Jerome Gambit: Not Safe Enough

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, Black learns that even a small slip can separate safety from a lost game. Eternal vigilance is the price of a win.

anilone - arisaljabrik3

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Bd4 

Similar play, a move earlier, i.e. 7.f4 Bd4, has been looked at in "Computer Ideas in the Jerome Gambit (Part 1)", "Jerome Gambit: A Machine Idea", "Deadly Duel in Denmark", "R2R Nails It" and "Ionman vs the Bots"

The earliest examples of 8.f4 Bd4 in The Database are from five Fisher-Kirshner games versus an early version of Fritz, known as KnightStalker. They continued 9.fxe5+ Kd6 10.b4

9.c3 

First seen in two games between ionman and Fleurybot. See "Ionman vs the Bots".

9...Nd3+ 10.Kd1 

Or 10.Ke2, as in anilone - anthonyguinto123, lichess.org, 2024, 10...Nxc1+ 11.Rxc1 Qf6 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.g3 Bb6 14.d4 c6 15.Qb3 Qe6 16.Nd2 Qxb3 17.axb3 d5 18.e5 Bg4+ 19.Ke3 h5 20.c4 h4 21.c5 Bc7 22.Rg1 hxg3 23.Rxg3 Rh4 24.Rag1 Nh6 25.Nf3 Nf5+ 26.Kf2 Bxf3 27.Rxf3 Rxh2+ 28.Ke1 Rah8 29.Rf2 Rxf2 30.Kxf2 Rh2+ 31.Ke1 Kf7 32.Rg5 g6 33.e6+ Kf6 34.b4 Bxf4 35.Rg1 Be3 36.Rf1 Kxe6 37.Rf3 Bxd4 38.Rf4 Ke5 39.Rg4 Kf6 40.Rf4 Kg5 41.Rf3 Ne3 42.b5 Kg4 43.Rf7 Bxb2 44.Rf2 Bc3+45.Ke2 Black resigned 

10...c6 

Preparing shelter for his King.

He also had the retreat 10...Ke7, or furthering his attack with 10...Nf2+, as in anilone - iskaako5050, lichess.org, 2024,  11.Kc2 Nxh1 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Qxd4 Qf8 14.d3 d6 15.Qg1 Ng3 16.hxg3 Bg4 17.Be3 Nh6 18.Qh1 c5 19.f5 Qf6 20.Nd2 Rab8 21.Nc4 b5 22.Na5 Kd7 23.Re1 Nf7 24.Qf1 a6 25.Qf4 h5 26.Nb3 Rhc8 27.d4 c4 28.Na5 d5 29.Rf1 dxe4 30.Qxe4 Nd6 31.Qd5 Bxf5+ 32.Kc1 g6 33.Rf4 Qe6 34.Qf3 Bg4 35.d5 Qe5 36.Rf7+ Nxf7 37.Qxf7+ Qe7 38.Qxe7+ Kxe7 39.Nc6+ Rxc6 40.dxc6 Rc8 White resigned,  

11.e5+ Kc7 12.Qxd3 

Black's King has found safety. Now it's his Bishop's turn.

12...Bb6 13.Qd6 checkmate.

Ouch. Not safe enough.

A different retreat for the Bishop was called for - 12...Bc5 13.f5 Be7 and Black would maintain his advantage.

Jerome Gambit: The Ghost of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome Says Thank You

 

The Jerome Gambit offers many ways for the defender to err and lose. The following game illustrates one of them.

Tracy824 - Azrail72

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 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 Bd6

Over-protecting the Knight, but a slip. It happens in blitz.

The ghost of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome says Thank you.

9.fxe5 Qxe5 

Black's "best" was 9...Qg6, but after 10.Qh3+ Ke7 11.exd6+ cxd6 12.Nc3 Nf6 13.d3 his predicament would be worse than a simple pawn minus might indicate.

10.Qf7 checkmate

The games Petasluk - krasic, 5 0 blitz, FICS 2017 and Tracy824 - imad87, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024 tread the same path, earlier.

Jerome Gambit: The Deadly f-File, Once Again

When Black'sKing captures the Bishop on f7, in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), it needs to be careful if White castles Kingside, putting his Rook on the same file; and, doubly so, if the White Queen lines up with the Rook.

MrFiore - nyanisi

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Qf6 

MrFiore has also faced 9...Nf6, 9...Qe7, 9...Be6 and 9...N8e7.

10.d3 Ne5 11.Nc3 Ng4 

It is tempting to harass the Queen.

12.Qe2 a6 13.h3 Ne5 14.O-O Ne7 15.f4 N5c6 

Nothing exciting has happened yet, but White's Rook on the same file as Black's Queen and King could turn out to mean something.

16.f5 Nd4 17.Qf2 Ndc6 18.g4 Qd4 19.Be3 Qb4 20.f6 Black resigned

It is going to cost Black material - starting with 20...Nf5 - to try to slow down White's attack, and he is not likely to be able to develop his remaining pieces in time to provide safety for his King.

Jerome Gambit: Queens Offside

The following game is a curious one: White's Queen goes offside, and Black's Queen does likewise. Only one suffers from the move.

Redtheone - giulianoprs74

3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Nf7 

It is not clear if this is a creative way to return material, which is inescapable, or simply a slip.

9.Qd5+ 

According to The Database, the alternative, 9.Qxf7 has scored 5 - 1 - 0.

9...Ke7 10.Qxc5+ d6 

Later, he faced 10...Nd6 in Redtheone - SebRia, lichess.org, 2025 (1-0, 48).

11.Qc4 

Or 11.Qd5 as in Redtheone - ANIwarrior007, lichess.org, 2024 (1-0, 65).

11...Be6 12.Qb4 

Or 12.Qe2 Qd7 13.f5 Black resigned, Redtheone - arcade129, lichess.org, 2024.

12...Rb8 

White's Queen has been doing a lot of work.

13.O-O c5 14.Qa3 Nf6 15.d3 

White cuts off his Queen from the Kingside, instead of centralizing the piece with 15.Qe3. Fortunately for him, Black now decentralized his Queen.  

15...Qb6 16.Kh1 

The King wants to escape any disclosed check from the Queen. He also had 16.c4. 

16...Nd8 17.f5 Bd7 18.Nc3 Nc6 19.Bg5 

With a simple threat. Do you see it? Apparently, the defender does not. Remember, this is a 3-minute game.

19...Rbf8 20.Bxf6+ gxf6 21.Nd5+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: An Unfortunate Pawn-Grab

In the following Jerome Gambit game, Black defends well, until he is distracted by a pawn, and, unfortunately, grabs it.

CassomaD4 - jdkybej

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 

The Two Knights Defense

4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The game has transposed to a "modern" (not Nxe5+) Jerome Gambit line, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.Bxf7+ - for the moment.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 

Transposing to an odd variation of the main, "classical," Jerome line, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Nf6 7.0–0, although there are 84 examples in The Database (White score 50%).

7...Ng6 8.dxc5 Nxe4 

An unfortunate pawn-grab, the kind of thing that can happen in a bullet game. 

9.Qd5+ Black resigned

White is ahead a pawn. In a slower time control, he could grind his opponent down. In this game, perhaps he has the skills to do so, quickly. Possibly, Black suspected that his opponent could do that, or was upset at dropping the Knight.

Jerome Gambit: Not Annoying Enough

One serious defense to the Jerome Gambit is the "annoying defense." 

In the following game, Black passes on that defense, and his King pays the price.

alpingo45 - HAL-9000

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Kd6 

Black's King tries to edge away from the danger. 

He would have done better with 7...d6, the annoying defense. 

8.Qxe5+ Kc6 9.Qd5+ Kb6 

If 9...Kb4, White has a checkmate in 14 moves.

Still, the King is in serious danger.

10.Nc3 Nf6 

Black needed to move his a-pawn so that his King had a place to retreat to from the coming Knight attack. Even so, the relatively safest retreat will be to the a-file.

11.Na4+ Kb5 12.Qxc5+ Kxa4 13.b3 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Recent Miniature

Quite often, Jerome Gambit games end quickly - even (especially) the ones that the first player wins.

Here is a recent miniature.

MrFiore - Thal-011

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

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

Blackburne's defense, tricky, but leading to a draw with best play - although Stockfish 14.1 evaluates the current position as 3 1/3 pawns better for White!?

On top of that, The Database has 952 games with the Blackburne defense, with White scoring 73%

Contrast that with Whistler's defense, 7...Qe7, which Stockfish 16.1 evaluates as about 2 1/3 pawns better for Black.

In 617 games in The Database, White scores only 51%.

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.d4 

White's response to Black's Queen's arrival is best.

Instead, 9.O-O leads to 9...Nf6 10.Qd8 Bh3 11.Qxc7+Kf8 12.Qxb7 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 Qg4+ 14.Kh1 Qf3+ 15.Kg1 Qg4+ etc, drawing by repetition of position. Both players should be aware of this line of play.

9...Qxe4+ 

The computer sees 9...Bb4+ as the best choice for Black, here, although it does not come up with any move that changes the evaluation from "Better for White"to "Better for Black". 

There are only 3 games in The Database with 9...Bb4+, and White wins all of them, starting with 10.c3, but they are all messy; for example, perrypawnpusher - bakker, blitz, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 33).

10.Be3 Bb4+ 

Here, Black resigned.

He is down the exchange and a pawn. His King is uneasy. Possibly, the clock was working against him, as well.