Jerome Gambit: More Concrete

Last year (see "Jerome Gambit: Concrete") I made a point about a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) variation that I had covered a number of times in blog posts, with history, games and analysis.

It can be fun experimenting with different lines in the Jerome Gambit, but it is helpful to know about some common mistakes that Black might make and how to respond to them in a concrete manner.

The following game is a good example. I suspect that White played his 6th move instantaneously, and so should you.

Wall, Bill - Skandervitch

Internet, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 

In "Jerome Gambit: Analysis or Game?" I pointed out

[T]he Cheltenham Examiner article [Wednesday February 21, 1906] has the first - and only, so far as I have found - recommendation that I have seen for 5...Ke6. The writer's assessment that the move "should win" is a bit optimistic... 

 My reaction to the current game is the same one that I had when I wrote "Jerome Gambit: He Should Have Read This Blog" a couple of years ago

Wow. Black decides that accepting 1 piece is enough. There is a whole lot to say about this - check out the game Wall, Bill - Guest4105968, PlayChess.com, 2018 (1/2 - 1/2, 50) that I covered in detail in "Jerome Gambit: Over the Rainbow", Parts 1, 2 & 3.

Yet, here we go again.

6.Qg4+ 

White insists that Black capture the Knight after all.

6...Kxe5 

This is the only move worth considering.

Of course, 6...Kf6 7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Nc4 checkmate is the quickest proof of that.

If 6...Kd6 then Black loses his Queen after 7.Nf7+ Ke7 8.Nxd8.

Similarly, after 6...Ke7 7.Qxg7+ Kd6 (anything else leads to checkmate, including 7...Ke8 8.Qf7#, Wall,B - Guest13762608, PlayChess.com, 2019) 8.Nf7+ Ke7 9.Nxd8+ Kxd8 10.Qxh8 Black has lost his Queen and a Rook.

7.d4+ 

This is the proper followup. In fact, all other moves leave Black better.

7...Kxd4

Black craters immediately.

8.Be3+ Kc4 9.Qe2+ Kb4 10.Bd2+ Ka4 11.b3 checkmate, 

This was all also seen in Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016.

What should Black have played instead of 7...Kxd4?

His best line of play was 7...Bxd4 8.Bf4+ (the only move) Kf6 9.Bg5+ (again, the only move) Kf7 10.Bxd8 Nxd8 

analysis diagram

White has a Queen and a pawn for 3 pieces. Black's King is somewhat exposed.

11.Qf3+ Nf6 12.Nc3 leading to an eventual draw was seen in Wall,B - Guest4105968, PlayChess.com, 2018, mentioned above.

Stockfish 13 likes the sacrificial line  11.Qf3+ Nf6 12.Qb3+ d5 13.Nd2 Re8 14.0-0-0 Bg4 15.f4 Bxd1 16.Rxd1 Re6 17.Qd3 Nc6 18.e5 Bxe5 19.dxe5 Nxe5 with White having a clear advantage - but it still seems unclear to me.