Chess Openings Lab
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Italian Game: Jerome Gambit

The Jerome Gambit is 3...Bc5 4.Bxf7+, a bishop sacrifice that drags the black king out to grab pawns. It is unsound: after ...Kxf7 and Nxe5+, White wins two pawns for the bishop and chases the king, but Black keeps a piece more with careful defense.

Moves
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
ECO
C50
Engine
−2.89 · a large advantage for Black (Stockfish 17.1, depth 20)
Played
582 games in our lichess sample
White scores
45.7%

Key ideas for both sides

White

  • Follow up with Nxe5+ and Qh5+ to win back the knight on e5 and pull the king around.
  • Use Qxe5 to win back the knight and hit the c5 bishop, forcing Black to defend with ...d6.
  • Hope for mistakes like ...Ke7 or ...Kf8 without taking the bishop, which let White keep a pawn.
  • If Black defends well, play for activity and keep the queen near the black king.

Black

  • Take the bishop with ...Kxf7; declining with ...Kf8 or ...Ke7 hands White a free pawn and a better game.
  • After Nxe5+ recapture with the knight, then answer Qh5+ with ...Kf8 so no further checks hit the king.
  • Play ...d6 after Qxe5 to cover the c5 bishop and shut the queen out.
  • Bring the king to safety and use the extra piece; every trade, above all of queens, helps Black.

Plans and pawn structure

After 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ White has two pawns for the bishop and a loose black king. Black's plan is simple: develop with ...Nf6 and ...Qe8 or ...Kg8, connect the rooks and trade the queen. White's plan is to keep attacking with Qf4 and pawns before Black untangles. Once Black's king is tucked away, the extra piece decides.

What the engine plays from here

Stockfish 17.1 at depth 20 rates the position −2.89: a large advantage for Black. Its three top choices for Black:

  1. −2.89 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5
  2. +1.93 4...Kf8 5.Bb3 d6 6.Nc3 a5 7.O-O
  3. +2.61 4...Ke7 5.Bxg8 Qxg8 6.Nc3 d6 7.Nd5+

Pawns, from White's side.

How it scores on lichess

582 rated lichess games reached this position; White scored 45.7%.

under 120051.7%
1200–159940.5%
1600–199949.1%

Light: White wins. Grey: draws. Dark: Black wins. About the sample.

How to play against it

As Black, take with ...Kxf7, recapture on e5 with the knight, and meet Qh5+ with ...Kf8. Then ...d6 protects the bishop and limits White's queen. Develop calmly with ...Nf6 and ...Qe8, and look to trade queens. Avoid greedy king walks toward the center, which give White's queen and pawns new targets.

Questions

What are the moves of the Italian Game: Jerome Gambit?

The Italian Game: Jerome Gambit starts 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+. Its ECO code is C50.

Is the Italian Game: Jerome Gambit good for White?

Stockfish 17.1 rates the position −2.89 at depth 20, which is a large advantage for Black. In 582 lichess games from our sample, White scored 45.7%. A coffeehouse trap for White that only works against unprepared opponents; Black should take the bishop and expect a clear edge.

What is the main idea of the Italian Game: Jerome Gambit?

White sacrifices the bishop to expose Black's king and then wins a second pawn with Nxe5+ and Qh5+. Black stays a piece up by taking, defending with ...Kf8 and ...d6, and developing calmly.

What should Black play next?

The engine's first choice is Kxf7, with Kf8 and Ke7 close behind. 4...Kxf7 accepts the piece, and Black can handle the follow-up checks to stay well ahead.

Updated October 2026. Sources and method.