Jerome Gambit: Bad Habits

Giving defenders of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) can always benefit from advice about bad habits. First and foremost, they could refrain from harassing the White Queen, unless they are certain what the results will be - other than wasting time or weakening their own position. Probably the hardest bit of advice is to find the right time to return the sacrificed material to reach an even game.

See the following game.

Wall, Bill - Guest15061828
PlayChess.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 

Familiar ground: The Database points out that Bill has reached this position (as White and as Black) over six dozen times, scoring over 90%.

8.Nc3 Be6 9.O-O Bh3

Going for the tactical trick 10.gxh3? Nf3+ winning the Queen. 

Had Black tried 9...Nf6, the game would have transposed: 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Nb4 12.Qe2 Re8 13.f5 Nxc2 14.fxe6+ Rxe6 15.Qxc2 Kg8 16.Qb3 Qe7 17.Qxb7 Re8 18.Qxa7 Nxe4 19.Nxe4 Rxe4 20.Bd2 h6 21.a4 Qe5 22.Bc3 Qg5 23.Qxc7 Re2 24.Qf7+ Kh8 25.Rf2 R2e7 26.Qf3 d5 27.a5 Re3 28.Qf4 Qe7 29.Qxh6+ Kg8 30.Qh5 d4 31.Bxd4 Re1+ 32.Rxe1 Qxe1+ 33.Rf1 Qe4 34.Qf7+ Kh7 35.Qxg7 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest3746555, PlayChess.com, 2015 

10.Qd5+ Be6 11.Qd4 

Bill avoids 11.Qxb7, no doubt because after 11...Qb8 he would not be able to avoid exchanging Queens (e.g. 12.Qa6 Bc4) 

11...c6 

Black wants to keep White's Knight out of d5, but from here on his game sinks, quickly. A few years ago Bill faced 11...Nf6, and the game continued 12.b3 Rf8 13.f4 Nc6 14.Qd3 Kg8 15.Bb2 Bg4 16.Rae1 Kh8 17.Nd5 Nxd5 18.exd5 Bf5 19.Qg3 Qd7 20.dxc6 bxc6 21.Qg5 Bxc2 22.Re7 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016

12.f4 c5 

The urge to punish the White Queen is often too much for the defender. Instead, Stockfish 10 shows that by giving the extra piece back, an even position can be negotiated: 12...Ng4 13.h3 N4f6 14.f5 Bc8 15.Bf4 d5 16.e5 Qb6 17.Be3 Qxd4 18.Bxd4 Ne7 19.exf6 gxf6 20.g4 h5 21.g5 Nxf5 22.Bxf6 Re8 

13.fxe5+ Ke7 

Less painful, but still losing, although more slowly, would have been 13...Nf6, as in the interesting line Stockfish 10 gives: 14.Qxd6 Qxd6 15.exd6 Ke8 16.Bh6 (echo of Black's 9th move) Ng4 17.Bxg7 Rg8 18.Bf6 Kd7 19.e5 Raf8 20.Ne4 Bd5 21.Rae1 b6 22.h3 Bxe4 23.Rxe4 Nxf6 24.exf6 Rg6 25.Re7+ Kxd6 26.Rd1+ Kc6 27.f7 Rd6 28.Rxd6+ Kxd6 29.Rxa7 

14.exd6+ Qxd6 15.Qxg7+ Black resigned