Jerome Gambit: Crazy Checkmate in 14 Moves! Redux

                                       

 In an earlier post, "Jerome Gambit: @thesilentcheckmate", I mentioned a YouTube video "The Jerome Gambit: Crazy Checkmate in 14 Moves! ♟️" by @thesilentcheckmate.

Here are the moves of that video, with a comments by me.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

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

By the way, this is the Blackburne variation, referring to the most infamous Jerome Gambit debacle - if a chess player is aware of any Jerome Gambit game, this is likely to be the one.

The Database has 963 games with this complicated position, with White scoring 74%. 

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.O-O 

This move is good enough for an even game, but it is 9.d4 that gives Black the most trouble.

9...Nf6 10.d4 

It's all a matter of timing. White needed to find 10.Qd8 so he  could counter 10...Bh3 with 11.Qxc7+ Kf8 12.Qxb7 Qg4 13.Qxa8+ Kf7 14.Qb7+ Kf8 etc effecting a draw. 

10...Bxd4 

There was more for Black, now, e.g. 10...Bh3 11.Qxa8 Qg4 12.g3 Qf3 White resigned, quimera999 - olakunran, lichess.org, 2020. 

11.c3

In turn, White missed 11.Nd2, with the light-hearted followup 11...Qxh2+ 12.Kxh2 Ng4+ 13.Kg1 Bxh8 leaving the first player up the exchange.

11...Be5 

The text move threatens mate, but 11...Ng4, threatening checkmate while uncovering the attack on the enemy Queen, was the way to go.

12.f4 

12...Ng4 

Black's counterattack is fading. He could have placed 3 pieces en prise and embraced the chaos with 12...Bh3 - look at 13.fxe5 Rxh8 14.Rxf6+ Kg7 15.gxh3 dxe5 16.Rf2 Qxh3 

Analysis diagram after 16...Qxh3

when White has Rook, Knight and Bishop for Black's Queen and pawn, but Stockfish 17.1 rates Black at least a pawn better.

13.fxe5+ Ke6 

The position is now too complicated for Black - and likely non-masters, as well.

The computer suggests 13...Bf5 14.h3 Rxh8 15.hxg4 Qxg4 16.exf5 when the second player could push for attack with 16...h5 17.fxg6+ Ke6 18.g7 Qxg7 19.Nd2 h4 20.Nf3 h3 but with 21.Ng5+ Kd5 22.g3 White holds on.

If it says so.

Now White delivers the deadly non-checkmate.

14.Qe8+

Black avoids checkmate with 14...Qe7, but 15.Qg8+ Kd7 16.Rf7 will win his Queen for a Rook, leaving him with a significant material disadvantage.

Jerome Gambit: Familiar Territory

If you face angelcamina on the internet, one of your difficulties is that he is a very good player at bullet time speed.

Another is that he might play the Jerome Gambit - he has over 1,450 games in The Database - further increasing your woes.

angelcamina - nishantchess16

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.Qc4 

White's alternative Queen retreats include 9...Qe3 (to safety) and 9...Qb5+ (considering the capture of the b-pawn, if it becomes available).

According to The Database, angelcamina is 8 - 6 - 1 with the text move. 

9...Qe7 10.O-O Be6 11.Qb5+ 

Also 11.Qb4 Nf4 12.d4 Qg5 13.Bxf4 Qxf4 14.Qxb7 Rc8 15.Nc3 Bf5 16.exf5 Black resigned, angelcamina - jpvalleym 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023 (1-0, 16) ; 

or 11.Qb4 Rb8 as in angelcamina - suertes, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023 (0-1, 13); or 

11.Qf4 b6 as  in angelcamina - Hamiltonkingone, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023 (0-1, 41).

Finally, 11.Qa4+ as in angelcamina - FPK-ural, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022 (1-0, 19) 

11...Kf7

Black's only chance for equality (or better) was 11...c6.

12.f4 

Or 12.Qxb7 as in angelcamina - keijozz, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023 [1-0, 31]) 

12...Rb8 

Or 12...Nf6 as in angelcamina - tummybos 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024 (1-0, 15) - still 12...c6 was better. 

White's pawn fork will now win material.

13.f5 Bxf5 14.exf5 Ne5 15.d4 Nc6 16.Nc3 Nxd4 

Hoping to keep material even, Black grabs a pawn - but falls to a standard Jerome Gambit tactic.

17.Qc4+ Ke8 18.Qxd4 Nf6 19.Bg5 Kd7 20.Rae1 Qf7 

White's piece development and Black's uneasy King allow for more tactics.

21.Re6 Rbe8 22.Rfe1 Rxe6 23.fxe6+ 

23...Ke7 

Instead, giving up the Queen with 23...Qxe6 was the only move to avoid a quick checkmate.

24.exf7+ Kxf7 25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.Nd5 Re8 27.Qxf6+ Kg8 28.Rxe8 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: @thesilent checkmate

 

@thesilentcheckmate presents the YouTube video "The Jerome Gambit: Crazy Checkmate in 14 Moves! ♟️" noting

"The Jerome Gambit is one of the wildest openings in chess! In this short, White sacrifices both bishops to lure the Black king into danger…"

True, true, but the final position given in the video is not checkmate. However, in 3 more moves, White will be a Queen and a pawn ahead, so Black is still clearly doomed.

Was H.Nakamura Right? Is JG ‘Unbreakable’, Is EG ‘Legendary’ For Beginners’ Games? (Part 9)

 

                               Was H.Nakamura Right? Is JG ‘Unbreakable’, 

Is EG ‘Legendary’

For Beginners’ Games? (Part 9)

(by Yury V. Bukayev)

Dear readers, again and again I repeat the following. If an expert’s appraisal is based on something without real proofs, he can be right or “almost right” here sometimes. That is so, even in the case where he realizes that his appraisal is hasty, or non-serious, or bold, or emotional. Sometimes he is right here for a large per cent (for example, 55, 75 or 95) of cases which he appraises.

We remember Rick Kennedy’s post ‘Jerome Gambit: Which Tier? Unbreakable?’ (September 23, 2020) where the notable dialogue about the standard system of the Jerome gambit (JG) between Top GM Hikaru Nakamura and IM Levy Rozman was shown as the part of their popular video and as its approximate text. Thus, they have discussed there what chess opening tier for beginners’ practice is right for it. The end of this text contains several phrases by Mr. Nakamura where he places the standard system of JG near the top of ‘Unbreakable’. Mr. Nakamura’s words contain no proofs of this very high appraisal. In my opinion, the tier’s name ‘Unbreakable’ is very arguable, because we discuss an opening practice, not an opening theory: each opening can be broken in a game as a result of practical mistakes of a player. But this name plays no role for us, just this very high appraisal of 4.Bxf7+ for beginners’ practice is important for our consideration.

Before writing of my Part 1 of this analytical research (please, look at it: it’s a blog post of October 16, 2022) it was enough difficult for me to prove this Hikaru Nakamura’s appraisal, for a large per cent of cases. It was necessary to choose a certain control of time for beginners’ games, and I have chosen an unlimited one. And in the Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 of this research I have made some clear proofs of this Mr. Nakamura’s appraisal and some “not absolutely clear proofs” of it. We shouldn’t forget that the word ‘unbreakable’ includes a draw, not only a win. 

And here is my new invented trap - no.14 - which is based on a similar ‘natural’ reaction of a beginner. 

 

Trap 14. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 (Black defends his pieces, it is a typical response for an unlimited game.) 7.Nc3 d6! 8.b4 AN (It’s the 1st part of my new trap against beginners.) 8…Bxb4 (It’s the most typical reaction for beginners and not only for them.) 9.Nd5!? (It’s the 2nd part of this trap. Of course, Black should think here about his Bishop on b4 also...). There are several reactions which are most typical for beginners:

A)9…Ba5?? 10.Qf5 checkmate ;

B)9…Bc5?? 10.Qf5 checkmate ;

C)9…c5?? 10.Qf5 checkmate ;

D)9…a5?? 10.Qf5 checkmate ;

E)9…Nc6?? 10.Qf5 checkmate .

It is interesting that after

F)9…g6!? 10.Qh3+ Kf7 11.Qb3 White has also practical chances against beginners.

 

That is why White will get here also a very large per cent of identical successful results against beginners.  

It maybe, the invention of my traps 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and my approaches (Part 1, Part 2) will cause Mr. Nakamura’s and Mr. Rozman’s wish to replace the standard system of JG into their top tier ‘Legendary’ (on ‘GMHikaru’ YouTube channel).

Contact the author: istinayubukayev@yandex.ru

© 2025 Yury V. Bukayev (Copyright © Bukayev Yury Vyacheslavovich 2025). All rights reserved.

[A legal using of this investigation with a reference to it is permitted and doesn't require author's consent.]