Every once in a while it is nice to see a game like the following. Black is unwilling to face the Jerome Gambit, but unwilling to face the consequences either. troubadour - sccdgwd blitz, FICS, 2014 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kf8 5.Bd5
I suppose that at least a few of the players defending against the Jerome Gambit figure that the game is over after the sacrificed Bishop is captured. Certainly, many believe that the game is over after the second piece is sacrificed and captured.
As more than a few discover, "it's not over until it's over."
By transposition, via the Two Knights Defense, the game has reached a "modern" variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Not-Nxe5+) of the Jerome Gambit. White decides to "modernize" it after all. 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Re8 8.dxe5 Rxe5
Black has the better development and a piece for a pawn. White has the pluck and the luck of the Jerome Gambiteer. 9.Kh1 d6 10.Nc3 Ng4 11.f4 Qh4
Black's Queen swoops in to finish off the White King with checkmate. Things do not turn out as planned. 12.fxe5+ Kg8 13.Qd5+ Kh8 14.Rf8 checkmate
Who plays the Jerome Gambit? About four years ago, in "King of the Hill", I searched through The Database to find the names of those who appeared the most. I figured that it was time for an update. While I have picked up the pace a bit, the 535 games by perrypawnpusher still do not put me at the top. It will still take more work to catch yorgos, with 601 games. Some time this year he is likely to overtake kingmaple, with 619 games - but all of those, save one, were played before 2010.
None of us are likely to catch DragonTail, however, who, with 1,445 games, remains King of the Hill.
Sometimes I find myself repeating myself here.
If I go back to last year's post "Cure Worse Than The Disease", for example, I can find a relevant comment on the opening in the following 2014 game
If defenders don't pay attention, they always run the risk of meeting an attacker who does. softiger, meet vandi. vandi - softiger standard, FICS,2014 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5
Deviating from the Giuoco Piano, 3...Bc5, which would allow the Jerome Gambit. White's response is the same, however, and everyone in the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde should play it just as quickly. 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8
White and Black square off in the following contest, tossing suspect openings against each other. If the Blackburne Shilling Gambit is (like the Jerome) more a bluff than a solid opening, then clearly here the second player gets out-bluffed. nalder - Pinckman blitz, FICS, 2014 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. Black hopes White doesn't know the opening, or doesn't give his next move much thought and quickly grabs the e-pawn with 4.Nxe5? only to be met with the gamy 4...Qg5!? 4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. Meeting "tricky" with "tricky" - although the BSG is rated "objectively" better for White, while the BSJG is rated "objectively" even. 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Qg4+
This is scary, but a bluff. The proper way to continue is 6.c3. 6...Kxe5 7.f4+ More bellicosity. 7...Kxe4 The "Exit" sign pointed to 7... Kd6. 8.Nc3 checkmate
This attack, invented by Count Vitzthum, was very much practised about twenty years ago. [Here, Readers may recall Meek - Morphy, Mobile, Alabama, 1855; Meek - Morphy, New Orleans, 1855; and Kennicott - Morphy, New York, 1857 as examples; although Lowenthal, in Morphy's Games (1860), had already opined "This {5.Ng5}is far from an effective mode of proceeding with the attack, and is decidedly inferior to castling" and "This mode of proceeding with the attack is comparatively obsolete, as with the correct play the defense is perfectly satisfactory."] It is now abandoned in contests of strong players, as the analysis proved that Black can maintain his Pawn with a good position.
Cook's Synopsis of the Chess Openings (1874) had been equally dismissive
This attack is now seldom played; with correct play it results in an even game.
Wait a minute! What if White is happy with "an even game" and is interested in tricky play? I am surprised that the opening is not played more often! As it turns out, a recent game of mine, with the Black pieces, at Chess.com (3 days / move) started with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 (I was thinking about a reversed Jerome Gambit) 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.d4 exd4 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5. In fact, after 9...d5 10.Nd2 Re8 11.0-0 12.Re1 Bf5 13.c3 Kg7 14.cxd4 Nxd4 (instead of ...Qxd4!) Blacks game fell apart quickly.
As promised, I have done more research on an opening variation that I previously looked at (see "A Bridge To... Somewhere" and "Abridged") as a possible inspiration to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in his creation of the Jerome Gambit.
A variation of the Scotch Gambit - called either the Sarratt Attack or the Vitzthum Attack - has similar sacrifical fireworks on f7: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5!? with the possible followup of 5...Nh6 6.Nxf7+ Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5.
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