Jerome Gambit: Stirring Things Up

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) causes problems for the defender. 

As the game progresses, the attacker must continue to stir up difficulties to overwhelm his opponent.

It should be noted that it is Grandmaster Aman Hambleton playing the White pieces.

KNVB - 1stWizard

5 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qxe5+ Kxe5 

Black has entered a line of play that drains much of the dynamism from the Jerome Gambit. The Queens have been exchanged, he has a piece for a pawn, and his King is actually quite safe, even in the middle of the board. 

Still, from a practical point of view, things have been a bit better for the first player. The Database has 170 games with this position, with White scoring 56%.

11.b4

White stirs things up, and gets immediate results.

Black should not take the pawn.

11...Bxb4

This leads to the Bona fide master attack, analyzed by Yury V. Bukayev - see "Jerome Gambit: Article".

The Bishop should have advanced to entice the c-pawn forward, then withdraw - 11...Bd4 12.c3 Bb6 13.d4+ 

12.Bb2+ Ke6 13.Bxg7 

Winning the exchange. The grandmaster can now shift to "automatic pilot".

13...Be7 14.Bxh8 Bf6 15.Bxf6 Nxf6 16.Nc3 d6 17.O-O Bd7 18.d4 Ke7 

19.Rf4 Rf8 20.Raf1 b5 

This does not lessen the danger on the f-file.

21.Rxf6 Rxf6 22.Nd5+ Ke6 23.Rxf6 checkmate

As the baseball player philosopher Yogi Berra pointed out, "It ain't over 'til it's over".