Jerome Gambit: Can He Do That? (Part 1)

?????

I just received the latest batch of Jerome Gambit games from Bill Wall, and I found myself scratching my head over the moves in some of them, asking myself "Can he do that?"

Some of the moves are odd or downright scary. Let's take a look. 

Wall, Bill - Guest604541
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.h3

Sure. I mean, why not? To play like this, you have to be a bit of a gambler - but you have already decided to play the "Jerome Gamble", so what's a bit more risk?

The move can't be any worse than the usual sacrifice of a piece with 5.Nxe5+, right?

Oh, Stockfish 9 says that 5.h3 is clearly worse than 5.Nxe5+ ?

Well, what do you know about that...

(Actually, Bill knows something, as he has played the move before.) 

5...d6

Bill has also faced:

5...Bxf2+ 6.Kxf2 Nf6 7.Nc3 d6 8.d3 h6 9.Rf1 g5 10.Kg1 Rf8 11.h4 g4 12.Bxh6 Rh8 13.Bg5 gxf3 14.Qxf3 Bg4 15.Qxg4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest468009, PlayChess.com, 2018; and

5...Nf6 6.Nc3 Rf8 7.Qe2 d6 8.Qc4+ Be6 9.Ng5+ Kg8 10.Nxe6 Bxf2+ 11.Kxf2 Nd5+ 12.Nxf8 Qxf8+ 13.Kg1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Stick,K, Chess.com,  2010. 

6.O-O Nd4 7.d3 Nf6 8.Ng5+ Ke8 9.c3 Ne6 10.Nf3 h6 

So far, so good. As long as Black doesn't get overconfident or careless. (The watchwords of many Jerome Gambits.)

11.d4 exd4 12.cxd4 Bb6 13.Nc3 Ng5 14.Nxg5 hxg5 15.Bxg5 Bxh3

 Excellent! Steady as she goes, now...

16.gxh3 Rxh3 

This looks good, but it isn't. As Bill points out, ...Qd7 on this move or next was better.

17.Nd5 c6 

Black was clearly not expecting a counter-attack to his counter-attack.

18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Qg4 Qd7

Not now.

20.Qg8 checkmate