Jerome Gambit: The Center is Not Safe

Bill Wall demonstrates in the following game that the center of the board can be a dangerous place for the enemy King.

Wall, Bill - Basiq

internet, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.f4 Nd3+ 

I like this move. Black does not wait until a piece is taken away, he offers one to stifle White's development.

Is he successful? The Database has 36 games with this move, with White scoring 72%. Yet, Stockfish 15.1 (32 ply) sees Black as about 3 pawns better.

Jerome Gambit. QED. 

8.cxd3 

8...d6 

Black protects his Bishop. He could also have withdrawn it with 8...Bb6.

Best would have been 8...d5, shielding the Bishop, hitting White's pawn center, and opening a line for his other Bishop. The move appears in 8 games in The Database; White scores 1 - 7. 

9.b4 Nf6 

Wisely avoiding 9...Bxb4, which could be met with 10.Qf5+ Ke7 11.Qg5+ Kd7 12.Qb5+ c6 13.Qxb4. 

10.f5+ Ke5

Is Black's King safe?

No.

11.Bb2+ Bd4 12.Bxd4+ Kxd4 13.Qf3 

13...d5 

This move allows checkmate.

Black's best chance was to make a mess of things with 13...Nd5 14.exd5 Re8+ 15.Kd1 Qg5 16.Nc3 Bxf5 17.Kc2, although White would then be evaluated by the computer as 6 pawns better. 

14.Qf2+ Ke5 15.Qg3+ Kd4 16.Na3 dxe4 17.Qf2+ Ke5 18. Nc4+ Kd5 19.Qc5 checkmate