Aaarrrgggh!

Some day I am likely to play the recommended lines against the Blackburne Shilling Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4), but for now I still enjoy the Jerome Gambit-ish (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) line starting with 4.Bxf7+


perrypawnpusher - fintrade
blitz FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4

Oh, no! Not the Blackburne Shilling Gambit! Haven't I already pleaded "Please don't do that..."?

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 There. Just like new.

Except for his two pawns. And my Bishop.

6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 7...Nf6

Black needs to take the Knight, when the best follow-up, according to Rybka 3.0, is 7...hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+ Nf6 10.Qc5+ Ke8 11.Qxd4 d5 which is unclear, or slightly favoring Black.

8.Qe5+ Ne6 Black resigns

Perhaps Black was a bit hasty in turning over his King, as after 9. Nxh8 Bg7 he is going to wind up with two pieces against a Rook and three pawns.

Killer

In "Keep the shilling" we saw the latest play in a Jerome-ized Blackburne Shilling Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4). The following game looks like a killer at first glance – but examination raises the question: for whom?

dubnikova - hubris
redhotpawn, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4

4.Bxf7+ 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.f4+ Kxe4 8.Nc3 checkmate

Wow.

Now, instead of the grabby 7...Kxe4, play 7...Kd6.

Uh oh.

After 8.Na3 Kc6 9.c3 d5, things are deteriorating fast – for White.

One step forward, one step back

Although some may consider the phrase "Jerome Gambit opening theory" to be somewhat of an oxymoron, as historical research continues to uncover games and analysis, and as new games starting 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ continue to be played, an understanding of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's creation will continue to advance, one step at a time. Defenses may also advance – or, as in the following game, take a step backward.

perrypawnpusher - nicolasalk
blitz 10 5, FICS, 2009

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6
Black has a number of successful strategies at this point.
7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ne7
Alas, this is not one of them.
9.Qxe5+ Kc6 10.Qc3 The recommended improvement upon 10.d4 Bb4+ ( 10...d6 11.d5+ Kb5 12.a4+ Kb6 13.a5+ Kb5 14.Qc3 Bb4 15.Na3+ Kxa5 16.Nc4+ Kb5 17.Ra5+ Bxa5 18.Qxa5+ Kxc4 19.b3+ Kd4 20.Qb4# 1-0 perrypawnpusher-vypux, blitz, FICS, 2009) 11.Nc3 b6 12.Qb5+ Kb7 13.Qxb4 Nc6 14.Qc4 Qh4+ 15.g3 Qh3 16.Qf1 d6 17.Qxh3 Bxh3 18.Be3 Nb4 19.0-0-0 Kc8 20.e5 Bg4 21.Rd2 Re8 22.h3 Bf3 23.Rf1 Bg2 24.Rxg2 a5 25.Re2 b5 26.Rfe1 a4 27.a3 Kd7 28.axb4 a3 29.bxa3 Rxa3 30.Kd2 Kc6 31.d5+ Kb7 32.e6 c6 33.dxc6+ Kxc6 34.f5 Ra4 35.Bf4 Rxb4 36.Re4 Kc5 37.Bxd6+ Kxd6 38.Rxb4 Rd8 39.Rd4+ Kc7 40.Rxd8 Kxd8 41.e7+ Ke8 42.Nxb5 h5 43.Nd6+ 1-0 perrypawnpusher - TheChessInnovator blitz, FICS, 2008)
10...Qf8

Black's defense requires 10...b6 and 11...d6, and his King will survive, albeit down two pawns.

11.d4 Qf6 12.Qxc5 checkmate

Shock and Awe

As the song goes, "I'd rather be a hammer than a nail," and the same goes for me when it comes to playing or facing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), despite its shortcomings.
Make no mistake, I have a decent record against the Jerome. There are times, though, when I'd rather not run into it.

Like when I experience my own "shock and awe."

yorgos - perrypawnpusher
blitz 3 0 FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Bxf7+


Oh, man, not the Jerome Gambit!

This is supposed to be a Two Knights Defense!

I don't want to face the Jerome!

Not in a 3 0 game!

Readers please note: a defeatist attitude will get you nowhere, as this game shows.

Also, my own personal experience of Jerome Gambit "shock and awe" in this game cost me some time on the clock – and since the game quickly became a sprint against time, and when my flag fell my opponent had less than two seconds left on his own clock – well, you can see where that time-difference came from, right??

4...Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 Qe8 7.0-0 Nxe5

8.Qxd4 d6 9.Ng5+ Kg8 10.Nc3 h6 11.Nge4 Be7
12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.Qd5+ Qf7 14.Qxf7+ Kxf7

Black is "simply" a piece up, and in a regular time limit game the outcome would be a foregone conclusion. But here the moves come faster and faster as the clocks tick down.

15.Nd5 c6 16.Nf4 Rf8 17.Nh5 Kg8 18.f4 Nf7 19.Bd2 Bf5 20.Rac1 b6 21.Rf3 Bxb2 22.Rb1 Bd4+ 23.Kf1 Rae8

My position is like that of a person who jumped off of the top of a skyscraper, and who said after passing 23 floors, "So far everything seems to be going well."

24.Rg3 Bxc2 25.Rc1 Bd3+

Oops.

It's ok, I'm still better.

26.Rxd3 c5 27.Bc3 Bxc3 28.Rcxc3 Kh7 29.Rg3 Rg8

The correct move was the nifty 29...Ng5, but we were moving pretty fast now.

30.f5 d5 31.Nf4 d4 32.Rcd3 Ng5 33.h4

I hate to point out that 33.Rxg5 hxg5 34.Rh3 would have been mate. We were just throwing pieces now. The Jerome Gambit has equal chances in a game of horseshoes.

33...Ne4 34.Rg6 Nf6 35.h5 Re5 36.g4 Rge8 37.Ne6 Re7 38.Rf3 Re4 39.g5 hxg5 40.h6 gxh6 41.Rxf6 Re3 42.Nf8+ Kg8 43.Rxe3 dxe3 44.Nd7 Rf7 45.Rxh6 Rxf5+ 46.Ke2 Rf2+ 47.Kxe3 Rxa2 48.Nxc5 Black forfeits on time


The Jerome Gambit is not just an opening, it's a spirit of relentless play, and a willingess to win by whatever means necessary.

I salute my opponent, yorgos, for his bold win.

And I think I'll return to 1...e6 for a while.

If not a Jerome Gambit...

Sometimes, when I cannot achieve a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) in the opening, I am happy to move on into a Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit, and I am usually able to find a Jerome-ish theme or two there, as well...


perrypawnpusher - TheMagicTorch
blitz FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6

4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Nc3 f5

An unusual and risky continuation, as in my game vs jayshanker. The regular B-K continues after 5...Nxc3 6.dxc3

6.Re1

The suggested move in "Boden-Kieseritzky-Jerome Gambit?"

6...Bc5

More prudent seems to be 6...d6.

7.Nxe4

I was having Jerome dreams dancing in my head, but, really, 7.d4 was better, as with 7...d5 8.Bxd5 Nxc3 9.Bxc6+ bxc6 10.Rxe5+ Be7 11.bxc3 0-0 and White has the advantage.

7...fxe4 8.Nxe5 Nxe5

Black would have had less of a problem if he had thought Jerome-ish-ly, too: 8...Bxf2+ 9.Kxf2 Qh4+ 10.Kg1 Nxe5 11.g3 Qf6 12.Rxe4 Kd8 when White's advantage is small.

9.Qh5+ g6 10.Qxe5+ Qe7

11.Qxh8+ Qf8 12.Rxe4+ Be7 13.Qxh7

A Rook ahead, I let my brain relax. Readers who enjoy tactics propably are asking themselves, "What about trying 13.Rxe7+ instead?" and they are right: 13...Kxe7 14.Qe5+ Kd8 15.d4 d6 16.Bg5+ Kd7 17.Be6+ Ke8 ( 17...Kc6 18.Qd5+ Kb6 19.Qb3+ Ka5 20.Bd2+ Ka6 21.Bc4+ b5 22.Qxb5#) 18.Qe2 Qg7 19.Re1 Bd7 20.Bxd7+ Kf8 21.Be6 Qf6 22.Bxf6 Re8 23.Qf3 Rxe6 24.Rxe6 Kg8 25.Bh8 h6 26.Re8+ Kh7 27.Qf7 checkmate. Good work!

13...c6 14.Qxg6+ Kd8

Timid Brain said: Watch out for that coming fork at d5!

Courageous Brain says: Bring it! Try: 15.d4 d5 16.Rxe7 Kxe7 17.Bg5+ Kd7 18.Qh7+ Kd6 19.Bh4 dxc4 20.Re1 Bf5 21.Bg3+ Kd5 22.Re5+ Kd6 23.Rxf5+ Ke6 24.Re5+ Kd6 25.Re7+ Qf4 26.Bxf4+ Kd5 27.Qe4 checkmate.

15.Re1 d5 16.Bb3 Bd7 17.d4

Now Black makes a slip, and his game folds up like an accordion.

17...Bh4 18.Bg5+ Kc7 19.Bxh4 Rc8 20.Bg3+ Kd8 21.Qg5+ Qe7 22.Qxe7 checkmate

Rybka deals with the Jerome Gambit

The following is taken from the Support and Discussion section of the Rybka website.

It seems that the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) can have a discombobulating effect on even the best chess-playing program in the world.

Topic Rybka Support & Discussion / Rybka / Rybka 2.3.2a mp, bug after Y-key? (493 hits)

By Michiel Wind Date 2008-06-11 04:58 Edited 2008-06-11 05:45

Not sure if anybody mentioned this bug before.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ (the Jerome Gambit, my secret weapon for the next Freestyle tournament) Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

Now the obvious reply is Nxe5, but I wanted to know if there are any alternatives, so I pressed the Y-key. Rybka now gives 5....Ke8 as +0.3.

But strangely enough, if I play 5...Kf8 he immediately gives it as -0.8!

If after 5.Nxe5 I ask for 3 variations, then they are correctly listed as 5...Nxe5 -1.45...Kf8 -0.85...Ke8 +0.3

I have tried the above many times, but Rybka always gives the wrong alternative (to 5...Nxe5) move 5...Ke8 instead of 5...Kf8.

Odds-giving

While I've touched upon the idea of playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against a weaker player as a form of odds-giving, and even included some information on the practice (see "Jerome Gambit For Dummies (1)"), for a much better understanding of the subject – a real tour de force – it is best to read Sarah Beth Cohen's remarkable essay "The Romance of Chess - A Perspective on the Art of Odds-giving".

While you're at her site, wander around a bit and appreciate her sense of, and dedication to, chess history.

(For the record, Ms. Cohen has played the Jerome Gambit at least once.)