Jerome Gambit: The Proper Medicine

After an interesting opening, White outplays his opponent in the following game. Solid strategy and effective tactics can cure even the most "refuted" of openings.

Emit79 - dimbenes1

10 0 blitz, Chess.com

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.Bxf7+ 

This is one of what I call the "impatient Jerome Gambit", lines where White does not wait for ...Bc5 before sacrificing his Bishop. It gains in immediacy of surprise, but lacks a target on c5 that sometimes allows White to recover some material.

Both 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ and 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ are referred to at the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 

Black survived the odd 5...Ke7 with 6.O-O (6.Ng6+) Nf6 (6...Nxe5) 7.d4 (7.Nxg6+) Nxe5 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qg4 d5 10.exd6+ Qxd6 (10...Nxd6) 11.Qxe4+ Be6 12.Bf4 Qb6 13.b3 Rd8 14.Nc3 Kd7 15.Rad1+ Kc8 16.Rxd8+ Kxd8 17.Rd1+ Kc8 18.a4 Bc5 19.Nb5 Bxf2+ 20.Kh1 Re8 21.c4 (21.Nxc7) a6 (21...Bd7) 22.a5 (22.Nxc7) Qc5 (22...Qc6) 23.Nxc7 Rf8 24.Nxe6 Re8 Black won on time, MrBizkit - erkhestheasswhooper, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020.

6.Qh5+ Ke7 

Also seen recently was 6...g6 7.Qxe5 Nf6 8.Nc3 d6 9.Qf4 Bg7 10.b3 Qe7 11.Bb2 Kg8 12.f3 Ng4 13.O-O Ne5 14.Nd5 Qd7 15.Nf6+ Bxf6 16.Qxf6 Qb5 17.Bxe5 Qc5+ 18.Kh1 dxe519.Qxg6+ Kf8 20.Qf6+ Kg8 21.f4 Qd4 22.fxe5 Qxe4 23.Qf7 checkmate, Taymur - NarvalAlbatre, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020. 

Black did better with 6...Ng6 (there is no Bishop to capture on c5, see the note to move 4) 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.O-O N8e7 9.Qh5 d6 10.Nc3 Be6 11.d3 c6 12.Be3 d5 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Qxg6+ Kd7 15.Nxd5 cxd5 16.c3 Qf6 17.Qg3 g5 18.c4 dxc4 19.dxc4 Bd6 20.Rfd1 Ke7 21.Qxd6+ Kf7 22.Qc7+ Qe7 23.Rd7 Bxd7 24.Bc5 Qd8 25.Qd6 Qe7 26.Qd5+ Be6 27.Qf3+ Qf6 28.Qxb7+ Kg6 29.Re1 Rab8 30.Qe4+ Bf5 31.Qd4 Rhe8 32.Qxf6+ Kxf6 33.Rxe8 Rxe8 34.Bxa7 Re1 checkmate, vrajeshpadiyar - petrochemicals, Chess.com, 2020) 

7.Qxe5+ Kf7 

Now "objectively" best is 8.Qf5+ Ke7 9.Qe5+ Kf7 10.Qf5+, etc., with a draw by repetition.

8.d4 d6 9.Qh5+ Ke7 10.Nc3 Nf6 11.Nd5+ Nxd5 12.exd5 Qe8

13.Qh4+ Kd7+ 14.Be3 Be7 15.Qg4+ Kd8 16.Qe2 Bf5 17.O-O a6 

White has two pawns for the sacrificed piece, and his King is a bit safer than Black's. Whose attack will succeed?

18.Qc4 Kd7 19.Qa4+ Kc8 20.Qb4 Kb8 21.c4 Ka7 22.c5 Rb8 23.Rfe1 Ka8 24.a4 Qg6 

25.Bf4 Rhf8 

This looks like a mouse-slip.

26.Rxe7 Be4 27.Bg3 Rf5 28.Re6 Qg5 29.Rxe4 Rbf8 

Black has his heavy pieces in place, but White's attack arrives first.

30.a5 h5 31.c6 bxc6 32.dxc6 Rb5 33.Qc4 

A slip that his opponent doesn't notice. Better was 33.Qc3. Now Black has 33...d5.

33...Rh8 34.Rae1 h4 

35.Bf4 Qg4 36.Qf7 h3 37.Re8+ Rxe8 38.Rxe8+ Ka7 39.Qxc7+ Rb7 40.Qxb7 checkmate