Jerome Gambit: Compensation

What does White get for his two sacrificed pieces in the Jerome Gambit?

He gets a couple of pawns.

He gets an attack.

He gets to play a strange opening that his opponent most likely is unfamiliar with - and at club level that is often worth a few pawns, or even a piece. 

Wall, Bill - Andar

SparkChess.com, 2023

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6 

Attempting to save the Knight in this way will not succeed. (6...Ke6 is correct.)

The Database has 259 games with this move. White scores 80%. Stockfish 15.1 evaluates the position as more than a Rook better for White.  

7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ Kf8 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qb4 

Bill likes to experiment. There is nothing wrong with the routine 10.Qe3.

10...a5 

Sometimes attacking the White Queen can be irresistable. 

Black should have gone for broke with 10...Qg5, since then White would have needed to be careful and play 11.Kf1 - 11.O-O? Bh3 12.g3 Qh5 13.Qa3 Qe2 14.Qd3 Bxf1 15.Qxe2 Bxe2 and Black is winning.

After the suggested 11.Kf1, however, White would still be safe and two pawns up.

11.Qc4 c6 12.O-O b5 

 Sometimes attacking the White Queen can be irresistable. 

13.Qd3 Ba6 

Giving White the chance to stumble with 14.Nc3 b4.

14.Qg3 Qf6 15.d3 h6 16.Bf4 Rd8 17.e5 dxe5 18.Bxe5 Qf7 

19.Nd2 Nf6 20.Rfe1 Kg8 21.Bxf6 Qxf6 22.Re5 Kh7 23.Ne4 Qg6 

The difficulty for Black is that even if he were to exhange off all of the pieces, he would still be two pawns behind. I do not know what the time control for the game was, but I don't think he could have counted on his opponent flagging.

24.Qxg6+ Kxg6 25.Re6+ Kf5 26.Rxc6 Bb7 

Final oversight.

27.Nd6+ Black resigned