One of the interesting things about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is how often "common sense" defenses fail. Defenders unfamiliar with the attack tend to underestimate it and decide upon a line of play that is reasonable and rational - and just might very well be wrong.
Wall, Bill - Kulots
internet, 2022
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4
6...Bd6
This move looks reasonable: Black must lose a piece, so he plans to answer 7.dxe5 with 7...Bxe5, getting a pawn back.
Experience facing the Jerome Gambit suggests that a Bishop retreat here is not the best choice - even if it is playable. Black should just give the Bishop up with 6...Bxd4 or counter-attack with 6...Qh4.
By the way, according to The Database Bill is 29 - 0 in this position.
7.dxe5 Bxe5
More common sense. After all, how hard is it to counter an opening where White has sacrificed 2 pieces in the first 5 moves?
More to the point was 7...Bb4+ 8.Bd2 Bxd2+ 9.Nxd2 Qe7 and Black is for choice.
8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Qxe5 d6
Look where common sense has gotten Black: he is a pawn down with no compensation.
10.Qf4+ Nf6 11.O-O Qe7 12.Nc3 c6
A quick assessment might show that Black is not doing too poorly, he is just down a pawn.
Look at a few lines of play, however, as Stockfish 15 does, and you will rate White ahead the equivalent of a couple of pieces.
13.Rd1 Qe5 14.Rxd6 Black resigned
White's lead in development and Black's uneasy King convince the second player that happiness is to found elsewhere.
Makes sense to me.
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