Revision

Recently there was a discussion at Chess.com, about a Jerome Gambit-related line, that caught my eye. It "corrects" one of my recommendations, so it is very much worth sharing with Readers.

NUKE had questions about the defense 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5?!, specifically about the response 4.Bxf7+. Being of scientific mind, he set up a game between Stockfish 10 and itself, giving each side an hour, using the ECO opening book from droidfish.

Stockfish 10 - Stockfish 10
1 hour game, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5

Objectively best for White, here, as I have pointed out many times on this blog, is to capture the pawn that Black has un-protected: 4.Nxe5. Black can gain the "minor exchange" with 4...Nxc4 5.Nxc4, but even after something like 5...d5 6.exd5 Qxd5 7.Ne3 he does not have compensation for the sacrificed material.

More fun, however, especially in club play, is the Jerome-ish 4.Bxf7+, which I prefer, and which is what NUKE asked Stockfish 10 to explore. 

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 

6.d4 Qe8 7.O-O Kd8 

If this is "best" play for Black, I wonder how easy it would be for him to discover it?

8.Nc3 d6 9.Nf3 Be7 10.Re1 Bg4 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Nc6 13.e5 Qf8 14.Qe4 dxe5 15.dxe5 Kc8 

16.Qc4 Bb4 17.Rd1 Bxc3 18.bxc3 Nge7 19.Bf4 a6 20.e6 b5 21.Qe4 Qf5 22.Qxf5 Nxf5 

23.g4 Nfe7 24.Rd7 Ra7 25.Be3 Ra8 26.Bf4 Ra7 27.Be3 Ra8 drawn

Fascinating.