I recently ran across a short YouTube video by Zaf Chess, presenting a Jerome Gambit game. It could easily have been titled "A Day in the Life of the Jerome Gambit", because it showed the ups and downs of playing the opening; or it could have been called "Once Again, Beware the e-file" because of the dangers therin.
The game contained a series of shocks, and White did well to maintain his composure and continue to play for the win.
Let's take a look.
NN - NN
Chess.com, 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
Black has been shocked by the opening, but he believes that he has the solution. This reminds me of the old aphorism: Act in haste, repent at leisure. It seems like such a great idea to develop a third piece to combat the enemy Queen - but only if you don't give it much thought.
8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Kf6 11.Qxe4
Likewise, not mindful of the dangers of this capture.
There are no other exact examples of this position in The Database - but there are over 50 games with similar positions with the Black Rook pinning and winning the White Queen along the e-file.
I had warned about this kind of danger a long time ago in "Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter XVII" and more recently in "Jerome Gambit: e-file, Friend and Foe".
Instead of the text, White could have tried a useful Queenside fianchetto with 11.b4 Qe8 12 Bb2+ Kg6 followed by 13.O-O, or he simple could have castled right away.
11...Re8
Shock.
12.Qxe8
It was probably a little better to try developing a piece, e.g. 12.Nc3 Rxe4+ 13. Nxe4+ Kf7 14.O-O Kg8
12...Qxe8+ 13.Kf2 d5
White has a Rook a Knight and a pawn for his Queen - not enough compensation, especially given his lack of development - but he rightly decides to continue to play and see what turns up. His opponent has already slipped up at least once.
14.Re1 Qh5 15.Nc3 d4 16.Ne4+ Kf5
Jackpot.
Of course, the safer 16...Kf7 was called for, keeping his advantage, but Black eyes both the unprotected f-pawn an the unprotected h-pawn and decides that this "double attack" is worth pursuing.
17.Ng3+ Kxf4 18.Nxh5+
By the way, it is worth noting that 18.d3+ Kg4 19.Re4 checkmate, instead, also put Black out of his misery.
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