Jerome Gambit: Traps

 

TheBoardGameXpert continues a look at the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) - see "Jerome Gambit: It's All About Creating Chaos

; "Jerome Gambit: Following Up"; and "Jerome Gambit: Following Up the Follow Up" - with "What Are Some Traps In The Jerome Gambit? - The Board Game Xpert".

Jerome Gambit: Following Up the Follow Up

 

For a sense of balance, the video "How Do You Counter The Jerome Gambit? - The Board Game Xpert" by TheBoardGameXpert takes on the  challenge...

Should Readers watch it? Of course. Your opponents will.

Jerome Gambit: Following Up

 

Following up on an earlier post by TheBoardGameXpert (see "Jerome Gambit: It's All About Creating Chaos") is another short video by the same presenter, "Is The Jerome Gambit A Good Opening? - The Board Game Xpert".

TheBoardGameXpert's pleasant presentation notes that

the Jerome is "generally viewed as unsound for serious play" nonetheless, "the surprise factor can lead to victory if the opponent is unprepared or makes mistakes"

It runs for a few minutes and is worth your attention. 

Jerome Gambit:One Mistake

 

For another quick look at the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), check out "One mistake… and it's over. Welcome to the Jerome Gambit – by BlazeChessArena" of course, at the Blaze Chess Arena.

Jerome Gambit: It's All About Creating Chaos

 

For an enjoyable introduction to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) check out TheBoardGameXpert's

"How Do You Play The Jerome Gambit? - The Board Game Xpert"

As she points out, "It's all about creating chaos..."

Jerome Gambit: Do Not Get Caught Up In Your Own - Or Your Opponent's - Ideas...

With the Jerome Gambit, as with every other chess opening, it is important to not only pay attention to your own ideas, but those of your opponent - as reflected in the moves. Just don't get stuck there.

The following game is a hard lesson. 

vagel - smax03

5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.e5 

The pawn is impatient. More solid was 9.d3 or 9.f3.

9...g5 

One piece of chess advice is that if your opponent threatens one of your pieces, instead of moving the piece away, you might consider attacking one of your opponent's pieces - especially one that is more valuable.

That may be the thinking underlying the text move, but there are more factors to consider. Simple enough was 9...d6. 

10.Qxg5 

Black's last move changes the position drastically, but White does not notice. Otherwise, he would have played 10.Qxf6+ Qxf6 11.exf6 with advantage. 

10...Bxf2+ 

Another trick. I would not be surprised to find that Black has tried this before, in similar positions.

11.Kxf2 

It is prudent to ask yourself, after every one of your opponent's moves: Why did he do that?

Much better was 11.Kf1. Why? 

11...Ne4+ 

Oh, yeah, that's why.

White resigned, as he will lose his Queen.

Jerome Gambit: Another Speeding Bullet

The following game is another Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) played at bullet speed. It has a lot of action, including a King hunt and an advanced, passed pawn that promotes, sacrificing itself for the good of the attack.

Such things are routine for angelcamina.

angelcamina - ocarito23

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

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.Qb5+ 

Taking the game off of the beaten path.

The Database has 126 games with this position. White scores 59%.

By comparison, 9.Qe3 appears in 1,606 games. White scores 66%.

It would be worth looking at the earlier Jerome Gambit: Adding to Theory and Jerome Gambit: Dangerous At Any Speed

Remember, though: this is a 1-minute game, and the difference between the two lines hardly matters.

9...c6 10.Qe2 Nf6 11.O-O Bg4 

angelcamina has faced different defences here:

11...Rf8 12.f4 Kf7 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 Nxe5 15.Qxe5 Kg8 16.Nc3 Bg4 17.d3 a6 18.Bg5 Qb6+ 19.Kh1 Qxb2 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21.Qd4 Rad8 22.Qxg4+ Kh8 23.Ne4 Qxc2 24.Qf3 f5 0 - 1 angelcamina - chesssilverm 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020 ; and

11...Be6 12.f4 b5 13.f5 Bc4 14.d3 Qb6+ 15.Kh1 Ne5 16.dxc4 Nxc4 17.b3 Ne5 18.Bb2 Ned7 19.Nd2 Kf7 20.Nf3 Rhe8 21.Rae1 Rxe4 22.Ng5+ Black resigned, angelcamina - hanksmoody, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024.

12.f3 Be6 13.d4 

13...b5 14.f4

Instead, 14.d5 would have been stronger, as the text loses the exchange.

14...Bc4 15.Qe3 Bxf1 16.Kxf1 Ng4 17.Qg3 h5 18.h3 

18...Nf6

Stockfish 16.1 assesses Black as still much better after 18...Qf6 19.hxg4 hxg4 20.Nc3 Nxf4 21.Bxf4 g5.

The text hangs a piece. Such things happen in lightening play: players may gift each other material.

19.e5 dxe5 

Too cooperative. With more time, he would see that he had 19...Nxe5 20.fxe5 dxe5 21.Qg6+ Kf8 and he would be fine. 

20.Qxg6+ Kd7 21.fxe5 Nd5 22.Qxg7+

Breaching the wall of the castle.

He could also have infiltrated with 22.Qd6+ Kc8 23.Qxc6+ Nc7 24.c3 Rf8+ 25.Ke2. 

22...Kc8 23.Bd2 Rf8+ 24.Kg1 Nf4 25.Bxf4 Rxf4 26.c3 Qh4 

Black is looking aggressive, but White - with three pawns for the exchange - has everything under control.

27.Nd2 Qf2+ 28.Kh1 Qxd2 29.Qg8+ 

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock...

Of course, Readers with more time to examine the position, may have found 29.e6!?, and the advancing, passed pawn, is the winning actor.

When time is a factor, it can be attractive to deliver checks. 

29...Kb7 30.Qg7+ Ka6 

The King's sense of safety abandons him. Safer was 30...Kb6. Still, the game is equal - for the moment.

31.a4 Qxb2

Wow.

Black is a Rook ahead, but (according to Stockfish) his best play does not allow his King to escape checks, e.g. 31...Raf8 32.axb5+ Kxb5 33.Qb7+ Kc4 34.Rg1 Kd3 35.e6 Re4 36.e7 Rf7 37.Qa6+ Ke3 38.e8Q Rxe8 39.Qxc6 Rff8 40.Qh6+ Kd3 41.Qg6+ etc.

The text move is not enough, as it overlooks the fact that White now delivers double check.

32.axb5+ Kxb5 33.Qb7+ Kc4 34.Qxb2 

White now just have to move quickly.

34...Raf8 35.Qe2+ Kd5 36.Ra5+ Ke6 37.Qxh5 Rf1+ 38.Kh2 Re1 39.Qg4+ Ke7 40.Rxa7+ Ke8 41.Qd7 checkmate