Always New

Introducing others to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), either over-the-board, online, or via this blog, always seems to bring out players' creativity; so that an old, hackneyed opening is constantly experiencing new and interesting re-creations.

perrypawnpusher - nicholasjanssen blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 From here Black can defend with either Blackburne's or Whistler's defense.

7.Qxe5 d6 

Blackburne it is. (7...Qe7 is Whistler) 

8.Qxh8 Qf6 

This innovation (8...Qh4 is "book") is new to me. Black threatens havoc at f2.

9.Qxf6+ 

Or 9...Qxh7+ before exchanging Queens. 

9...Nxf6 10.d3 Be6 11.Nc3 Re8 12.0-0 d5 This all seems pretty natural to me, but I'm not sure that my opponent was happy with the amount of counter-attack that his Rook purchased. White is the exchange and a couple of pawns to the better. 

13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Bd2 Bb4 15.a3 Bd6 16.Nxd5 Bxd5 17.Rae1 White doesn't need excitment; he only needs to exchange pieces.

17...b6 18.Rxe8 Kxe8 19.Re1+ Kf7 20.Bc3 a5 21.Be5 Mindlessness masquerading as technique. 

21...Ba2 

Not a safe place to hide. 

22.Bxd6 cxd6 23.b3 a4 24.bxa4 d5 Having freed the Bishop, Black slams the door on it again. It took me a move to notice. 

25.f3 h5 26.Ra1 b5 27.Rxa2 Faster is 27.axb5, but it doesn't matter. 

27...bxa4 28.Rb2 Ke6 29.Kf2 Ke5 30.Ke3 d4+ 31.Kf2 Kf4 32.Rb4 Ke5 33.Rxa4 h4 34.Rb4 g5 35.a4 g4 36.fxg4 h3 Black resigned

Long Lost Cousins & Perfect Strangers

Sometimes, when I'm in a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) mood, especially when I'm in the position to give "Jerome Gambit odds," I tend to see many openings – some only distantly related to the Italian Game – as Jerome-izeable.

perrypawnpusher - dabbling
blitz 10 0 FICS, 2009


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 a6

This move was news to me, but I just checked ChessBase's online games database and it has almost 360 examples, played by people like Bogoljubow, Reshevsky, and Steiner, so maybe it's just out of fashion.
4.0-0 Bb4
Ok, this is a bit odd. It reminds me of Alapin's defense to the Ruy Lopez: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bb4. If I can kick the Bishop back to the 5th rank, though...

5.c3 Ba5 6.Bxf7+


Now, Perry, you know you had a good game with 6.d4...

But, Doctor, I can't help myself!

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ g6

Instead, 8...Kf8 9.Qxe5 Bb6 led to a Black advantage.

9.Qxe5 Bb6 10.Qxh8
White is up the exchange and two pawns, but what is equally important is that Black feels like he's slipped and missed a step somewhere.
10...d6 11.Qxh7+ Kf8 12.d4 Qf6 13.Bh6+ Ke8

Rapidly going from bad to worse...

14.Qxg8+ Kd7 15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Qxe5 17.Rd1+ Kc6

18.Qxg6+ Kb5 19.a4+ Ka5 20.b4 checkmate

Italian Game in Master Practice

The German language website Schachfeld has discussion and analysis on many openings, including the Italian game.

It even includes the infamous Amateur - Blackburne, London 1885, Jerome Gambit game, including side posts mentioning 7...Qe7, Whistler's Defense, and the improvement 10.Qd8.

My German skills are not good, but I think the Jerome Gambit is referred to as the "most impudent" attack in the Italian game.

Sounds about right to me.

Parts is parts

When facing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) my oppponents sometimes try to re-create Blackburne's crushing reaction, the best-known example of the Jerome that they are likely to recall. Sometimes they only remember parts of the line, however.

perrypawnpusher - Kapppy
blitz 2 12, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bd6

I have faced this line before: perrypawnpusher - tuffnut, blitz 2 12, FICS 2007: 8.Qxh8 Be7 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.Qxg6 d6 11.d4 Bd7 12.Bh6+ Nxh6 13.Qxh6+ Kf7 14.Qh7+ Kf8 15.Qh8+ Kf7 16.Qxd8 Rxd8 17.Nc3 c6 18.0-0 Rg8 19.f4 Bh3 20.Rf2 Bd7 21.e5 dxe5 22.dxe5 Ke8 23.f5 Bc5 24.f6 Bxf2+ 25.Kxf2 Be6 26.Ne4 Rf8 27.Nd6+ Kd7 28.Rd1 Kc7 29.h3 Bd5 30.g4 Rh8 31.Kg3 b6 32.h4 Be6 33.g5 Black resigned; as well as perrypawnpusher - bakker, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 20).

Black's best is Whistler's Defense, 7...Qe7.

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.Qd4 Nf6 The position bears slight resemblance to Blackburne's destruction of the Jerome Gambit – here White's Queen has escaped after capturing the Rook and can help in her King's defense.
10.d3 b6 11.Nd2 Ng4
Black is ganging up on f2, but a better way to do that was 11...Bc5 (although White's advantage is obvious).
12.Nf3 Bc5
Now this falls to 13.Qd5+ – or it would, if I had noticed it. My response was good, just not best.
13.Qxc5 Qxf2+ 14.Qxf2 Nxf2 15.Kxf2 d6
A Rook is a Rook is a Rook.

16.Rf1 Rb8 17.Kg1 Ke7 18.Bg5+ Kd7
19.Nh4 Kc6 20.Rf7 Kb7 21.Rxh7 Ka8


The game was adjourned at Kapppy's request. When it resumed, there were no surprises.
22. Rxc7 b5 23. Be3 Rb7 24. Rxc8+ Rb8 25. Rxb8+ Kxb8 26. Nxg6 Ka8 27. h4 b4 28. h5 b3 29. axb3 d5 30. exd5 Kb7 31. h6 Ka8 32. h7 Kb8 33. h8=Q+ Kb7 34. Rxa7 checkmate

London Calling... Ten Months of Blog

Dear Jerome Gambit Gemeinde,

It's time to note that jeromegambit.blogspot.com has had daily posts (over 300 of them) for ten months now – an infant compared to many wonderful chess sites, but almost a toddler beside them. And there is still much room to grow!

We've not only explored the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) on these pages, but thanks to the creativity of many members, we've also taken on a host of loosely-named Jerome Gambit "relatives":

Abrahams Jerome Gambit

Bishop's Opening Jerome Gambit

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit

Boden-Kieseritzky Jerome Gambit

Danvers Jerome Gambit

Evans Jerome Gambit

Fried Jerome Attack

Jerome Elephant Gambit

Philidor Jerome Gambit

Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit

Sicilian Jerome Gambit

Best wishes, all!

Rick Kennedy ("perrypawnpusher")

Bishop's Opening: Jerome Gambit

Frenchie501 has an interesting chessvideo and discussion at the chessvideos.tv website on the Jerome Gambit-related line: 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.d3 Na5 4.Bxf7+

See "Don't make me go Jerome all over you", "Offside!" and "Bishop in a hurry" for similar lines covered on this blog.

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws"

Blunder Table

From Geoff Chandler, of Chandler Cornered – its application to the play and enjoyment of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is clear:

Here is a one-move blunder table showing how severe the blunder needs to be in a game between two players of the same grade.

All players should be able to spot their opponent leaving a mate in one on.

A 1200 player should win if an opponent blunders a Queen or a Rook. But not necessarily if they pick up a Bishop or Knight.

1500 players often convert piece-up games into a win, but this is not the case if a pawn or two up.

An 1800 player usually wins if they are two pawns up.

In a game between two 2000+ players a blundered pawn is usually enough to win.