Jerome Gambit: Quirky

The following Jerome Gambit game is a bit quirky. I can well imagine that such bits of humor keep Bill Wall interested in the otherwise "refuted" opening.

Wall, Bill - Guest709079
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Nxc6 bxc6

Capturing toward the center, as is often recommended. In this case, however, 6...dxc6 was better. See"Bad Penny".

7.d4 

White has scored 10 - 1 in the other games with this position in The Database, reflecting, at least in part, that Black's capture with the b-pawn instead of the d-pawn allows d2-d4 as a response. 

7...Bb6 8.O-O Ne7 

A novelty acccording to The Database.  Possibly better was 8...d5. 

9.c4 Ba6 10.c5

Things start to become odd.

An alternative is 10.Qa4!? Qc8 11.Be3 d5.

Instead, Bill offers the exchange. 

10...Bxf1 11.Kxf1 Ba5 

Black had also 11...d5!? 12.cxb6 axb6, with possibly a small edge.

12.Qf3+ 

Strangely, Stockfish 8 suggests instead the drawing-by-repetition line 12.Qa4 Bb6 13.Qd1 Ba5 14.Qa4, etc. 

12...Kg8 13.Qa3 

There is also the idea 13.b4!? Bxb4 14.Qb3+ Kf8 15.Qxb4 with an even game.

13...Bb6 14.Qb3+ Kf8 15.cxb6 cxb6 

15...axb6 might be a little bit better. 

White now has a pawn for the exchange.

16.Nc3 Ng6 17.Be3 Qh4 18.Kg1 Nf4 

Black hopes that his Knight and Queen will cooperate in an attack on the enemy King, but he needs to add a Rook or two (e.g. 18...Ke8 and 19...Rf8) to make progress.

19.g3 Nh3+ 20.Kg2 Qg4 21.Qd1

Not waiting until Black tries ...h7-h5-h4, boosting his attack. The Queen move also undermines the support of Black's Knight.

21...Qxd1 22.Rxd1 Nxf2 

There is no retreat. I don't think Black saw that coming.

23.Kxf2 Ke7 24.d5 c5 

With two pieces for a Rook, White has the advantage. Black tries to counter this by advancing his King - the exact opposite of what he should do, as King safety will become an issue.

25.Bg5+ Kd6 

See the previous note.

26.Nb5+ Ke5 27.Ke3 h6 28.Be7 Rhe8 29.Rf1 Rxe7 30.Rf5 checkmate