Jerome Gambit: Whistler's Ghost

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game features a defense played successfully (twice) by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome against his own opening.

White starts off fine, but a defensive slip allows Black's counter-attack to achieve proportions usually seen in Whistler's defense.  

Intercrosse - laura_2701sibate

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

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

 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 Qh4  

A very energetic move that can be easily met. Intercrosse has faced other ideas

7...Bd6 8.Qf5+ Qf6  White resigned, Intercrosse - zugzwwwang,blitz, lichess.org, 2020 9.Qg4 Nh6 10.Qe2 b6 11.O-O Bb7 12.d4 Bxh2+?! 13.Kxh2 Qh4+ 14.Kg1 Ng4 15.Bf4 g5 16.Bg3 Qh5 17.f3 Nf6 18.Nc3 Re8 19.Qd3 d6 20.Rae1 Qg6 21.Qc4 Re7 22.Nd5 Nxd5 23.exd5 Rxe1 24.Rxe1 Qf7 25.Re6 Kg7 26.Qe2 Qf5 27.Re7+ Kg6 28.Rxc7 Ba6 29.Qe7 White won on time, Intercrosse - ccrado, blitz, lichess.org, 2021; 

7...d6 8.Qc3 (8.Qf4+ 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+ [29.Bxf6 h5 30.Be5#] 29...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, blitz, lichess.org, 2020) 8...Nf6 9.O-O Qe8 10.d4 Bb6 11.e5 Nd5 12.Qf3+ Qf7 13.Qe4 Bf5 14.Qh4 dxe5 15.dxe5 Re8 16.Be3 Rxe5 White resigned, Intercrosse - AAASHIRBAD, blitz,  lichess.org, 2021; and

7...Qe7 8.Qf5+ Nf6 9.O-O d6 10.Qf3 Ke8 11.c3 Rf8 12.d4 Bb6 13.Bg5 Qxe4?! 14.Qd1 (14.Qxe4+ Nxe4 15.Re1 d5 16.f3 h6 17.Bh4 g5 18.Bg3 c5 19.fxe4 cxd4 20.exd5+ Kd8 21.Kh1) 14...Qg6 15.Re1+ Kf7 16.Qb3+ d5 17.Bxf6 Bh3 18.Qxd5+ Black resigned, Intercrosse - pedroberto, blitz, lichess.org, 2021.

8.Qxc5+ d6 

Also, the classic 8...Ke8 9.d3 Nf6 10.Bg5 Qh5 11.O-O Qxg5 12.Qxg5 Kf7 13.Nc3 d6 14.f4 Rf8 15.Nd5 Kg8 16.f5 Nxd5 17 Rf3 Nf6 18.Rg3 h6 19.Qxh6 (19.Qxg7#) 19...Kf7 20.Rxg7+ Ke8 21.Re1 Bd7 22.e5 Black resigned, blackburne - brain50, JG3 thematic, ChessWorld.net, 2008.

9.Qxc7 

This pawn grab is playable, but safer and more solid was 9.Qe3.

9...Qxe4+ 

This was Black's idea. It shouldn't work.

Earlier, Intercrosse faced 9...Nf6 10.O-O Qxe4 11.d3 Qg6 12.Nd2 Bh3 13.Qxb7 Rb8 14.Qxb8+ Kf7 15.Qb7+ Kf8 16.Nf3 Nd7 17.Ne1 Nc5 18.Qd5  Ne6 19.Qxd6+ Kf7 20.c4 Rd8 21.Qc6 Nd4 22.Qc7+ Kg8 23.Qxd8+ Kf7 24.Qxd4 a5 25.c5 Bc8 26.c6 a4 27.Qd5+ Ke7 28.b3 axb3 29.Ba3+ Ke8 30.c7 h5 31.Qd8+ Kf7 32.Qxc8 Black resigned, Intercrosse - kaizerss, blitz, lichess.org, 2020. 

10.Kd1 

Probably played on reflex, but it changes the game from winning for White to winning for Black. Instead, 10.Kf1 helps blunt the attack, and Stockfish 13 suggests a further castle-by-hand for White, giving this line: 10...Bg4 11.Nc3 Qxc2 12.h3 Qd3+ 13.Kg1 Nf6 14.Kh2 Re8 15.b3 Bd7 16.Ba3 Kf7 17.Rhc1 Rc8 18.Qxd6 Qxd6+ 19.Bxd6 Rhe8 20.d3 Bc6 White has to work a bit, but he winds up ahead a couple of pawns.

Compare with a line arising from Whistler's defense: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 9.Kd1.

10...Qxg2 

This is strong enough, but there was already a checkmate with 10...Bg4+ 11.f3 Bxf3+ 12.gxf3 Qxf3+ 13.Ke1 Re8+ 14.Qe7+ Rxe7#  

11.Re1 Bg4+ 12.Re2 Qf1 checkmate