Jerome Gambit: Several Stages

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game is interesting and instructive. It passes through several stages:

a) White attacks

b) Black finds an effective defense

c) Various tactics 

d) A slip by Black

e) White brings home the full point

NN - NN

blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

This move appears in Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's early analysis of his gambit, specifically in the July 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal, "Jerome's Double Opening, Third Variation".

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qc3 Qf6 

Black has a plan - exchanging Queens will blunt White's attacking notions.

According to The Database, this position occurs in 105 of its games, with White scoring 40%.

Is that good? 

Well, if we research The Database for the position arising from the start of the Jerome Gambit - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+  - we find 25,975 games, with White scoring 51%.

Moving along the regular lines, after 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ we find 16,798 games, with White improving to scoring 57%.

Likewise, after 5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ in 12,606 games White continues to score  57%.

But all of this changes when we look at the defense 6...Kf8, which appears in 2,017 games, and White's score drops to 48%.

And, like it was pointed out above, after 8...Qf6 White scores only 40%.

9.Qxf6+ 

White is not bothered by exchanging Queens.

Looking at his further play, he might have chosen 9.O-O here, as  9...Qxc3 10.Nxc3 Nf6 would have saved him a tempo.

9...Nxf6 10.O-O Nxe4 11.d3 

11...Nxf2 

This exchange of two pieces for a Rook and a pawn slightly favors White. On the other hand, the retreat 11...Nf6 was probably not appealing. 

12.Rxf2+ 

Stockfish 15 actually prefers 12.c3 Ke8 13.d4 Nd3 14.dxc5 Nxc5 with advantage still to Black. 

12...Bxf2+ 13.Kxf2 Kf7 14.Bd2 Rf8 15.Nc3 Kg8+ 16.Kg1 Be6 

Black is up the exchange, but he still has to decide what to do with hi advantage.

17.b3 d5 18.Re1 Rfe8 19.Nb5 

The threatened Knight fork at c7 can be dealt with.

19...Re7

But not this way. Instead, 19...Bd7 20.Nxc7 Rxe1+ 21.Bxe1 Rc8 22.Bg3 d4 was the way to tie up White's pieces.

20.Bg5 

This is a smh moment for me, as the computer now recommends 20...Ree8, again allowing the Knight fork at c7.

Instead, Black loses the thread of the game. 

20...Kf7 21.Bxe7 Kxe7 22.Nxc7 Rc8 23.Nxe6 Kd6 

White is better. Perhaps his greater enemy at this point is the clock. Simplification helps him.

24.Nd4 Kc5 25.Ne6+ Kd6 26.c4 dxc4 27.dxc4 Re8 28.Kf2 Rxe6 29.Rxe6+ Kxe6 

The first player has a winning advantage. His moves come quickly now.

30.Ke3 Ke5 31.Kd3 a5 32.Kc3 Kd6 33.b4 b6 34.a3 Kc6 35.Kd4 Kd6 36.c5+ bxc5+ 37.bxc5+ Kc6 38.Kc4 

38...g6 39.a4 h6 40.g3 g5 41.h4 gxh4 42.gxh4 h5 43.Kd4 Kc7 44.Kd5 Kd7 45.c6+ Kc7 46.Kc5 Kc8 47.Kb6 Kb8 48.Kxa5 Kc7 49.Kb5 

White won on time