Jerome Gambit: An Early Scare

 

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) blitz game shows how a surprise move in the attack can lead very quickly to an advantage that grows and grows...

It also shows how one slip in a "won" position can turn the game over to the opponent. 

Blitz. It happens.

makeller - Venkatsh1111

10 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qh3+

As I wrote in the notes to my game against Ryszak,

The earliest game in The Database with this move is Idealist - Bhima, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2000 (0-1, 20). 

Although about 30 players have played 7.Qh3+ (with White scoring 28%), the most significant contribution to the move has come from recent analyses and a game by Yury V. Bukayev, published on this blog

"JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Parts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10)" 

"Jerome Gambit: Analysis Leads the Way (Parts 1 & 2)"  

7...Kf6

Immediately losing his footing. The proper response was 7...Ke7

8.Qf5+ Ke7 9.Qxe5+ Kf7 10.Qxc5

White has recovered his sacrificed pieces and is a couple of pawns ahead - with a safer King.

10...Nf6 11.d3 Re8 12.O-O Kg8 13.e5 b6 

When your piece is attacked, don't move it away, attack a more important piece of your opponent. 

But, watch out for intermezzo checks.

14.Qc4+ Re6 15.exf6 Qxf6 16.Nc3 Bb7 17.Nd5 Qg6 

This should make matters much worse.

18.Be3 

Fine, although Readers might have noticed 18.Ne7+ Kh8 19.Nxg6+ winning the Queen.

18...Rf8 19.Nxc7 

Overlooking a couple of things - it happens in blitz play.

First, since White's Queen secretly pins Black's Rook, 19.Ne7+ would win the Black Queen.

Second, Black now has a chance to escape 

19...Qxg2 checkmate

Very unfortunate.