Jerome Gambit: Wrong Turn

Sometimes in a chess game, you make the wrong turn. It happens.

It doesn't mean much, even strong players do it - not as often as weak players like me, mind you, but still...

White's 6th move in the following game is one such occurance. It is possible to come up with a number of possible explanations - including "blitz game" - but there is no need.

Wrong turn. A lesson worth repeating - see the earlier "Jerome Gambit: Attacking / Defending".

Parsadan - Petertromso

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.f4

The lichess.org database has 270 games with this position. White scores 30%. That is not an endorsement.

By comparison, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, in over 644,000 games at the same site, White scores 48%.

6...Qh4+ 

You can't play 6.f4 without expecting this Queen check, and having some kind of response prepared.

Nonetheless, The Database has several alternatives

6...Ng6 7.d4 Bb6 8.e5 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qh3 10.Be3 N8e7 11.Qd2 Nd5 12.Bf2 Qg2 13.Rg1 Qxh2 14.Nc3 Rf8? 15.Nxd5 c6 16.Ne3 Re8?! 17.O-O-O d5? 18.Rh1 Qxh1 19.Rxh1 Nf8 20.f5 g6 21.fxg6+ hxg6 22.c3 Bf5 23.Nxf5 gxf5 24.Qf4 Ke6 25.Rh6+ Kd7 26.Qxf5+ Kc7 27.Be3 Rad8 28.Bf4 Kb8 29.e6+ Bc7 30.Bg5 Rd6 31.Qf7 Rdxe6 32.Rxe6 Nxe6 33.Qxe8+ Bd8 34.Bxd8 a6 35.Qxe6 Ka7 36.g4 Black resigned, Darthnik - GregOakPark, 10 0 blitz, FICS 2011;

6...Nc6 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qe3 Nf6 11.O-O Qe7 12.d3 Bd7 13.Bd2 Rf8 14.Nc3 Kf7 15.Rae1 Kg8 16.e5 Nh5? 17.e6 Be8 18.d4? Ng7  19.d5 Nd8? 20.g4 c6 21.Qg3 b5 22.a3?! a5 23.b4?1 axb4 24.axb4 Qa7+?! 25.Be3 Qe7 26.Bd4 Ra3 27.Bxg7?! Kxg7 28.f5?! gxf5 29.gxf5+ Kh8 30.Kh1 Rg8? 31.Qe3? Qf6? 32.Ne4 Rxe3 33.Nxf6 Rxe1 34.Rxe1 Rf8 35.e7 Black resigned, Petasluk - Jirayu 5 0 blitz, FICS, 2012; and

6...Qf6 7.d4 d6 8.fxe5 dxe5? 9.Rf1 Black resigned, vkmehta - herooftheday, 5 0 Blitz, FICS, 2012. 

Stockfish 16's recommendation, 6...d5 7.d4 Bg4 has not been played.

7.g3 Qg4 

Things look bad for White. And they are. Kind of like in the typical slasher movie where someone is lost, and decides to seek shelter in that abandoned farm house...

Instead, 7...Qh3 was played in a somewhat mysterious game in The Database, NN - NN, 2022: 8.fxe5 Qg2 9.Rf1+ Ke7 10.d4  Bb6 11.c3 Nh6 12.Bxh6 gxh6 13.Nd2 Qxh2 14.Qf3 Ke8 15.Qf7+ Kd8 16.Qf6+ Ke8 17.Qxh8+ Ke7 18.Qxh7+ Ke6 19.Qf7 checkmate

 Also, 7...Qf6 was played successfully in Parsadan - ArturBondarenko–1984, lichess.org, 2021 (0-1, 20) and gp_adriano44 - tofalis, lichess.org, 2023 (0-1, 17).

8.fxe5 

Exchanging Queens gives only the illusion of safety. 

8...Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 Qxh1+ White resigned

Oh, bother...