Jerome Gambit Book (Part 7)

 

I have an update concerning an ongoing chess mystery.

As I wrote in "Jerome Gambit Book (Part 1)"

Bill Wall, whose games and comments have graced many posts on this blog, recently informed me of a book on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) at archive.org...

The cover indicates the book is by "Chess Notes", although the first of that name that comes to mind is Edward Winter's "Chess Notes" - and I seriously doubt that this is Winter's work. I have emailed him about this, and will share his response. 

Having expanded upon the topic further - see Parts 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 - I can now report that I have received word from Mr. Winter, who says the book is not his work.

He further points out that there is a slew of e-books (146) identified as being by "Chess Notes". They can be seen at the Internet Archive,  both game collections and ECO-style tables. 

Both book formats transcend the "database dump" label, including diagrams, for example (see below), and formatting; although they still have occasional repetitions in the game introductions that are indicative of merged databases, done without the necessary culling.  

Although the books are mostly concerned with individual openings, some focus on particular maestri - Bird, Firouzja, Gukesh, Dommaraju, Maghsoodloo, Muzychuk, Svidler, Wei and Yip.

Some of the books report on tournaments - Moscow 1935, Chennai 2024, Qatar Masters 2024, US Chess Masters 2024, Djerba Chess Festival 2025, Monaco Women's FIDE Grand Prix 2025, Nikosia Women's FIDE Grand Prix, and Tata Steel 2025.

All of the books can be read on the Internet Archive website. There is a helpful search function. The books can also be downloaded (I chose the PDF format for Jerome Gambit.)

So - the Jerome Gambit book is not Edward Winter's creation, and I continue to research who the author might be. 

Two Knights Good Night

What to do, on the way to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), if you meet the Two Knights defense, instead?

Some will answer: sacrfice, anyway!

Guest2711112842 - Guest2432796094

Chess.com, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 

My personal preference when facing the Two Knights defense has been to play 4.Nc3 and to hope for 4...Bc5, allowing the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit with 5.Bxf7+.

Also check out "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense" Parts 1, 2, 3, 4. 

4.Bxf7+

Some players strike first, in a sort of an impatient Jerome Gambit.

From the 2024 post "Jerome Gambit: Impatience"

Four years ago, in the blog post "Unasked Questions" I looked at the Two Knights line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Bxf7+ and commented 

This line doesn't have a name, as far as I know, but it might as well be "the impatient Jerome Gambit". The earliest game that I have with it in The Database is from 2001, but it has to be much older than that. My research is lacking here.

Subsequently (see "Jerome Gambit: Facing Up to 4.Bxf7+ in the Two Knights [Part 2]"), thanks to Dr. Timothy Harding's UltraCorr 3A (2010) collection of correspondence chess games, I uncovered Draper, Dr - Child, AW., Belfast - Dublin team correspondence match-2 1891-2, an earlier game with that "impatient" line.

4....Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Nc6 

White has sacrificed two pieces for two pawns. He is counting on his opponent's shaky King - and possible uneasiness in a strange position - to arrive at some compensation,

7.e5 Nd5 8.Qf3+ 

8...Ke6 

Stepping into danger to protect his attacked Knight.

A much safer alternative is 8...Nf6, giving some of the sacrificed back.

9.c4 Bb4+ 10.Kf1 

It may not be readily apparent, but this square is the best for the King.

10...Nxd4 

Not looking into the position deep enough. Blitz?

11.Qxd5+ Kf5 

Ouch. The problem with 11...Ke7 is 12.Bg5+ and White loses his King.

12.Qf7+ Ke4 

Interposing with 12...Qf6 will still lead to checkmate. 

13.Qf4+ Kd3 14.b3 Rf8 15.Qe3+ Kc2 16.Na3+ Bxa3 17.Qd2 checkmate

Very nice!

Jerome Gambit: When Opportunity Knocks

When opportunity knocks, it is best to answer.

Black's slip on his 7th move was the first knock.

His tumble on the 17the move was the final knock.

The door to checkmate was then opened.

JeromeGambitOnly - nicovpaterakis

5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Ng6 

It is possible that Black just mixed up defensive ideas here.

Best was the Annoying Defense, 7...d6 8.fxe5 dxe5, the vexation of many Jerome Gambit players (see 1 and 2 for starters).

8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc4+ 

White also has the pawn fork 9.f5+, i.e. 9...Kd7 10.Qb5+ c6 11.Qe2 Ne5 12.d4 Nf7 13.O-O with a better game.

9...Ke7 10.Nc3 Nxf4 

Black can take this pawn, as long as he defends well afterward.

11.O-O Be6 12.Nd5+ Nxd5 13.exd5 

Black is up a piece and a pawn.

White has some compensation, in terms of open lines against the enemy King.

13...Bd7 

Blame it on blitz.

The correct retreat for the Bishop was the other way, 13...Bf7, when White would have to work to keep the game in hand. 

Stockfish 16.1 suggests 14.b3 Kf8 15.Bb2 h5 (15...Nf6 16.Rxf6!? gxf6 17.Qf4 Kg8 18.Bxf6 Qd7 19.Bc3 Re8 20.Qg5+ Bg6 21.Rf1 White is better) 16.Rae1 Nf6 17.Qf4 Kg8 18.Re3 h4 19.h3 Rh6 20.Qxh6!? gxh6 21.Bxf6 Qf8 22.Bxh4 Qg7 23.Rg3 Bg6 24.Rf6 Kh7 25.c4 a6 26.Rgxg6 Qxg6 27.Rxg6 Kxg6 and Black has the exchange for two pawns.

14.Qe4+ Be6 15.Qxe6 checkmate

 

Searching for "Jerome Gambit" on the Chinese "Baidu" search page returned the following information, in Google translation

Jerome GambitIt is an opening variation in chess, belonging to...Italy's start(ECO code C50This branch is characterized by sacrificing pieces to gain initiative. The following is key information:

Opening characteristics

• Starting moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7 + Kxf7 5. Nxe5 + Nxe5 6. Qh5 + Ke6
• Core strategy: White creates an offensive by sacrificing her queenside bishop (4.Bxf7+) and knight (5.Nxe5+), and Black can easily fall into a passive position if she doesn't respond properly.1

Typical game example

• December 14, 2023Mexicanga(1675 points) CorrectaboboraIn a rapid game of chess (1743 points), White used this opening, and Black ultimately won.1
• March 16, 2021JeromeGambitOnly(1234 points) CorrectRodes95In a super-fast game (1503 points), White made several mistakes, leading to Black losing within the time limit.2

History and Controversy

• This opening is considered high-risk (White suffers piece losses) and is often used in fast games or instructional examples; it is rarely seen in actual matches.12

It is easy to help the translation of "Italy's start" to the Italian OpeningI was not able to find the games Mexicanga - Correctaboorain, 2023 

and JeromeGambitOnly - CorrectRodes95, 2021 in The Database, 

so I have some more research to do.

In case you missed a couple of earlier posts referring to the Jerome Gambit game, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura - Grandmaster Dmitrij Kollars, you can catch the recent YouTube video by Square One Chess, titled "Hikaru Is CRAZYY! Sacs 2 Pieces In First 5 Moves & Annihilates 2600+ GM!"

How's this for an introduction?

Today's game is one of the most brutal sacrificial trollings of an elite grandmaster that you're ever likely to witness. I don't even remember seeing Magnus Carlsen do anything quite as extreme so early in the opening as what you're about to see from the great Hikaru Nakumura, who in a shocking resurrection of a horrendous 150 year-old gambit sacrifices not one but two entire pieces by move five in a brash and irresponsible attack that should have never worked. So, I don't know what else to tell you. This game is going to unscrew your head and then you might know what's coming next. I don't even want to say it. Once you regain your composure, though, you might just be inspired to try this crazy opening against your own opponents as it does have the potential to be quite venemous as you are about to see...

"Brash and irresponsible." I like that. So true. 

Enjoy.

Of Two Minds

Facing a scary, unorthodox - refuted - opening, puts me of two minds, both Uh oh and Yay.

Kind of like my opponents, facing my Jerome Gambit.

Oh, well...

perrypawnpusher - bot

play vs bot, Chess.com, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 

What's this? The Busch-Gass Gambit? Shades of deja vu, given the previous post. 

See "Worth a Second Look... (Part 1, 2, 3)".

By the way, it is probably best to point out, right away, that my play in this game is often not best. 

3.Bc4 

I know, the main line is 3.Nxe5, but I was hoping to transpose to a Jerome Gambit, if my opponent were to now play 3...Nc6.

3...Bxf2+ 

Uh oh.

Bots always make me nervous.

Just how tactically powerful is this electronic beast?

4.Kxf2 f6 

The bot transposes to a form of the Damiano Defense?

Yay.

How does the addition of ...Bxf2+ change things?

Actually, after the main line Damiano, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6, then 3.Bc4 is okay, if not as forcing as 3.Nxe5, but, then, the best response for Black would be 3...Nc6, not 3...Bc4, because...

5.Nxe5 

This tactic cries out to be played.

5...fxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

After the game, Stockfish 16.1 preferred 6...Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Qxe5+ Kf8 10.Rf1 Nf6 11.Kg1 Nc6 12.Qg3 d5 13.Bxd5, but White's attack against the King would still be strong. 

7.Qxe5+ Qe7 8.Qxh8 Qxe4 

White is ahead a Rook, with more material to come.

It is sad to note that the computer sees exchanging Queens instead, here, with 8...Qf6+, as best for Black.

As things are, in the mainline Damiano Defense, Black's capture of the e-pawn would come with check - but in this game he has given up a Bishop, making that not possible.

9.Qxg8+ 

Missing the simple 9.Re1, winning Black's Queen, but the move still promises an upcoming checkmate.

9... Ke7 10.Qf7+

Patzer sees check, patzer gives check.

Again, 10.Re1, instead, would win the enemy Queen (and lead to mate).

10...Kd8 

Here, 10...Kd6 is punished by 11.Qf6+. 

11.Qf8+ Qe8 12.Qxe8+ Kxe8 

I am pretty sure that a human, playing Black, would resign here.

13.Re1+ Kf8 14.d3 Kg7 15.Nc3 

Like I said, bots make me nervous. No need to rush into things.

15...d6 16.Nd5 Kf8 17.Nxc7 Kg7 18.Nxa8 

18...Nc6 19.Bf4 Nb8 

Sure. Why not?

20.Re7+ Kf8 

21.Rae1 

Timid to the very end. Instead, 21.Rf7+ Kg8 22.Bh6 d5 23.Rf8 mate

21...d5 22.Bh6+ Kg8 23.Bxd5+ Be6 24.Bxe6+ Kh8 25.Re8 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Reversed, Even More Risky

 

It can be tempting to play a reversed form of the Jerome Gambit, but it can be even more risky, as Black discovers in the following game.  

Degner, Uwe - Witt, Monika

Remote S7E Easy-342 email, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 

Perhaps looking to transpose to the Jerome Gambit, if Black plays 3...Nc6.

This looks similar to a Busch-Gass Gambit, which starts 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5. See "Worth a Second Look... (Part 1, 2, 3)".

3...Bxf2+

The earliest example of this move in The Database, in 2006, is by the "King of Bxf7+", viejoasquerosos, at redhotpawn.com.

The Database has 130 games with this move. Black scores 51%. That is impressive, given that Stockfish 16.1 (38 ply) evaluates the position as about 4 pawns better for White.

Can White ride out the storm?

4.Kxf2 Nf6 5.Nc3 

5...h6 

Black hopes to keep a Knight off of g5, but he would do better with the fork trick 5...Nxe4+ 6.Nxe4 d5 7.Bxd5 Qxd5

6.Nxe5 Nxe4+ 7.Nxe4 Qe7 

Recall Grandmaster John Nunn's warning: "LPDO, Loose Pieces Drop Off." But - will they?

8.d4 Qh4+ 9.Ng3 Qf6+ 10.Nf3 O-O 

Black sighs, and castles. He has two pawns for two pieces, and his safer King is not sufficient compensation.

11.Ne4 Qd8 12.Ng3 d5 13.Bd3 Bg4 14.h3 Bd7 15.Be3 

15...g5 

Black had to do something...

16.Ne5 Be6 17.Qh5 Qf6+ 18.Ke2 

White's King will be safe at e2.

18...Nd7 19.Raf1 Nxe5 

A slip in a difficult position.

20.Rxf6 Kg7 21.Qxh6+ Kg8 22.Qh7 checkmate