Jerome Gambit: The Enemy King is Unsafe

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ) game highlights the main danger for Black - when his King is unsafe, bad things happen.

Wall, Bill - Guest310602

PlayChess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+ 

Black has a variety of ways to return a piece.

7.c3 

7...Bxc3+ 

Bill has also seen 7...Nd3+, e.g. 8.Qxd3 Be7 9.O-O (9.Qf3+ Ke8 10.O-O d6 11.Re1 Nf6 12.e5 dxe5 13.dxe5 Nd7 14.Rd1 Rf8 15.Qh5+ g6 16.Qxh7 Bg5 17.Qxg6+ Rf7 18.Bxg5 Black resigned, Wall,B - Ripao, lichess.org, 2017) 9...Nf6 10.e5 Ne8 11.Qf5+ Kg8 12.d5 d6 13.e6 Nf6 14.c4 c6 15.Nc3 cxd5 16.cxd5 Qa5 17.Bg5 b5 18.Ne4 Bb7 19.Nxf6+ gxf6 20.Bh6 Qb4 21.Qh5 Rf8 22.Bxf8 Kxf8 23.Qf7 checkmate, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2020. 

8.bxc3 Nc4 

9.Qh5+ Ke7 

Better was 9...Kf8, although he would still have to give back a piece after 10.Qf5+ Nf6 11.e5 Qe8 12.0-0 d6 13.Qd3 

10.Qc5+ Nd6 11.e5 b6 12.exd6+ cxd6 13.Qg5+ Nf6 

The King will continue to be harassed.

14.Qxg7+ Ke6 15.O-O Rg8 16.Re1+ Kd5 17.Qf7+ Kc6 18.Qb3 Ba6

19.Bf4 Nd5 20.Bg3 Qg5 21.c4 Nc7 22.Qf3+ d5 

This allows White to open the c-file and have access to the Black King.

23.cxd5+ Qxd5 24.Rc1+ Bc4 25.Rxc4+ Black resigned

Checkmate is unavoidable.