Jerome Gambit: Smooth Sailing

Despite the outrageous nature of the Jerome Gambit, it can produce such examples of smooth sailing - for White - as in the following game.

angelcamina - lordjesse

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

Upsetting the peaceful Italian Four Knights game.

The database has 222 of angelcamina's games with the Italian Four Knight Jerome Gambit, scoring 60%.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Kg8 7.d4 

Trying something different. angelcamina had tried the stronger 7.Nxc6 in angelcamina - Ricardopimentakenpo, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020 (1-0, 23) and angelcamina - IranKurd, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020 (0-1, 26). 

7...Nxe5 

Immediately going wrong, although there is not a lot of thinking time per move in a one-minute game.

Better was the straghtforward 7...Bxd4. 

8.dxe5 Ne8 

Black is adrift. He would have had more to work with after 8...Bb4. 

9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.exd6 Qxd6 12.Qxd6+ Nxd6

We have a Queenless middlegame where White is up two pawns. 

Trouble continues for the defender.

13.f3 Be6 14.Be3 Ke7 15.O-O-O Rad8 16.Bg5+ Kd7 17.e5 h6 18.Bxd8 Kxd8 19.exd6 Kd7 20.dxc7+ Kxc7 21.Rhe1 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Do Not Attempt At Home

 

Often when a dangerous act is performed on televison, there is the disclaimer "This stunt is performed by a trained professional. Do not try this at home!"

I am used to Bill Wall playing experimental moves in the Jerome Gambit - even daring danger to try to touch him - but he can claim enough skill to get away with such things.

 
Wall, Bill - Twister

SparkChess.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 N8e7 9.O-O d6 10.Qh5 

White plans to keep his Queen active on the Kingside, instead of having her retreat to e3.

10...Rf8 

Bill has also seen 10...Be6 11.f4 Bf7 12.Qb5+ Kf8 13.Qxb7 Kg8 14.Nc3 Bc4 15.d3 Be6 16.f5 Nxf5 17.exf5 Black resigned, in Wall,B - Guest567544,PlayChess.com, 2013. 

11.Qxh7 

This pawn grab is risky. The psychological impact of it may have distracted the defender.

11...Bg4 

It might be difficult to see the way forward that Stockfish 16.1 recommends, as it involves an exchange of Queens that seems to assist Black's efforts: 11...Ng4 12.Qh4 Neg6 13.Qxd8+ Kxd8 and the computer sees the second player as being about 2 1/4 pawns better, even though White has 3 pawns for his sacrificed piece.

12.Qxg7 

Bill follows the dictum, It is only a mistake if your opponent punishes you for it.

12...Rg8 13.Qh6 Qd7 

Black has 5 pieces developed to White's 2 - yet the computer assesses him to be only about 1/2 pawn better. Of course, White has 4 pawns for his sacrificed piece.

14.f3 Be6 15.Nc3 Qc6 16. d4 d5

Bill questions this move, and recommends 16...Qb6 instead. 

17.Bg5 dxe4 18.Nxe4 

Things are getting messy on the Kingside. Is White's Queen safe? Is Black's Rook safe?

18...Rh8 

After 18...Nf5, 19.Qh7 is good for White, but it is tricky. 

19.Qg7 

19...Rg8 

Harassing the Queen, but overlooking a couple of things.

20.Nf6+ Kd8 21.Nxg8 Kd7 22.Nxe7 Black resigned

It looks like the risks that White took were amply rewarded.

Jerome Gambit: Keep Pressing

In the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), White has to keep pressing for an advantage.

Take the following game.

After 6 moves, Black is better.

After 12 moves, Black is still better.

After 18 moves, Black is ready to resign.

Wall, Bill - Gordy

SparkChess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7. f4 Qf6 8.Rf1 g6 

Kicking the enemy Queen.

9.Qh3+ 

This plan holds more promise for White than 9.Qxe5+ Qxe5 10.fxe5 Bd4.

9...Ng4 

This is one way to return the sacrificed piece. There was also 9...Ke7 10.fxe5 Qxe5. 

10.Qxg4+ Ke7 11.Nc3 c6 12.e5 Qf5 

Black understands that an exchange of Queens would be in his favor.

13.Qe2 Nh6 14.Ne4 Bb6 15.h3 

I suppose that you could update the childhood reassurance

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me

to something like

Bishops and Knights may give me frights, but pawns will never hurt me.

Except, in this case, Black's Queen needs to watch out.

15...Rf8 16.g4 Qe6 17.b3 Bc7 18.Ba3+ 

Winning the exchange. But, wait, there's more.

18...Kf7 

Carelessness or shock. The King could guard the Rook from e8.

19.Ng5+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Typical Jerome Fashion

Every time I play a tedious Jerome Gambit - see the latest, in Jerome Gambit: It Can Take A While (Part 1) - I like to play over a sparkling miniature, like the following game, to remind me how the opening is supposed to go.

Wall, Bill - Docteur

internet, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Qf6 

Bill has faced this defense before. (That is not suprising: he is approaching 1,600 games in The Database.) His record against 7...Qf6 is 15 - 0 - 1. 

8.Rf1 Ng6 

Sometimes defenders have no idea what to do against the Jerome Gambit, and they succumb quickly.

Other times, defenders realize that they have to return a piece (or two), but they choose less effective means. Here, Black had 8...d6 9.fxe5 Qg6 as a way out - but that idea appears only 3 times in earlier games in The Database.

9.Qxc5 

Because of the precarious position of Black's King, White's two pawns almost balance Black's extra piece.

9...d6 

This would have been more effective a move ago.

Also: 9...Qh4+ 10.g3 Qxh2 11.f5+ Kf7 12.fxg6+ Kxg6 13.Qf5+ Kh6 14.d3+ Black resigned, in Wall,B - Iguo, internet, 2021. 

10.Qxc7 Nxf4 

Asking for trouble. Better was 10...N6e7, although White would still be on top. 

11.d4 Nxg2+

Things fall apart after this, in typical Jerome fashion.

12.Ke2 Qxd4 13.Qf7+ Ke5 14.Rf5+ Kxe4 15.Nc3+ 

Black resigned

It will be checkmate after 15...Qxc3 16.Qd5#

Return of the Anti-Bill Wall Gambit

All is new that has been forgotten.

Wall, Bill - Kumar

SparkChess, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Bf2+ 

The idea is that if Black is going to lose a piece, it might as well sacrifice itself and disturb the White King.

Of note, according to The Database, Kumar had faced Bill's Jerome Gambit four times previously, including two games with 7.f4. Kumar might have expected to surprise his opponent, but I note that the earliest example of 7...Bxf2+ in The Database (2010) - is a Bill Wall game.

Perhaps that is why I have referred to it as the Anti-Bill Wall Gambit.

8.Kxf2 Ng6 

Or 8...g6 9.Qxe5+ Kf7 10.Qxh8 Qh4+ 11.g3 and White won Wall,B - Buster, Chess.com 2010. 

9.f5+ Kf7 

Or 9...Kd6 10.fxg6 Qf6+ 11.Qf3 Qd4+ 12.Ke2 b6 13.Nc3 hxg6 14.Nb5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Equa, Chess.com 2010. 

10.fxg6+ hxg6 

An earlier game between the two opponents saw 10...Kf8 11.e5 d6 12.Qf3+ Nf6 13.exf6 hxg6 14.d4 gxf6 15.Nc3 c6 16.Bf4 Kg7 17.Rae1 g5 18.Bd2 g4 19.Qe4 Bd7 20.Qf4 Be8 21.Ne4 Rh6 22.Qxh6+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Kumar, sparkchess, 2024. 

11.Qxh8 Qf6+ 12.Ke1 Black resigned

The attempt to trap White's Queen with 12...Nh6 would fall to 13.Rf1.

Surprise Your Opponent

 

A short video on YouTube gives a look at one of the advantages of the Jerome Gambit: "Surprise Your Opponent With Jerome Gambit",

one of the videos by ChessAcumen 

Jerome Gambit: Pawns Triumphant

The ability of a pawn to promote to a greater piece - even a Queen - often quickly changes the balance of power in a chess game.

The following game is a good example.

Wall, Bill - Mathias

internet, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ Qf7 9.d3 Qxf4 10.Bxf4 d6 

Bill is nonchalant about playing with the Queens off of the board - he has won from this position before.

11.Nc3 Bb4 12.Bd2 Ne7 13.Nb5 Bxd2+ 14.Kxd2 c6 15.Nxd6 Rb8 

 White's three pawns balance Black's extra piece.

16.h4 Be6 17.h5 Nc8 18.Nxc8 Bxc8 19.f4 Kf7 

It is possible that a grandmaster might prefer to have the piece instead of the pawns. Stockfish 16.1 shows a slight preference (1/2 pawn evauation) for the pawns.

I will let Bill's result in this game speak for itself.

20.Ke3 c5 21.f5 b6 22.g4 Bb7 23.g5 

23...g6 

Possibly Black accurately assessed that now 24.f6 would not be too much of a danger.

The g-pawn is the wrong one to advance, however. He needed to play 23...h6.

24.fxg6+ 

Declining the recommendation to "capture toward the center" with pawns.

24...hxg6 25.Raf1+ 

This is why.

25...Ke7 26.hxg6 Rxh1 27.Rxh1 Bc8 

Hoping to get the Bishop over to the Kingside to help defend against the pawns. It is too late for that.

28.Rh8 Ra8 

Intending 29...Bb7 to break the pin on the Bishop, but it is too late for that, too.

29.g7 Black resigned