Jerome Gambit: Sometimes Things Fall Apart

Finding a successful defense to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) usually takes more than a spur-of-the-moment construction. Sometimes these homemade protections fall apart under pressure. Witness the following game where White's attack crushes his opponent.

petyrseta - al_bino

iPhone, Chess.com, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Bd6 

Interesting, and somewhat rare. Black would do better with 7...Qf6.

8.Qf5+ 

The right idea. There are a couple of games in The Database where 8.d4 was tried, but that falls to 8...Nf7 9.e5 Ke7 10.O-O Kf8 11.exd6 Nxd6 where Black has a piece for a pawn, and White will have to work to make something of his position. (He can always take hope in the fact that Black's Knight blocks his pawn which blocks his Bishop which hems in his Rook... a typical defender failing.)

Instead, 8.fxe5 Bxe5 9.Qf5+ is also good for White, but not as strong as the text.

8...Ke7 9.fxe5 Bc5 

Where to put the Bishop?

The move played is probably best, but ultimately not a solution, because Black has moved beyond that already.

If instead 9...Bb4 things begin to look dangerous for Black after 10.O-O, and 10...Nh6 11.Qg5+ Ke8 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qxh6 drops a piece in a humorous way.  

10.d4 

White both threatens the Bishop and threatens 11.Bg5+.

10...Bb6  

The strongest counter was 10...d6, attacking White's Queen, when 11.Bg5+ Ke8 12.e6 Nf6 13.dxc5 wins the poor Bishop and 13...Qe7 14.cxd6 Qxe6 15. Bxf6 Qxf5 16.exf5 gxf6 17.dxc7 Bxf5 18.O-O Bg6 would lead to a much simplified game, still in White's favor.

Of course 10...Bxd4 would be met by 11.Bg5+  when both 11...Ke8 12.Bxd8 and 11...Nf6 12.Bxf6+ would be disastrous for the defender. 

11.Bg5+ Nf6  

12.exf6+ gxf6 13.Bxf6+ Kd6 14.Bxd8 Rxd8 Black resigned

It is checkmate on the move.