Jerome Gambit: No More Usual

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) creates a lot of unusual positions. Playing a "reversed" Jerome Gambit is no more usual.

GrimmauldPlace - croc_master
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 

 This is known as the Busch-Gass Gambit. It resembles a reversed Jerome Gambit. See "Worth A Second Look" Part 1, 2, & 3 and "Danke!"

3.Bc4 Bxf2+ 

Here we go.

4.Kxf2 Nf6 5.Re1 

Two alternatives:

5.d3 Ng4+ 6.Ke1 c6 7.h3 Nf6 8.Nc3 O-O 9.Nxe5 d5 10.Bb3
dxe4 11.Nxe4 Qe8 12.Bf4 Nh5 13.Qxh5 g6 14.Qh6 Be6 15.Ng5 Black resigned, jhovannycano - mérida máx, rapid, Chesstempo.com 2020 

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke7 7.Qf3 d6 8.Ng4 Bxg4 9.Qxg4 Nxg4+ 10.Kg3 Ne5 11.d4 Nc4 12.Bg5+ Kd7 13.Bxd8 Rxd8 14.Rf1 Kc6 15.d5+ Kb6 16.a4 Nxb2 17.Ra2 Nc4 18.a5+ Kc5 Black won on time, rollingthunder -  guest_7605, lichess.org, 2020 

5...O-O 6.c3 d5 7.exd5 e4 8.Nd4 

8...Ng4+ 9.Kg1 Qh4 10.h3 Nf2 11.Qe2 Nxh3+ 12.gxh3 Bxh3 13.Qf2 Qg5+ 14.Kh2 f5 15.Kxh3 Rf6 

16.Rg1 Rh6+ 17.Qh4 Rxh4 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Impatience Wins Again

What do you do, if you are excited by the Jerome Gambit, but don't want to wait for the whole opening to unfold? Well, perhaps, like in the following game, you sacrifice your bishop a bit ahead of schedule...

Of course, when you checkmate your opponent in a dozen moves, you might very well have proven your point.

JovieBoi - NN
5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.Bxf7+ 

This is one of the opening lines that I have classified as "impatient Jerome Gambits" in that White does not wait for ...Bc5 before sacrificing his Bishop.

If Black is not prepared the shock may shorten the game considerably.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 

Black is holding on, but he has to keep his King safe, even at the cost of returning some material.

8...Qf6 9.dxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qxf8+ 

This works, but 10.Bf4 was even stronger.

10...Qe7 

11.Bf4+ Ke6

Stumbling into it.

12.Qf5 checkmate

Okay!


graphic by Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws"

Jerome Gambit: Recent Videos

If you go to YouTube.com, and search for the Jerome Gambit, you will find a surprising number of videos.

Here are links to some of the more recent ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6rTPo3Wst0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GObYMqwr4w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onPQENTm84k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDtH7KeN834

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkh44gCCPAE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjJnyEGkU0k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHvFfeFpEFs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x9WVAuecjg

Jerome Gambit: Can White Take the Rook?

In the following game, the question is, "Can White take the Rook?"

The answer, as he shows quite well, is simply "Yes".

The Jerome Gambit may be a disreputable opening, but it is still necessary to construct a viable defense in order to defeat it. If the defender is surprised and confused, his chances are much reduced, especially in a blitz game.

Anonymous - Anonymous
5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

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

Will Black try the Blackburne Defense with 7...d6, or Whistler's Defense with 7...Qe7 ?

7...Be7 

This will only work if White does not capture the Rook, because then Black will be able to get in the move 8...Nf6.

8.Qxh8 Bf6 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.Qxg6 d6 11.d4 Bd7 

Black works on his development, but the game has already swung in his opponent's favor.

12.Bh6+ Ke7 13.e5 dxe5 14.dxe5 Bxe5 15.O-O Nf6 16.Re1 Kd6 

17.Nc3 Be6 18.Rad1+ Bd5 19.Rxd5+ Kc6 20.Rxd8 Rxd8 21.Rxe5 b5 22.Qxf6+ Kb7 23.Qxd8 a5 24.Rxb5+ Kc6 25.Qd5 checkmate

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome

This guy, Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, who is responsible for early (1874) analysis of the Jerome Gambit, who was he?

Here are a few blog links to inform.

"The Man, The Myth, The Legend..."

 "The Great Debate" Parts I, II, III, IV, and Conclusion

"The Life of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome" 

"Garrison Duty"

"Alonzo Wheeler Jerome and Winston Churchill"

Jerome Gambit: Reinvesting in Attack

In the following game, White is the happy recipient of the return of his two sacrificed pieces. Some of that material comes in handy when he wants to further invest in his attack.

Anonymous - Anonymous
5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke7 

This move is not seen often, but White must have been pleased when it happened, as the two sacrificed pieces are quickly recovered.

7.Qxe5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 

Instead, the wild brofessor45 - thrivingturtle, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020 continued 8...Qe7 9.Qxc7 Nf6 10.d3 Qb4+ 11.c3 Qd6 12.Bf4 Qxf4 13.Qxf4 d5 14.Qd6+ Kg8 15.O-O dxe4 16.Re1 e3 17.Rxe3 Kf7 18.Re7+ Kf8 19.Nd2 Bg4 20.Rae1 Bh5 21.Re8+ Kf7 22.R1e7+ Kg6 23.Qg3+ Kh6 24.Qe3+ g5 25.Re6 Raxe8 26.Rxf6+ Kg7 27.Qxg5+ Bg6 28.Qxg6+ hxg6 29.Ne4 Rxe4 30.dxe4 g5 31.Rb6 Rh5 32.Rxb7+ Kf6 33.Rxa7 g4 34.f3 gxf3 35.gxf3 Ke5 36.Ra5+ Kf4 37.Rxh5 Kxf3 38.Rf5+ Ke2 39.h4 Kd2 40.Rb5 Kc2 41.h5 Kc1 42.h6 Kb1 43.h7 Ka1 44.Rd5 Kb1 45.h8=Q Kxb2 46.e5 Kxc3 47.e6+ Kc4 48.Rd7 Kc5 49.e7 Kc6 50.Ra7 Kb6 51.Ra4 Kb5 52.Ra7 Kb6 53.Ra8 Kb7 54.Ra4 Kc7 55.e8=Q Kd6 56.Ra7 Kd5 57.Qhh5+ Kd4 58.Ra4+ Kd3 59.Qf3+ Kd2 60.Rb4 Kc2 61.Qb8 Kd2 62.Rb2+ Kc1 63.Qf1#

9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O Ng4 

This kind of attack sometimes rebounds. Here, not much comes of it.

11.Qf4+ Nf6 12.d4 Kg8 

13.a4 b6 14.Rd1 Bb7 15.Nc3 a6 16.e5 Nd5 17.Nxd5 Bxd5 18.Qg3 h6 

White is safely a couple of pawns ahead, and has no reason to hurry... Wait! It's a 5-minute game. Here he goes!

19.Rd3 Qe8 20.Bf4 Rd8 21.exd6 Qe2 22.dxc7 Rc8 23.Qh4 g5 24.Bxg5 hxg5 25.Qxg5+ 

25...Kf8 26.Qf6+ Bf7 27.Qd8+ Qe8 28.Qd6+ Kg8 29.Rg3+ Bg6 30.Rxg6+ Qxg6 31.Qxg6+ Kf8 32.Qf6+ Ke8 33.Qxh8+ Kd7 34.Qg7+ Kc6 35.h4 Rxc7 36.Qf6+ Kb7 37.h5 Rh7 38.c4 Rxh5 39.Qf3+ Kc7 40.Qxh5 Black left the game

Very nice.

Jerome Gambit: Daily Grind

The following game tests White: Can he switch his plans from a smashing, crashing attack on the King to a sedate, grind-it-out middlegame?

TCNB - Jerry_89
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+ 

I have seen this move a lot, lately. Black wants to get the Queens off of the board, and is willing to return the sacrificed material - plus a pawn interest - to do so. White must change his expectations from an early attack on the King to winning a slow, methodical pawn-up Queenless middlegame.

8.Kxf2 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6+ 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6 11.Nc3 d6 

White will get enough play if Black captures the pawn, i.e. 11...Nxe4 12.Kg1+ Kg7 13.d3 Nf6 14.Nc3 d6 15.Bg5 Rf8 16.Bxf6+ Rxf6 17.Rxf6 Kxf6 18.Nd5+

12.Kg2 

Another recent game continued: 12.Rf1 Kg7 13.Kg2 b6 14.d3 Bb7 15.b3 c6 16.Bb2 Rhf8 17.Rf2 Kg8 18.Raf1 Nd7 19.Rxf8+ Rxf8 20.Rxf8+ Kxf8 21.h4 h5 22.Kf3 Kf7 23.Ne2 d5 24.exd5 cxd5 25.Kf4 Nf6 26.c4 dxc4 27.dxc4 Bc8 28.Bxf6 Kxf6 29.Nd4 Bd7 30.b4 Be6 31.Nxe6 Kxe6 32.Kg5 Kf7 33.c5 bxc5 34.bxc5 a5 35.c6 Ke6 36.Kxg6 Kd6 37.c7 Kc6 38.c8=Q+ Black resigned OnceaPawnaGambit64 - Gusejnov, 3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2020 

12...c6 13.d3 Bg4 14.Rf1 Kg7 15.Bf4 d5 

Often in the Jerome Gambit the move ...d5 helps Black, but in this case it is overridden by tactical issues.

16.Be5 Rhf8 17.Rf2 Rae8 18.Bd4 dxe4 19.Nxe4 Bf5 20.Nxf6 Rxf6 21.Bxf6+ Kxf6 22.g4 Kg5 23.gxf5 gxf5 

24.Raf1 Re5 25.h4+ Kxh4 26.Rxf5 Rxf5 27.Rxf5 Black resigned


graphic by Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws"