The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), played at club level, is full of psychology. Imagine the chess tyro facing "Jerome's Double Gambit" and immediately bemoaning, "I thought I knew the Italian Game, but this is a line I overlooked!" Even if he realizes that the opening is a bit sketchy, he might still rationalize "It must be good for something; nobody would sacrifice two pieces for nothing!"
Of course, Black has his own psychological ploys, as the following game shows.
alxaraya - raffa
3 0 blitz, FICS, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kf8
The Jerome Gambit declined.
Black reasons, "If White wants me to take the Bishop, I won't take the Bishop!"
The computers chuckle: Black trades a won game for a lost game.
5.Bxg8 Rxg8
White's Bishop has disappeared. The first player is a pawn up - perhaps, with a safer King.
6.Nxe5
White is obviously looking for 6...Nxe5, when 7.d4 would follow.
6...Bxf2+
"If sacrificing a Bishop to displace my King is a good idea, maybe I should do the same to you," thinks Black.
There are only two other examples of this move in The Database.
Of course, either 6...Nxe5 or 6...Qe7 were playable.
7.Kxf2 Nxe5
8.Rf1
Looking to castle-by-hand. There was also the wild 8.d4 Qf6+ 9.Ke1 Qh4+ 10.Kd2 Ng4 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Rf1 Nf6 13.Nc3 c6 14.Kd3 d6 15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Bg4 17.Qf4 Rd8+ 18.Ke3 Nd5+ 19.Nxd5 Rxd5 20.Qf7+ Kd8 21.Qxg8+ Kc7 22.Qxg7+ Kb6 23.Bd2 Be6 24.Rad1 Qd4+ 25.Kf3 Qh4 26.Be3+ Ka6 27.g3 Qxh2 28.c4 Qh5+ 29.g4 Qh3+ 30.Kf2 Qh2+ 31.Ke1 Qh4+ 32.Bf2 Rxd1+ 33.Kxd1 Qh3 Black resigned, MrJoker - ThePawnSnatcher, Internet Chess Club, 2011.
8...Qh4+
This move is aggressive, but also falls to the criticism often seen of the Jerome Gambit: Don't bring your Queen out too early! Perhaps Black figured that his opponent would appreciate the idea.
The defender folded in an earlier game, with 8...Ke7 9.d4 Ng6 10.Bg5+ Black resigned, MrJoker - Macuta, Internet Chess Club, 2011.
9.Kg1+ Ke7
Black's lead in development does not make up for his lost pawn and his unsafe King.
10.d4 Ng4 11.h3 Nf6 12.e5 Nd5 13.c4 Nb6
14.b3
Solid, protecting the c-pawn and opening lines for the Bishop.
If you want an oddball, stronger move, take a look at 14.Rf4!?, attacking Black's misplaced Queen. Of course, 14...Qg3, now, loses Her Majesty to 15.Rg4. White's real idea is revealed after 14...Qh6 15.Re7+! when 15...Kxe7 16.Bxh6 cannot be answered by 16...gxh6 because 17.c5 or 17.Qf3+ would be too strong; while 16.Kg6 Bd2 is just better for White.
14...d6 15.exd6+ Kxd6 16.c5+ Kc6 17.cxb6 Kxb6
18.Na3 Be6 19.Nc4+ Kc6 20.Ne5+ Kd6 21.Ba3+ c5 22.Bxc5+ Black resigned
I checked - fehim's games in The Database go back to 2005. Over time, he has learned a few things about how to play the Jerome Gambit. The following game shows White's attack following Black's King across the board.
fehim - Tomalak
3 0 blitz, FICS, 2019
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.Qe3 Be6
This position can be found in 23 games in The Database, with White scoring 78%. Black's move is not bad, but it certainly encourages f2-f4, with the threat of f4-f5, which had to have been encouraging to the first player.
10.O-O N8e7 11.f4
This is an improvement over fehim's previous game with the line: 11.d4 Kd7 12.f4 Bc4 13.Re1 Kc8 14.b3 Ba6 15.a4 Rf8 16.f5 Nh8 17.b4 b6 18.a5 Bb7 19.c4 Nf7 20.Bb2 Re8 21.Nc3 Nxf5 22.Qh3 g6 23.exf5 gxf5 24.Qxf5+ Qd7 25.Rxe8+ Nd8 26.Qxd7+ Kxd7 27.Rg8 Ne6 28.Rxa8 Bxa8 29.d5 Nd4 30.Ne4 c6 31.Bxd4 Black resigned, fehim - ReyanshiKhatrim, FICS, 2018.
11...Bf7 12.d4 Kd7
Black's attempt to castle-by-hand on the Queenside is an unorthodox response to White's growing pawn center.
13.f5 Nf8 14.Qh3 Kc6
Black's King is uneasy about the possibility of a discovered check from f4-f5, but this move is risky. Better was to skulk back to the center with 14...Ke8.
15.Nc3
This is a reasonable move, although 15.d5+ would have been sharper. Komodo 10 opines that Black would have to return a piece, then, with 15...Bxd5, when White would clearly be better.
The game now drifts toward equality.
15...b6 16.Qf3 Kb7 17.e5+ c6
18.e6 Be8 19.Be3 Rc8
Black's move gives White ideas. Better was the consistent 19...d5.
20.a4 Kb8 21.a5 c5
This allows some opening of lines. Instead, hoping to clog things up with 21...b5 was a better choice.
22. axb6 Qxb6 23.dxc5 dxc5 24.b4
24...Bc6 25.Qg3+ Qc7 26.Bf4 Black resigned
The chess player, graviton, at the online site FICS, is not a Jerome Gambit afficionado, but he can turn Jerome-ish when he is provoked. He will take offense at the Blackburne Shilling Gambit. He will also react sharply to an ill-advised ...Na5. The following game is anexample.
graviton - porttela
10 0 blitz, FICS, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O
Black can be excused if he believed that his opponent was planning on a quiet game. Why not go along with the first player, and simply work to gain the "minor advantage"?
4...Na5
Ill advised. Expecting 5.Bb3, to be met with 5...Nxb3, he overlooked the straight-forward 5.Nxe5, which would have been a fine reply. He also overlooked White's actual response.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke6
The King would have been safer at f8.
7.d4
The next time around, graviton might try the still-unplayed (according to The Database) 7.Qg4+ which would have been even more punishing: 7...Kxe5 (7...Kd6 or 7...Ke7 would lose the Queen, while 7...Kf6 would lead to mate) 8.d4+ Kd6 (other moves would lead to loss of Queen or mate) 9.dxc5+ Kc6 10.e5, when the Knight at a5 will soon fall and Black's King is still unsafe.
7...Bd6
Allows checkmate. Black had to play 7...Nf6 and try to hang on.
8.Qg4+ Ke7 9.Bg5+
White has figured out his way to a win. It would be a bit academic to point out 9.Qxg7+ Ke6 10.d5#.
9...Nf6 10.Bxf6+ gxf6 11.Qg7+ Ke6 12.Qf7 checkmate
It is fun to play through games sent to me by readers, or discovered in The Database, and see what is new in the main lines of the Jerome Gambit and related openings. Occasionally, I also find explorations off of the beaten path, like the following 3-minute game, which contains an additional lesson: White is successful in his first outing with a line, but, when Black finds a more solid defense, it is probably time to move on to the next exploration...
SorryYouLose - adina
3 0 blitz, FICS, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.c3
What is this? The move is not entirely new - there are 35 examples in The Database, with White scoring 40 % - but it seems like it would be more at home after 5.Nxe5+ Ke6, or in the main line (non-Jerome) Blackburne Shilling Gambit, i.e. 4.c3.
Still, the move has an immediate effect in disturbing Black.
5...Ne6
Not too long after this game, SorryYouLose encountered a couple of opponents at FICS who played the much more direct (and stronger) 5...Nxf3+, and the results favored the defender: SorryYouLose - Patzerarschloch, blitz, FICS, 2019 (0-1, 13) and SorryYouLose - pugachevsky, blitz, FICS, 2019 (0-1, 12).
The text move is a novelty, according to The Database. It gives White another chance to grab the pawn at e5, leaving Black with only a small edge.
6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Nf6
White has sacrificed a piece for a pawn. In return, he has a full pawn center facing an uneasy enemy King.
8.d5 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Bxd2+
10.Nbxd2
With this capture, White protected his e-pawn. He overlooked the stronger 10.Qxd2, which is not troubled by 10...Nxe4, as 11.dxe6+ would win back the sacrificed piece and give time for the Queen to excape the Knight on e4's attack. Instead of grabbing the pawn, Black would do better, after 10.Qxd2, to move his attacked Knight to either c5 or f8, maintaining a small advantage.
These things happen in 3-minute blitz games.
10...Nc5 11.Ng5+ Kg8 12.e5
"Jerome pawns" want to be pushed.
12...Nxd5 13.Nde4
13...Nxe4
A slip. Black would be okay now, after 14.Nxe4, but White has something better.
14.Qxd5+ Kf8 15.Qf7 checkmate
On the surface, the following Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit is clear enough: White plays a recommended 8th move and checkmates his opponent on move 13. Yet, a peek at the notes - at what could have been played - is a bit head-spinning. The game turns out to have been a suspension bridge over churning, raging waters.
foko - borodin
FICS, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3
Probably the strongest continuation for White.
6...Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxd4
Black's pawn capture is risky; he would do better to head to safety with 7...Ke6. Still, with the move Black throws down the gauntlet: Can you punish me for this pawn grab?
8.Qb3
White has tried 8.d3 (see here, here, here and here), as well as 8.Nc3. I have recommended 8.Qb3, but it had remained unplayed - until it was seen 3 times in The Database in 2019.
Although Black's King looks vulnerable, play can become complicated, and White needs to realize that often his Queen has to go to f7 to help tighten a checkmating net. Earlier in the year, foko had played 8.Qb3 against sabishii in a standard FICS game, and after many changes of fortune, Black finally won in 55 moves.
I have to admit, I would probably play 8.d3 the next time I faced this line.
8...Ke5 9.Qd5+
Stockfish 10 likes 9.Qf7, while Komodo 10 likes 9.d4+ Kf6 (9...Kxd4 10.Qd5#; 9...Kxe4 10.Qf3+ Kxd4 11.Qf5 d5 12.Be3+ Kc4 13.Na3+ Kb4 14.Qd3 Qe8 15.Qc3+ Ka4 16.b3+ Kxa3 17.Qa5+ Kb2 18.Rb1+ Kxb1 19.Kd2+ Kb2 20.Bd4#) 10.Qf3+. Both agree that the text gives Black a slight edge.
9...Kf6
10.d4
More solid was 10.d3.
Leading to wacky complications - not a quick draw by repetition - is 10.Qf5+, e.g. 10...Ke7 11.Qe5+ Kf7 12.Qd5+ Ke8 13.Qh5+ g6 14.Qe5+ Qe7 15.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 16.Kd1 Qxg2 17.Re1+ Kf7 18.Qxh7+ Bg7 19.Qh4 Qf3+ 20.Kc2 Qc6+ 21.Nc3 d5 22.Qb4 Be6 and perhaps Black has an edge...
10...Qe8
This clears things up. Black could have lurched ahead with 10...Ne7.
11.Bg5+ Kg6 12.Qf5+ Kh5 13.g4 checkmate
Sometimes the Jerome Gambit results in a tactical explosion that clearly wins the game. Other times, as in the following encounter, it leads to positions where an observer might muse "Sure, okay, but that's just a little thing, right, how can it lead to a loss?" The little things add up.
Wall, Bill - Guest7121133
PlayChess.com, 2020
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.Qe3 Nf6
Bill is 8 - 0 from this standard position, which goes back at least as far as Charlick - Mann, corresponcence, Australia, 1881 (1-0, 72). The Database has 196 games with this position, with White scoring 71%.
10.d4 Rf8 11.O-O Rf7
It probably would have been more prudent for Black to have castled-by-hand with 11...Kf7 and 12...Kg8.
12.Nc3 Bd7 13.f4 Ng4
After White's Queen has made so many early moves - Qh5, Qd5, Qxc5, Qe3 - it might seem logical to "punish" her for those misdeeds; but, by wasting a tempo here and there, Black seems to actually reward such sallying.
14.Qe2 a6
This looks like a waste of time. It is enjoyable to see the recommendation of Komodo 10 (26 ply): 14...Qf6 15.Qd3 Qh4 16.h3 Nf6 17.f5 Ne7 18.Bd2 Kf8 19.Rf4 Qg5 20.Rf2 Qh4 21.Rf4, etc, draw. I have pointed out before that computer engines seem to think so little of White's play in the Jerome Gambit that they grab a chance for the first player to force a draw by repetition, salvaging a half point, whenever possible. I doubt that Bill would have gone along with such a plan.
15.f5 Qh4 16.h3
The Knight must retreat, and Black must surrender a piece. He would do it best with the straight forward 16...Nf6 17.fxg6 hxg6, with advantage to White.
16...Nh6
This gives White too much along the f-file.
17.fxg6 Rxf1+ 18.Qxf1 b5 19.Bxh6 Black resigned
