Jerome Gambit: Chess Is An Easy Game, After All

In the previous post, it was enjoyable to examine a line in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) through the games of a particular player.

So, let's do it again.

Intercrosse - PrashantKakade

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 

As I wrote years ago

As early as his first Jerome Gambit article (Dubuque Chess Journal April, 1874), Alonzo Jerome considered the possibility that Black might refuse to capture the second piece with 5...Nxe5, and instead play for King safety instead with 5...Kf8.
In a letter to the American Chess Journal, March 1877, Jerome wrote

5...Kf8 leaves White's pawns intact while Black has lost two strong pawns and doubled another. This defense was adopted by G.J. Dougherty of Mineola, NY, a strong amateur, against whom I first played the opening, and I think he will agree that 5...Kf8 is not a good defense. He generally played 6.bc and that was the play of Mr. J. C. Young of Danville, KY, who subsequently abandoned the game. Why, I do not know, as it was not necessarily lost to either of us. It is a question with which Pawn it is best to take.

The earliest game example that I have of this line is Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, USA, 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29) 

For some games and history, see "Jerome Gambit: A Trip Down Memory Lane (Part 1)".

6.Qh5  

And, again

White also has the option of playing 6.Qh5, the Banks Variation, as in Banks - Rees, Halesowen, 2003, when Black can transpose with 6…Nxe5  as recommended by the American Chess Journal, (3/1877) - "The continuation adopted by Jerome, Qh5 looks promising."

Pete Banks ("blackburne" online), a stalwart member of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde ...brought international attention to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's invention by writing to International Master Gary Lane, who commented at length on the opening, and on a couple of Banks' games, in his March ("The Good Old Days") and April ("Chess Made Easy") 2008 "Opening Lanes" columns at ChessCafe.com. IM Lane also mentioned one of Banks' games in his The Greatest Ever chess tricks and traps (2008), which reprised some of the earlier material.

It is humorous to note that in his "Opening Lanes" column Lane wrote, after 5.Nxe5+, "I think anyone with good manners playing Black would now kindly ask their opponent if they wanted to take their move back" while in his book he changed this to "I think anyone with good manners playing Black would now go to another room to carry on laughing."

Apropos the Banks Variation itself (i.e. playing 6.Qh5 in response to 5...Kf8), IM Lane noted in "The Good Old Days" that "6...Qe7 is a good alternative [to 6...Qf6 of Banks - Rees], because it stops the checkmate and protects the bishop on c5."

How should Black respond?

There is 6...Qf6 7.O-O ( More to the point is 7.Nxd7+ Bxd7 8.Qxc5+) 7...Nxe5 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bxd4 (9...Bg4 10.Qg5 Qxg5 11.Bxg5 Nf7 12.dxc5 Nxg5 13.cxd6 cxd6) 10.cxd4 Nc6 11.e5 dxe5 12.dxe5 Qxe5 13.Nc3 Qxh5 White resigned, Intercrosse - Piropiro2, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

Black could transposte to the main line with 6...Nxe5 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.d4 Bxd4 10.O-O Be5 11.Qf3 Bg4 12.Qb3 Rb8 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 Kg7 16.Nc3 Bxc3 17.Qxc3 Qe7 18.Rae1 Rbe8 19.f3 Be6 20.f4 gxf4 21.Bh4 Rhf8 22.Rxf4 Kg6 23.Re3 Qg7 24.Rg3+ Ng4 25.Rfxg4+ Bxg4 26.Rxg4+ Kf7 27.Qxg7+ Ke6 28.Rg6+ Rf6 29.Qxf6+ Kd7 30.Rg7+ Re7 31.Qxe7+ Kc6 32.Qxc7+ Kb5 33.b4 Kxb4 34.Qxb7+ Kc3 35.Rc7+ Kd2 36.Qd5+ Ke3 37.g4 Kf4 38.e5 Kxg4 39.exd6 Kxh4 40.Rg7 Kh3 41.Qh5 checkmate, Intercrosse - Drunkpad, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

Black could be creative and return material with 6...Bxf2+?! 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Ke1 (hoping to pin the enemy Queen to its King with Rf1, but it never happens; better the simple 8.Nf3) Qxe5 9.Rf1+ Nf6 10.d4? Qxe4+ White resigned, Intercrosse - shyqrish, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

There was also 6...g6 7.Nxg6+ hxg6 8.Qxh8 Qf6 9.Qh6+? (9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.Qxf6 Nxf6 11.d3 would leave White with 3 pawns and a Rook vs Knight and Bishop) 9...Kf7? White resigned in an equal position, Intercrosse - TickleAttack, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

Surprisingly, after 6...Qe8 White resigned in Intercrosse - ehne_mehn_muhh, 3 0, blitz, lichess.org, 2020. Again, after the tactic 7.Nxe7+ Qxd7 8.Qxc5+, Black would have a small edge. 

Finally, 6...Qe7!? suggested by IM Lane (see above) was tested in splott - mika76, GameKnot.com, 2008: 7.Ng6+ hxg6 8.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 Qd4 10.Ke1 Qxf2+ 11.Kd1 d6 12.h3 Qxg2 13.Re1 Qf3+ 14.Re2 Bf2 15.d3 Nd4 16.Nc3 Qh1+ 17.Kd2 Nf3 checkmate. 

So, how did Black respond in the game?

6...Nf6 7.Qf7 checkmate

Chess is an easy game, after all.

By the way, this is the only game in The Database with this final position. There are 3 similar games that proceeded 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 (not 5...Kf8, as in our main game) 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qf7 checkmate: Esistes - ClosetDoor, blitz, FICS, 2009; perrypawnpusher - platel, blitz, FICS, 2011, and BahatiTheGrandmaster - Mammaen-din, 10 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2021.