CheckmateChas - Gusta182
YouTube, 2026
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4
A Scotch - Jerome hybrid.
From "Jerome Gambit: The Improved Face Palm Variation?!"
Having taken a look at what I called the "Face Palm Variation" of the Jerome Gambit, I wondered if there was an "improved" variation, where White played an early d2-d4, so that his Knight could safely move to g5 with the support of his dark square Bishop.
I quickly recalled the game Wright - Hunn, Arkansas,1874, played about a half year after Alonzo Wheeler Jerome published his first analysis of his gambit in the Dubuque Chess Journal. The game began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+.
The line was referred to as The Macbeth Attack on the Italian language website Sacchi64. It has a relationship to the Italian Gambit, (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4) as explored by Jude Acers and George S. Laven in their book The Italian Gambit and A Guiding Repertoire for White - 1.e4, (although they were not interested in Bxf7+) as well as to the Lewis Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.d4) and the Von der Lasa Gambit, (1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Bc4 Bc5).
5...exd4 6.Ng5+
As in Wright - Hunn, Arkansas,1874, although I mentioned in "Brilliant But Not Sound"
DCJ: "SK5 à la Jerome is better than SS5." [The Dubuque Chess Journal here uses descriptive notation with "S" for "Springer" instead of "N" or "Kt" for "Knight."]
In any event, The Database has almost 1,500 (!) games with this line, with White scoring 38%.
6...Ke7 7.Qf3 Nf6 8.O-O Re8 9.c3 dxc3 10.Qxc3
10...d5
Fascinating - a thematic strike in the center. Moving the pawn one step, 10...d6, though, is the move.
11.exd5
It is not clear what the time control was for this game - the video shows both players with over 8 minutes on the clock when the game starts, but neither player's clock counts down. Or, did that reflect their time left at the end of the game?
Clearly, grabbing the Bishop with 11.Qxc5+ is for choice, when the game becomes a battle over Black's isolated d-pawn: 11.Qxc5+ Qd6 12.Qxd6+ cxd6 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Rd1 Nf6 15.Nc3 h6 16.Nge4 Nxe4 17.Nxe4 Rd8 with an edge to White
11...Qxd5
Here's another nice mess you've gotten me into, Jerome.*
12.Re1+ Be6
This does not work. Black would do well to continue castling-by-hand with 12...Kf8.
13.Nxh7
White sees how this leads to pressure on the enemy King, and the continuation of the game supports him, but accuracy is found in 13.Nxe6 Kf7 14.Nxc7 Rxe1+ 15.Qxe1 Qd6 with an even game.
I suspect the clock is bothering both players.
13...Nxh7 14.Qxg7+
Black now has a choice of escape squares, and only one helps him.
14...Kd6
Instead, 14...Kd8 15.Qxh7 Rg8 16.Qe4 Qxe4 17.Rxe4 Bd5 18.Nc3 Bxe4 19.Nxe4 Bd4 presents a constant headache for White, even after he gets the Queens off of the board and surrenders an exchange.
Now, however, Black is in dire straits.
15.Bf4+ Ne5 16.Bxe5+ Kc6
Capturing the Bishop, giving up the Queen, is equally sad.
17.Qxc7+ Kb5 18.Nc3+ Kc4 19.Nxd5
White has a checkmate in 4 moves,
*-From Oliver Hardy, in the Laurel and Hardy movies of the 1930s: "Here's another nice mess you've gotten me into, Stanley."
