In the "good old days" of chess, it was considered valiant to offer sacrifices, and craven to refuse them. These attitudes produced some very entertaining games - and a plethora of virtual tut tuts from the computers that came after, and supplied skeptical analysis.
The world of "bullet chess" - in this case, a time limit of one minute with no increment - has brought back wild play, and, a person can win the game, even if he loses the annotations. The following game is an enjoyable example.
angelcamina - shahramkhoshseffat
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit - a practical choice in bullet chess. It is one of those openings that an opponent can be expected to disarm and defeat, if he has enough time; of course there often is not enough time in bullet chess.
4.Bxf7+
However, angelcamina has come prepared! This is the infamous Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
(You are right, Reader: there are no game examples of Joseph Henry Blackburne ever playing 3...Nd4. And, you are right again: there are no game examples of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome playing 4.Bxf7+ as a response. However, the opening calls out for the name, and I have supplied it.)
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Qh5
White's "strongest" move is 6.c3, leading to an even game, but angelcamina is planning to sacrifice his way to victory.
6...Nf6 7.Qf7+ Kxe5 8.f4+ Kxe4 9.Nc3+ Kxf4
What if Black plays 9...Kf5 instead? It turns out that White has already answered that question (more sacrifice), in angelcamina - rabirabi, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 13).
10.d3+
Warning: if you follow this line of play in the future, angelcamina will improve with 10.0-0+.
10...Ke5 11.O-O Nxc2
One last grab of material.
12.Bf4+ Kd4 13.Qc4 checkmate
One way for Black to make the Jerome Gambit "playable" is to give up tempos without gaining much in return. Bit by bit, White gets more compensation for his sacrificed material, until he has the better game.
angelcamina - shahramkhoshseffat
1 0 bullet, 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
Stronger than the superficially attractive 11...Ng4, as in angelcamina - frn000,1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 23)
12.Nc3
angelcamina has also played 12.d3, in angelcamina - Danielpia, 1-0, bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 28)
12...Kg8 13.d4 Ng4 14.Qg3 Nf6
15.f5 Ne7 16.Bg5 Nc6 17.Bh6
This works, but more solid was 17.Rd1.
17...Nh5
This will not turn out well.
18.Qg4 Qf6 19.Qxh5 gxh6 20.Qxe8+ Qf8 21.Qxf8+ Kxf8
White is up the exchange and a couple of pawns. He has only to be careful about the clock.
22.Rad1 Nb4 23.Rd2 Nc6 24.a3 Bd7 25.Nd5 Rc8 26.Re1 a5 27.g4 a4
28.e5 dxe5 29.dxe5 Na5 30.Nf6 Be8 31.Nxh7+ Kg7 32.Nf6 Bf7 33.Rd7 Rf8 34.Nh5+ Kg8 35.e6 White won on time
White's "Jerome pawns" would win the day, in any case.
If a defender is not familiar with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), missteps are easy to find. The following game is one example as to how the opening can be effective in club play - one slip, and Black has passed the point of no return.
TitoH - prosoccer
RedHotPawn.com, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8
Black turns the advantage over to White, in order to not play along with the attacker's plans. For a recent example, see "Jerome Gambit: Disease 1, Cure 0".
6.Qh5+
The consistent 6.Nxc6 is stronger, although it could lead to the aggressive 6...Qh4!? (There are still no examples of this move in The Database.)
6...g6 7.Nxg6
The Database has 38 games with this position. White scores a hefty 72%.
7...Qf6
For an earlier discussion of this line, review "Jerome Gambit Secrets #3".
Black's strongest response was 7...Bxf2+, leading to a small advantage for him, after 8.Kxf2 Nf6. The earliest examples that I have of 7...Bxf2+ are the twin games Hultgren, R - Harrow, and Blackstone, J - Dommeyer, C, both played in Campbell, California and both played in 1960. Sadly - for Black - The Database has 10 games with the move, with White winning 8 of them.
8.Nxh8+ Ke7 9.d4
9...Bxd4
Tripping over White's out-stretched foot...
10.Bg5 Bxf2+ 11.Ke2 Black resigned
Having played the Jerome Gambits currently available to me in the second round of the "Italian Game Classic" tournament at Chess.com (I have Black in one game, so I will have one more chance this round, after that contest is completed), I have just started play in the second round of the "Italian Game Battlegrounds" tournament at Chess.com, as well. I have Black in one game, but White in another - so, another Jerome Gambit!
I will share the game here, when it is completed.
