Chessfriend angelcamina is back with another Jerome Gambit game played online at "bullet" speed - one minute, with no increment.
I tend to rephrase the question "Is the Jerome Gambit playable?" into something like "Under what conditions is the Jerome Gambit playable?" Bullet games like the following tend to expand my understanding as to what the answer is.
angelcamina - Danielpia
1 0 bullet game, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
10.O-O Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.d3 d5
13.e5 Ng4 14.Qg3 h5 15.h3 Nh6 16.d4 Qh4
17.Qf3 Nf5 18.Qxd5+ Be6 19.Qc5 c6 20.Nc3 Nxf4
A tactical slip, but, at the speed this game was unfolding, I wouldn't be surprised if the defender had yelled out "Three no trump!" instead.
Now, White takes command.
21.Rxf4 Qg3 22.Rf3 Qg6 23.Ne4 b6 24.Nd6+ Ke7
Checkmate is coming.
25.Nxf5+ Kd7 26.Qd6+ Kc8 27.Qxc6+ Kd8 28.Nd6 Black lost on time.
The following Jerome Gambit game must have annoyed Black to no end. After playing White even for most of the game (okay - it was a slip for the defender to allow the game to become "even"), he reached a Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, only to be tripped up by the presence of an additional Rook on each side. The extra material gave the position middlegame features, specifically that the side on the attack is helped by the opposite-colored Bishops.
Wall, Bill - Guest539588
PlayChess.com, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6
8.O-O Qf6
Just checking to see if White is paying attention...
9.Be3
He is. The threat was 9...Nf6+, winning White's Queen.
9...Ne7 10.Nc3 Rf8 11.Nb5
Black was making progress, moving toward castling-by-hand. It was time for White to shake things up a bit. Black's Queen usually is closer to home, and can deal with threats to c7, but that is not the case, here.
11...N7c6 12.Qd2 Qe7 13.Bg5 Qd7 14.f4 Ng6
White has gotten to play two of his usueful moves, Bg5 and f2-f4, and had to be happy to see one of the typical "germs" of trouble for Black: the Queen blocks the Bishop which blocks the Rook.
Black is still probably better, but White has the more comfortable position to play.
15.Qd5+ Ke8 16.e5 dxe5 17.Qxd7+
This exchange of Queens may have come as a surprise, but now the King blocks the Bishop that blocks the Rook...
17...Kxd7 18.f5 Nge7
19.Rad1+ Nd4 20.Nxd4 exd4 21.Rxd4+ Ke8 22.Re1 Rf7 23.Rde4 Bxf5 24.Rxe7+ Rxe7 25.Rxe7+ Kf8 26.Rxc7 Be4
Take the Rooks off of the board, and the extra pawn for White is virtually meaningless. Sure, White can still outplay his opponent, but that's a different story.
27.Be7+ Kg8 28. Bb4 Bc6 29.Bc3 g6 30.Rg7+ Kf8 31.Rxh7 b6 32.Rc7 Bb5 33.h4 Black resigned
In club play, especially with the clock ticking, it is sometimes possible to draw a Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame two pawns down. Here, however, White's Rook ties down Black's Rook (it will cost a pawn to be freed), while confining Black's King to the back rank, limiting its ability to assist in a defensive blockade.
Black is by no means doomed in the Jerome Gambit. (That's a joke. The Jerome has multiple refutations.) However, the defender needs to stick to the basics of defense (or rampant counter-attack) and not neglect an ingredient or two - an oversight can turn the game around and bring about a painful ending.
Wall, Bill - Guest2783012
PlayChess.com, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.O-O Be6
Black is doing fine. White has to pull a few tools out of his "toolbox", perhaps Bg5 or f4, to keep pursuing his chances.
10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Nb4
The position of White's Queen is too tempting, Black's Knight must kick it. There is the bonus attraction of the chance to attack White's Rook at a1, so Black dives in. He only risks arriving at an even game, but that is too much to give up - he should have continued the typical castle-by-hand with ...Re8 and ...Kg8.
12.Qb5 Nxc2 13.f5
This looks like desperation, but White knows what he is doing.
13...Nxa1 14.fxe6+
14...Ke7
Black suddenly realizes that something is up, but 14...Kxe6 or 14...Kg8 were ways to stay in the game. Putting his King where the Knight can be pinned to it is asking for trouble.
15.Bg5 Rf8 16.e5 dxe5 17.Qxe5 Ke8
This probably looked like some kind of solution, but it is not.
18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Qh5+ Ke7 20.Qxh7+ Kxe6
Checkmate follows.
21.Re1+ Kd6 22.Qd3+ Kc6 23.Qc4+ Kd7 24.Qe6 checkmate
