Jerome Gambit: What If?

Sometimes a pawn looks suspicious, and defenders decline it on principle. Sometimes they are curious and look into it - and then conclude they should stay away. However, sometimes defenders take the pawn - and that can be a problem.

Consider the following game.

 

simonsah2004 - Hurnking

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 

The game actually started from this set position.

6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qxe5+ Kxe5 

11.b4 Bxb4 

Safer is 11...Bd4, although it does not solve all of Black's problems, as he still has to be careful about his King (in a better position) e.g. 12.c3 Bb6 13.d4+ Ke6 14.Nd2 (14.O-O Nf6 15.Nd2 Re8 16.e5 Nd5 17.Ne4 h6 18.Bd2 d6 19.exd6 cxd6 20.Rae1 Kd7 21.Rf7+ Re7 22.Nf6+ gxf6 23.Rexe7+ Nxe7 24.Bxh6 Ke6 25.Rf8 Ng6 26.Rg8 Kf7 27.Rg7+ Ke8 28.Rxg6 Kf7 29.Rg7+ Ke6 30.Rg8 Kd5 31.h4 Kc4 32.Bd2 Kd3 33.Be1 Bc7 34.h5 b6 35.h6 Bb7 36.Rxa8 Bxa8 37.h7 Black resigned, simonsah2004 - 1c6O-1, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021) 14...d6 15.O-O Bd7 16.Nf3 h6 17.Bd2 Nf6 18.Rae1 Bb5 19.Rf2 Ng4 20.e5 Nxf2 21.exd6+ Kxd6 22.Bf4+ Kd5 23.Re5+ Kc4 24.Kxf2 Rae8 25.Nd2+ Kxc3 26.Rxb5 Rhf8 27.Kg3 Rxf4 28.Kxf4 Kxd2 29.Re5 Rf8+ 30.Ke4 Rf2 31.g3 Rxh2 32.Re6 Re2+ 33.Kd5 Rxe6 34. Kxe6 Bxd4 White resigned, simonsah2004 - GMHikaruOnTwitch, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021.

As Yury Bukayev notes, move 11...Bxb4 creates a position of the bona fide master attack, which later became known to everyone after several GM Nakamura's videos. 

12.Bb2+ Ke6 

Black can grab a pawn, but it doesn't make much a difference and it takes the King further from home: 12...Kxe4 13.Bxg7 Ne7 14.Bxh8 Nd5 (14...d6 15.O-O Kd5 16.a3 Bc5+ 17.d4 Kc6 18.dxc5 Kxc5 19.Nc3 Kc6 20.Rf7 Nd5 21.Nxd5 Kxd5 22.Rf8 b6 23.Re1 Bb7 24.Rxa8 Bxa8 25.Re7 Kc6 26.Rxh7 Bb7 27.Rh4 Kd7 28.Rh7+ Kc6 29.h4 d5 30.h5 Kd6 31.h6 c5 32.Rxb7 Black resigned, GMHikaruOnTwitch - Thechesskid2021, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2021) 15.O-O Bc5+ 16.Kh1 d6 17.Rf3 Bg4 18.d3 checkmate, simonsah2004 - Filipistas, Chess.com, 2021) 

13.Bxg7 Kf7 14.Bxh8 Nf6 15.O-O Be7 16.e5 Black resigned

White will soon be a Rook up.