Final position — Black is winning
Jerome Gambit Trap
Black wins in 8 moves with a decisive material gain.
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Bc4 | Bc5 |
| 4. | Bxf7+ | Kxf7 |
| 5. | Nxe5+ | Nxe5 |
| 6. | Qh5+ | Kf8 |
| 7. | Qxe5 | d6 |
| 8. | Qf4+ | Qf6 |
How the Jerome Gambit Trap works
The Jerome Gambit Trap is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Italian Game. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 8, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ Qf6. Each move looks reasonable, which is exactly why the trap is so effective over the board — White walks into it while trying to play "normal" developing moves.
Recognising this pattern early lets you either spring it as Black or calmly sidestep it when you are White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Jerome Gambit Trap in the Trapsterapp to play it out on a live board, drill it in practice mode, and learn how to avoid it when it's set for you — along with the full library of chess traps and gambits, fully offline.