Jerome Gambit: Dangerously Messy

When facing a surprise or unusual attack - such as the Jerome Gambit - one defensive strategy is to turn the game into a "mess", and hope for the best. In the following game, Black tries this, and things become so mixed up that he has greater chances than if he had stayed along "peaceful" lines - but, eventually the game becomes less "dangerously messy" and White triumphs.

Wall, Bill -Guest3440
chesstempo.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+ 

A clever alternative to 6...Bxd4.

7.c3 Bxc3+

Black also had the bold alternative 7...Qh4!?

8.Nxc3 Nc4 

Black probably wanted to avoid the kick-the-Knight variation 8...Nc6 9.d5 Ne5 10.f4 Ng6 but should have opted for 8...Ng6 directly.

9.Qh5+ Kf8 

Or 9...g6 10.Qd5+ Kf8 11.Qxc4 Ne7 12.Bh6+ Ke8 13.Nb5 c6 14.Nd6 checkmate, Wall,B - Minaevm, lichess.org, 2017. 

10.Qc5+ Nd6 11.e5 b6 12.Qa3 Qe8 

Black struggles with his pinned Knight. He probably should have surrendered it with 12...c5 13.exd6 Qe8+ 14.Ne2 Bb7 15.dxc5 Nf6 16.Be3 Bxg2 17.Rg1 Be4 18.O-O-O bxc5 and a very messy position. 

13.Nb5 Qg6

This does not work.

14.Qf3+ Nf5 15.Qxa8 Nge7 16.Nxa7 Kf7 17.Qf3 Kg8 

The position is a mess, but one that favors White, who is an exchange and a couple of pawns ahead.

18.Nxc8 Nxc8 19.Qd5+ Qe6 20.Qxe6+ dxe6 21.Be3 Black resigned

Things have settled down, which means Black's chances have been reduced.