Jerome Gambit: Why? Why Not?

After 7 moves in the following game, you might ask "Why play the Jerome Gambit?"

After 7 more moves, however, you migh catch yourself saying "Why not play the Jerome Gambit?"

angelcamina - mrsgaga77

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 Qe7 

This idea is as old as Jaeger - Jerome, correspondence, 1880 (0-1, 14) and Jaeger - Jerome, correpondence, 1880 (0-1, 40).

Yes, Alonzo Wheeler Jerome introduced an effective defense against his own opening attack. 

8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.e5 

The pawn is pinned - for now.

9...Kg8 

9...d6 was seen in angelcamina - IbragimMakiev, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020 (1-0, 40);  angelcamina - aa0073341, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022 (0-1, 42); and angelcamina - chess9656, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023 (1-0, 26).

10.O-O Ne8 11.Qc4+ Kf8 12.d4 Bb6 13.f4 

The White Queen and the "Jerome pawns" are doing quite well for themselves.

For the moment, Stockfish 15.1 still gives Black about a 1 1/2 pawn advantage, but that is about to change - this is a bullet game, after all.

13...d6 14.Nc3 dxe5

A major mistake. Possibly, Black only expected the d-pawn to recapture. Now his game blows up. Watch.

15.fxe5+ Nf6 16.exf6 gxf6 

17.Bh6+ Ke8 18.Rae1 

18...Be6 19.Rxe6 Qxe6 20.Qxe6+ Kd8 

21.Qxf6+ Kc8 22.Qxh8+ Kd7 23.Rf7+ Kc6 24.Qf6 checkmate

Excellent!