Boden-Kieseritzky-Jerome Gambit??

My fascination with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) sometimes gets me into adventures that I really shouldn't be able to get out of...

perrypawnpusher - jayshanker
blitz game 12 0, FICS 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6

Not everybody wants to play the Giuoco Piano with 3...Bc5. Lately I've been answering 2...Nf3 (the Petroff Defense) with 3.Bc4 and if 3...Nxe4 then 4.Nc3, the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit (4...Nxc3 5.dxc3). So I figured in this game to transpose from the Two Knights Defense into the B-KG as well.

4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Nc3 f5

So far, so good, although Black's last move is quite unusual. Since a main defence against the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit involves ...f6, protecting the black e5 pawn, White should be able to count on decent play after the text with 6.Re1.

Of course, that was not what I was thinking, as I had a case of Jerome-Gambit-on-the-brain...

6.Nxe4 fxe4 7.Nxe5 Nxe5 8.Qh5+


Not precisely Jerome-ish, as White retains his King Bishop, but the thematic foolish sacrifice of material for a dubious attack is recognizable.

8...g6

Tic tac toe! Once again, the "shock and awe" of responding to the sacrifice makes up for much of its theoretical un-soundness.

There should be more to a gambit idea than just crossing my fingers and hoping, as the following defense should have resolved the game quickly in my opponent's favor: 8...Ng6 9.Re1 Qh4! (I don't think I'll test my luck twice with this line.)

9.Qxe5+ Be7

10.Qxh8+ Bf8 11.d3 d6 12.Bh6 Kd7 13.Qxf8 Qxf8 14.Bxf8 Ke8

The rest is silence.

15.Bg7 Bd7 16.Rae1 Kd8 17.Rxe4 c6 18.Be6 Kc7 19.Bxd7 Kxd7 20.Rfe1 Kc7

21.Re7+ Kb6 22.Bd4+ c5 23.Bc3 a5 24.Rd7 Rc8 25.Ree7 Rc6 26.Rxb7+ Ka6 27.Ra7+ Kb6 28.Reb7 checkmate