Jerome Gambit: The Innocuous Qe2

Bill Wall has experimented with many lines and ideas in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Often he chooses move that seem to lull his opponent into carelessness. One such move is 4.Qe2.

Wall, Bill - Anonymous
lichess.org, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Qe2

Certainly a quiet, conservative-looking move.

4...Nf6

This is a natural move, but it overlooks the threat behind Bill's move. (On purpose? That is not clear.) 

Bill has also seen the risky 4...h6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Qc4+ Ke8 7.Qxc5 Nf6 (7...Qf6 8.Nc3 d6 9.Qb5 Nge7 10.d4 a6 11.dxe5 Qe6 12.Qe2 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Qxe5 14.O-O Nc6 15.f4 Qe7 16.Nd5 Qf7 17.Bd2 Nd4 18.Qc4 c5 19.c3 Nc6 20.Rae1 Na5 21.Qd3 Bd7 22.Nc7+ Black resigned,Wall,B - Guest11524088, PlayChess.com, 2019) 8.O-O Nxe4 9.Qe3 d5 10.d3 Nf6 11.Nxe5 Ne7 12.b3 Kf8 13.Ba3 Bf5 14.g4 Bh7 15.Re1 d4 16.Ng6+ Bxg6 17.Bxe7+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest8687229, PlayChess.com, 2019.

5.Bxf7+

Of course, 5.0-0 was just fine, but this is a Jerome Gambit blog, after all.

5...Kxf7 6.Qc4+ d5 

Not 6...Kf8 7.Qxc5+ d6 8.Qe3 Bg4 9. O-O Kg8 10.Qb3+ d5 11.Qxb7 dxe4 12.Qxc6 exf3 13.Re1 Qd5 14.Qxd5+ Nxd5 15.Rxe5 Nb4 16.Na3 fxg2 17.Kxg2 Bd7 18.d3 Kf7 19.Bd2 Nc6 20.Re4 Rab8 21.Rf4+ Kg6 22.Nc4 Be6 23.Re1 Rhe8 24.Kg3 h6 25.h4 Bxc4 26.Rxe8 Rxe8 27.Rg4+ Kh7 28.Rxc4 Ne5 29.Rxc7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest8656945, PlayChess.com, 2019;

Nor 6...Ke8 7.Qxc5 Nxe4 8.Qe3 d5 9.d3 Bf5 10.dxe4 Bxe4 11.O-O Rf8 12.Nbd2 Rf4 13.Nxe5 Qg5 14.Ndf3 Qf5 15.Qxf4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest13595479, PlayChess.com, 2019;

Both are inexact. 

7. Qxc5 Nxe4 

Not quite right is 7...dxe4 8.Nxe5+ Nxe5 9.Qxe5 Re8 10.Qg3 Kg8 11.O-O c6 12.b3 Qd4 13.Nc3 Bf5 14.h3 Nd5 15.Bb2 Qxd2 16.Nxd5 Qxd5 17.Qxg7 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest13734457, PlayChess.com, 2019.

So far, in our main game, Black has kept his head, and Komodo 10 sees him as about a half pawn ahead - development more important than King safety. 

8.Qe3 Bg4

Castling-by-hand was also a good idea: 8...Rf8 9.O-O Kg8 10.d3 Nf6 11.Nxe5 Re8 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.Qc5 Bb7 14.Bg5 Re5 15.Bf4 Rh5 16.Nd2 Ng4 17.f3 Nxh2 18.Bxh2 Qh4 19.Bxc7 Qh2+ 20.Kf2 Qh4+ 21.Bg3 Qg5 22.Rad1 Rd8 23.Qxa7 Bc8 24.Rfe1 d4 25.Qe7 Qd5 26.Bc7 Rf8 27.Bd6 Rhf5 28.Re5 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest10540586, PlayChess.com, 2019. 

9.O-O Bxf3 10.Qxf3+ Qf6 11.Qd1 Rag8 

Black completes his development and looks forward to a brutal attack on his opponent's King.

It turns out, however, that White can initiate counterplay quickly enough to turn the tables.

12.d3 Ng5 

Black wants to attack, overlooking the dangers that this move exposes his King and Queen to. Instead, 12...Nd6 13.Nc3 Ke6 14.f4 Rf8 15.Re1 Kd7 16.Nxd5 Qh4 17.fxe5 Nxe5 was best, according to Stockfish 10, when White is only a pawn ahead.

13.f4

13...Nh3+

Going for broke. There has to be an attack here, right? So - sacrifice a piece to open the King up.

14.gxh3 Qg6+ 15.Kh1 e4 

The problem for Black is that there is no attack. His g- and h-pawns have not advanced and have not opened lines of attack for his Rooks. On the other hand, White's Rook (his only developed piece) creates mayhem.

16.f5 Qf6 17.dxe4 dxe4 18.Qd5+ Ke7 19.Nc3 Black resigned

White is developing his pieces - and he has an extra one. There is nothing but misery ahead for Black.

Another fine example of the strangeness that is the Jerome Gambit.