Jerome Gambit: Who Benefits?

The Jerome Gambit (.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is often a surprise for Black. Sometimes he does not defend correctly.

Occasionally Black has a surprise for White, as well. 

The question concerning these surprises is, who benefits?

Observe the following game.

valiera - TigerBeast27

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Bxf2+ 

The Counter Jerome Gambit, a bit of psychology. Black figures that if White's sacrifice of a Bishop is good, then Black should be able to also sacrifice a Bishop, with benefit.

The strategy also brings about the exchange of Queens, so White's smash and crash attack is dismantled - at the cost of a pawn.

It is also possible that White is unfamiliar with the Counter, and his handling of the game can suffer.

8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 

A pawn is a pawn is a pawn. In club games, however - especially blitz - that is not always a lot.

10.Rf1 Kg7 11.Kg1 Nxe4 12.Re1 d5 13.d3 Nf6 14.b3 Re8 

White is slightly better here, but Black wants to make him uneasy on his first rank. The first player needs to realize, as I warned a few posts ago, "Routine Play Is Not Enough".

15.Bb2 

This turns the game over to Black.

15...Rxe1+ 16.Kf2 Re8 17.Nd2 Kf7 18.Nf3 h6 

Only the clock can save White now. Instead, it dooms him.

19.Ne5+ Kg7 

Black misses 19...Rxe5 20.Bxe5 Ng4+ 21.Ke2 Nxe5, but it does not matter. 

20.Re1 Bf5 21.Rg1 

I suspect that White's piece shuffling is a sign of impending flag fall.

21...Rf8 22.Ra1 Kh7 23.Rb1 Rae8 24.Rc1 c6 25.Rd1 Re6 26.Re1 Rfe8 27.Rd1 R6e7 28.Nf7 Rxf7 Black won on time

The result, it can be argued, of Black's 7th move.