Jerome Gambit: Was the Clock A Factor?

The following Jerome Gambit game raises the question - was the clock a factor in the defender's errors? 

The answer, usually, is yes.

feritTurkey - amrmostafa150

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.O-O 

Having dragged Black's King into danger, White takes a moment to safeguard his own King.

There are 126 games in The Database with 8.O-O. White scores 45%.

By comparison, there are 1,623 games in The Database with the alternative, 8.f4. White scores 60%.

8...Ne7 9.Qf4 Rf8 10.Qg3 

10...g6 

Black's g-pawn is no longer at risk. 

He should have considered getting his King to safety, starting with 10...Ke6.  

11.c3 Bb6 12.d4 

This is an interesting position: Black has two extra pieces, White has two extra pawns; Black's King is in danger, White's King is safely tucked away.

Stockfish 17.1 assesses the position to be about a pawn better for White.

12...c6 

Safety is paramount: the King needed to go to c6, not the pawn - 12...Kc6

Was the clock a factor?

13.Qxe5 checkmate

Wherefore Art Thou, O Jerome?

readeroftomes (Jason Fikes) has created, at Chess.com, a brilliant exposition on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), titled Wherefore, Art Thou, O Jerome?

It is well worth checking out.

Right away.

Jerome Gambit: Slow and Static (Part 2)

                                                  

[continued from previous post]

perrypawnpusher - diegorocha82

Italian opning rapid players, Chess.com, 2025

After the game, Stockfish 16.1 (37 ply) assessed the position as equal.

16...Qe8 

Keeping White's Queen off of h5.

A calm alternative was 16...Kf7 17.Be3 Rf8 18.Bxd4 cxd4 19.Qxd4 Kg8, maintaining equality.

17.Be3 

I wish I had found 17.Nc3 Nef5 18.b4 cxb4 19.exf5 bxc3 20.Qxd4 Bxf5 21.Qxc3. 

It is a bit embarassing, as a Jerome Gambit "expert", to not see deep enough.

17...b6 18.Bxd4 cxd4 19.Qxd4 Kg8 

The position is similar to the one discussed in the notes to Black's 16th move - although, notably, here the second player's King locks in his Rook.

20.Nc3 

It was possible to play 20.e5 right away, but I worried about the response, 20...Nf5, and so added more development.

20...Bg4 

I am not sure what this move is about. Surely the Bishop would be safer on d7.

In turn, White now has (again) f5-f6, but instead opts for slow.

21.h3 Bh5 22.g4 Bf7 23.e5 

According to plan. The "Jerome pawns" control the field and give White the advantage.

The idea h7-h4, activating the Rook and attacking White's pawn structure, should be coming to mind for the defender.

23...dxe5 24.fxe5 Bg6 25.Nb5 

Threatening the fork at Nc7, planning to land on d6.

Still, the consistent 25.d6 was more to the point.

25...Qc8 26.d6 Nc6 

Forcing the exchange of Queens, while returning some material, can lead to some amusing play, 26...Qc5 27.dxe7 Qxd4+ (27...Qxe7 28.Qd5+ Bf7 28.Qxa8+) 28.Nxd4 Re8 29.Ne6 h6 30.Rf8+ Kh7 31.Rxe8 Rxe8 32.Nf8+ Kg8 33.Nxg6 Kf7 34.Nf4 Kxe7 and White's material is winning. 

27.Qd5+ Bf7 28.Qxf7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Slow and Static (Part 1)

What to do with a time control of 14 days per move?

While "more time to think" often leads to "better chess play", there is a limit to the amount of time most players use before moving.

That explains, in part, the following game, where White - that's me - at times, moved too quickly.

perrypawnpusher - diegorocha82

Italian opning rapid players, Chess.com, 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 Nc6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ Ke8

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece. It is significant that Black's King is stuck in the center, and at risk.

The Database shows this position scoring 8 - 7 - 1 for White.

Stockfish 16.1 assesses Black as being about one pawn better.

Instead, 10...d6 was seen in perrypawnpusher - DeadlostBot, Chess.com 2023 (1-0, 67) - "Jerome Gambit: Deadlost (Parts 1, 2 & 3)"

11.O-O Nge7 

This is a solid move, although 11...d5 was stronger.

12.d4 

Building a pawn center. Stockfish 16.1 prefers development with 12.Nc3.

12...d6 

Again, 12...d5 was stronger, but attacking the Queen is tempting.

13.Qh5+ Kf8 

I had expected 13...g6, and was going to return my Queen home with 14.Qd1. I wound up doing so, anyhow.

14.d5 

Kicking the Knight.

After the game, Stockfish 16.1 suggested the wild 14.f5 Ng8 15.f6 Nxf6 16.Bg5 Nxd4 17.Nc3 h6 18.Nd5 Bg4 19.Qh4 Nf3+ 20.gxf3 Be6 21.Nxc7 Qxc7 22.Bxf6 when White would be better. Wow.

14...Nd4 

Black's move will pull White's Queen back.

I had no idea at the time that I could have ignored Black's threat and  played 15.f5 - 15...Nxc2 16.f6 Nxf6 17.Bg5.

That's better chess than I usually play.

15.Qd1 c5 16.c4 

Slow and static. My plan was to work toward e4-e5. 

I never got around to playing f4-f5.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Not Quite Defending Well Enough

The following Jerome Gambit game shows the defender's defense not quite defending well enough. Certainly the time control was a factor.

angelcamina - eugenl

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian opening.

The goal is to safeguard the Black King by keeping a piece off of g5. 

4.O-O Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

There are 21 games in The Database with angelcamina playing this position. He scores 76%.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Qxd4 d6 

10.f4 Nc6 11.Qc4+ Be6 12.Qb5 Qc8 

Instead of the text, Black could afford to give up the b-pawn with 12...Re8 13.Qxb7 Qd7 with good play.

13.b3

Going ahead with 13.e5 was possible. 

13...Bd7 14.Qc4+ Be6 15.Qe2 Bg4 16.Qc4+ Qe6 17.Qb5 Qd7 

Enough cat and mouse. Black has used up almost half of his clock time.

18.Bb2 Rhb8 

Putting a Rook on either e8 or f8 looks better.

White's fianchettoed Bishop aims at the Kingside.

19.Rae1 a6 20. Qc4+ Be6 21.Nd5 Nxd5 

5 seconds left on Black's clock?

22.exd5 Bf5 

Allows checkmate. 

23.dxc6+ Qe6 

Interposing the Bishop was a bit better, but the defender's game is collapsing.

24.Rxe6 Bxe6 25.Qd4 Kg8 26.Qxg7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Having Said A...

The following online Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game caught my eye for a number of reasons.

First, the time control: 30 minutes plus 20 seconds increment per move. That's a lot different than a bullet game.

Second, Blacks' 7th move is interesting, aggressive and unusual.

Third, White's 9th move, while awkward, is best - there is only one game with a (poor) alternative move in The Database.

Fourth, Black's game then falls apart in an unusual way.

Fifth, I get to quote Bertold Brecht for the first and only time in over 4,850 blog posts.

Finally, to be fair, it must be pointed out that White was giving "Jerome Gambit odds", as he was rated, at 2100+, about 450 points above his opponent.

PANORMOS - dvkocharyan

1800 20, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qxc5 Qh4 

There are only 12 games in The Database (over 114,000 games) with this move. In those games, White scores 8 - 3 - 1.

Stockfish 16.1 evaluates the position as about a pawn better for Black. 

8.d3 Qg4 9.Rg1 

The text is better than 9.O-O, although the game continuation after that move, 9...d6 (better 9...Nh4 with advantage) was well-met by 10.Qxc7+ in Trage2000 - Alexprochazka, 30 20 classical, lichess.org, 2023 (1-0, 47). 

9...Nh4

Thinking of capturing the g-pawn? Not a good idea.

Instead, there was 9...c6 and then, maybe, 10.h3 b6 11.hxg4 Bxc5 12.Nc3 d5 and Black would maintain his advantage. 

10.f3 Nxf3+  

Imagining that the White g-pawn is pinned? But - look along the a7-g1 diagonal.

After the alternative, 10...Qe6 11.Qxc7 Nf6 12.Nc3 Ng6 White would have an edge. 

11.gxf3 Qxf3 

Did Bertolt Brecht, German playwright and poet, play chess? 

Indeed, he did. 

As he might have commented (after time-travelling) upon seeing the current position, about Black, Having said "A", he now says "B".

12.Rf1 Black resigned

The Black Queen is lost.

Jerome Gambit: Play On One More Move

Black's short-sightedness (in a blitz game, it has to be said) led quickly to a lost position, but he probably should have played one more move, just to see what would happen.

joker0909 - mrjek

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.f4 Nf6 

Hoping to chase away the enemy Queen, but actually inviting her in.

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ 

Black resigned

While White is up a pawn, Stockfish 16.1 evaluates the position as being about 4 pawns better for him - no doubt due to greater King safety and an active Queen.

If I had been playing Black, however, I would have played on a bit longer - say, 10...Kf6, just to see if White would err and take the attacked Knight.

Of course, 11.Qxe4 would be met with 11...Re8, winning the Queen and turning the advantage over to Black.. After the correct 11.O-O, I would resign.