The following game features a Jerome Gambit defense centered on 6...Ke6. The move signals that either Black is familiar with the opening, and has one of the effective remedies at hand; or that Black is unfamiliar with the opening, and is stepping into danger. A brave defender, or an outnumbered one?
angelcamina - rfsimon
1 0 bullet, lichess.org
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6
Yes. Black wishes to hold onto both of the sacrificed pieces.
The Database has 1,095 games with this position, and White scores 53%. The bigger question is: Who will succeed in a bullet game?
7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ng6
A common sense move, but one that swings the game evaluation to only slightly in Black's favor.
9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ Ke8 11.O-O N8e7
The players are banging out reasonable moves, but that is one of the problems with the Jerome Gambit - often reasonable moves are not enough to maintain Black's advantage, especially when played at quick time controls. Here, 11...d6, followed by the reasonable 12.Qf2 Nf6, was better.
12.d4 Rf8 13.f5 Nh4
This move reminds me of GM Nunn's caution, "Loose pieces drop off." Black had to try to hold on with 13...d6 14.Qb5+ c6 15.Qe2 Nh8.
14.Bg5 b6 15.Qc4 d6
Forgetting about the Knight - easy to do at bullet. Limiting the damage was 15...d5.
16.Bxh4 a5
17.Nc3 Ba6 18.Qa4+ Kf7 19.Rf2 Kg8
White is up by 2 pawns, but will the clock allow him to win?
20.Re1 Rf6
Looks like an oversight.
21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.e5 dxe5 23.dxe5 fxe5 24.Rxe5 Qf8
25.f6 Ng6 26.Qg4 Kh8 27.Re3 Ne5
The clock. Also, checkmate is on its way.
28.Rxe5 Bb7 29.Re7 Qg8 30.Rg7 Qe6 31.Qh4 Qg4 32.Qxh7 checkmate
"This just doesn't seem to be my day" is a lament that many chess players make. Certainly the defender (who appears to be receiving "Jerome Gambit odds") in the following game can agree.
angelcamina - burns88
1 0 bullet, lichess.org
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6
This is an exciting move, as it can often lead to the Blackburne or Whistler Defenses.
7.Qxe5 Qf6
Black shows that he is unfamiliar with the Jerome Gambit, and disaster follows, quickly. Just not his day.
8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Ne7 10.O-O Re8 11.d3 Kg7
Dangerously placing the King on the same diagonal as the Queen.
12.Bd2 d5 13.Bc3 d4 14.Bxd4 Nd5 15.Bxf6+ Kxf6 16.Qd4+ Kf7 Black resigned
Having a "feel" for the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) saves a lot of time, especially in positions that need close examination to understand - but, in games where there is no time for close examination.
In the following game, Black seems to have side-stepped a handful of dangers, only to fall into a tactical mess.
angelcamina - yisustorres19
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1. e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Re8 9.O-O d6
Black is doing well. He can castle-by-hand and then make plans for the future. But - quickly. He has only one minute for the game.
10.f4 c5 11.Qe3 Nc4 12.Qd3 Nb6
13.e5 dxe5
Stockfish 10, which probably plays quite well at the 1 0 time control, suggests, instead, the tactical exhanges 13...Ng4 14.Nb5 dxe5 15.fxe5+ Kg8 16.Qxd8 Rxd8 17.Nc7 Bd7 18.e6 Rac8 19.Bg5 Nf6 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.e7 Re8 22.Nxe8 Rxe8 23.Rxf6 Rxe7 when Black will have two pieces for a Rook and a pawn, and, perhaps, an edge in the game.
14.Qxd8 Rxd8 15.fxe5 Nbd5
16.Nxd5 Rxd5 17.exf6 g6
Black has given back his extra piece, and seems to be heading toward a drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame.
18.Be3 Bf5 19.c3 b6 20.Rae1 Re8 21.Bg5
So far, so good. White's f-pawn is adequately blockaded.
21...Bd3
What's not to like about this move? It attacks White's Rook at f1, while simultaneously attacking the unprotected Bishop at g5. However, it was not possible to examine closely and see that it blows up Black's game, not White's.
22.Rxe8
Ouch. The Black King is stuck at f7, blockading the pawn.
22...Bxf1
Best was giving up the exchange with 22...Rxg5 23.Re7+ Kf8 24.Rd1. Checkmate now follows.
23. Re7+ Kf8 24. Bh6+ Kg8 25. f7+ Kh8 26. Re8 checkmate
In a bullet (1 minute, no increment) game, almost anything can happen. The following game is a good example - White reaches a position where he has 3 more pawns, 1 more piece, but hardly any more time. He must surrender 1/2 a point.
angelcamina - yisustorres19
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. If Black was hoping for a quiet game, this move probably comes as a disappointment.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Nc4
This is a creative response, and a rare one: there are only two other examples in The Database (White won both).
8.dxc5 Re8 9.f3 d6 10.cxd6 Nxd6
Black's plan with his Knight has worked, and he holds a piece for 2 pawns advantage.
11.O-O c6 12.Bg5
This thematic move allows Black to play 12...Qb6+, attacking White's b-pawn, but I can not make sense out of the computer's suggestion of the alternative, 12.a4.
12...h6 13.Bh4 g5 14.Bg3 Re6
Overlooking White's threat to the 2 Knights.
15.e5 Nf5
Hanging his Queen, which neither player notices.
16.exf6 Qxd1 17.Raxd1 Nxg3 18.hxg3 Rxf6
19.g4 Be6 20.Rd6 Ke7 21.Rfd1 Bd5 22.Nxd5+ Kxd6 23.Nxf6+ Ke6 24.Ne4 Re8
White has the game well under control.
25.Rd6+ Ke5 26.Rxh6 Kf4 27.Kf2 Rd8
This is a mistake, because?
Because now the subtle 28.Re6 would threaten g2-g3, checkmate.
White's choice is also winning, but it suggests that his clock is ticking down.
28.Rf6+ Ke5 29.Rf5+ Ke6 30.Rxg5 b5 31.Rg6+ Kd5 32.Rg5+ Ke6 33.Nc5+ Kd6
Black is running out of time, and so allows the crushing 34.Nb7+ Kd7 35.Nxd8.
But, White is running out of time, too.
34.Ne4+ Ke6 Drawn
The position can be repeated quickly, and both players sigh with relief.
I have looked at Black's defense in the following game before. It is another one of those lines that feels like it might work, because it is similar to a couple of lines that do - but is, in fact, a scary looking error. In a bullet game, it comes off more as a bluff that does not fool the opponent.
angelcamina - yisustorres19
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bd6
Black could play the Blackburne Defense with 7...d6, or the Whistler Defense with 7...Qe7. In the first, White can take the Rook and avoid disaster if he knows the complicated followup. In the second, taking the Rook is immediately self-destructive.
So - why not 7...Bd6?
8.Qxh8 Qf6
Okay, this is an indication that Black is constructing his defense move-by-move. It was time, instead - especially since the time control was one minute, no increment - to go all-out for something scary like 8...Qh4 9.d3 Nf6, temporarily trapping White's Queen as in the Blackburne Defense. Then, after 10.Nd2 Ng4 11.Nf3 Qxf2+ 12.Kd1 White's King looks at risk. The question is, how does Black continue? The greedy 12...Qxg2 allows White to checkmate, starting with 13.Ng5+. Best for Black seems to be 12...Bf8, unblocking the d-pawn, and after 13.h3 Qxg2 14.Qxh7+ Bg7 15.Ng5+ Kf6 16.hxg4 d6 17.Qh2 Bxg4+ 18.Ke1 the attack on White's King has run down, and Black's bluff has been called.
9.Qxh6+ Qg7 10.Qxg7+ Kxg7 11.0-0
White is ahead the exchange and 3 pawns. He just has to play ordinary chess now, nothing fancy.
11...Be5 12.f4 Bd4+ 13.Kh1 Nf6 14.c3 Bb6
15.e5 Ng4 16.h3 Nf2+ 17.Kh2 Nd3
Blocking White's development - but he soon gives the idea up.
18.Na3 Nxc1 19.Raxc1 d6 20.d4 dxe5 21.fxe5 c6 22.Nc4 Bc7 23.Nd6 Bf5
24.Nxf5+ gxf5 25.Rxf5 Rf8 26.Rxf8 Kxf8 27.Rf1+ Ke7
The game has simplified, and only the clock can hurt White. He creates a couple of Queens and finishes things.
28.g4 c5 29.g5 cxd4 30.cxd4 Bb6 31.Rf4 Ke6 32.g6 Kd5 33.g7 Bxd4 34.g8=Q+ Kxe5 35.Rxd4 Kxd4 36.h4 Kc5 37.h5 Kb4 38.h6 b5 39.h7 Ka5 40.h8=Q a6 41.Qc3+ b4 42.Qd8+ Kb5 43.Qdc7 Ka4 44.Q7c6+ Ka5 45.Q3c5 checkmate
How well do you know the Jerome Gambit? Certainly, the first four moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+. Likely the next two, as well, after 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 and either 6.Qh5+ or 6.d4. As the following game illustrates, it is helpful to know a few more, critical, moves in a variation that guarantees that Black's game will be nasty, brutish and short.
vlastous - imed 86
internet, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nf6
Black clearly is unfamiliar with the Jerome Gambit, and, in attacking White's Queen, manages to quickly return both sacrificed pieces. The Database has 63 games with this position, with White scoring 73% - I am surprised that White doesn't do better. You should know the follow-up.
8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 Nxe4
Black's second gaffe makes things worse. Again, White should be able to spot the tactic right away.
10.Qd5+ Kf8
Instead, 10...Kf6 was met by 11.b4!? in Vlastous - Orca, ChessManiac.com, 2016 (1-0, 16)
11.Qxe4 Qf6 12.O-O d6
13.Re1 Kf7 14.Qc4+ Kg6 15.Nc3 Rf8
Black still has fight in him, and envisions a counter-attack down the f-file, aimed at White's King.
White has other ideas.
16.Nd5 Qf7 17.Re7 Qf5 18.Qxc7 Qxd5
What else? But, if it looks like Black can now no longer escape checkmate, you are right.
19.Rxg7+ Kf5 20.Rg5+ Ke4 21.d3+ Kd4 22.c3+ Kxd3 23.Rxd5+ Ke4 24.Qc4 checkmate
The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is not for everyone. Sometimes, it is really, really, really not for some people.
I just ran across a YouTube video from ChessTraps.net, titled "Italian The Headless Chicken". Hysterical. Yes, the Jerome Gambit has been called many things, from the "Jerome Gamble" to the "Ashcan Opening", but, this one takes the prize.
The Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884 game is presented, without mention of the players, and the narrator is clearly repulsed.
I don't know how the next so-called trap managed to worm itself into our collection. It is simply horrendous and has little chess value whatsoever and you would all be advised never to try this one at home, it's so replete in mistakes...
Do check it out. Players who agree with the narrator, probably do not play the Jerome Gambit, anyhow. And - the lower they estimate the value of the opening, the more they open themselves to overlooking White's chances and opportunities.
