Jerome Gambit: A Cautionary Tale

The following 1-minute, no increment, game starts off like a "normal" Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, but quickly becomes an exercise in Run For Your Life! Lessons about the opening are swiftly replaced by lessons about  intuition and rapid manual dexterity.

I know that the Jerome Gambit is often best played at high speed, but this game left me breathless...

rodri9920 - Ifitbleeds
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Bf2+ 

This counter sacrifice is seen in other lines of the Jerome Gambit, followed by a forced exchange of Queens. Here, it seems to be more of a "If you sacrifice to prevent my King from castling, I will sacrifice to prevent your King from castling" kind of thing. Its psychological value in a 1-minute bullet game is clear: there is not a lot of time for White to answer the question "Just what is he doing?"

8.Kxf2 Ng6 

Also seen: 8...Qf6 9.Qf5+ Qxf5 10.exf5+ Kxf5 11.fxe5 Kxe5 12.d4+ Kxd4 13.Be3+ Ke5 14.c3 Nf6 15.Bd4+ Ke6 16.Re1+ Kf7 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Nd2 d6 19.Kg1 Bd7 20.Rf1 Rae8 21.Nf3 Re2 22.g3 Rxb2 23.Ng5+ Kg6 24.Ne4 f5 25.Nf2 Re8 26.Nh3 Kg7 27.Rae1 Rxe1 28.Rxe1 Bc6 29.Nf4 Rxa2 30.Re7+ Kf6 31.Rxc7 Ra1+ 32.Kf2 Ra2+ 33.Ke3 Rxh2 34.Kd4 Rd2+ 35.Ke3 Rc2 36.Rxh7 Rxc3+ 37.Kf2 Rf3+ 38.Ke2 Ra3 39.Rh6+ Ke7 40.Rh7+ Kf6 41.Kd2 Ke5 42.Re7+ Kd4 43.Ne2+ Kc5 44.Rf7 Ra2+ 45.Ke3 b5 46.Rxf5+ d5 47.g4 Ra3+ 48.Kf2 b4 49.g5 Bb5 50.Nf4 Ra2+ 51.Kg3 Bc4 52.g6 b3 53.g7 b2 54.g8=Q b1=Q 55.Qc8+ Kd4 56.Ne6+ Ke4 57.Rf4+ Ke5 58.Qc7+ Kxe6 59.Qf7+ Kd6 60.Qf6+ Kc5 61.Qd4+ Kb4 62.Kg4 Black resigned, Chesssninja - Caarreeyy, 5 0 blitz, FICS, 2020. 

Now, if Black had time, he could force the exchange of Queens, after all, with ...Qh4+ - but White acts decisively first.

9.f5+ Kf7 10.fxg6+ hxg6 11.Qxh8 

White has enough material to win. Does he have enough time?

11...d5 12.Rf1 Qh4+ 

Frantic.

13.Qxh4 Nf6 14.e5 Ne4+ 15.Kg1+ Ke6 16.d4 Bd7 17.Nd2 Rh8 18.Qg4+ Ke7 19.Qxg6 Nxd2 20.Bxd2 Be6 21.Qxg7+ Bf7 22.Rxf7+ Black resigned