Jerome Gambit: It's Not An Error Unless...

Reader Thomas recently shared his first Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) win. In the game, he took a risk going down a particular line - but he was taking quite a risk playing the Jerome Gambit, anyhow. When his opponent apparently mixed up defensive variations, the reader showed a precocious understanding of the position, and scored the full point. 

Anonymous - Anonymous

3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. Qh5+ g6 

This block of the Queen usually leads to either the Blackburne or the Whistler defense. In each case, the defender has to be aware that he will be offering a Rook. See "Jerome Gambit: What About the Rook?"

 7.Qxe5 Qe7 

Whistler's Defense, named after Lt. G. N. Whistler, secretary of the Lexington, Kentucky Chess Club, who played the defense - successfully - against Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in a correspondence match in 1876. 

The alternative is Blackburne's defense, 7...d6, named after the most well-known and notorious early Jerome Gambit game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884 (0-1, 14).

8.Qxh8 

This is a dangerous move, despite the fact that The Database has 144 games with it, and White scores a surpring 52%. It is a measure of the complications that can follow, as well as the creativity, inspiration and luck of the attacker, that White does so well.

8...Nf6 

Black protects his pawn on h7, and plans on locking in White's Queen, eventually attacking it with his Rook on a8. Given enough time, this strategy can succeed, so the first player should not dither.

By the way, the best move was the alternative 8...Qxe4+, taking the counter-attack directly to White's Queen. Stockfish 14.1 evaluates Black as a Rook and a piece better.

One inaccurate move shifts the game to White's favor.

9.d3 

Protecting the e-pawn. It will soon be clear why neither 9.f3 nor 9.Nc3 will do.

One move, and the nature of the game has changed. Nicely done.

9...b6 

Thematic defensive moves in the Jerome Gambit like 9...d6 and 9...d5 do not advance Black's plan quickly enough.

10.Bg5 

Very much to the point: if White's Queen cannot escape, then it can quickly be exchanged at f6. 

An alternative was seen in Littleplayerparis - Vitros724, lichess.org, 2021 (1-0, 41): 10.Bh6 Bb7 11.Qg7+ Ke6 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 13.Bg5 and the exchange of Queens was effective. 

10...Bb7

According to plan.

Black could try 10...Bd4, but besides the ordinary 11.Bxf6 there could be 11.c3 and Anonymous - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2020 ended quickly after 11...Bb7 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Qxh7+ Kf8 14.Qxe7+ Black resigned. Again, the White Queen seeks safety in an exchange.

For fun, the defender could try 10...Bxf2+, when the continuation could be as in Rami_CAB05 - L_Taveira, lichess.org, 2021: 11.Kf1 (capturing the piece was also okay) Ng4 (ineffective; 11...Bd4 was best, but was easily met by 12.Bxf6) 12.Bxe7 Bb7 Black resigned. 

11.Bxf6 

Or 11.Qxf6+, e.g. 11...Qxf6 12.Bxf6 Kxf6 13.Nd2 d5 14.f3 Re8 15.O-O-O dxe4 16.Nxe4+ Bxe4 17.fxe4 Kg5 18.c3 Be3+ 19.Kc2 h5 20.Rhe1 Bf4 21.g3 Bd6 22.d4 c5 23.e5 Bc7 24.Re4 Kf5 25.Rf4+ Kg5 26.Re1 cxd4 27.cxd4 Rc8 28.Kd3 b5 29.h4+ Kh6 30.d5 Ba5 31.Re2 g5 32.Rf6+ Kg7 33.hxg5 Rd8 34.Ke4 Rc8 35.b3 Rc3 36.e6 Rxg3 37.Rf7+ Kg6 38.Ref2 Bb4 39.R2f5 h4 40.Rxa7 h3 41.Ra8 h2 42. Rh8 White won on time, aezama -Prince_Skytres, lichess.org, 2021. 

11...Rxh8 12.Bxe7 Kxe7 

White is ahead the exchange and two pawns. Black's two Bishops are not enough compensation.

13.O-O Rf8 14.Nc3 h5 15.Rad1 Bd6 16.f4 Black resigned

Nicely played.

Simple Jerome Gambit: Recognize (Part 2)

The following game is a companion piece to the one presented in the previous column. It identifies the same theme: Black errs early, and White quickly recovers his sacrificed material for a clear advantage.

PedrosF1 - Vedant1997

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke7 

Black is shocked, or maybe just inattentive.  In any event, White's chances quickly go from "wild attack might work" to "solid advantage".

The Database shows White scoring 85%, while the computer rates the attacker ahead by 6 1/2 pawns.

7.Qxe5+

Like in Percolator - vishnuvinod_13, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021 (1-0, 8), White will go on to collect the Bishop at c5 and be 2 solid pawns ahead.

Simple Jerome Gambit: Recognize (Part 1)

It's time to check a variation of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) that is worth knowing, as it involves a mis-step by Black that immediately and succinctly is met by White. This can be particularly helpful for someone playing 1-minute bullet chess.

An earlier comment from "Jerome Gambit: The Promise of Sharp Play and Quick Wins"

I have been warning Readers about the following variation for over a dozen years (see "Jerome Gambit and The Perfesser (Part I)") that there are concrete steps that can be taken to bring the game to a successful conclusion.

Percolator - vishnuvinod_13

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6 

Attempting to hang onto the Knight, and to block access to the Bishop. Better is the standard 6...Ke6, or the sly 6...Kf8, or the save 6...Ng6 or the impending offer of a Rook with 6...g6.

7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ Black resigned

White will pick up the Bishop after 8...Kf8: 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qe3 with a 2-pawn advantage.

If I read the time stamp correctly, this win cost White about 4 seconds.

Jerome Gambit: How to Play A Sketchy Variation

I learn more about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 ) by playing over games.

Sometimes I will gather games from one player, and see how he deals with different lines of play.

The player mwafakalhaswa, at lichess.org, has over 1,000 games in The Database (scoring 57%). I saw he had recently played a very difficult game, being checkmated in 10 moves. What? Was he having a bad day?

Then I discovered that he had played that particularly sketchy line 40 times before. On top of it, his record was 20 - 18 - 2. How?

One clue is that mwafakalhaswa was playing blitz with a time control of 3 minutes, 0 increment. At that rough-and-tumble speed, familiarity with the Jerome Gambit was a plus, and if it led to an advantage in time then it was possible to flag an opponent, regardless of the actual position on the board. Although he lost a few short games, the others were quite a bit longer; alas he could not flag everyone.

So, here are the games. The ones in the notes almost obscure the fact that the main line is 10 moves long. But - play over all 41, and you will have a many ideas on how to play a sketchy variation in a sketchy opening. And, maybe avoid it.

mwafakalhaswa - islamezz2019

3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 

5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qxc7 

This pawn-grab is very risky, with Black's Queen on e7, similar to Whistler's defense. Stockfish 14.1 assesses the position as -7.76, compared to the regular 8.Qf4+ rated at -3.51. 

8...Qxe4+ 

You would think that this move would be the choice of every defender, but it was not. There were several other lines of play, only one of which actually favored White:

8...d6 9.Qxe7+ Kxe7 (9...Nxe7 10.c3 (10.O-O Kf7 11.c3 Rf8 12.d4 Bb6 13.Be3 (13.Bg5 h6 14.Bxe7 Kxe7 15.Nd2 Bd7 16.a4 a6 17.b4 Bc7 18.Rae1 b5 19.a5 Rf7 20.g3 Raf8 21.f4 Bh3 22.Rf2 g5 23.f5 h5 24.Nf3 Rg8 25.Kh1 Bd8 26.Ng1 g4 27.Ne2 Kf6 28.Nf4 Rh8 29.Ng6 Rg8 30.e5+ dxe5 31.dxe5+ Kg5 32.Nh4 Kh6 33.f6 Rh7 34.Nf5+ Kg5 35.Nd6 Rf8 36.Rf5+ Kg6 37.Ne4 h4 38.Rg5+ Kh6 39.Rf5 hxg3 40.Nxg3 Kg6 41.Kg1 Rh5 42.Rxh5 Bc7 43.Rf5 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa -Aboram, lichess.org, 2018) 13...Kg8 14.Nd2 d5 15.e5 Bf5 16.Rfe1 Rac8 17.a4 a5 18.Rac1 Bd3 19.Nf3 Nf5 20.Bd2 Bc4 21.Ng5 Rfe8 22.h3 h6 23.Nf3 Bd8 24.g4 Ne7 25.e6 Rf8 26.Ne5 Nc6 27.Nxc6 Rxc6 28.e7 Bxe7 29.Rxe7 Rf7 30.Rce1 Rc7 31.Re8+ Kh7 32.R1e6 Bb3 33.Rd6 Rfd7 34.Rde6 Bxa4 35.Bf4 Rc4 36.Rf8 Bc6 37.Re7 Rxe7 38.Be5 Ra4 39.h4 Ra1+ 40.Kh2 a4 41.Kg3 Rb1 42.f4 Rxb2 43.g5 hxg5 44.hxg5 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa -Aboram, lichess.org, 2018) 10...Bb6 11.d4 Bd7 12.Bf4 Bc7 13.Nd2 g6 14.Bh6+ Kf7 15.O-O Rhe8 16.f4 Kg8 17.e5 Nf5 18.Bg5 Bd8 19.Bxd8 Raxd8 20.Ne4 dxe5 21.Nf6+ Kg7 22.Nxe8+ Rxe8 23.fxe5 Ne3 24.Rf2 b5 25.b3 Rc8 26.Rc1 Be6 27.h3 Nd5 28.c4 bxc4 29.bxc4 Nb4 30.a3 Nd3 31.Rc3 Nxf2 32.d5 Bxd5 33.Kxf2 Bxc4 34.Ke3 Be6 35.Rd3 Rc7 36.g4 g5 37.Rd6 Kf7 38.Ra6 Ke7 39.Kd4 Rd7+ 40.Kc3 Bd5 41.Kb4 Bg2 42.Rh6 Kf8 43.h4 gxh4 44.Rxh4 Kg7 45.Rh5 Bf3 46.a4 Kg6 47.Rh4 Kg5 48.e6 Re7 49.Rh2 Bxg4 50.Kc5 h5 51.Rd2 Rxe6 52.Rd8 h4 53.Ra8 a6 54.Kd5 Re1 55.Rxa6 h3 56.Ra7 h2 57.Rh7 h1=Q+ 58.Rxh1 Bf3+ 59.Kc5 Bxh1 60.a5 Kf6 61.Kb6 Ke7 62.a6 Kd8 63.Ka7 Kc8 64.Kb6 Kb8 65.a7+ Ka8 66.Ka6 Bb7+ 67.Kb6 Rb1+ 68.Kc7 Kxa7 White resigned, mwafakalhaswa -Aboram, lichess.org, 2019) 10.c3 Nf6 11.d4 Bb6 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bxf6+ Kxf6 14.O-O Bd7 15.f4 Rhf8 16.Nd2 Rae8 17.Nc4 Bc7 18.e5+ dxe5 19.fxe5+ Ke6 20.Rad1 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Bb5 22.d5+ Kxd5 23.Ne3+ Ke6 24.Re1 Bb6 25.b3 Rd8 26.c4 Bxe3+ 27.Rxe3 Bc6 28.b4 Rd4 29.b5 Bd7 30.Rg3 Kf7 31.Rc3 Be6 32.c5 Rc4 33.Rf3+ Ke7 34.c6 bxc6 35.bxc6 Rxc6 36.Ra3 a6 37.Ra5 Rc2 38.Rxa6 Rc1+ 39.Kf2 Rf1+ 40.Kg3 Rf5 41.Ra7+ Bd7 42.Ra5 Ke6 43.Ra6+ Kxe5 44.Ra5+ Kf6 45.Ra7 Be6 46.a4 Rg5+ 47.Kf2 Bd5 48.g3 Rf5+ 49.Ke3 Re5+ 50.Kd4 Be6 51.a5 Re2 52.a6 Rd2+ 53.Ke3 Rxh2 54.Ra8 Ra2 55.a7 Ke7 56.Kf4 Bd5 57.Rh8 Rxa7 58.Ke5 Be6 59.Rb8 Ra5+ 60.Kf4 Kf6 61.Rb6 Ra4+ 62.Kf3 Ke5 63.Rb5+ Bd5+ 64.Kf2 g5 65.Rb6 Ra2+ 66.Ke3 Ra3+ 67.Kf2 Rf3+ 68.Ke2 Rxg3 69.Rxh6 g4 70.Kf2 Ra3 71.Rh5+ Kd4 72.Rg5 Bf3 73.Kg3 Ke3 74.Re5+ Kd4 75.Re7 Re3 76.Rd7+ Kc3 77.Kf4 Re4+ 78.Kg3 Re3 79.Kf2 Re2+ 80.Kg3 Rg2+ 81.Kf4 Be2 82.Ke3 Bf3 83.Rc7+ Kb4 84.Kd3 Be2+ 85.Ke3 Bf3 86.Rc8 Kb3 87.Kd3 Re2 88.Rb8+ Ka4 89.Kc4 Rc2+ 90.Kd3 Rc5 91.Kd4 Rb5 92.Rh8 g3 93.Ke3 Rb3+ 94.Kf4 g2 95.Rg8 Bc6 96.Rg6 Rb1 97.Rxc6 g1=Q 98.Ra6+ Kb5 99.Ra8 Qd4+ 100.Kf3 Qd5+ 101.Ke2 Qxa8 102.Kd2 Rb3 103.Kc2 Qa2+ 104.Kc1 Rb1 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa -HasheeeeM8, lichess.org, 2021; 

or 8...Bb6 9.Qf4+ Qf6 10.Qg3 Ne7 11.c3 Kf7 12.d4 Rf8 13.O-O Kg8 14.Bg5 Qe6 15.Nd2 Ng6 16.d5 Qe5 17.Qxe5 Nxe5 18.Be7 Rf7 19.Bd6 Nd3 20.Nc4 Bxf2+ 21.Kh1 b5 22.Na5 a6 23.Rad1 Nxb2 24.Rd2 Be3 25.Rxf7 Bb7 26.Rff2 Bxf2 27.Rxf2 Nd3 28.Rf3 Ne1 29.Re3 Nc2 30.Re2 Bxd5 31.exd5 Rc8 32.Rxc2 Re8 33.h3 h5 34.Kh2 Re1 35.Bg3 Re8 36.c4 g6 37.cxb5 Kf7 38.bxa6 Ra8 White resigned, mwafakalhaswa -akoga86, lichess.org, 2021;

or 8...Bd6 9.Qc4 Nf6 10.d3 b6 11.O-O a5 12.f4 Ba6 13.Qc3 Rc8 14.Qb3 Bc5+ 15.Kh1 Ng4 16.h3 Qh4 17.Nc3 Nf2+ 18.Kh2 Nxh3 19.gxh3 Qh5 20.Qd5 Qxd5 21.Nxd5 Kf7 22.Be3 Bxe3 23.Nxe3 Rhf8 24.Nf5 Kg8 25.Ne7+ Kh8 26.Nxc8 Rxc8 27.Rac1 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - TabPlayer, lichess.org, 2019; 

or 8...Qf6? 9.Qxc5+ Ke8 10.O-O Ne7 11.Nc3 Rf8 12.f4 d6 13.Qb5+ Bd7 14.Qxb7 Rc8 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Qg6 17.Re1+ Kd8 18.Qxa7 Bh3 19.Qe7 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - Vsmith, lichess.org, 2018; 

or 8...d5 9.Qf4+ Nf6 10.e5 Bxf2+ 11.Kxf2 Qc5+ 12.d4 Qxc2+ 13.Nd2 Be6 14.exf6 Bf7 15.fxg7+ Kxg7 16.Qe5+ Kg8 17.Rf1 Re8 18.Qg3+ Bg6 19.Kg1 Kg7 20.Nf3 Rhf8 21.Bf4 Qf5 22.Be5+ Kg8 23.Nh4 Qh5 24.Rxf8+ Rxf8 25.Nxg6 hxg6 26.Rf1 Rxf1+ 27.Kxf1 Qd1+ 28.Qe1 Qd3+ 29.Kg1 b5 30.h3 Qc2 31.Qh4 Qd1+ 32.Kh2 Qd2 33.Qh8+ Kf7 34.Qg7+ Ke6 35.Qxg6+ Kd7 36.Qf7+ Kd8 37.Qxd5+ Ke8 38.Qxb5+ Kf7 39.Qd5+ Kg6 40.Qe6+ Kh7 41.Qf7+ Kh6 42.Bf4+ Qxf4+ 43.Qxf4+ Kg7 44.g4 Kg6 45.Qf5+ Kg7 46.g5 a5 47.Qf6+ Kg8 48.g6 a4 49.Qf7+ Kh8 50.Qh7 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - Hunterchess, lichess.org, 2018; 

or 8...Nf6 9.d3 Bb6 10.Qg3 d5 11.e5 Bd4 12.O-O Bxe5 13.f4 Bd4+ 14.Kh1 Bf5 15.Nc3 Re8 16.Bd2 g6 17.Rfe1 Qd7 18.Rxe8+ Kxe8 19.h3 Kf7 20.Qf3 Re8 21.g4 Be6 22.f5 gxf5 23.g5 Bxc3 24.Bxc3 d4 25.Kh2 Qd6+ 26.Kg1 dxc3 27.gxf6 Rg8+ 28.Kf1 Qh2 29.Qh5+ Kxf6 30.Qh4+ Rg5 31.Qd4+ Kf7 32.Qf2 Qxh3+ 33.Ke1 cxb2 34.Rb1 Qh1+ 35.Kd2 Qxb1 White resigned, mwafakalhaswa - mhdhussamhayareyah, lichess.org, 2017. 

9.Kd1

The alternative, not quite as strong (but mostly good for Black, anyhow), was 9.Kf1 Qc4+ 

Or 9...Be7 10.Nc3 Qc6 11.Qf4+ Nf6 12.d3 b6 13.Ne4 Qxc2 14.Be3 Qxd3+ 15.Kg1 Qxe4 16.Qc7 Bb7 17. Qg3 Qg4 18.Rc1 Qxg3 19.hxg3 Rc8 20.Kh2 Kf7 21.Rhd1 Rxc1 22.Rxc1 Rc8 23.Rd1 Bc5 24.Bg5 Ng4+ 25.Kg1 Nxf2 26.Rxd7+ Kg8 27.Rxb7 Ne4+ 28.Kf1 Nxg5 29.Rxa7 Rd8 30.Ke2 h6 31.Rb7 Re8+ 32.Kd3 Re3+ 33.Kc4 Rxg3 34.b4 Rg4+ 35.Kd5 Rxb4 36.a3 Ra4 37.g4 Rxa3 38.Ke5 Ra4 39.Kf5 Be3 40.Kg6 Ra8 41.Rxg7+ Kf8 42.Rb7 Rc8 43.Kxh6 Nf3+ 44.Kg6 Rc6+ 45.Kf5 Nd4+ 46.Ke4 Bg1 47.g5 Nb5 48.g6 Nd6+ 49.Kd5 Nxb7 50.Kxc6 Nd8+ 51.Kd7 Kg7 52.Kxd8 b5 53.Ke7 b4 54.Ke6 b3 55.Kf5 b2 56.Kg4 b1=Q 57.Kh3 Qf5+ 58.Kh4 Kxg6 59.Kg3 Ba7 60.Kg2 Qd3 61.Kh2 Qf3 Drawn mwafakalhaswa - alex2412, lichess.org, 2021; 

or 9...Qxc2 10.Nc3 Qd3+ 11.Ne2 (11.Ke1 Qf5 12.Rf1 Nf6 13.Qd8+ Ne8 14.Kd1 Qg4+ 15.Kc2 d6 16.Re1 Bf5+ 17.d3 Qg5 18.Qxg5 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - malikmalik2005, lichess.org, 2017) 11...Bb6 12.Qf4+ Nf6 13.h3 Kf7 14.b3 Re8 15.Qc4+ Qxc4 16.bxc4 d6 17.d4 Bf5 18.Be3 Bd3 19.g3 Bxc4 20.Rc1 d5 21.Rc2 Re7 22.Kg2 Rae8 23.Nf4 Kg8 24.Rhc1 g6 25.h4 Ng4 26.Nh3 Nxe3+ 27.fxe3 Rxe3 28.Nf4 Bxd4 29.Rd1 Bb6 30.Nxd5 Re2+ 31.Rxe2 Rxe2+ 32.Kh3 Bxd5 33.Rxd5 Rxa2 34.Rd7 Ra1 35.Rxb7 Rh1+ 36.Kg2 Ra1 37.g4 Rc1 38.Kf3 Rc3+ 39.Ke4 Rc4+ 40.Kd5 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - tigreitorm lichess.org, 2021; 

or 9...Bb6 10.Qg3 Qc4+ 11.d3 Qxc2 12.Nc3 Nf6 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.dxe4 Qc4+ 15.Kg1 Qxe4 16.Be3 d5 17.Bxb6 axb6 18.h4 g6 19.f3 Qd4+ 20.Kh2 Kg7 21.Rhd1 Qxb2 22.Qd6 Qf6 23.Qxd5 Qxh4+ 24.Kg1 Bf5 25.Qxb7+ Kh6 26.Qxb6 Rhb8 27.Qe3+ Qg5 28.Qxg5+ Kxg5 29.a4 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - xa140, lichess.org, 2021; 

or 9...Qd4 10.Qg3 (10.Qd8+ Kf7 11.Ke2 d5 12.Qc7+ Be7 13.f3 Nf6 14.Nc3 Re8 15.Kd1 Kg8 16.Re1 Bf5 17.Rxe7 Qg1+ 18.Ke2 Rxe7+ 19.Qxe7 Re8 20.Nxd5 Rxe7+ 21.Nxe7+ Kf7 22.Nxf5 Qxg2+ 23.Ke3 Qg5+ 24.Ke2 Qxf5 25.d3 Nd5 26.c4 Qe6+ 27.Kf2 Nb4 28.Be3 Nxd3+ 29.Ke2 Nf4+ 30.Kd2 Qxc4 31.Bxf4 Qxf4+ 32.Ke2 g5 33.Rd1 Qc4+ 34.Kf2 Qxa2 35.Rd7+ Ke6 36.Rxb7 a5 37.Kg3 Kf5 38.Rb5+ Kg6 39.h4 gxh4+ 40.Kxh4 Qc4+ 41.f4 Qxb5 42.b3 Kf5 43.Kh5 Qf1 44.Kh6 Qh3+ 45.Kg7 Qh5 46.b4 axb4 47.Kh8 Qe8+ 48.Kxh7 Qf7+ 49.Kh8 Qe7 50.Kg8 Kg6 51.f5+ Kxf5 52.Kh8 Kg6 53.Kg8 Qd8 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - gobbar, lichess.org, 2018) 10...Nf6 11.d3 (11.Nc3 Kf7 12.d3 Rf8 13.Be3 Qd6 14.Bxc5 Qxc5 15.h4 (15.Re1 Kg8 16.Qh4 d5 17.h3 d4 18.Ne4 Nxe4 19.Qxe4 Qxc2 20.Qxd4 Bf5 21.Qc4+ Qxc4 22.dxc4 Bd3+ 23.Kg1 Bxc4 24.b3 Bb5 25.f3 Rad8 26.Kh2 Rd2 27.Re7 Bc6 28.Kg3 Rf6 29.Rg1 Rg6+ 30.Kf4 Rxa2 31.g4 Rf6+ 32.Ke5 Re2+ 33.Kd4 Rxe7 34.g5 Rxf3 35.h4 Re4+ 36.Kc5 Rf5+ 37.Kd6 Rd5+ 38.Kc7 Rd7+ 39.Kb8 a5 40.Ka7 a4 41.bxa4 Rxa4+ 42.Kb6 Rxh4 43.g6 hxg6 44.Rxg6 Be4 45.Re6 Rd5 46.Kc7 Rc5+ 47.Kb8 Rh6 48.Rxe4 b5 49.Kb7 Rf6 50.Rb4 Rcf5 51.Ka7 Re5 52.Kb7 Re7+ 53.Kc8 Rf8 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - amiral001, lichess.org, 2019) 15...Kg8 16.Re1 d5 17.Qg5 h6 18.Qe5 Kh8 19.f3 Bd7 20.Ne4 Nxe4 21.dxe4 Bb5+ 22.Re2 Bxe2+ 23.Kxe2 Rae8 24.Qc3 Qxc3 25.bxc3 dxe4 26.fxe4 Rxe4+ 27.Kd3 Rg4 28.Rg1 Rxh4 29.g3 Rg4 30.c4 Rf3+ 31.Ke2 Rfxg3 32.Rf1 Rxc4 33.Kd2 Rc7 34.Rf2 Kh7 35.a4 a6 36.Re2 Rg4 37.a5 Ra4 38.Re5 Rac4 39.Kd3 Rxc2 40.Ke4 R2c3 41.Kd4 R7c4+ 42.Kd5 Rc5+ 43.Ke6 Rxe5+ 44.Kxe5 Ra3 45.Kd6 Rxa5 46.Kc7 Rb5 47.Kd6 Rb1 48.Kd5 a5 49.Kc4 a4 50.Kc3 a3 51.Kc2 Rb6 52.Kc3 a2 53.Kc4 a1=Q 54.Kc5 Qa5+ 55.Kd4 Rb4+ 56.Kd3 Qa3+ 57.Kc2 Rb2+ 58.Kd1 Qa1 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - onox, lichess.org, 2019) 11...d6 12.Nc3 Ng4 13.Ne2 Qxf2+ 14.Qxf2+ Nxf2 15.Rg1 Ng4 16.d4 Nxh2+ 17.Ke1 Bb6 18.Bf4 Ng4 19.Bxd6+ Ke8 20.c3 Bf5 21.Ng3 Be6 22.Kd2 Kd7 23.Ba3 Rae8 24.Rae1 Bxa2 25.Ne4 Bc4 26.Bc5 Bxc5 27.Nxc5+ Kc6 28.b3 Bf7 29.Rgf1 Bg6 30.Ne6 Rhg8 31.c4 Nf6 32.d5+ Kd6 33.Ra1 Ne4+ 34.Ke3 a6 35.Rae1 Nc5 36.Kd4 Nxe6+ 37.dxe6 Rxe6 38.c5+ Kd7 39.Rxe6 Kxe6 40.Re1+ Kd7 41.Rd1 Kc6 42.Kc4 Rf8 43.Rd6+ Kc7 44.b4 Rf4+ 45.Kc3 Rf2 46.g4 Rf3+ 47.Kb2 Rf4 48.Rb6 Rxg4 49.b5 axb5 50.Rxb5 Rc4 51.Kb3 Rc1 52.Kb4 Rb1+ 53.Ka5 Rxb5+ 54.Kxb5 h5 55.Kc4 h4 56.Kd4 h3 57.Ke3 h2 58.c6 bxc6 59.Kf2 h1=Q 60.Kg3 Qe4 61.Kf2 Qd3 62.Kg2 Qe3 63.Kh2 Qg5 64.Kh3 Bf5+ 65.Kh2 Be4 66.Kh3 Qf5+ 67.Kh4 c5 68.Kg3 c4 69.Kh4 c3 70.Kg3 c2 71.Kh4 c1=Q 72.Kg3 Qg1+ 73.Kh4 Qh7 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - Armandopantoja, lichess.org, 2021; 

or 9...Qf5 10.Qg3 Nf6 11.d3 Nh5 12.Qf3 Qxf3 13.gxf3 Ke7 14.Nc3 b6 15.Ne4 Bb7 16.Bg5+ Nf6 17.Bxf6+ gxf6 18.h4 d5 19.Nxc5 bxc5 20.Re1+ Kd6 21.h5 Rhe8 22.h6 Rxe1+ 23.Kxe1 Re8+ 24.Kd2 d4 25.Rg1 Re7 26.Rg7 Bxf3 27.c3 dxc3+ 28.Kxc3 Bh5 29.f4 Bg6 30.Rg8 Re2 31.Ra8 Re3 32.Rxa7 Rxd3+ 33.Kc4 Rf3 34.Ra6+ Ke7 35.Kxc5 Rxf4 36.b4 Rf1 37.Ra7+ Ke6 38.b5 Rc1+ 39.Kb4 Rb1+ 40.Ka5 Be4 41.a4 f5 42.Rxh7 f4 43.Rh8 Ke7 44.h7 Rh1 45.Ra8 Bxh7 46.Ra7+ Kd6 47.Rf7 Ke5 48.b6 Be4 49.b7 Bxb7 50.Rxb7 Ke6 51.Rb3 Ra1 52.Rf3 Ke5 53.Kb5 Ke4 54.Rf2 Ke3 55.Rb2 f3 56.a5 f2 57.Rxf2 Kxf2 58.Kb6 Ke3 59.a6 Kd4 60.Kb7 Rb1+ 61.Kc7 Ra1 62.Kb6 Kc4 63.a7 Kb4 64.Kb7 Rxa7+ 65.Kxa7 drawn, mwafakalhaswa - AboAymanBK, lichess.org, 2021) 

or 9...Qc6 10.Qd8+ Kf7 11.Nc3 Be7 12.Qa5 Qa6+ 13.Qxa6 bxa6 14.d3 Nf6 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.Nd5 Bxb2 18.Rb1 Bd4 19.Nc7 Bb7 20.Rxb7 Rab8 21.Rxb8 Rxb8 22.Ke2 Rb2 23.Rc1 Rxa2 24.Nd5 Ke6 25.Nf4+ Kd6 26.g3 a5 27.Kf3 Bc3 28.Ne2 Bd2 29.Rd1 Bb4 30.c3 Bc5 31.d4 Bb6 32.Nf4 a4 33.Nd3 a3 34.Ne5 Rc2 35.c4 Ba5 36.c5+ Kd5 37.Ra1 a2 38.Nd3 Bc3 39.Ne1 Rb2 40.Nd3 Rd2 41.Nf4+ Kc4 42.Rc1 a1=Q 43.Rxa1 Bxa1 44.Ne2 Bxd4 45.c6 dxc6 46.Nf4 Rxf2+ 47.Ke4 Rxf4+ 48.gxf4 a5 49.h4 a4 50.Kf5 a3 51.Kg6 a2 52.f5 a1=Q 53.h5 Qg1+ 54.Kh7 Qg5 55.f6 Bxf6 56.Kg8 Kd5 57.Kh7 c5 58.Kg8 c4 59.Kh7 c3 60.Kg8 c2 61.Kh7 c1=Q 62.Kh8 Qc8+ 63.Kh7 Qgf5 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - Ghasan_maradny, lichess.org, 2021; 

or 9...b6 10.d3 Ba6 11.Qxd7 Nf6 12.Qh3 Rd8 13.Nc3 Qd4 14.Be3 Bxd3+ 15.cxd3 Qxd3+ 16.Kg1 g6 17.Bxc5+ bxc5 18.Qxd3 Rxd3 19.Rd1 c4 20.Rxd3 cxd3 21.f3 Kf7 22.Kf2 Rb8 23.b3 Rc8 24.Ne4 Rc2+ 25.Ke3 Rxa2 26.Kxd3 Rxg2 27.Ng3 Rf2 28.Ke3 Rb2 29.Ra1 Rxb3+ 30.Kf2 Rb2+ 31.Ke3 Rxh2 32.Rxa7+ Ke6 33.Ra6+ Kf7 34.Ne2 Rh1 35.Nd4 Re1+ 36.Kd3 Nd5 37.Ra7+ Kg8 38.Kc4 Ne3+ 39.Kc5 Rc1+ 40.Kd6 Nc4+ 41.Ke6 Re1+ 42.Kf6 Re8 43.Ne6 Nd6 44.Rg7+ Kh8 45.Rd7 Nf5 46.Ng5 Rf8+ 47.Nf7+ Kg8 48.Ke6 Nd4+ 49.Kf6 Nxf3 50.Ke6 Nd4+ 51.Ke5 Rxf7 52.Rxd4 h5 53.Rd6 Kg7 54.Rd1 Kh6 55.Ke6 Rf2 56.Ke5 h4 57.Rh1 g5 58.Ke4 Kh5 59.Ke3 Rf8 60.Ke4 g4 61.Ra1 h3 62.Ra7 Kh4 63.Rh7+ Kg3 64.Ke3 Kg2 65. Rg7 g3 66.Ra7 h2 67. Ra2+ Kh3 68. Ra1 g2 69.Ke2 g1=Q 70.Ra3+ Qg3 71.Rxg3+ Kxg3 72.Ke1 h1=Q+ White resigned, mwafakalhaswa - AboAymanBK, lichess.org, 2020) 

or 9...Nf6? 10.Qxc5+ Qe7 (10...Kf7 11.Nc3 Qxc2 (11...Qe6 12.h3 Re8 13.Kg1 b6 14.Qe3 Qc6 15.Qd3 Bb7 16.f3 Qc7 17.b3 Re1+ 18.Kf2 Rxh1 19.Nb5 Qh2 20.Bb2 Rxa1 21.Bxa1 Qf4 22.Nd6+ Kf8 23.Nxb7 Re8 24.Bxf6 Qxf6 25.Qxd7 Qe5 26.Qd6+ Qxd6 27.Nxd6 Rd8 28.Ne4 Kf7 29.c4 Ke6 30.Ke3 Ke5 31.f4+ Ke6 32.d4 g6 33.g4 Re8 34.Kf3 a5 35.d5+ Ke7 36.g5 Rb8 37.a4 Rh8 38.Kg4 h6 39.gxh6 Rxh6 40.Ng5 Rh8 41.Ne6 Kf6 42.h4 Re8 43.h5 gxh5+ 44.Kxh5 Rh8+ 45.Kg4 Rg8+ 46.Kf3 Rg1 47.Ke4 Rb1 48.Nd4 Re1+ 49.Kd3 Rf1 50.Ke3 Re1+ 51.Kd3 Rd1+ 52.Kc3 Rf1 53.f5 Rc1+ 54.Kd3 Rd1+ 55.Ke3 Re1+ 56.Kd2 Rb1 57.Kc2 Rf1 58.Kc3 Rc1+ 59.Kd3 Rd1+ 60.Ke3 Re1+ 61.Kf4 Rf1+ 62.Ke4 Re1+ 63.Kd3 Rd1+ 64.Kc2 Rf1 65.Nc6 Kxf5 66.c5 bxc5 67.Nxa5 Ke5 68.Nc4+ Kxd5 69.Ne3+ Kd4 70.Nxf1 c4 71.b4 c3 72.Ng3 Kc4 73.b5 Kc5 74.Ne4+ Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - Ayham70, lichess.org, 2018) 12.Qc4+ d5 13.Qe2 (13.Qc7+ Kg6 14.f3 Bf5 15.Kf2 d4 16.Qg3+ Kf7 17.Nb5 Rhf8 18.Nd6+ Kg8 19.Nxf5 Qxf5 20.d3 Qxd3 21.Re1 Rae8 22.Bg5 Qf5 23.Bxf6 Qxf6 24.Rad1 Qb6 25.b3 d3+ 26.Kf1 Qd4 27.Qf2 Qxf2+ 28.Kxf2 Rxe1 29.Kxe1 Re8+ 30.Kd2 Re2+ 31.Kxd3 Rxa2 32.Rd2 Rxd2+ 33.Kxd2 Kf7 34.Ke3 Ke6 35.Kd4 Kd6 36.g4 b5 37.b4 g5 38.Ke4 Ke6 39.f4 gxf4 40.Kxf4 Kd5 41.h4 Kc4 42.h5 Kxb4 43.g5 a5 44.g6 hxg6 45.hxg6 a4 46.g7 a3 47.g8=Q Kc3 48.Ke3 Kb2 49.Kd2 a2 50.Qg7+ Kb1 51.Qg1+ Kb2 52.Qd4+ Kb1 53.Qc3 a1=Q 54.Qc2 checkmate,  mwafakalhaswa - bilalchkair, lichess.org, 2018) 13...d4 14.Nb5 Bg4 15.f3 Bf5 16.Nxd4 Qd3 17.Nxf5 Qxf5 18.Qc4+ Kg6 19.d4 Rac8 20.Qb3 Rhe8 21.g4 Nxg4 22.Qxb7 Nf6 23.Rg1+ Kh5 24.Rg5+ Qxg5 25.Bxg5 Kxg5 26.Qxg7+ Kf5 27.Re1 Rg8 28.Qxa7 Rge8 29.Rxe8 Rxe8 30.Qc5+ Kg6 31.f4 Re4 32.Qg5+ Kf7 33.d5 Rc4 34.d6 Ke6 35.f5+ Kf7 36.Qd2 Ne4 37.Qd5+ Kf6 38.d7 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - abrkt10889, lichess.org, 2019) 11.Qxe7+ Kxe7 12.Nc3 d5 13.d3 Be6 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bxf6+ Kxf6 16.h3 Rhf8 17.f3 Kg6 18.Re1 Bg8 19.Re7 Rab8 20.b3 a6 21.Kf2 b5 22.Rhe1 Rbc8 23.Ne2 Rxc2 24.Rc1 Rxa2 25.Rc6+ Kh7 26.Kg3 Rf5 27.h4 Rf7 28.Rxf7 Bxf7 29.Nd4 Rd2 30.Nf5 Rxd3 31.Rc7 Kg8 32.Ne7+ Kh7 33.Ra7 Rxb3 34.Nf5 Kg6 35.Kf4 Rb4+ 36.Ke5 d4 37.g4 d3 38.h5+ Kg5 39.Rxf7 d2 40.Rxg7 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - Ledoamer, lichess.org, 2020) 

or 9...Qe7 10.Nc3 Nf6 11.d3 Bd6 12.Qc4 Qf7 13.Qd4 Be7 14.Bg5 d6 15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.Qc4 Be6 17.Qc7 Kf7 18.Qxb7 Rab8 19.Qxa7 Rxb2 20.Ne4 Qe5 21.Re1 Rhb8 22.h4 Rb1 23.Qxb8 Rxb8 24.Ng5+ Qxg5 25.hxg5 Kg6 26.f4 Bxa2 27.Rxe7 Rb1+ 28.Re1 Rb2 29.g4 Rxc2 30.f5+ Kf7 31.Rxh7 Rd2 32.f6 Rxd3 33.Rxg7+ Kf8 34.Ra1 Rd2 35.Rd7 d5 36.Ke1 Rh2 37.Rd1 Rg2 38.g6 Ke8 39.Re7+ Kd8 40.Rd2 Rg1+ 41.Kf2 Rxg4 42.Rxa2 Rf4+ 43.Ke3 Rxf6 44.Rf7 Rxg6 45.Ra8 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - Ghasan_maradnym lichess.org, 2020) 

10.d3 Qxc2 

or 10...Qd4 11.Qg3 Nf6 12.Nc3 Bd6 13.Qf3 a6 14.Be3 Qe5 15.Re1 Qh5 16.Ne4 Be7 17.Nxf6 Qxf3 18.Nxd7+ Bxd7 19.gxf3 Bh3+ 20.Ke2 Rc8 21.c3 Kf7 22.Rhg1 Rhe8 23.Rg3 Bd7 24.Kd2 h6 25.Bd4 Bf6 26.Bxf6 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - Mohamed_fawzy12, lichess.org, 2021;

or 10...Bxf2 11.Qxc4 Bb6 12.Bd2 Nf6 13.Bb4+ Ke8 14.Nc3 Rf8 15.Bxf8 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - Mangorejm, lichess.org, 2020 

11.Qf4+ 

or 11.Nc3 Qxf2 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - karpov90, lichess.org, 2019 

11...Nf6 12.Qf3 

or 12.Qd2 Qxd2 13.Bxd2 d5 14.Nc3 Bf5 15.Ke2 Re8+ 16.Kd1 Bxd3 17.Rb1 Bxf2 18.Rc1 g6 19.Bg5 Bd4 20.Kd2 Be4 21.Bxf6 Bxf6 22.Rhf1 Kg7 23.Nxe4 dxe4 24.Rc7+ Re7 25.Rxe7+ Bxe7 26.Ke3 Rc8 27.Kxe4 Rc2 28.g4 b6 29.Rf3 Rxb2 30.h4 Bxh4 31.Ra3 a5 32.Kd5 Bf2 33.g5 Bc5 34.Ra4 Rg2 35.Kc6 Rxg5 36.Re4 h5 37.a3 Rg4 38.Re2 h4 39.a4 h3 40.Kd5 Rg2 41.Re1 h2 42.Rh1 Bg1 43.Ke4 Ra2 44.Kf3 Rxa4 45.Kg2 Rd4 46.Rxg1 hxg1=N 47.Kxg1 Rf4 48.Kg2 b5 White resigned, mwafakalhaswa - Ghasan_maradny, lichess.org, 2019; 

or 12.Nc3 Qxd3+ 13.Ne2 Qd1 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - aymanxxx, lichess.org, 2017) 

12...Qxc1+ 13.Ke2 Qxh1 14.d4 Bxd4 15.Qb3 Qc1 16.Nd2 Qxb2 17.Qxb2 Bxb2 18.Rb1 Be5 19.g3 d5 20.f4 Bd6 21.Nb3 Bg4+ 22.Kf2 Rc8 23.Rb2 Kf7 24.Kg2 Rhe8 25.h3 Bf5 26.g4 Be4+ 27.Kg3 g5 28.Rf2 Bxf4+ 29.Rxf4 gxf4+ 30.Kxf4 Rc3 31.Nd4 Re6 32.Nxe6 Kxe6 33.Kg5 Rf3 34.h4 Rg3 35.Kh6 Rxg4 36.h5 Ng8 checkmate, mwafakalhaswa - Masterpilip, lichess.org, 2021) 

9...Bxf2 

Or 9...Qxg2 10.Qxc5+ Ne7 (10...Ke8 11.Qe3+ Kd8 12.Re1 Nf6 13.Qe7+ Kc7 14.Qe5+ Kc6 15.Nc3 Qf3+ 16.Qe2 Qf5 17.Qc4+ Kd6 18.Nb5+ Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - countryrook5, lichess.org, 2019) 11.Re1 Qf3+ 12.Re2 Qh1+ (12...Qf4 13.Qxe7+ Kg8 14.Qd8+ Kf7 15.Qxh8 Qxh2 16.Qe8+ Kf6 17.Qf8+ Kg6 18.d3 Qg1+ 19.Kd2 Qg5+ 20.f4 Qa5+ 21.Nc3 h6 22.Rg2+ Kh5 23.Qxg7 Qf5 24.Rh2+ Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - malikmalik2005, lichess.org, 2017) 13.Re1 Qf3+ 14.Re2 Qh1+ 15.Re1 Qf3+ 16.Re2 drawn, mwafakalhaswa - Thanhvanchess2012, lichess.org, 2021) 

or 9...Bb6 10.Qg3 Nf6 11.Nc3 Qg4+ 12.Qxg4 Nxg4 13.Ne4 d5 14.Nd6 Nxf2+ 15.Ke2 Nxh1 16.d4 Bxd4 17.Bg5 h6 18.Rf1+ Kg8 19.Bh4 Nf2 20.Bxf2 Bxf2 21.Rxf2 Be6 22.h3 Kh7 23.Kd3 Rhf8 24.Re2 Bf5+ 25.Nxf5 Rxf5 26.Re7 b5 27.b3 a5 28.g4 Rf3+ 29.Kd4 Rxh3 30.Kxd5 a4 31.Rb7 axb3 32.axb3 Rc3 33.Rxb5 Rxc2 34.g5 Rd8+ 35.Ke4 Re2+ 36.Kf3 Re6 37.gxh6 Kxh6 38.Kf4 Rd4+ 39.Kf5 Ree4 40.Rb6+ Kh7 41.Kg5 Rb4 42.Rc6 Rxb3 43.Kf5 Re1 44.Rc4 Rg3 45.Rh4+ Kg8 46.Rb4 Rf3+ 47.Kg4 Rf6 48.Kg5 Rg1+ 49.Rg4 Rxg4+ 50.Kxg4 Kf7 51.Kg5 g6 52.Kg4 Kg7 53.Kg5 Rf5+ 54.Kg4 Kf6 55.Kg3 g5 56.Kg4 Rf4+ 57.Kg3 Kf5 White resigned, mwafakalhaswa - mauricoff, lichess.org, 2019;

or 9...Qc6 10.Qf4+ Qf6 11.Qc4 b6 12.Nc3 Ne7 13.Re1 Bxf2 14.Rf1 d5 15.Qe2 Ke8 16.Rxf2 Qd6 17.d4 Kd7 18.Bf4 Qf6 19.Be5 Qe6 20.Bxg7 Qxe2+ 21.Rxe2 Rg8 22.Bf6 Re8 White resigned, mwafakalhaswa - LegendaryBEBO, lichess.org, 2018; 

or 9...Nf6? 10.Qxc5+ Kg8 11.f3 Qe8 12.Re1 Qf7 13.Nc3 h5 14.Re7 Qf8 15.Qc4+ d5 16.Nxd5 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - gobbar, lichess.org, 2018 

10.Rf1 

Or 10.Qd8+ Qe8 (10...Kf7 11.d3 Qg4+ 12.Kd2 Qxg2 13.Rd1 Bh4+ 14.Kc3 Bxd8 15.Bf4 Bf6+ 16.d4 Qf3+ 17.Rd3 Qxf4 18.Nd2 Ne7 19.Rf1 Nd5+ 20.Kb3 Qd6 21.a3 Qb6+ 22.Ka2 Rf8 23.Nc4 Qc7 24.Ne5+ Kg8 25.c4 Bxe5 26.Rxf8+ Kxf8 27.cxd5 Qc4+ 28.Rb3 Bxd4 29.d6 b6 30.h4 Bb7 31.h5 Bd5 32.Kb1 Qxb3 White resigned, mwafakalhaswa - rahul2700, lichess.org, 2019) 11.Qg5 Nf6 12.Rf1 h6 (12...d6 13.Rxf2 Qg6 14.Qxg6 hxg6 15.h3 Bf5 16.d3 Re8 17.Nc3 Ke718.Bg5 Rh5 19.Bxf6+ gxf6 20.Kd2 Rhh8 21.g4 Be6 22.Re1 Kf7 23.Ne4 f5 24.Nxd6+ Ke7 25.Nxe8 Rxe8 26.gxf5 gxf5 27.Rxf5 Kd7 28.Rf6 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - Bur1949, lichess.org, 2017) 13.Qf4 Qh5+ 14.Qf3 Qxf3+ 15.gxf3 Bd4 16.c3 Be5 17.f4 Bc7 18.d4 d5 19.Nd2 Kf7 20.Kc2 Re8 21.Nf3 Re2+ 22.Bd2 Rxh2 23.Nxh2 Ne4 24.Nf3 Nxd2 25.Kxd2 Bxf4+ 26.Ke2 g5 27.Ne5+ Ke6 28.Rae1 Bg3 29.Rh1 Bxe1 30.Rxe1 Kd6 31.Rh1 Bg4+ 32.Nxg4 h5 33.Rxh5 Re8+ 34.Ne5 Black resigned, mwafakalhaswa - bassamqbaili, lichess.org, 2021

10...Qg4 checkmate

There you have it: count up the games, White almost breaks even in a clearly unsound variation.

Like the Jerome Gambit, in general.

JeromeGambit: Complicated Help

Sometimes the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) benefits from the complications of a defensive strategy that comes up short.

In the following game, the defender has ideas on how to deal with the attack, and perhaps against a different opponent, or possibly on a different day, it might have worked; but in the end, it helped the attacker with his plans.

Wall, Bill - Zulfikar

internet, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 

The simplest and strongest Bishop move.

7.Qxd4 d6 

8.O-O Be6 

It is a small thing, but the Bishop is now a possible target for White's f-pawn. Keep it in mind.

9.f4 Nc6 10.Qd3 Na5 

A standard criticism of the Jerome Gambit is that White's Queen makes too many moves. Here, we see Black's Knight bouncing around. It is true that he has a plan - running the Bishop to c4 to skewer White's Queen and Rook - but there are risks. More solid would have been 10...Nf6.

11.Nd2 

Covering c4.

11...c6 12.b4 

Hitting the Knight on the rim. Black has seen this far, and a little bit further - but White has seen even further than that.

12...Qb6+ 13.Kh1 Qxb4 

Saving the Knight, but feeding the fire of White's attack.

14.Ba3 Qa4 15.f5 Bc4 16.Qxd6 Nf6 

If 16...Bxf1 17.Qe6 checkmate

17.Nxc4 Nxc4 18.Qe6 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Unpacking

 

If you search for "Jerome Gambit" in the YouTube videos, you will eventually come across a video titled "THE JEROME GAMBIT || BAKA MITAI VARIATION", which might require a bit of upacking.

The chess game Ftmean - adicopcea, 10 0 Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 16), a Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, unfolds to the tune of a romantic Japanese language song, "Baka Mitai", as humorous graphics take the place of different chess pieces during play. 

"Baka Mitai" means "like a fool", which could refer to whoever plays the Jerome Gambit - or, more likely, to whoever loses to it. (Given the note at the end, "Lol... get rekt noob", a gamer taunt to a beginner who has just been crushed, pehaps the latter.)

A few helpful quotes from usgamer.net

The Baka Mitai meme features a Japanese song from the popular video game series Yakuza. ... The deepfake for this meme is created by animating an image with the motion of a video using first order motion model technology... 

You might recently have heard of Baka Mitai, a new deepfake trend that has historical and fictional characters alike singing the song from Yakuza 0. ..Deepfake technology has really taken off over the past few years, to put it lightly. Recently though, a new trend has evolved in which users get a fake or real person to sing Baka Mitai using lip syncing technology. 

It is interesting, for example, to watch the Marvel villain Thanos singing "Baka Mitai", but I prefer the version of Disney's Goofy, myself.

The game itself has some twists and turns. By all means, watch the video, but here are the moves as well.

Ftmean - adicopcea

10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

A couple of weeks ago, in a different context, I raised the question "Why?", which can apply here as well: Why does White sacrifice his Bishop in the current game ?

If you look at the recommended line of play, according to Stockfish 14.1, you can get an idea of what Ftmean was avoiding: 5.c3 Bb6 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 d6 8.Nc3 Nge7 9.Be3 O-O 10.Qd2 Ng6 11.h3 Kh7 12.Rae1 Nce7 13.Bd3 f5 14.d5 Kg8 15.Bxb6 axb6 16.exf5 Nxf5 17.Bb1 Bd7 18.a3 Qf6 19.Ne4 Qf7 20.Ng3 Nge7 - sure, White is better, but this is not the stuff of excitment. Also, this is a blitz game, and mistakes in the defense are likely to appear.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ g6 

Perhaps the first move that came to mind - Block the check! - but probably 7...Kf8 and 7...Ke6 were a bit stronger.

8.Qxe5 Bd6 

Attack the Queen! Understandable in a club blitz game, but the losing move, as Black will be down the exchange and two pawns.

9.Qxh8 Bxh2+ 

Creative play in dire circumstances. Black identifies a way to keep White's Queen trapped - for now.

10.Kxh2 Qh4+ 11.Kg1 Nf6

12.d3 g5 13.Nc3 c6 14.f4 

With plans to open the deadly f-file.

14...b5 

Will there be time for ...Bb7, winning the enemy Queen?

15.fxg5 hxg5 16.Qxf6+ Black resigned

Checkmate is on its way.

Jerome Gambit: Sarratt and Vitzthum Attack Videos

I just ran across a couple of short YouTube videos that cover two lines of play that resemble the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and which might have been inspirations for Alonzo Wheeler Jerome (the lines of play, not the videos).

In the first, GJ_Chess (www.gjchess.com) presents "Chess Trap 46 (Sarratt Gambit)" which looks at 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Nxf7 the Sarratt Gambit (or attack).

In the second, Chess Traps (www.chesstraps.net) presents "Scotch Gambit - The Scotch Mist Trap (trap no. 393)" which looks at 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Qh5, sometimes called the Sarratt Gambit as well, but which might better be called the Vitzthum Attack.

These are short videos, but there is enough content to help you decide if you want to at the lines to your opening repertoire.