Jerome Gambit: Bamboozled

There is an old saying, "If you can't baffle them with brilliance, bamboozle them with BS".

That is pretty good advice when playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+): you don't have to win each game by checkmate, you can make things complicated enough that your opponent will either make an error, or suffer from time pressure - or even lose on time, as happens in the next game. 

angelcamina - Haribol1 

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6

This position is seen in 393 games in The Database. White scores 56%.

9 fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 Nf6 

The Knight can also go to e7, although that produces an even game, still difficult at bullet speed: 10...Ne7 11.Nc3 (11.c3 Nc6 12.d4 Bxd4 13.cxd4 Nxd4 14.Qd3 Ke7 15.O-O d6 16.Nc3 c5 17.Nd5+ Kd8 18.Bf4 Qe6 19.Bg5+ Kd7 20.Be3 Nc6 21.Rad1 b6 22.Nf4 Qe5 23.Nd5 Bb7 24.Rf7+ Kc8 25.Rc7+ Kb8 26.Bf4 Qe6 27.Bxd6 Qxd6 28.Rxg7 Nd4 29.Rxb7+ Kxb7 Black won on time, angelcamina - acemi_Kral, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023) 11...Rf8 12.Qd3+ Ke6 13.Qc4+ d5 14.Qb3 Bf2+ 15.Kd1 Kd6 16.Qa3+ c5 17.Nb5+ Kc6 18.Qa4 Bg4 checkmate, angelcamina - alkonearfa, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022. 

11.Nc3 

Or 11.d3 Kc6 12.Nc3 Bb4 13.Bf4 Bxc3+ 14.bxc3 Qxc3+ 15.Ke2 d6 16.e5+ Nd5 17.exd6 Bg4 18.Qxg4 Qxc2+ 19.Kf3 Qxd3+ 20.Kf2 Raf8 21.Rac1+ Kb6 22.Rb1+ Ka6 23.Qe2 Rxf4+ 24.Ke1 Re4 Black won on time, angelcamina - karimov1, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022.

11...Rf8 

The Rook threatens the enemy Queen along the f-file. angelcamina has faced stronger moves, however:

11...Bb4 12.Qd3+ Ke7 13.O-O Bxc3 14.Qxc3 Rf8 15.Qxe5+ Black resigned, angelcamina - ChileanBullet, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020;

11...Ke7 12.d3 d5 (12...Bd4 13.Bf4 Bxc3+ 14.bxc3 Qxc3+ 15.Ke2 Kd8 16.e5 Ne8 17.Bg5+ Nf6 18.exf6 gxf6 19.Bxf6+ Ke8 20.Qe4+ Kf7 21.Bxc3 Re8 22.Be5 d6 23.Rhf1+ Kg8 24.Qc4+ d5 25.Qxd5+ Be6 26.Qxb7 Rab8 27.Qa6 Rb6 28.Qa4 c6 29.Qf4 Rf8 30.Qg5 chckmate, angelcamina - Roter_Baron, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023) 13.Bf4 Qd4 14.O-O-O Bg4 15.Qg3 Rhg8 16.Rde1 Kf7 17.e5 Nh5 18.Qxg4 Qxf4+ 19.Qxf4+ Nxf4 $11 20.Rhf1 g5 21.g3 Kg6 $2 22.gxf4 gxf4 23.Rxf4 Raf8 24.Rxf8 Rxf8 25.Nxd5 c6 26.Nc3 Rf3 27.e6 Rf8 28.Ne4 Be7 29.Ng3 Kg7 30.c3 Kh8 31.d4 h5 32.h3 h4 33.Ne4 Re8 34.Rf1 Kg7 Black won on time, angelcamina - toshi8, 1 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021; and

11...Re8 12.d3 Bd4 13.Bf4 Bxc3+ 14.bxc3 Black resigned, angelcamina - stefan9822, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022. 

12.Qd3+ 

A novelty, and attractive in a bullet game, although the one move to give White the advantage was 12.d4, with an attack on the Bishop and a promised attack on the Queen (with Bf4). 

12...Ke7 13.Rf1 d6 

14.b4 

Sacrificing a pawn to creat threats along the a1-h8 diagonal.

14...Bxb4 15.Bb2 Bc5 

It can be hard to find the right move, or even the right plan, when you are playing at a speed that only sometimes allows you one second of thought per move. Black moves the Bishop to an attacking diagonal.

Instead, 15...Bxc3 16.Bxc3 Qxe4+ 17.Qxe4+ Nxe4 simplifies things, leaving Black a piece ahead.

16.O-O-O 

Possibly the clock. White had just prepared 16.Nd5+, winning the Queen.

16...a5 

Giving White a second chance, which he does not miss.

17.Nd5+ Nxd5 18.Bxe5 dxe5 19.Qxd5 

White has a Queen for two Bishops, and his King is much safer.

What about the clock? The following play suggests that things were winding down, especially for Black.

19...Be6 20.Qxc5+ Kd7 21.Rxf8 Ra6 22.Rh8 Rc6 23.Qf8 Bxa2 24.Qd8+ White won on time