Jerome Gambit: The Treatment Was Successful

Every once in a while, a chess player has to administer the "Jerome Gambit treatment" to an opponent. As in the following game, success (for the attacker) arrives quickly. 

KadenSeward - hilseimou

Chess.com iPhone, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 

The Bishop's Opening. Sometimes this features 3.Bxf7+, what I have called the "Abrahams Jerome Gambit". Also, sometimes the game transposes into the regular Jerome Gambit with 3.Nf3 Nc6.

3.Nf3 h6 

Okay, you can give Black credit for recognizing the threat of Nf3-g5 by White. In fact, ...h6 is seen in the Semi-Italian Opening, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, and  can lead to a Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, as well.

However, in this case the defender has neglected to protect his e-pawn, and that encourages White to administer the "Jerome Gambit treatment" immediately.

4.Bxf7+ 

I have to admit that Stockfish 14 prefers 4.Nxe5 here - there are no games in The Database with the move - but things quickly get messy on White's side of the board after 4...Qg5 5. d4 Qxg2 (at which point the computer recommends 6.Bxf7+ anyhow) so it makes a lot of sense for KadenSeward to bring the action to his opponent, first.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 

One side-effect of the Jerome Gambit "treatment" is that Black can have some difficulty distinguishing "good" responses from "bad" responses - or, in this case, "bad" responses from "worse" responses.

It makes perfect sense, in the abstract, to retreat the King to safety, but, in this particular case, charging ahead with 5...Ke6 was for choice, although White would still be better.

White has a forced checkmate, based in part on the seriously weakened light squares on the Kingside (3...h6 did not help in this).

6.Qh5+ Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Qd5+ 

It doesn't change the outcome of the game, but next time it would be helpful to remember the deft 8.Nc4+, which leads to mate, e.g. 8...Kc6 9.Qd5+ Kb5 10.Nc3+ Ka6 11.Qxc5 b6 12.Qb5+ Kb7 13.Na5#. 

8...Ke7 

Victory is at hand. White has choices.

9.Ng6+ 

Winning a Rook, while keeping the pressure on (threats: Qxc5 and Qxg8) is pretty persuasive.

There was also 9.Qf7+ Kd6 followed by 10.Nc4+ as mentioned above. 

9...Kf6 10.Qf5 checkmate

To borrow freely from the movie "Call of the Rockies" (1944)

The treatment was a success, but the patient died.