It can be a lot of fun showing off my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games – even the losses – or, as in the case below, my Jerome-ized games, but it's a little embarassing to find in the middle of a "good" win a really bad move...
Up to here we have a pretty normal Jerome Gambit-style scenario: White hopes he can use his two extra pawns to create mischief before Black can get his extra piece to settle things.
13.f5
Fritz 8's suggestion is interesting, suggesting play across the whole board, and a balanced game after: 13.Qg3 Nf8 14.e5 Nh5 15.Qf3 g6 16.d4 Ba6 17.Rd1 Ng7 18.Ne4 Kd8 19.d5 Kc8 20.a4
13...Ne5 14.d4 Ba6
If you can counter a tactical threat with a stronger one of your own, that is a good thing: so Black threatens my Rook while I "merely" threaten his Knight – well, not exactly, but that was what my opponent was thinking. Instead, the Knight should retreat to f7.
15.dxe5 Qxe5
If 15...Bxf1 then 16.exf6 Qxf6 17.Kxf1. Now I have my piece back, and am up a pawn.
16.Re1 Kf7 17.Qf3 Rhe8 18.Bf4 Qc5+ 19.Be3 Qb5
Clearly a case, Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Pete Banks ("blackburne") would say, of serious shock and awe.
20.Bd4
Clearly a case of "short attention span chess". When I looked closer at the board after my move (most experts recommend looking at the board before you move) I was appalled at my oversight. Oooops...
20...Qxb2
Well, I suppose it would be too much to expect him to let me have a second chance to capture his Queen... I do have a lot of pawns and pieces pointed at his King, however.
21.e5 Nd5
This falls in with White's plans. Better was 21...Qb4, attacking the Bishop on d4. White's attack can then proceed, but slower: 22.Rad1 Kg8 23.Qg3 Nd5 24.Ne4 Qf8 25.Nd6 followed in a few moves with the pawn break f5-f6.
22.e6+
22...Kg8 23.Qg4 Nxc3
Ending the game, but 23...Re7 24.Nxd5 lead to only misery as well after 24...Qxd4+ 25.Qxd4 cxd5 26.Qxd5 Bb7 (what else??) 27.Qd6
A new line in a defense to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) doesn't cool things off, but, rather, puts the heat on Black's King...
If you can visualize (I couldn't at the time) 11.Nc3 followed by Na4+ and then the capture of the Black Bishop at c5, you can see that this isn't the strongest move for White. Rybka's suggested line of play, later, was much more complicated: 11.Qb3+ Kc6 12.a4 Qh4+ 13.g3 Qh5 14.Qb5+ Kd6 15.b4 Re8 16.Nc3 c6 17.Qxc5+ Qxc5 18.bxc5+ Kxc5 with advantage to White.
11...Bxd4 This capture puts hotintheshade's King in serious danger, whereas after 11...Bb4+ 12.c3 Bf8 it is not clear that White has anything more than checking his way repeatedly to a draw.
12.Qxd4+ c5
A multi-purpose move designed to block the check and give Black an escape square at c7. Unfortunatly, it also opens the possibility of a checkmate in 4 moves.
After a slug-fest with the Black pieces in my second game with JoeJox – for our first game, see "Dropping A Half-Point (Part 1)" – I was very glad to get the White pieces back for game three, and, of course, the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) was still on my mind...
perrypawnpusher - joejox blitz 5 10, FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 Staying away from the Semi-Italian Game with 3...h6, because of the mess it got him into last time. I found that to be a bit ironic.
4.Bxf7+ The Jerome Gambit proper (if such a thing may be said).
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 A solid defense. 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 Black is better. 10.0-0 Kf7 Preparing to castle-by-hand. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to challenge Joejox twice with the Jerome.
11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 Rf813.f5 White has to use his center pawns to make mischief. 13...Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qd3 Nb6 16.Bg5 Kg8 An interesting position. Black has "castled," but play against his wayward Knight (Nc6-e5-g3-e5-b6) has given White extra tempos, and he is near equalizing – especially after the thematic 17.Rae1. 17.g4Nbd7 18.Rae1 Black has a fairly good counter to this move now. Better was 18.Bf4 d5 19.e5 Ne8 20.Rae1 Qh4 and Black has an edge.
18...Qb6 19.Na4 Instead, White should offer the b-pawn and g-pawn with an unclear position to follow: 19.Kg2 Qxb2 20.e5 dxe5 21.dxe5 Nxg4 since after 22.Qc4+ Kh8 23.Nd1 Qb5 24.Qxg4 Nxe5 he has play. 19...Qb4 20.b3 Nxg4The g-pawn was sitting just ready to be plucked; but the consistent move was not to be distracted and play 20...b5, allowing both Queensides to become untangled after 21.a3 Qa5 22.Nc3 Qb6. Black would still have the edge. 21.Bd2 Qa3 After 21...Qb5 White can re-activate his pawns with 22.Qg3 Ngf6 23.Qxd6 with about equal chances. The text allows a draw by repetition. 22.Bc3
Not this way, though! White should play 22.Bc1 and if 22...Qxa2 then 23.Bb2 when 23...b5 24.Ra1 Qxa1 25.Rxa1 bxa4 26.Ba3 gives him at least an equal game. It looks like Joejox was ready to split the point, though. 22...b5 Too bad: 22...d5 gave Black chances, by playing sharp defense and by returning his piece for a couple of pawns – 23.Qd2 a5 24.Qg2 Ngf6 25.e5 Ne4 26.f6 Rf7 27.e6 Rxf6 28.exd7 Bxd7 29.Nb6 Rd8 30.Nxd7 Rxd7 31.Qf3 Nxc3 32.Qxc3 Rf7, with an extra pawn. 23.Bb2 Qb4 24.Bc3 Qa3 25.Bb2 Qb4 26.Bc3 Qa3 27.Bb2 Drawn
The other day at FICS I grabbed four games against a pleasant opponent who would certainly have played more with me if I didn't have to excuse myself to be elsewhere.
It wasn't the same as being in a club and actually sitting across-the-board for a game, but it was much more enjoyable than the "opponent disconnects" or "You &%$$#!" that I sometimes encounter when I accidentally achieve an advantage...
Here are a couple of my games with Joejox. Of course, they touch on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) perrypawnpusher - joejox blitz 5 10, FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 The cautious Semi-Italian Game. See "Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit", "Pulling A Rabbit Out of A Hat" and "Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit Encore". 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
Jerome-izing the game. I think adding 0-0 to White's position in the Jerome is at least as helpful as adding ...h6 to Black's.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ke6
Probably best. I've played 5 previous games in this line, and Black answered 7...Kf6, 7...Ng6, 7...Ke6, and 7...g6 (twice). 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.d4 Now the proper response for Black is the straight-forward 9...Bxd4, with advantage. My opponent apparently knows something about the Jerome Gambit and ...Qf6, however; and, as Josh Billings said, "The trouble with people is not that they don't know but that they know so much that ain't so." 9...Qf6 10.dxe5+ Qxe5 11.Bf4 Black resigns As a post-script, I'd like to add that following the advice of the masters ("analyze your own games") helped me here: in an earlier game against Joyus I had played the rash and weaker 11.Rd1+.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qf6 Not the usual move (9...Nf6) but perhaps the word is getting around that ...Qf6 can be very useful in warding off the Jerome Gambit.
This is a blitz game, otherwise known as "Anything Can Happen Day." I admire my opponent's will. 36.h6 Rh4 37.Rh3 Rg4+ 38.Kf3 Rg8 39.h7 Rh8 40.Ke3 Kd6 41.Kd4 Ke6
It can be a lot of fun showing off my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games – even the losses – or, as in the case below, my Jerome-ized games, but it's a little embarassing to find in the middle of a "good" win a really bad move...
The Semi-Italian Game, not necessarily safer than 3...Bc5.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6 
8.Qd5+ Ke8 
Up to here we have a pretty normal Jerome Gambit-style scenario: White hopes he can use his two extra pawns to create mischief before Black can get his extra piece to settle things.
If you can counter a tactical threat with a stronger one of your own, that is a good thing: so Black threatens my Rook while I "merely" threaten his Knight – well, not exactly, but that was what my opponent was thinking. Instead, the Knight should retreat to f7.
Clearly a case, Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Pete Banks ("blackburne") would say, of serious shock and awe.
7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Nh6 
9.Qxe5+ Kc6 10.Qd5+ Kb6
This capture puts hotintheshade's King in serious danger, whereas after 11...Bb4+ 12.c3 Bf8 it is not clear that White has anything more than checking his way repeatedly to a draw.
A multi-purpose move designed to block the check and give Black an escape square at c7. Unfortunatly, it also opens the possibility of a checkmate in 4 moves.
Readers will no doubt have seen the better: 14.Bd2+ Ka4 ( 14...Kb5 15.a4+ Kc4 16.Na3 checkmate) 15.b3+ Kb5 16.Na3 checkmate
White has a simple two-pawn advantage.
Sloppy, as the pawn could simply be taken; but my opponent is taken in by my oversight.
The rest of the game just plays itself out.
42.Ke3 Kf5 43.h5 Kf6 44.h6 Kg6 45.Kd4 b5 46.Kc5 Black resigns
Black is better.
13.f5 
An interesting position. Black has "castled," but play against his wayward Knight (Nc6-e5-g3-e5-b6) has given White extra tempos, and he is near equalizing – especially after the thematic 17.Rae1.
The g-pawn was sitting just ready to be plucked; but the consistent move was not to be distracted and play 20...b5, allowing both Queensides to become untangled after 21.a3 Qa5 22.Nc3 Qb6. Black would still have the edge.
While this may look ominous at first glance, it allows me to transition to a technical, 2-pawn-up endgame.
This is a blitz game, otherwise known as "Anything Can Happen Day." I admire my opponent's will.
