Something Out of Nothing

While I struggle to appreciate the "modern" variations of the Jerome Gambit (those without 5.Nxe5+), Bill Wall continues to play them effortlessly and with repeated success.

Wall,B - KRM
Chess.com, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.0-0

5...Nf6 6.d3

Or 6.Qe2 Rf8 7.Qc4+ d5 8.Qxc5 Nxe4 9.Qe3 Kg8 10.d3 Nf6 11.Nxe5 Re8 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.Qd4 Ng4 14.Nc3 Qd6 15.Bf4 Qg6 16.Bxc7 Qh5 17.Rae1 Bd7 18.Rxe8+ Rxe8 19.Qxa7 Qf7 20.Qc5 Rf8 21.b4 Rc8 22.Bg3 Re8 23.a4 Qe6 24.a5 Qf5 25.a6 Qh5 26.a7 Qg5 27.Bb8 Nf6 28.a8Q Bh3 29.g3 Qf5 30.Qaxc6 Qf3 31.Q5xd5+ Nxd5 32.Qxe8+ Qf8 33.Qxf8+ Kxf8 34.Nxd5 Black resigned,  Wall,B - DirtyCat, Chess.com, 2010.

6...Kg8

Or 6...h6 7.Be3 Be7 8.c4 d6 9.Nc3 Bg4 10.h3 Bh5 11.g4 Bg6 12.Nh4 Rf8 13.Qb3 Nxg4 14.c5+ Kf6 15.Nd5+ Kf7 16.Nxe7+ Kxe7 17.Nxg6+ Kd7 18.Nxf8+ Qxf8 19.hxg4 Rb8 20.cxd6 cxd6 21.f4 exf4 22.Rxf4 Qd8 23.Rf7+ Kc8 24.Qe6+ Black resigned, billwall - mukak, Chess.com, 2010.

7.c4

White locks down Black's freeing move ...d7-d5, and prepares some mischief on the Queenside.

7...d6 8.Be3 Bxe3 9.fxe3 Be6 10.Qb3 Na5

Black is rightly suspicious of White's Queen sally: shouldn't all the action be taking place on the Kingside? Yet he allows himself to be distracted by opportunities to harass the Queen.

11.Qa4 Nc6 12.Nc3 a5 13.Ng5 Bd7

For safety's sake, the Bishop should have retreated along the a2-g8 diagonal, 13...Bf7. Black, however, still wants to embarass the White Queen.

14.c5 Nb4 15.Qb3+

Suddenly the Queen links up with the Kingside Knight and a King is in danger.

15...d5 16.exd5 Kf8

17.d6 Qe8 18.Nce4 cxd6 19.cxd6 Qg6 20.Rac1 Ke8

There are too many avenues along which to attack Black's King. A comparison of White's active Rooks versus Black's passive ones shows one of the games imbalances.

21.Rc7 Nfd5 22.Rxd7 Kxd7 23.Qc4 Nxe3 24.Qc7+ Ke8 25.Qe7 checkmate