Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Stafford Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6 4.Nxc6 dxc6). Chiodini's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Nc6).
With all this recent discussion, I suddenly remembered that I had played a relevant game - over 35 years ago, when I was still playing in over-the-board tournaments. I found the score sheet in an old scrap book.
Kennedy, Rick - Chesbrough, Don
35/60 15/20 Park of Roses Quad, Columbus, 1985
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3
Headed for the Four Knights Game. I had actually studied the opening, but I think my opponent, rated over 100 points higher than me, figured I was a beginner simply following the rule of "Knights before Bishops".
3...Bc5
He probably should have paid more attention to his own opening moves, as now 4...Nxe5 5.d4 Bd6 6.dxe5 Bxe5 7.f4 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 d6 would give White an edge (two Bishops).
4.Nxe5
At this point my opponent looked at my score sheet and read my rating. Satisfied, he played
4...Bxf2+
I wish I could say that this is the game that got me interested in the Jerome Gambit, but it actually was played 3 years before The Marshall Gambit in the French and Sicilian Defenses, which I wrote with Riley Sheffield, so my mind was elsewhere.
It is fair to point out that in searching the stacks of The Ohio State University's William Oxley Thompson library for information on 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 c5 / 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 d5, I may have first stumbled over John Lutes' analysis of the Jerome Gambit in OSU's chess club's weekly newsletter, "The Phalanx".
5.Kxf2 Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6 7.Bc4 c6
At this point you could argue that I have overcome the surprise of the Bishop sacrifice.
8.Qf3 Qf6
Black should have followed through with his original idea of 8...d5
9.Qxf6 Nxf6 10.e5 Ng4+ 11.Kg3 h5
12.h3
Simply hoping to chase the Knight away, perhaps 12...Nh6 13.Bxh6 Rxh6 14.Ne4 with pressure on d6, and maybe even a pawn after 14...d5 15.exd e.p.
Stockfish 14.1 and Komodo 12 suggest, instead, 12.Bd3, but their recommended lines are far too subtle for me to understand.
12...N4xe5
Taking care of the enemy pawn center for good. The computers don't like the move, but in club play, when you outrank your opponent, it is a reasonable idea.
For the record, Stockfish 14.1 recommends 12...h4+ 13.Kxg4 d5+ 14.Kf3 dxc4 15. Ne4 O-O with a roughly balanced game.
13.dxe5 h4+ 14.Kh2 Nxe5
The position somewhat resembles a reversed Jerome Gambit, where Black has two extra pawns for his sacrificed piece.
15.Re1 f6 16. Bf4 d6 17. Rad1 Ke7
My opponent was confident that he could still make a game of it. What follows is some interesting pawn play.
18.Rd2 g5 19.Bxe5 dxe5 20.Ne4 g4 21.Red1 g3+ 22.Kg1 b5 23.Bb3 a5 24.a3 a4 25.Ba2 f5 26.Nd6
So far, the pawns have not inflicted any damage.
26...Rd8
I think my opponent was aiming toward an ending where his playing with the pawns would be easier than my playing with the extra piece. In many club games, I have seen this to be true. In this particular game, however, I was happy to keep exchanging pieces.
27.Nxc8+ Raxc8 28.Rxd8 Rxd8 29.Rxd8 Kxd8 30.Be6 f4 31.Bf5 Ke7
White's play is straightforward: the Bishop controls the pawns until the King arrives to start capturing material.
32.Kf1 Kd6 33.Ke2 Kd5 34.Kd3 Kc5 35.Be4 Kd6 36.Bf3 c5 37.c3 Ke6 38.Ke4
38...c4 39.Bg4+ Kd6 40. Kf5 Kd5 41.Bf3+ Kd6 42. Kf6
Now the pawns start falling.
42...e4 43.Bxe4 f3
One last try. Maybe White will play 44.gxf3?
44.Bxf3 Black resigned
White's King can win the Kingside pawns, or his Bishop can win the Queenside pawns.
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