Jerome Gambit: Short Lesson

Even a short Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game can include a number of lessons. 

Here we see the effort of DutchLiLi, playing at lichess.org. He is a Jerome Gambit veteran, with 760 games in The Database - scoring 51%.

DutchLiLi - OlafGunter

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

Black is happy with just one of the offered pieces.

Stockfish 15.1 is not convinced, rating the position as 3/4 of a pawn better for White (31 ply).

Furthermore, the Database has 225 games with this position, with White scoring 71%.

DutchLiLi is 7 - 4 - 1 (63%) in his games against 5...Ke8. 

6.Qh5+ 

In a bullet game, it pays to be aggressive.

For the record, stronger was 6.Nxc6, when the sharp response 6...Qh4!? (edge to White) remains unplayed.

Either way, White should have something prepared for 5...Ke8. Jerome Gambit players from angelcamina to ZahariSokolov have faced it.

6...g6 7.Nxg6 

The best chance.

7...d6 

In a 60-second game it might have been hard to find his way through to the computer's suggestion: 7...Bxf2+ (getting a pawn for the hanging piece) 8.Kxf2 Nf6 9.Qh4 Rg8 10.Rf1 Rxg6 11.Kg1 Qe7 12.d3 Qg7 13.Nc3 d6 14.Kh1 Be6 15.Ne2 Kd7 16.Nf4 Rg8 17.Nxg6 Qxg6 18.Qg5 Qxg5 19.Bxg5 Nxe4 20.Be3 Ng5 where his extra piece would outweigh White's extra pawn.

The text move allows checkmate.

8.Nxh8+ Black resigned