Jerome Gambit: Dry, Not Wry

I have pointed out on more than one occasion that it is necessary to have a robust sense of humor in order to appreciate the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

This notion was reinforced for me when I encountered the study "Jerome Gambit: An Exceptional Sacrifice for Masters" at lichess.org.

There are six short chapters and then Credits.

Very dry humor.

Very nicely done.

Check it out.

Jerome Gambit: Hang On

I like to play the Jerome Gambit. In this tournament, I had to play against it as well.

I won all of my Jerome Gambit games with White, and I defeated all the Jerome Gambits when I had Black.

Apologies to the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde.

In the following game, with Black, I had one plan: Hang on.

Hvakkimaruru - perrypawnpusher

Jerome Gambit Classic #1, Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.O-O 

One of the "modern" variations of the Jerome Gambit, that is, when White avoids the "classical" 5.Nxe5+ that Alonzo Wheeler Jerome played. At 30 ply, Stockfish 15.1 prefers the Knight capture by about 1/4 of a pawn.

5...Nf6 6.Re1 

I have played - and played against - this position previously:

6.d3 Rf8 7.Ng5+ Kg8 8.Nf3 d5 White resigned, Capt.Mandrake - perrypawnpusher, Jerome Gambit 3 thematic tournament, ChessWorld.net 2008;

6.Nc3 Rf8 7. Ng5+ as in leobrazer - perrypawnpusher, blitz, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 48); and 

6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 as in perrypawnpusher - Freddy1201, Play The Italian Game III, Chess.com 2023 (0-1, 23) and perrypawnpusher - vityas81, Chess.com 2023, (1-0, 16). 

6...Re8 

Black is better here. His job is to hang on.

White must stir things up and play for the advantage.

7.c3 Kg8 8.d4 exd4 

After the game, Stockfish expressed a preference for 8...Bf8 and 8...Bb6. I am not sure why. 

9.cxd4 

Likewise, the computer preferred 9.e5 and 9.b4.

My opponent's moves were troubling enough, thank you very much. 

9...Bb4 10.Bd2 Bxd2 11.Nbxd2 d6 

White has a pawn for his sacrificed piece. His pawn center is good, but it is not sufficient compensation.

12.h3 h6 13.e5 dxe5 14.dxe5 Nd7 15. Qb3+ Kh8 

White's "Jerome pawn" - passed and protected - looks like it could cause trouble, but nothing comes of it.

16.e6 Nc5 17.Qc4 Nxe6 18.Ne5 

A slip.

18...Nxe5 19.Rxe5 Qxd2 

White will now play to win two pieces for a Rook, but that does not completely address the material imbalance.

20.Rae1 Qd6 21.Rd5 Qf8 22.Rde5 Bd7 23.Rxe6 Rxe6 24.Rxe6 Bxe6 25.Qxe6 

A Rook is a Rook.

25...Re8 26.Qd7 

Now mate follows. 

26...Re1+ 

At this point I gave a series of if/then moves that wound up

27.Kh2 Qf4+ 28.g3 Qxf2 checkmate

That made me 22 - 0 - 0 for my group, Round 1 - a decent start.

Jerome Gambit: What Happens When...?

What happens when you give a much stronger player "Jerome Gambit odds"? 

I recently found out, and it wasn't pretty.

Still, it was educational, and I plan to pore over the game and learn from it.

In the meantime, I might save my special opening for  less powerful opponents.

perrypawnpusher - Seal Island Puffin

Italian Game tournament, Chess.com, 2024

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ 

Fifteen years ago, I tried 8.Qc3 in perrypawnpusher - Raankh, 2 12 blitz. blitz, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 22). 

I have also played 8.Qg3, scoring 15 - 5 - 1 most recently in perrypawnpusher - aansmar, Italian Game tournament, Chess.com, 2024 (1/2 - 1/2, 22).

8...Nf6 9.0-0

Here Black lost on time in perrypawnpusher - Capt.Mandrake, Jerome Gambit 3 thematic tournament, ChessWorld.net, 2008.

9...Qe7

Black has the standard piece-for-two-pawns advantage.

10.d3 Kf7 11.Nc3 Rf8 12.Be3 

Deviating from two earlier games where I played 12.Nd5 -  perrypawnpusher - frencheng, 10 5 blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2 - 1/2, 31)  and perrypawnpusher - jonathankochems, 2 12 blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 39).

12...Bb6 13.Nd5 

Preparing to win the "minor exchange", but that, alone, will not be enough.

13...Qd8 14.Nxb6 axb6 15.Qg3 

The Queen seems to get in the way of my pawns here. Probably 15.Qh4 would have been better.

15...Kg8 

Black has castled-by-hand and presents no easy targets.

I was now able to get my "Jerome pawns" moving, but that was not enough, either.

16.f4 d5 17.e5 Ne8 18.d4 

Too slow. Better 18...Qf3 or 18...Qf2.

18...Bf5 19.c3 g6 20.h3 

Hoping to eventually get my Kingside pawns in motion with g2-g4, but that never happens. 

My opponent always seemed to be a step or two ahead of me - not surprising, as he was rated 450 points above me.

20...Ng7 21.Qf2 h5 22.Kh2 h4 23.g4 hxg3+ 24.Qxg3 Kf7 25.Rf2 Rh8 White resigned

My Kingside was a jumble.

Hmm... I don't know if I have ever played the Jerome Gambit against an opponent rated that much higher rated than me.

Oh, wait, back in 2007, I lost my first Jerome Gambit game to MsD, who was rated 461 points higher than me.

Jerome Gambit: Climbing

In a few, short moves, I should complete my games in Group 3 in the first round of the Jerome Gambit Classic #1 tournament at Chess.com.

Playing with and against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) I have had a good start and am likely to finish the round 22 - 0.

There are 19 groups, each with 12 players. The top 3 players in each group will advance to the next round.

I am most likely to be joined in the second round by eliadr and FurkanFexsv from my group.

Jerome Gambit:Too-Quick-to-Move

With the following minature Jerome Gambit game, angelcamina joins a whole collection of Jerome Gambiteers* who have benefitted from Black's too-quick-to-move response at move 8.

In this case, the time control was 1 minute, no increment; but the accident has happened in slower games, as well.

angelcamina - elvill

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Nf6 

Oops.

9.Qxd8 Black resigned

*-Including, but not limited to, algozBR, Anti-Duhring, Carlos_Ricardo, chessriddler, DrMarlonsky, Ghandy, Jagulep, jdpz, Littleplayerparis, perrypawnpusher, UNPREDICTABLE, and ZahariSokolov.    

Jerome Gambit: Two Opponents

In the following game, Black faces two opponents, the Jerome Gambit and the ticking clock - definitely not a comfortable situation, given that angelcamina was playing White. 

angelcamina - Satishps

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

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 

8...Nc6 9.Qc4+ d5 10.exd5 Qe7+ 11.Be3 Ne5 12.Qb3

12...Ke8 

Black had a number of other options, including:

12...Rd8 13.O-O-O Kf8 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bh4 Ng6 16.Rhe1 Qd6 17.Bg3 Qb6 18.Qa3+ Kg8 19.Na4 Qa5 20.Qb3 Bd7 21.d6+ Kh8 22.Nc3 Qb6 23.dxc7 Rdc8 24.Qxb6 axb6 White lost on time, angelcamina - SouthAfricanShark, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019; 

12...Rb8 13.O-O-O Rd8 14.f4 Neg4 15.Bd4 Kf8 16.Rhe1 Qf7 17.h3 Nh6 18.g4 Nfxg4 19.hxg4 Bxg4 20.Ne4 Bxd1 21.Rxd1 Qxf4+ 22.Kb1 Qxe4 23.Bc5+ Kg8 24.d6+ Nf7 25.Rf1 Qe8 26.dxc7 Rdc8 27.cxb8=Q Rxb8 28.Bd6 Rd8 29.Bb4 Kh8 30.Qxf7 Qxf7 31.Rc1 h6 32.Bc3 Qd5 33.a3 Qd1 34.Rxd1 Rd2 35.Ka2 Rxd1 36.Kb3 Rd6 37.a4 Rc6 38.Ka2 Kh7 39.Bd4 h5 40.Bxa7 g5 41.Bg1 g4 42.Bh2 Rf6 43.Bg3 Rf3 44.Bh4 Rh3 45.Bg5 Rh4 46.Bxh4 Kg6 47.Bg3 Kf5 48.Bh4 Ke4 49.Bg3 White won on time, angelcamina - Ccards, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020; an

12...Re8 13.O-O-O Kf8 14.Na4 Neg4 15.Bc5 Nxf2 16.Bxe7+ Rxe7 17.d6 cxd6 18.Rhf1 Nxd1 19.Rxd1 d5 20.Nc5 Rb8 21.h3 b6 22.Nd3 Be6 23.Qa3 Ke8 24.Ne5 Rc8 25.Qa4+ Kf8 26.Re1 b5 27.Qh4 Bf5 28.g4 Bg6 29.Nxg6+ hxg6 30.Rxe7 Kxe7 31.g5 Rf8 32.gxf6+ Rxf6 33.Qe1+ Kf7 34.Kd2 Rf2+ 35.Qe2 Rf6 White lost on time, angelcamina - bjdefst, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021.

Best was probably Stockfish's suggestion, 12...Neg4 13.O-O-O Nxe3 14.Rhe1 a6 15.Rxe3 Qd6.

13.O-O-O Rf8 14.f4 Neg4 15.Bd4 Qd6 16.Rhe1+ Kf7 

White's lead in development feed his attack on the enemy King.

17.Nb5 Qxf4+ 18.Kb1 Rd819.h3 Nf2 20.Rf1 a6 

21.d6+

The discovered check is tempting, but would have been more powerful after 21.Nxc7 Qxc7.

21...Kg6 

Black misses his chance to complicate things and possibly get the better of the game, with 21...Be6 22.Rxf2 Qxf2 23.Bxf2 Bxb3 24.Nxc7 Ba4 25.Nxa8 Rxa8. 

A flurry of moves now ends up with a time default.

22.Rxf2 Qxf2 23.Bxf2 axb5 24.Qd3+ Bf5 25. Qg3+ Kf7 26.Qb3+ Be6 27.Qxb5 Rxa2 28.b3 Ra6 29.Qxb7 White won on time

Jerome Gambit: Duelling Queens

With the following win, I can feel confident of moving on to the next round of play in the tournament.

perrypawnpusher - FurkanFexsv

Jerome Classic #1, Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Ne5 

It looks like Black wants to entice either d2-d4 or f2-f4.

10.d4 

Instead, 10.f4 was seen in perrypawnpusher - GabrielChime, 12 0 blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 21); and also 

10.O-O Nf6 11.f4 was seen in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, 2 12 blitz, FICS, 2010, (1-0, 26) 

10...Nc4 11.Qd3 Be6 12.d5 

This is tempting, but Black's Knight can simply go back to e5.

12...Bf7 13.Qxc4 

After collecting the pesky Knight, White is better.

13...Qh4 

Both Queens are going on attack.

14.Qb5+ c6 15.Qxb7 Qxe4+ 

This looks scary for White, but I had it worked out.

16.Be3 Qxg2 17.Qxa8+ Ke7 18.Qxa7+ Kf8 19.Qb8+ Be8 20.Qxd6+ Ne7 21.Rf1 

 

21...cxd5 22.Nc3 

White can now castle out of danger.

22...Kf7 23.Bc5 Nf5 

White can now exhange Queens, with check, and put his extra material to good use.

24.Qxd5+ Kg6 

An unfortunate slip, given that FurkanFexsv is in competition for third place in the group, to be able to advance to the next round. Balancing 22 games at once, as he was doing, can lead to distractions.

25.Qxg2+ Black resigned