Jerome Gambit: Come And Get Me

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game might be lightly described as the exchange:

Black: Come and get me

White: Okay, I will

Wall, Bill - Dasasary

internet, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

This move goes back to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's analysis of the Third Variation of  "Jerome's Double Opening" in the July 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ Qf6 

Instead, 8...Nf6 was the move that Jerome considered. 

Interesting, from Wall, Bill - Aristarch engine, Palm Bay, FL, 2015, was 8...Ke8 9.Nc3 Nh6 10.O-O Rf8 11.Qg3 Ng4 12.Nd1 Qe7 13.c3 Qe5 14.Qh4 Qf6 15.Qg3 Bb6 16.d4 Qg6 17.Re1 Rf7 18.e5 Re7 19.Ne3 Qe6 20.Nf1 d5 21.h3 Nh6 22.Bg5 Nf5 23.Qh2 Rf7 24.g4 Ne7 25.Ne3 c5 26.Bxe7 Kxe7 27.f4 cxd4 28.f5 Qc6 29.cxd4 Bxd4 30.e6 Qb6 31.Qf2 Bxe3 32.Rxe3 Rf6 33.Rae1 h5 34.g5 Rf8 35.Qf4 d4 36.Rd3 Qa5 37.Re5 Qb4 38.Rxd4 Qb6 39.b4 Ke8 40.Red5 Bxe6 41.Rd6 Rxf5 42.Qe4 Rxg5+ 43.Kh1 Kf8 44.Rxb6 Black resigned

I don't think that I have shared that game, before.

9.Qg3 

Should White allow the exchange of Queens here, or not?

Stockfish 15.1 takes the affirmative (35 ply), and in the past Bill has gone along: 9.d3 Qxf4 10.Bxf4 Nf6 11.f3 (11.Nc3 a6 12.f3 Be6 13.Bg3 g5 14.e5 dxe5 15.Bxe5 Kf7 16.Bxf6 Kxf6 17.Ne4+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest2651667, playchess.com, 2015) 11...Bd7 12.Nc3 h6 13.Kd2 Re8 14.Be3 Bxe3+ 15.Kxe3 g6 16.d4 Kg7 17.h4 Rhf8 18.Ne2 Bb5 19.Nf4 Bc6 20.Nd3 Nxe4 21.fxe4 Rxe4+ 22.Kd2 Rxd4 23.Rh2 Rg4 24.Rg1 Rg3 25.b3 b5 26.a3 a5 27.Kc3 a4 28.b4 Be4 29.Re1 Bxg2 30.Re2 Bd5 31.Kd4 c6 32.Re7+ Rf7 33.Re8 Rd7 34.Rc8 Rg1 35.Kc3 Ra1 36.Nf4 Bc4 37.Nd3 Rxa3+ 38.Kb2 Ra2+ 39.Kb1 Rf7 40.Rh1 Bxd3 41.Kxa2 Bxc2 42.Re1 Bb3+ 43.Kb2 Bd5 44.Kc3 Rf3+ 45.Kd2 Rf4 46.Re7+ Kf6 47.Rf8+ Kxe7 48.Rxf4 g5 49.hxg5 hxg5 50.Rf5 g4 51.Rg5 Be6 52.Rh5 Kf6 53.Rh1 Bd5 54.Rg1 Kg5 55.Rg3 Kf4 White resigned, Wall,B - BlackMamba engine, Palm Bay, FL 2015 

9...Ne7 

10.c3 

A different approach was seen in Wall,B - Insurgent, internet, 2023: 10.Nc3 a6 11.d3 Bb4 12.0–0 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Qxc3 14.Rb1 Qxc2 15.Bb2 Rg8 16.Rfc1 Qa4 17.Rxc7 Qxa2 18.Qf3+ 18.Qxd6 Ke8 19.Qd1 Nc6 20.Qc2 Nd4 21.Rxc8+ Rxc8 22.Qxc8+ Ke7 23.Qxb7+ Kd8 24.Bxd4 Black resigned

9...Ne7 10.c3 h6 11.d4 Bb6 12.O-O Kg8 

White's pawn center looks formidable. 

Nonetheless, Black has managed to castle-by-hand and has avoided inflicting weaknesses upon himself.

13.Be3 Kh7 14.f4 Rf8 15.f5 Bd7 16.Nd2 a6 

For now, Black adopts a come-and-get-me attitude.

17.h4 Bc6 18.Rae1 Rae8 19.b3 Bb5 20.Rf3 c5

Black judges it is time to strike at the center.

Stockfish 15.1, in turn, recommends that White lock things up now with 21.d5. 

Bill declines, preferring more active play.

21.e5 dxe5 22.dxe5 Qf7 23.e6 

23...Qf6 

Bill was intending to meet 23...Qh5 with 24.f6 but that would have been preferrable for Black, rather than the text move.

24.Ne4 Qxf5 

A sad necessity, the Queen is trapped. He will get a Bishop and a Rook for the Queen, but that will not be enough.

25.Rxf5 Nxf5 26.Qf2 Nxe3 27.Qxe3 Rxe6 

28.Ng5+ 

A final insult.

28...hxg5 29.Qxe6 Black resigned

Black's Bishop pair looks scary, but not as scary as White's Queen.