg2 Bc6 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - JohnBr, blitz, FICS, 2010.
14.Qc4+ Be6 15.Qxb4
15...Bxa2
Another strange move.
16.Nxa2 c6
Suddenly, White is winning. I don't know why.
17.Nc3 a5 18.Qc4+ Kh8 19.Qd3 Qb6+ 20.Kh1 Qxb2
Black and White have reversed roles: White has the extra piece for a pawn, while Black is going to try to make something out of his "anti-Jerome pawns."
21.e5 dxe5 22.fxe5 Ng4 23.e6 Qb6
24.Be3
More to the point was 24.Qf5
24...Nxe3 25.Qxe3
Now 25.Rxe3 was the stronger recapture.
25...Qb2
In turn, Black probably did better to exchange Queens.
26.Rf7 a4
This is the theme for the rest of the game: Black's Queenside pawns vs White's Kingside attack.
27.Qg3 Rg8 28.e7 Rae8 29.Ref1 a3
30.Qf3
This is really not the best time to fiddle faddle. Instead, 30.Qd3, with an eye on d4 and the a1-h8 diagonal was the key. Black can try 30...c5 as a response (if 30...a2 then White mates with 31.Rxg7 Rxg7 32.Rf8+ Rg8 33.Qd4+ Kh7 34.Rf7+ Kg6 35.Qf6+ Kh5 36.Qf3+ Rg4 37.Rf5+ Kg6 38.Qxg4+ Kh7 39.Rf7+ Kh8 40.Qg7) but then 31.Qc4 both helps lock up the Queenside and pursue the attack on the Kingside.
30...a2 31.Nxa2 Qxa2
Black now has material equality. He hopes for more. White's inaccuracies has given him hope.
32.Rf8
This should simply lose the e-pawn, something that could be prevented by the proper 32.Qe4, when White would still have the advantage.
32...Rxe7 33.Rxg8+ Kxg8
This is Black's fatal slip, unfortunate after his struggles. After the recapture with the Queen, 33...Qxg8, White would have an uphill fight a pawn down.
34.Qf8+ Kh7 35.Qxe7
Under normal circumstances, I am sure that my opponent would resign here, but my play in this game has been unsteady enough that he is encouraged to continue on and hope for further good fortune.
35...Qxc2 36.Qxb7 Qe2 37.Qf7 c5 38.Qf5+ Kh8 39.Ra1 Qe8
40.Qxc5 Qe4 41.Rc1 Kh7 42.Qc2 Qxc2 43.Rxc2 Kg6
44.Kg1 Kf6 45.Kf2 g6 46.Kf3 h5 47.Kf4 g5+
48.Ke4 h4 49.Rc6+ Kg7 50.Kf5 Black resigned
After early uneasy seas common to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) the following game settled down to a calm affair, evenly balanced and headed for the split point – until a squall upset Black's chances.
perrypawnpusher - Jore
blitz, FICS, 2010
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 Nf6
Here we have a common setup for this variation of the Jerome Gambit. Black has a piece for two pawns, but his King cannot castle and is currently in the middle of the board. Castling-by-hand is a natural short-term goal.
10.f4 Rf8 11.0-0 Kf7 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Neg4
A recurring theme: Knight(s) harassing Queen.
In this situation 13...Nc6 was probably better.
14.Qf4
After the game Rybka recommended: 14.Qb3+ Ke8 15.h3 Nh6 16.Bxh6 gxh6 preventing Black's King from reaching safety and destroying the monarch's sanctuary.
14...Kg8 15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Nxe5
Black has gotten his King to safety, and now returns a piece for the two pawns, and active play. A more effective way to accomplish this was through 16...Bxf5.
17.Qxe5 Ng4 18.Qf4 Rxf5
19.Qc4+ Qd5 20.Qxd5+ Rxd5 21.Nc3 Rd8
22.Bf4 c6 23.Rad1 Bf5
24.h3 Bxc2
A mis-calculation. Retreating the Knight with 24...Nf6 kept the game even.
25.Rxd8+ Rxd8 26.hxg4 Rf8 27.Be3
27...Re8 28.Bxa7 Bd3 29.Rd1 Bg6 30.a3 b5 31.Rd6 Re1+ 32.Kf2 Black resigned
Lately I have been playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against stronger competition, but the following game was played in a "giving Jerome Gambit odds" mode against a weaker player – and a good thing, too. It can be embarassing to do a whole lot of analysis on a particular position, only to forget it while playing over the board!
perrypawnpusher - crayongod
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6
Yes! Not long ago, I took a deep look at this position!
Uh, what did I recommend here? I forget...
6.Qh5
No, that's not right.
White's best chance comes from the sharp 6.Qg4+!?, when 6...Kxe5 7.d4+ Bxd4 (other captures are worse, including 7...Kxd4 which leads to mate) 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kf7 10.Bxg8 and White has an edge, as his Queen and Black's unstable King are good compensation for Black's pieces after either 10...Nxd8 or 10...Bxb2 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Bxc7 Bxa1 13.Na3 Nf6 14.0-0.
I mis-remembered theory: 6.Qh5 is the best move to answer 5...Kf6.
6...Qf6
Chances are that if you give the position after 5.Qh5 to your computer, it will recommend 5...Nxe5 for Black, unwittingly returning the game to a Jerome Gambit main line, i.e. 5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6.
Black's move in the game, however, threatens White's weak f2 square, and also keeps his advantage.
7.Nxc6
A horrible oversight, still believing that I was following theory.
After 7.Nf3 d6 8.Nc3 White would have his typical two-pawns-for-a-piece disadvantage.
7...Qxf2+ 8.Kd1
I made my move confidently. Truly, ignorance is bliss.
8...Qxg2 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.Qd5 checkmate
Yes!
Er, no...
Black's 8th move, designed to inflict more damage by going after my Rook, was an error. Had he played 8...dxc6 first, he would have safe-guarded his King and left me with little option other than 9.Qf3 Qxf3 10.gxf3 Nf6, when Black would have had a piece for a pawn, better development, open lines for attack and the two Bishops...
The slogan In the Jerome Gambit, Black wins by force, White wins by farce reflects the fact that the gambiteer will always need some kind of help from the defender in order to take (or even split) the point.
In the following game my opponent was careful to a fault, giving me time to get my opening up and running – much to his discomfort, and later, distress.
perrypawnpusher - Macgregr
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening. It is often a sign of caution by Black: no enemy Knight will come to g5. It can also signal that the second player is planning on taking his time in putting together his defense – something that should please White.
4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6
8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qe3 Qe7
11.Nc3 Be6 12.f4 Nf8
A bit better was 12...Bf7.
My opponent was being very careful – often a good idea, but here he risks falling behind in development. (Castling-by-hand on the Kingside, for example, is a long way off.)
Maybe he believed that he had all the time in the world against an opening as derelict as the Jerome Gambit?
13.f5 Bc4 14.d3 Bb5
A slip – connected directly, I suspect, to his dismissal of the Jerome as something unworthy of his full attention.
Black could minimize his disadvantage by identifying White's threats and playing to meet them: 14...Bf7 15.d4 Kd7 16.e5 Re8 17.e6 Bxe6 19.fxe6 Qxe6 20.Qd3.
analysis diagram
White has an edge – because of his slightly better development.
15.Nxb5 Qd7 16.Nc3 g6
17.Bd2 Kd8 18.d4 Nf6
19.e5 dxe5 20.dxe5 Nd5
White is just playing his Jerome Gambit moves...
21.Nxd5 Qxd5 22.Bc3
22...Rg8
A final slip. Necessary was 22...Kc8.
23.Rad1 Black resigned
