Jerome Gambit:Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

I have a great idea: the next time you have the white pieces against Bill Wall, why not play the Jerome Gambit? I mean, he wins overwhelmingly with it, so wouldn't it give you an advantage? And he hardly could be expecting to opening, right?

What could possibly go wrong?

Guest687197 - Wall, Bill
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.d4 

A popular line: there are 2,219 games with this in The Database.

On the other hand, White scores only 38%, which is poor, even for the Jerome Gambit.

Perhaps the plan is to fool White...

5...Bxd4 

Of course, 5...exd4 is also playable, as in 6.c3 d6 7.cxd4 Bb4+ 8.Bd2 Bxd2+ 9.Nbxd2 Nf6 10.Qb3+ Ke7 11.O-O Rf8 12.Rfe1 Na5 13.Qa3 Nc6 14.d5 Nb8 15.e5 Kf7 16.exf6 Qxf6 17.Ne4 Qf4 18.Rac1 Na6 19.b4 Bg4 20.b5 Nc5 21.Nxc5 dxc5 22.Re4 Qxe4 23.Ng5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.com, 2016.

6.Nxd4

White might have considered 6.c3, e.g. 6...Bb6 (6...Bc5 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qc4 Nf6 10.O-O d6 11.Be3 Be6 12.Qb5 Qd7 13.Ng5 a6 14.Qxb7 Rb8 15.Qxa6 Ke7 16.Nxe6 Kxe6 17.Qc4+ Ke7 18.a4 Rxb2 19.a5 Ra8 20.a6 Ng4 21.Bg5+ Nf6 22.Nd2 h6 23.Bxf6+ gxf6 24.Nf3 Rb6 25.Nh4 Qe6 26.Nf5+ Kd7 27.Qd3 h5 28.Ne3 Qb3 29.Nd5 Qb5 30.Qh3+ Kd8 31.Qe6 Rbb8 32.Qg8+ Kd7 33.Qf7+ Kd8 34.Qf8+ Kd7 35.Qg7+ Kd8 36.Nxf6 Ne7 37.Qf8+ Qe8 38.Qxe8 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest1366999, Playchess.com, 2011) 7.Qb3+ Kf8 8.Bg5 Qe8 9.O-O Nf6 10.Nbd2 d6 11.a4 Qe6 12.Qc2 h6 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Nc4 Be6 15.Qe2 a6 16.Nxb6 cxb6 17.Rfd1 Rd8 18.Qe3 Bg4 19.Qxb6 Bxf3 20.gxf3 Qxf3 21.Qxb7 Ne7 22.Re1 Nf5 23.Qb6 Qg4+ 24.Kh1 Qf3+ 25.Kg1 Qg4+ 26.Kh1 Qf3+ drawn, Wall,B - Guest2627909, Playchess.com, 2012 

6...exd4 7.O-O Nf6 

8.e5 Nxe5 9.Bg5 

He could also have considered 9.Qxd4.

9...c5 

10.Nd2 d5 11.c4 Nxc4 12.Rc1 Nxb2 White resigned

White could have continued with his idea 13.Qc2 Nc4 14.Nxc4 dxc4 15.Qxc4+ Qd5 16.Qxc5+ Qxc5 17.Rxc5, destroying much of Black's pawn center; but he would still be down a piece and a pawn.

Alas, no chess opening, even the Jerome Gambit, is a guarantee of victory.