Jerome Gambit: Kingside Danger

Often when things go bad for Black's King, it wanders far afield and is checkmated on the Queenside.

However, wandering on the Kingside is also dangerous.

CassomaD4 - bulkah

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 

The Two Knights Defense

4.O-O 

Doing something constructive while waiting for 4...Bc5.

4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Three Knights Jerome Gambit?

The Database has 2,025 games with this position. White scores 42%. 

Compare that with the regular Jerome Gambit line, 3...Bc5 4.Bxf7+. The Database has 44,792 games with that line. White scores 53%. 

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke6 

Black's King feels safe among his pieces, but Stockfish 16.1 already gives White a slight advantage.

More routine is 6...Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4  8.Qxd4  

7.d4 Nxe5 

Complicating things further. Simpler is 7...Bxd4. 

8.dxc5 

A bit stronger was 8.dxe5.

8...Nxe4 

The e-file looks dangerous for Black - and it is.

9.Nc3 

Development. More straight-forward was 9.Qe2 d5 10.cxd6 Nxd6 11.f4.

9...c6 

The time control is blitz. Deep analysis is not easy. Still, creating a disrupted pawn structure with 9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 seems timely.

10.Nxe4 Rf8 11.Qd6+ Kf5 

There is danger in wandering away from home.

12.Ng3+ Kg4 13.h3+ Kh4 14.Qxe5 g5 15.Nf5+ Kh5 16.g4+ Kg6 17.Qg7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Fast and Slow

At the club level, especially in games with quick time controls, accepting the sacrifices in the Jerome Gambit can be dangerous, quickly; but that declining the sacrifices, starting with the first, and be dangerous, too, quickly.

dantunes - joejoechess

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kf8 

Black declines the Bishop and the complications that go with it - to enter quieter lines, where White has a small, but visible, advantage.  

5.Bb3 d5 

Sometimes the e-pawn should advance one square, sometimes two squares. In this case, one.

6.d3 

A 1-minute bullet game might not be the best place to explore 6.Nxe5 Qg5!? or 6.exd4 Nd4 7.Nxe5 Qg5!? No games with these lines can be found in The Database.

6...Bg4 

Development.

The computer has great fun with the line 6...exe4 7.Ng5 exd3 8.Nf7 Qh4 9.O-O Nd4 10.Nxh8 (better 10.Qxd3) e4 11.Nf7 Bg4, which it evaluates leads to an even position. 

7.Be3 

Prudent. There was also 7.exd5 Na5 8.Nc3 Nxb3 9.axb3 Nf7 10.O-O with advantage.

7...Bxf3 

Overlooking the fact that the recapture will come with check. White can now exchange and simplify.

8.Qxf3+ Qf6 9.Bxc5+ Nge7 10.Qxf6+ gxf6 11.Bxe7+ Nxe7 12.exd5

White is up a piece and two pawns. If his clock is not an issue, he can play on with expectation of a win.

12...a6 13.O-O Rg8 14.c4 Black resigned

The Drawn Game World Vice-Champion Ekaterina V. Kovalevskaya - Yury V. Bukayev

The Drawn Game World Vice-Champion Ekaterina V. Kovalevskaya - Yury V. Bukayev

                         

15-board simultaneous exhibition, Moscow, 2025,

August 03 ('The Chess Square 2025')

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 

4.d3 fxe4 5.dxe4 Nf6 6.O-O Bc5 7.Bc4 d6 8.Nc3 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.Be3 Bb6 11.Bxb6 axb6 12.Be2 O-O 

13.Ng5 Bxe2 14.Qxe2 Qd7

Draw was fixed on the 14th move by agreement of the opponents because Black's advantage is extremely little only

Hmmm... I Didn't Know That

Recently, an opponent in one of my games at Chess.com made a slip, a move that would hang his Queen.

He messaged me to let me know.

I messaged back that in a friendly game, I would allow a take back.

When I explored the chess website, however, I learned that a player could not take back a move, or allow his opponent to take back a move.

Unless the game was against one of their bots.

I didn't know that.

I wasn't sure what to do next.

So, I offered my opponent a draw.

(In all fairness, had it been a Jerome Gambit game, I would probably have taken the full point.)

Jerome Gambit: New Video

 

If you would like a video primer of how to deal with a defender who only wants to take the first sacrificed piece in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6) 

check out

Jerome Gambit by White - YouTube YouTube Jerome Gambit by White. Golden combinations in the ocean of games. @BananosApartamentos Golden combinations in the ocean of games. https://www.youtube.com/@BananosApartamentos I think it would be awesome if the creator turned attention to more lines of the Jerome Gambit!

Jerome Gambit: All Is New That Has Been Forgotten

 

I just received the latest issue (#43, July 2025) of the Unorthodox Openings Newsletter, from Lev Zilbermintz, Editor-in-Chief. (https://unorthodoxchessopenings.com/UON/UON-43.pdf)

UON#43 contains a lot of unorthodox games and analysis, as well as a long, historical article that I wrote about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

I based my piece on the article that I wrote for the German language chess magazine, Kaissiber, which went unpublished; and which I serialized on this blog in 2008, "The Jerome Gambit Article (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8).

Check it out.

Jerome Gambit: Experience Counts

There is enough chaos in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) that experience is an important factor in success.

The following game illustrates.

Tracy824 - leekaiinthesky

10 0 rapid, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

Tracy824 has 155 games with this position in The Database, scoring 63%.

7.f4 Nf6

Black's attack on White's Queen feels like a knee-jerk reaction.

The Database has 472 games with this  position, with White scoring 66%.

Even better than that, Tracy826 has scored 13 - 1 from this line.

Stockfish 16.1 assesses a swing in the balance of the game with this move, from Black being up the equivalent of about 3 pawns, to White being up the equivalant of about 2 pawns.

Jerome Gambit. 

(The strongest move was 7...d6) 

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 Re8 

Tracy 825 has also seen 9...d6 10.Qe3: 

Tracy824 - ewolcan, blitz, lichess.org, 2024 (1-0, 35)

Tracy824 - ooner2024, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024 (1-0, 17)

Tracy824 - Mr_mhjn, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org 2024 (1-0, 13)

Tracy824 - Wanji20, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024 (1-0, 17)

Tracy824 - hanymohamed, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024 (0-1, 52)

Tracy824-Njaja, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024 (1-0, 21) 

Tracy824 - Drip1970, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025 (1-0, 56)

Tracy824 - DavidVart2022, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025 (1-0, 24)

Tracy824 - Iv-Iv-D, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025 (1-0, 19) 

Tracy824 - esamghabour, 10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025 (1-0, 59)

Tracy824 - hanymohamed, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025 (1-0, 40)

Tracy824 - kerikn, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025 (1-0, 67) 

10.d3 d6 11.Qf2 Ng4 12.Qg3 Qf6 

White has a 2 pawn advantage, and will soon put it to use.

13.O-O Bd7 14.h3 Nh6 15.Nc3 Kg8 

16.f5 b5 17.Bg5 Qd4+ 18.Be3 Qf6 19.Nd5 

The Knight threatens the enemy Queen and also threatens the fork at c7. Retreating the Queen would allow White to grab Black's Knight.

19...Qxb2 20.Bxh6 

Even more deadly was 20.f6, when either 20...g6 is met by 21.Bxh6, or 20...Ng4 is met by 21.f7+.

20...c6 21.c3 

Cutting off Black's Queen from defense of the Kingside.

21...g6 22.Nf6+ Black resigned

Black has had enough. His Bishop and Rook are threatened, White's Queen can infiltrate with Qxd6, and Black's defenses can be broken down with fxg6.

Jerome Gambit: Familiar

I am playing in Chess.com's second "Italian opning [sic] rapid players". In the first round, Group 1, I have managed to play only two Jerome Gambit games, but they were successful ones.

Past experience prepared me for a good start in the game.

perrypawnpusher - BIJAN_H_F

italian opning rapid players, Chess.com, 2025

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 

This is a familiar position. The Database has 1,300 games where it occurs, with White scoring 63%.

Closer at hand, I have reached this position in 64 games, scoring 78%.

10.O-O 

Or 10.f4 as in perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS,2010 (1-0, 18)

10...Rf8 

I have faced 10...Kf7 a number of times; 

perrypawnpusher - Feestt, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 19);

perrypawnpusher - thehunterrjames, blitz, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 25);

perrypawnpusher - Nadante, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 59);

perrypawnpusher - stcamillis, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 18);

perrypawnpusher - Jore, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 32); 

perrypawnpusher - avgur, blitz, FICS, 2013 (0-1, 27); 

perrypawnpusher - kenkenaditya, blitz, FICS, 2014  (1-0, 33); 

perrypawnpusher - scarsetto, blitz, FICS, 2014 (0-1,18); and

perrypawnpusher - acasimon1987, Chess.com, 2021 (0-1, 38) 

Also 10...Ng4  

perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2-1/2, 58); 

perrypawnpusher - lorecai, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 47);

perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS 2011 (1-0, 24);

perrypawnpusher - FiNLiP, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 59); and

perrypawnpusher - Riversider, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 18)

After 10...Qe7

perrypawnpusher - Edvardinho, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 57); and

 perrypawnpusher - Borislav007, Chess.com, iPhone 2024 (1-0, 12)

11.f4 Rf7 

Or 11...Ng4 as in

perrypawnpusher - blackburne, Jerome Gambit 3 thematic, chessworld.net, 2008 (1-0, 38);

perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 47);

perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2 - 1/2, 58);

perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 37);

perrypawnpusher - lorecai, blitz, FICS, 2010  (1-0, 47); and

perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS 2011 (1-0, 24)

Enough history. Back to the game.

12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc4 

Or 13...Neg4, perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 30) 

14.Qd3 Nb6 

Also possible was 14...b5. In similar positions, however, I have scored 7 - 1- 1. In this game, I now have a small advantage, based on my pawn center and Black's King's uneasy placement.

15.Bg5 h6 16.Bh4 Nbd7 

This move takes away a resource - exchanging Queens - that was still possible after 16...Bd7 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Bc6 19.exf6 Qxd3 20. cxd3 gxf6 and White has only a small advantage. 

17.Nc3 Nf8 

The Knight has been around: Nc6-e5-g6-e5-c4-b6-d7-f8.

18.Rad1 g5 19.Bg3 

Stockfish 16.1 prefers more active play, showing how to take advantage of the weak Black Kingside; 19.fxg6 Nxg6 20.Bxf6 Rxf6 21.Nd5 Rxf1+ 22.Rxf1 Be6 23.Qg3 Bf7 24.Rf6 c6 25.Rxg6 Bxf6 26.Qxg6+ Kf8 27.Qxh6+ Kf7 28.Qxh6+ Kf8 29.Nc7

19...N8d7 20.e5 

White will win material, and maintain his advantage.

20...dxe5 21.dxe5 Qe7 

It is hard for Black to come up with an answer, as White's e-pawn not only threatens to take the Knight on f6, it threatens to advance to e7, forking two pieces.

22.exf6 Qxf6 

23.Rfe1+ 

Even stronger was 22.Nd5 right away.

23...Kf8 24.Nd5 Nc5 

Worth a try, but White will not slip at this point.

25.Qe3 b6 26.Qe8+ Kg7 27.Nxf6 Bb7 28.Nh5+ Black resigns

It is checkmate after 28...Kh7 29.Qxf7+ Kh8 30.Qg7# 

Women's World Chess Vice-Champion Simultaneous Exhibition

Again, another success for Yury V. Bukayev!

Chessfriend and major contributor to this blog, Yury V. Bukayev, reports that  Ekaterina V. Kovalevskaya held a 15-board simultaneous exhibition in Moscow. 

The 2004-2006 Women's World Chess Vice-Champion's game against Yury was a draw.

Again, Excellent, Yury!

The official report of Mrs. Kovalevskaya's Exhibition can be found athttps://moscowchess.org/news/18648

Jerome Gambit: Two Complaints

Two complaints about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ) are that White gives up a piece for some pawns, and then he moves his Queen too often.

The following game is a parody of these concerns, as White's pawns roam the board, and one promotes to a Queen - with two Queens to move around, the opponent can hardly avoid checkmate. 

Bill Wall's tactical awareness brings the full point home.

Wall, Bill - Kumar

sparkchess, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qc3 

Varying from the more popular 8.Qg3 and the less frequent 8.Qf4+.

8...Qe7 

Bill has also faced 8...Qf6 in Wall,B - Guest10254637, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 38) and  Wall,B - Irene, internet, 2024.

Also 8...Nf6 9.d4 Bb6 10.f3 a5 11.O-O a4 12.Be3 Bd7 13.Nd2 Bb5 14.Rfe1 Qd7 15.Nc4 Bxc4 16.Qxc4 d5 17.Qd3 dxe4 18.fxe4 Kf7 19.Rf1 Ke8 20.Rad1 Rf8 21.e5 Ng4 22.Qxh7 Nxe3 23.Qg6+ Rf7 24.e6 Qe7 25.Rxf7 Nxd1 26.Rxe7+ Kxe7 27.Qf7+ Kd6 28.Qd7 checkmate, Wall,B - Noob, internet, 2025. 

9.d3 d5 10.O-O Bb4 

When in doubt, attack the enemy Queen.

In this case, it is Stockfish 16.1's choice, too.

11.Qd4 dxe4 12.dxe4 Bc5 13.Qc3 Bb6 

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece, and an unsafe enemy King to focus on. At the same time, Black's dark square Bishop prevents f2-f4 for now, and he has the Bishop pair.

Bill puts his "Jerome pawns" to work.

14.e5 Bd7 15.a4 Bc6 16. a5 Bc5 17.h4 

Oh, those pawns! It is interesting to note that the computer sees the position as equal.

17...a6 

Focusing on the wrong pawn, Black slips. He needed a different pawn move, 17...h6.

18.Bg5

The Jerome Gambit offers oportunities for the tactically aware.

18...Nf6 19.exf6 Qe4 

Black casually threatens checkmate. Note that the defensive f2-f3, blocking the a8-h1 diagonal, is not possible.

Much to his dismay, however, White now has a forced checkmate.

20.fxg7+ Kf7 

Avoiding 20...Ke8 21.gxh8/Q+ Bf8 22.Re1 Kd7 23.Rxe4 Bxe4 24.Qhf6 Bd5 25.Qh3+ Ke8 26.Qhe6+ Bxe6 27.Qxe6+ Be7 28.Qxe7 checkmate

21.Qf6+ Ke8 22.gxh8=Q+ Kd7 23.Qhg7+ Black resigned