Yes! Er, no...

Lately I have been playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against stronger competition, but the following game was played in a "giving Jerome Gambit odds" mode against a weaker player – and a good thing, too. It can be embarassing to do a whole lot of analysis on a particular position, only to forget it while playing over the board!

perrypawnpusher - crayongod
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6

Yes! Not long ago, I took a deep look at this position!

Uh, what did I recommend here? I forget...

6.Qh5

No, that's not right.

White's best chance comes from the sharp 6.Qg4+!?, when 6...Kxe5 7.d4+ Bxd4 (other captures are worse, including 7...Kxd4 which leads to mate) 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kf7 10.Bxg8 and White has an edge, as his Queen and Black's unstable King are good compensation for Black's pieces after either 10...Nxd8 or 10...Bxb2 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Bxc7 Bxa1 13.Na3 Nf6 14.0-0.

I mis-remembered theory: 6.Qh5 is the best move to answer 5...Kf6.

6...Qf6

Chances are that if you give the position after 5.Qh5 to your computer, it will recommend 5...Nxe5 for Black, unwittingly returning the game to a Jerome Gambit main line, i.e. 5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6.

Black's move in the game, however, threatens White's weak f2 square, and also keeps his advantage.

7.Nxc6

A horrible oversight, still believing that I was following theory.

After 7.Nf3 d6 8.Nc3 White would have his typical two-pawns-for-a-piece disadvantage.

7...Qxf2+ 8.Kd1

I made my move confidently. Truly, ignorance is bliss.

8...Qxg2 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.Qd5 checkmate

Yes!

Er, no...

Black's 8th move, designed to inflict more damage by going after my Rook, was an error. Had he played 8...dxc6 first, he would have safe-guarded his King and left me with little option other than 9.Qf3 Qxf3 10.gxf3 Nf6, when Black would have had a piece for a pawn, better development, open lines for attack and the two Bishops...