Critical Line: 5...Kf8 (2)

In the series of posts starting with "Stats (1)", where I began a look with ChessBase's "Opening Report" at the games in my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) database, I noticed that there was a Critical Line given, beginning (after 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5) with 5...Ke8.

Here we follow the discussion started in "Critical Line: 5...Kf8 (1)".

THE BANKS VARIATION

With 5...Kf8 Black side-steps the excitment of White's invasive Queen in the main line of the Jerome Gambit: 5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+.

But what if White played 6.Qh5, anyhow?
The move was introduced successfully in Banks - Rees, Wolverhampton, 2003, a game later annotated by International Master Gary Lane in his "Opening Lanes" column at ChessCafe.com. "Yes, it is always nice to threaten checkmate after just six moves" Lane commented.

The following year, Banks won with the variation again: 6.Qh5 Nxe5 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ Qf6 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.d3 Kf7 11.Nc3 Bd7 12.0-0 Rhf8 13.Bg5 Ng4 14.Nd5 Kg8 15.Nxc7 Rac8 16.Nd5 Bxf2+ 17.Rxf2 Kh8? 18.Rf4 Rxf4 19.Bxf4 Rxc2 20.Bxd6 a6 21.Rf1 h6 22.h3 Rc6 23.Bf8 Kh7 24.hxg4 Bxg4 25.Rf7 Rg6 26.Rxb7 Black resigns, blackburne - hollandia, ChessWorld, server game, 2004

Only an endgame slip kept Banks from at least a draw, last year as well: 6.Qh5 Qf6 7.Nxd7+ Bxd7 8.Qxc5+ Nge7 9.Nc3 Kf7 10.d3 Rhf8 11.0-0 Kg8 12.f4 Qd4+ 13.Qxd4 Nxd4 14.Rf2 b5 15.Be3 b4 16.Ne2 Nxc2 17.Rc1 Nxe3 18.Rxc7 Rad8 19.Rf3 Nd1 20.b3 Ng6 21.Kf1 Bg4 22.Rg3 Bxe2+ 23.Kxe2 Nc3+ 24.Ke3 Rc8 25.Rb7 a5 26.f5 Rb8 27.Ra7 Ra8 28.Rb7 Rfb8 29.Rc7 Nb5 30.Rd7 Ra7 31.Rxa7 Nxa7 32.fxg6 Nc6 33.gxh7+ Kh8 34.Rh3 Rd8 35.g4 Ne5 36.d4 Nxg4+ 37.Kd3 Nf2+ White resigns, blackburne - Rail2Rail, ChessWorld, 2008

The variation again looked very good in vlad-tepes - splott, GameKnot, 2008 and vlad-tepes - Mika76, GameKnot, 2008: 6.Qh5 Nxe5 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qh5 Nf6 9.Qf3 Bg4 10.Qf4 Qe7 11.d3 d5 12.0-0 Re8 13.Nc3 c6 14.exd5 cxd5 15.Nxd5 Qe6 16.Nc7 Qb6 17.Nxe8 Kxe8 18.Qb8+ Qd8 19.Re1+ Be7 20.Qxb7 Bd7 21.Bg5 Kf7 22.Qxa7 h6 23.Bh4 g5 24.Bg3 h5 25.h3 Kg6 26.Re2 g4 27.Rae1 Re8 28.Bc7 Qc8 29.Rxe7 Rxe7 30.Rxe7 gxh3 31.Qb8 Qa6 32.Qb6 Black resigned.

Alas, the game splott - Mika 76, GameKnot, 2008 (0-1, 17), and the move 6...Qe7, had a chilling effect on the Banks Variation. As pointed out in "Jerome Gambit, Vlad Tepes... and Garlic!"

Suggested by International Master Gary Lane in his "Opening Lanes" (see "International Master Gary Lane") column at Chess Cafe. (Readers: when was the last time you heard of an IM making a substantive contribution to Jerome Gambit theory??)
Mika76, however, tells me that he came up with the move on his own.