You Can Observe A Lot By Just Watching

The title of this post is from a quote by the American baseball player Yogi Berra, who packed a lot of insight into his verbal quips. Makes me wonder if he ever played the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Probably not. Too bad.

Playing through the following game, however, and paying attention to the notes, will teach you a lot about a particular line in the Jerome Gambit.

Wall, Bill - Guest3625961
PlayChess.com, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian opening.

 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5

The Semi-Italian Four Knights.

6. Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

The Database has 125 examples, with White scoring 67%. However, Bill is 15-0, including this game.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+

For a change, in this line and others, Bill has tried 7.Qe2, which led to some interesting play, too: 7...d6 8.d3 Rf8 (8...a6 9.h3 Ba7 10.Be3 Be6 11.a4 Rf8 12.a5 Kg8 13.Bxa7 Rxa7 14.Rfe1 b5 15.axb6 cxb6 16.Qd2 Ra8 17.d4 exd4 18.Nxd4 Nxd4 19.Qxd4 Qc7 20.Red1 Rfd8 21.Rd2 b5 22.f3 Bc4 23.b3 Bf7 24.Qe3 Re8 25.Qd4 Nh5 26.Nd5 Bxd5 27.Qxd5+ Qf7 28.Qxd6 Red8 29.Qxd8+ Rxd8 30.Rxd8+ Kh7 31.Rxa6 Qc7 32.Rd5 Nf4 33.Rd2 Qe7 34.c4 bxc4 35.bxc4 Qg5 36.Kh2 Nxh3 $2 37.Rd5 Qf4+ 38.Kxh3 Qc7 39.Ra4 Qc8+ 40.Kg3 Qc6 41.Ra7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Doris, PlayChess.com, 2012) 9.Be3 Bxe3 10.fxe3 Kg8 11.h3 Qe8 12.Nb5 Qd7 13.c4 a6 14.Nc3 Qe8 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.cxd5 Ne7 17.Rae1 Qh5 18.Qc2 c6 19.dxc6 bxc6 20.Qb3+ Kh8 21.Nh2 Bd7 22.Qb7 Rad8 $2 23.Rxf8+ Rxf8 24.Qxd7 Rf7 25.Qxd6 Qg5 26.Ng4 h5 27.Nxe5 Rf6 28.Qxe7 Rf1+ 29.Rxf1 Qxe7 30.Ng6+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Suave, PlayChess.com, 2013.

There is also the calm 7.d3:  7...Re8 8.Be3 Nd4 9.Na4 Nxf3+ 10.Qxf3 Be7 11.c4 Kg8 12.Nc3 c6 13.Qf5 Bb4 14.Qg6 d5 15.Bxh6 Qc7 16.f4 Bxc3 17.bxc3 dxc4 18.fxe5 Rxe5 19.Rxf6 Re7 20.Raf1 Bd7 21.Rf7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest907068, PlayChess.com 2012. 

7...Nxe5 8.d4 Bxd4

The text is probably best, but Bill has faced alternatives which are worth playing out:

8...Re8 9.dxc5 Kg8 $6 10.f4 Nc4 11.e5 Nh7 12.Qd5+ Kh8 13.Qxc4 b6 14.Nd5 bxc5 15.Qxc5 c6 16.Nb4 a5 17.Nd3 Nf8 18.f5 Ba6 19.c4 Rb8 20.b3 d5 21.exd6 Nd7 22.Qxc6 Bb7 23.Qc7 Qf6 24.Qxd7 Qxa1 25.Bb2 Qxf1+ 26.Kxf1 Rg8 27.Qe6 Rbe8 28.Qxh6 checkmate, Wall,B - Santiago,D, FICS, 2010); 

8...Bd6 9.dxe5 (9.f4 Rf8 10.fxe5 Kg8 11.exf6 Rxf6 12.Rxf6 Qxf6 13.e5 Qg6 14.exd6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Dato, Chess.com, 2010) 9...Bxe5 10.Nd5 Nxd5 (10...h5 11.f4 Bd4+ 12.Qxd4 c5 13.Qxc5 d6 14.Qb5 Nxe4 15.Qc4 Nf6 16.Nxf6+ Kxf6 17.Be3 d5 18.Bd4+ Kf7 19.Qd3 Re8 20.Qh7 Rg8 21.Qxh5+ Kf8 22.Bc5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Mol,E, Chess.com, 2010; or 10...c6 11.f4 Bb8 12.Nxf6 Qxf6 13.e5 Qe6 14.Be3 d5 15.Qh5+ g6 16.Qh4 Bc7 17.Rae1 Bd8 18.Qg3 Qg4 19.e6+ Bxe6 20.f5 Bxf5 21.Qxg4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Maas,D, Chess.com, 2011) 11.Qxd5+ Kf6 $2 12.f4 Kg6 13.fxe5 Kh7 14.Rf7 Qh4 15.Be3 Re8 16.e6 dxe6 17.Qe5 Rg8 18.Bd4 Qg4 19.Rxc7 b6 20.Rf1 Ba6 21.Rff7 Qd1+ 22.Kf2 Qd2+ 23.Kf3 Be2+ 24.Kg3 Qg5+ 25.Kf2 Qxe5 26.Bxe5 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest215111, PlayChess.com, 2012);

8...Qe7 9.dxc5 Qxc5 10.Be3 Qc6 11.Bd4 Nc4 12.e5 Nd5 13.Qf3+ Kg8 $2 14.Nxd5 Nd2 15.Ne7+ Kh7 16.Qf5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Rami, FICS. 2012;

8...d6 9.dxc5 dxc5 10.Qe2 Re8 (10...b6 11.Bf4 Ng6 12.Bg3 a5 13.Rfd1 Qe7 14.e5 Ng4 15.Qf3+ Kg8 16.Qxa8 Kh7 17.f4 Bf5 18.Qf3 c6 19.h3 N6xe5 20.fxe5 Nxe5 21.Qxf5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Gual,T, Chess.com, 2010; or 10...Bg4 11.f3 Bh5 12.g4 Bg6 13.f4 Nc6 14.e5 Nd5 15.Qc4 Re8 16.Nxd5 b5 17.Qxc5 Nxe5 18.fxe5+ Kg8 19.Bxh6 Rxe5 20.Rad1 Bf7 21.Qc3 Qd6 22.Nf6+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Snoopy, Chess.com 2010) 11.f4 Neg4 12.Rd1 Bd7 13.h3 Nf2 14.Kxf2 Nh5 15.Qxh5+ Kg8 16.Qd5+ Kh8 17.Qxd7 Qh4+ 18.g3 Qh5 19.Be3 Black resigned, Wall,B - Defensive, Chess.com, 2010;

and 8...Ng6 9.dxc5 Re8 10.Qd4 Qe7 11.f3 Kg8 12.Nb5 c6 13.Nc7 Rb8 14.Nxe8 Qxe8 15.Qd6 Ra8 16.Bxh6 gxh6 17.Qxf6 d5 18.exd5 cxd5 19.Rad1 Nf4 20.Qxf4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Jazza, Chess.com, 2010. 

9.Qxd4 d6 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3

11...Be6

Avoiding an "Optical Illusion" variation with 11...Nb4?.

There was also: 11...Re8 12.b4 Be6 13.a3 Nd7 14.f5 Kg8 15.fxe6 Rxe6 16.Qc4 Qe7 17.Nd5 Qh4 18.Nxc7 Qxe4 19.Qxe6+ Qxe6 20.Nxe6 Re8 21.Nc7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Neelesh, PlayChess.com, 2014).

12.f5 Nb4

Ah, but the temptation is still there...

13.fxe6+ Ke7 14.Qc4 Nc6 15.Nd5+ Ke8 16.Qc3 Ne5

Huh?

17.Nxc7+ Ke7 18.Nxa8 Qxa8 19.Bf4 Rc8 20.Qg3 Nh5 21.Qh4+ g5 22.Qxh5 gxf4 23.Rxf4 Black resigned

Checkmate is inescapable.