Jerome Gambit: Heavy Traffic on a Byway

The following blitz game is a miniature, but the notes fill the post up. There is a lot to look at in the line - or, you can simply enjoy ATL_ROOKS' effort.

ATL_ROOKS - tavista
5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2016

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

The website lichess.com calls this the "anti-fried liver attack". I prefer " the "semi-Italian game" after Euwe and Meiden, in their Chess Master vs Chess Amateur (1974).

 4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+

For 7.d4 see a handful of Bill Wall games:

Wall,B - Foman, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 16)
Wall,B - Merdiyev,F, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 17)
Wall,B - Ratebabb, Chess.comm 2010 (1-0, 28)
Wall,B  -Guest2474397, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 24) 
Wall,B - Dad88, PlayChess.com, 2014, (1-0, 34)

7...Ke6 

Or 7...Ng6 as in Wall,B - Castro,S, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23).

I have encountered 7...g6 a number of times:

perrypawnpusher - islanderchess, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 46)
perrypawnpusher - wadada, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 19)
perrypawnpusher - JohnBr, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 8)
perrypawnpusher - apinheiro, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 35)
perrypawnpusher - alekbb, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 47)
perrypawnpusher - PravinMamania, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 50)
perrypawnpusher - AcesFullofKings, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 8)
perrypawnpusher - eaadahl, Chess.com, 2013 (1-0, 37)
perrypawnpusher - Entangle, blitz, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 24) 
perrypawnpusher - Duwasi, blitz, FICS, 2016 (1-0, 57)


8.Qf5+

A couple of interesting suggestions from Stockfish 7 are 8.Qh3+!?and 8.b4!?. 

8...Kd6 9.d4 

The Database has one game example each of three different move alternatives (be sure to be careful playing the games over):

9.Nc3!? Qf6 10.Nb5+ Kc6 11.Qxf6+ Nxf6 12.a4 Nxe4 13.d4 a6 14.Nxc7 Kxc7 15.dxe5 d6 16.exd6+ Kxd6 17.Bf4+ Kc6 18.c3 Bg4 19.b4 Ba7 20.b5+ Kd7 21.c4 Be2 22.Rfe1 Bxf2+ 23.Kh1 Bxe1 24.Rxe1 Bd3 25.Rd1 Nf2+ 26.Kg1 Nxd1 27.bxa6 Rxa6 28.Be5 Rf8 White resigned, chessup - HybrideS, FICS, 2013 ;

9.Rd1!? Ne7 10.Qh5 g6 11.Qh3 Bd4 12.Qa3+ Bc5 13.b4 Bd4 14.c3 Bxf2+ 15.Kxf2 Rf8+ 16.Ke3 White resigned, prettyhip1 - cubs0_0, GameKnot.com, 2007;

9.Na3!? Qf6 10.Nc4+ Nxc4 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qxc5+ Qd6 13.Qxc4 b6 14.d4 Bb7 15.f3 Re8 16.Bd2 Kd8 17.a4 a5 18.b4 Qc6 19.Qd3 axb4 20.a5 bxa5 21.Rxa5 d6 22.Rb1 Kd7 23.Rxb4 Ra8 24.d5 Qb6+ 25.Rxb6 cxb6 26.Rxa8 Bxa8 27.Qb5+ Ke7 28.Qxb6 Nf6 29.Qc7+ Nd7 30.Bf4 Rd8 31.Qxd6+ Kf7 32.Qe6+ Black resigned, Philidor1792 - u_prolazu, Chess.com, 2014. 

9...Bxd4

Or 9...Ne7 10.Qxe5+ Kc6 11.Qxc5 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - StockholmMoskva, blitz, FICS, 2010.

Or 9...Qf6 10.dxe5+ Qxe5 11.Bf4 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - joejox, blitz, FICS, 2009 or 11.Rd1+ Bd4 12.Qf8+ Ke6 13.Qe8+ Kf6 14.Qf8+ Ke6 15.Qe8+ Kf6 drawn, perrypawnpusher - Joyus, blitz, FICS, 2007. 

10.Rd1 Ne7 

Popular has been 10...c5: 

perrypawnpusher - Lakritzl, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 20)
perrypawnpusher - Repunante, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 17)
perrypawnpusher - Jantra, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 26)
perrypawnpusher - tuffmom, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 17)
perrypawnpusher - tuffmom, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 26)
perrypawnpusher - Xasquete, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 46)
perrypawnpusher - pblond, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 14)
perrypawnpusher - pblond, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 23)
perrypawnpusher - lkytmr, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 12) 

Also seen: 10...Ke7 as in perrypawnpusher - richardachatz, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2-1/2, 71) and Wall,B  - Guest473534, PlayChess.com 2011 (1-0, 21) 

And: 10...Qf6 11.Rxd4+ Ke7 12.Qxf6+ Nxf6 13.Bf4 d6 14.Nc3 c5 15.Rd2 Be6 16.b3 Rad8 17.Rad1 g5 18.Bg3 Nh5 19.f3 Nxg3 20.hxg3 Rhf8 21.Nb5 a6 22.Nxd6 b5 23.f4 Bg4 24.Nf5+ Bxf5 25.exf5 Rxd2 26.Rxd2 Nd7 27.fxg5 hxg5 28.g4 Rf6 29.Kf2 Rc6 30.c4 bxc4 31.bxc4 Ne5 32.Re2 Kf6 33.Re4 Rb6 34.Ke3 Rb2 White resigned, freudslipped - gallyboy, GameKnot.com, 2009. 

11.Rxd4+ Kc5 

Black tried 11...Kc6 in darumsdad - CrisChessITA, FICS, 2016: 12.Qxe5 d6 13.Qxg7 b6 14.Qg3 Kb7 15.e5 Nf5 16.Qf3+ Kb8 17.Rd1 Rf8 18.Qc3 d5 19.Na3 Bb7 20.Qh3 Qd7 21.Bxh6 Rh8 22.e6 Qxe6 23.Re1 Qg6 24.Re5 Nxh6 25.Rae1 Bc6 26.Re6 Bd7 27.Rxg6 Bxh3 28.gxh3 Kb7 29.Nb5 a6 30.Nd6+ Ka7 31.Re7 Kb8 32.Ree6 Rg8 33.Rxg8+ Nxg8 34.Re8+ Ka7 35.Rxa8+ Kxa8 36.Nf5 Nf6 37.Ne3 Kb7 38.b3 c6 39.c4 d4 40.c5 dxe3 41.fxe3 bxc5 42.h4 Kc7 43.Kf2 Kd7 44.Kf3 Ke7 45.Kf4 Kf7 46.Kf5 Kg7 47.e4 Nd7 48.e5 a5 49.e6 Nf6 50.h5 Nd5 51.Ke5 Ne7 52.h3 Nc8 53.a4 Ne7 54.Kd6 Nf5+ 55.Ke5 Ne7 56.Kd6 Kf8 57.h6 Ke8 58.h4 Nf5+ 59.Ke5 Nxh6 60.Kd6 Nf5+ 61.Ke5 Nxh4 White forfeited on time

12.Qxe5+ Kb6 13.Rb4+ Kc6 14.Rc4+ Kb6 15.Be3+ Ka6 16.Ra4 checkmate