My current Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game (mentioned in "Through To Two") in the second of two Chess.com Italian Game tournaments has taken a sharp and pleasant turn, with my opponent resigning at move 34.
That leaves me with a 2-1 record with the Jerome in the first tournament, with further chances to play the opening as I advance to the second round. Now I am 1-0 with the Jerome in the second tournament, where I will have the White pieces in one more game (but where I am not likely to advance to the next round).
I stumbled across the Jerome Gambit Forum at Forum Jar and don't know what to make of it.
You might want to avoid it altogether.
While the site boasts "Congratulations! You have found the Jerome Gambit Forum on Forum Jar. This forum is a place where people who are interested in Jerome Gambit come together and discuss about Jerome Gambit" there are, in fact, no posts.
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If you have something to say about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), you can always send it here!
It might be that, despite his name, Dekapitator was on his way to playing a quiet Giuoco Piano game, when his opponent's 4...Na5 suddenly screamed out "Kick Me!" Suddenly, the "Jerome treatment" seemed like a good idea.
Dekapitator - nonsonocapace
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Na5
We have seen that this offside Knight is not very good when played on the third move (see "Puzzling" for a recent example), and it is just about as strong here.
5.Bxf7+
Objectively, White does best with 5.Nxe5, but the Jerome treatment of the position is more fun.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke6
Brave and bold, but Rybka prefers 6...Kf8 (there are two games in The Database with this move, White scoring 2-0) and then gives 7.d4 Bb6 8.Nf3 Qe8 9.Nc3 d6 10.h3 Qg6 11.Nh4 Qf6 12.Nf3 Qg6 repeating the position for a draw!?
Not surprisingly, 6...Ke8, allowing White's Queen to go to h5 with check, lost in its one appearance in The Database.
7.d4
A bit stronger is 7.Qg4+ Kxe5 8.d4+, but White may have been finding his way here.
7...Bd6
After this, it is "find the checkmate" for White.
8.Qg4+ Ke7 9.Bg5+
Or 9.Qxg7+ Ke8 10.Qf7#
9...Nf6
10.f4
Building his position. With 10.Bxf6+ White would win Black's Queen, as anything other than 10...Ke8 would lead to mate.
10...Bxe5
Missing a chance to play 10...Kf8 and shore up his position. Now White crashes through.
11.fxe5 Kf7 12.exf6 .gxf6 13.Rxf6+ Qxf6 14.Bxf6 Kxf6 15.Nc3 b6 16.Rf1+ Ke7 17.Qg7+ Kd6 18.Rf6 checkmate
I was feeling a bit cranky when I began to put this post together, so I decided upon a Jerome Gambit game that features a "TL", that is, a "TN" (theoretical novelty) that turned out to be a "theoretical lemon" as White was rudely overrun by his opponent.
Tadayoshi - AMITAF
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 d6 8.f4
Black's last move shows an indifference as to which piece White captures. (White should choose one.)
White, in turn, leaves his capture options open and adds another "Jerome pawn" to the mix. This is risky, as Black demonstrates that pawn advances can leave weaknesses in their wake.
8...Bg4 9.Qd2 Nc4 10.Qd3 d5
11.b3
Going after the annoying Knight, and perhaps even anticipating his 13th move, but needed to try the straight-forward 11.dxc5, even though it would still leave him worse.
11...Bb4
A deadly pin.
12.bxc4 Nxe4 13.Bb2 Qh4+ 14.g3 Qh3
15.Rf1 Rhe8 16.Qxe4 Rxe4+ 17.Kd2 Rxd4+ 18.Kc1 Qxf1+ White resigned
Ouch.
With another endgame win with Black, I have managed to gain the top score in Group #1 (5-1-0) in one of my Chess.com Italian Game thematic tournaments, moving on to the second round along with JoseSoza (4-1-1). I am pleased with my two wins and one loss with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).
In my second Italian Game thematic tournament, I am still at a gloomy 1-4-0, although I am up three connected passed pawns in an ending with the Black pieces that sometime or other has to become a win. So far I have reached only one Jerome Gambit, ongoing, but, with three pawns for a piece there is still a lot of play left!
The following game re-visited a puzzling line considered earlier. White chose a more complicated line and was rewarded quickly.
NosBos - IamFischer
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5
A line with no name. Its purpose, I suppose, would be revealed by 4.Bb3 Nxb3 5.axb3. It attracts the "Jerome treatment" however.
4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qe5+
Better than 8.Qxa5 Black Resigned, which was puzzled over in Zoogin - Rampenplan, blitz, FICS, 2011 (A look at The Database shows that Black scored 26% in over 50 games, despite the position being largely equal for the second player.)
8...Be7 9.Nxh8 d6 10.Qxa5 Black resigned
There is a new discussion of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) developing at Chess.com, with people chiming in from around the world... It is always interesting to me to see how these things go!
