When I play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) nobody has ever accused me of playing an "advanced" form of chess – more often, just the reverse.I'm sure that if anyone ever develops an "ACO" opening tome – Atavistic Chess Openings – the Jerome will fit in there nicely.
perrypawnpusher - Comunista
blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5
The set-up.
4.Bxf7+ 
The sac.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 
The defense.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 
Time for each of us to get down to business. There are 15 games with this position in my database (not including this one), including 7 by Louis Morin and 4 by me. White scores 82%. I guess we'll have to check out the Critical Line in this defense, as well.
10.d3 Kf7 11.0-0 Re8 12.f4 
Interesting: this position (not including this game) shows up 3 times in my database, and White has two losses – with me going 0-1. Comunista is finding his way through the "tree of variations" quite nicely.
12...Nd5 
A novelty – and a cute one, at that – but more to the point would be putting a pawn on d5. Black plans to move the action to the Queenside, while I want to stay focused on his King on the Kingside.
13.Qg3 Nb4 14.Na3 
Sensible, but more straight-forward would have been 14.f5, as in 14...Ne5 (14...Nh8 is probably safer) 15.Bg5 Qd7 16.d4 Nec6 17.Qb3+ Kf8 18.f6 when things would begin to move White's way.
14...a6 15.Bd2
Again, 15.f5 followed by 16.Bg5 was more incisive.
15...Nc6 16.Bc3
This gets the Bishop on an attacking diagonal, but overlooks what Black has been preparing.
16...b5 
17.Bxg7
Played quickly, for maximum impact, but a bluff. Just like I had overlooked 16...b5, I had overlooked a resource for Black at move 18. Yipes!
17...Kxg7 18.f5 Nd4
This move maintains Black's advantage, but 18...Qh4 would have put an end to his worries. 
19.Qf2 c5
20.fxg6 Rf8 21.Qd2 hxg6 22.c3 Ne6 23.Nc2 Qh4
See?
24.Rxf8 Nxf8 25.Rf1 Ne6 26.g3 Qg4 
Egads... Black still has the advantage, but it is more of the traditional Jerome gambit piece-vs-two-pawns variety. I knew that if I could get my Queen and Knight re-positioned, the tide would turn in my favor.
27.Qf2 Kh6
Tide's turned!
It's hard to see at first that this innocent move upsets Black's position enough to shift the initative to White.
28.Ne3 Bb7
A terrible oversight that ends an exciting game. After 28...Qg5 White could have continued nibbling at the Black Queen with 29.h4 Qe7 30.Nd5 when the difference in development woulc be all on the first player's side.
29.Nxg4+ Black resigned
Many thanks to Comunista for the challenge!
graphic by Jeff Bucchino, Wizard of Draws
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