One of the identifying themes of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is that of an active (some would say, over active) Queen. In the following game, Her Majesty finds herself temporarily stranded on the Queenside, with danger looming. However, an exchange allows her to safely observe the rest of the game and discuss the possibilities with her counterpart.
Eelco_Niermeijer - msapiencia
10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6
7.f4 Nc6
There are many ways to return one of the sacrificed pieces. This is one of them. (See "Jerome Gambit: Winning Strategy #1")
8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qc3
White's Queen eyes the dark squares and the long diagonal, while having access to the adjacent light squared one, as well. She must be wary, however, after 11.d3, of being locked into the Queenside.
10...Nf6 11.d3 Kf7 12.Qb3+ Ke8 13.O-O
Black has a piece for two pawns, but his King still sits in the middle of the board, while White's is tucked safely away.
13...Nd4 14.Qa4+ Nc6 15.Nc3 Bd7 16.Qb3
Courting danger. An alternative shows both the problem and one solution: 16.d4 Qb8 (planning a pawn advance) 17.d5 Ne7 18.Qd4.
16...b6
Oddly, Black had 16...Nd4 for choice, when 17.Qxb7 a5 (threatening to trap and win the Queen) 18.Nd5 Bc6 19.Qxc7 Bxd5 20.Qxd8+ Kxd8 21.exd5 Nxc2 would lead to a busted pawn structure and 17.Qc4 c5 would require 18.a3 or 18.a4 to give White's Queen escape against a coming ...Be6.
17.Qc4 Qe7 18.Re1 Qe6 19.Qxe6+ Bxe6
Black is happy to get the powerful enemy Queen off of the board, while White is at least pleased to not have her to worry about - besides, he has his eye on the enemy King.
20.e5 dxe5 21.fxe5 Nd5 22.Nxd5 Bxd5 23.c3 Ke7 24.d4 Raf8
White has a protected, passed pawn, and can look forward to extending his pawn chain with b2-b3, c3-c4, d4-d5 and e5-e6.
25.Be3 h6 26.b3 Rf7 27.c4 Be4 28.d5
28...Nxe5
Tempting, but perhaps Black did not have enough time to think this move through; unfortunately for him, White did.
29.Bd4 Kd6 30.Rxe4 Re8 31.Rae1 Rf5
32.g4 Rg5
Black misses 32...Nf3+ 33.Kh1 Nxe2 34.Rxe8 Rf1+ 35.Bg1 Nf3 36.Re6+ Kd7 37.Kg2 Rxg1+ 38.Kxf3 when he could try his luck in a pawn-down Rook and pawns endgame. He eventually finds the Knight fork, but it doesn't save the game.
33.h4 Rxg4+ 34.Rxg4 Nf3+ 35.Kf2 Nxe1 36.Rg6+ Black resigned
I suspect that time was a factor in Black's resignation, but he also was facing being a pawn down in an ending where White's Bishop was stronger than his Knight, and where White's King was more active than his own.
modified graphic from Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws"
The last game of the quartet of selected Jerome Gambits, by CasualGames4ever
Last but not least and techinqually first! My first clash with this opponent set the tone for the rest of our match, we reach the middle game with him still being better, yet I can easily continue whereas he struggles to find decent moves. This quickly leads to a beautiful checkmate, although I would say the first game had the best check mate
CasualGames4ever - Alanvarela10
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020
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 Nf6
A standard Jerome Gambit position, where White has pawns to advance - and Black needs a plan.
10.O-O Bd7 11.Nc3 Bc6 12.d4 Qe8 13.d5 Bd7 14.f4 c6
So far, Black is doing fine, and has a small edge. The game is not over yet.
15.f5 Ne5 16.b3 cxd5 17.Nxd5 Nxd5 18.exd5 Qf7
Attacking White's d-pawn. Black must always be careful, however, when his King and Queen are lined up on the f-file, facing White's Rook.
19.Bb2
Giving the pawn up, as bait. Thematic was 19...f6, as played later.
19...Qxd5 20.Rad1 Qb5 21.Rxd6 Nf7
The kind of double-threat move (defends, attacks) that comes obviously, in a 3 minute game, but is often insufficient.
22.f6 g6
Black can't take the Rook, but he can't escape checkmate, either.
23.Qe7+ Kg8 24.Rxd7 Rf8 25.Qxf7+
A Queen sac finishes the game off.
25...Rxf7 26.Rd8+ Rf8 27.f7 checkmate
Very pretty!
As I mentioned previously, I received an email and some games from CasualGames4ever
So recently, just now, I played a nineteen game match against a similarly rated opponent in 3+0 blitz. As white in all but one game I played the jerome gambit, linking them all would make this email ridiculously long, so I will only link the ones I thought are the best.
Unlike the other two this one demonstrates the attacking potential of this opening rather than the positional ideas. I quickly launch the d, e, and f pawns in a brutal assault towards my opponent's king. This proved immediately fatal.
CasualGames4ever - Alanvarela10
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.O-O d6
Varying from the 2 earlier games we have seen, where Black captured the Knight at e5.
7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.d4 Bb6
9.f4 Ne7 10.f5 Ng8
I was surprised to see that Komodo 10 agreed with this move.
11.Nc3 Qf6 12.Be3 Ne7 13.Qd3 h5
Hoping to let the Rook work from home.
14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5 Qxe5
The pawn was off limits, as White shows.
16.Bxb6 axb6 17.Qd8+ Kf7 18.Qxh8
19...c5 19.Qxh5+ Kg8 20.Qe8+ Kh7 21.Rf3 Qd4+ 22.Kh1 Nxf5 23.Rh3+ Nh6
24.Rxh6+ Kxh6 25.Qc6+ Qd6 26.Qxa8 Bf5
27.Qh8+ Kg6 28.Qe8+ Kh7 29.Rf1 Bxc2 30.Rf8 Kh6 31.Rh8+ Bh7
Different Rook check, different piece block, same result.
32.Qe4 g6 33.Qh4+ Kg7 34.Rxh7+ Kg8 35.Rh8+ Kf7 36.Qh7+ Kf6 37.Ne4+ Ke5 38.Nxd6 cxd6 39.Re8+ Kd4 40.Qxg6 d5 41.Qg4+ Kd3 42.Qf3+ Kc2 43.Qc3+ Kb1 44.Re1+ Kxa2 45.Qa3 checkmate
Here is another Jerome Gambit game by CasualGames4ever. As he mentioned in a recent email
So recently, just now, I played a nineteen game match against a similarly rated opponent in 3+0 blitz. As white in all but one game I played the jerome gambit, linking them all would make this email ridiculously long, so I will only link the ones I thought are the best
My opponent managed to get a very strong position out of the opening seemingly with a piece for two pawns, yet despite the lack of queens his king proved very unsafe, an aspect I quickly exploited and soon I won material and quickly converted.
CasualGames4ever - Alanvarela10
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8
Like the game in the previous post. The move is as old as Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29).
6.O-O Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Qf6
The same threat to win White's Queen as we have seen.
9.Qc5+ Qd6 10.Qxd6+ cxd6 11.f4 Nc4
11...Nf7, as we have seen earlier, but which was actually played later, is safer.
12.b3 Nb6
13.Ba3 Kf7 14.Bxd6 Nf6 15.Nc3 Re8
Black has an extra piece (for two pawns) but White's Bishop block's his pawn, which blocks his Bishop, which hems in his Rook...
16.Rae1 a5
One way to activate the Rook.
17.e5 Nfd5 18.Ne4 h6 19.f5 a4 20. Bc5 axb3 21.Nd6+ Kf8
22.Nxc8+
This works. 22...f6 was even more explosive.
22...Kg8 23.Nxb6 Nxb6 24.Bxb6 Rxa2
Black misses his chance to make things a bit muddy with 24...bxc2.
25. cxb3 Rb2 26.Re3 d6 27.Bd4 Rd2 28.Bc3 Rc2 29.e6 d5 30.Rd1 b5 31.Rxd5 Rc1+ 32.Kf2 Ra8
33.e7 Kf7 34.Rd8 Ra2+ 35.Kg3 Rg1 36.Rf8 checkmate
I want to share some more games and overviews that have arrived in the email. (The notes in the game are mine.) As they used to say, in the heydays of snail mail, "Thanks, and keep those cards and letters coming!"
Hello Rick! So recently, just now, I played a nineteen game match against a similarly rated opponent in 3+0 blitz. As white in all but one game I played the jerome gambit, linking them all would make this email ridiculously long, so I will only link the ones I thought are the best, but If you wish to view them all, CasualGames4ever is my username.
...This one was one of the last games, at which point he had stopped taking the sacrificed knight. I only salvaged a pawn for a piece, but eventually I managed to target his weak points to win more pawns, and soon gained a crushing attack.
CasualGames4ever - Alanvarela10
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8
It is interesting that the lichess.org computer considers this move a mistake. Although it is probably not as strong as the routine 5...Nxe5, it is a reasonable move for a defender who is not wanting to be too greedy.
6.O-O
Waiting for his opponent to come to his senses and take the Knight. Castling is usually helpful for the Jerome Gambiteer.
6...Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Qf6
Ah, yes, an attention test. Did you notice Black's threat of ...Nf3+, winning the Queen? It's always something to be aware of.
9.Qc5+ Qd6 10.Qxd6+ cxd6 11.f4 Nf7 12.b3 Ke8 13. Bb2
Nf6 14. Nd2 Rg8 15. Rae1 Kd8 16. Nc4 d5
Black wants to solve a classic Jerome Gambit problem - his pawn blocks a pawn which blocks his Bishop which confines his Rook... It looks like he has avoided castling-by-hand on the Kingside, in order to place his Rook on g8 and start a counter-attack - but that never happens.
17.e5 Ne4 18.Ne3 b6 19.Nxd5 Bb7 20.c4 Nc5
21.f5
Overlooking Black's threat? I don't think so. This is a 3 0 blitz game, and I think White had a plan to create dangerous chaos on the board, knowing that the defender would not be able to keep up.
21...Nd3 22.e6 dxe6 23.fxe6 Nd6
The simplest, safest move that first comes to mind - but 23...Ng5 was stronger.
24.Ba3 Nxe1 25.Bxd6 Nd3
What could be more sensible? But, it keeps White's attack rolling.
26.Nc7 Rc8 27.Rf7
27...Nc5
Stopping the immediate checkmate 28.Rd7# but that is not all that is in play. 27...Rxc7 was best but would still lose.
28.Rd7+ Nxd7 29.e7 checkmate
Nice, right?
Sometimes Black is a bit too creative on defense. In the following game, he brings the Jerome Gambit down upon his head, and has only himself to blame.
Leicand - 9ersfan
1 day / move, ChessTime, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6
The Petroff Defense.
3.Bc4 Ng8
Odd. I wonder if he plays the Brooklyn Variation of Alekhine's Defense: 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Ng8!?
I have seen something similar played by White, but it's not something that I would recommend.
White's response in this game is tentative, at first, but then becomes Jerome-ish.
4.d3 Nc6 5.O-O Bc5 6.Bxf7+
So, we have a Jerome Gambit with two additional moves (d2-d3 and 0-0) for White.
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ng6 9.Qd5+ Ke8 10.Qxc5 N8e7
11.Bg5 d6 12.Qd4 Ne5 13.f4 Rf8
Returning the sacrificed piece, to no avail.
14.fxe5 Rxf1+ 15.Kxf1 c5 16.Qc3 Qb6 17.exd6 Qxd6 18.Qxg7 Ng6
19.Nc3 Be6 20.Nb5 Qc6
A final slip.
21.Nc7+ Qxc7 Black resigned
