Jerome Gambit: You Still Have to Find the Moves (Part 1)

One of the nice things about playing in a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game is that sometimes, if things go well, you can feel like you are playing like the attackers or counter-attackers of old. 

The wild game gives you the chance. You still have to find the moves.

wolfwerner - perrypawnpusher

Jerome Gambit Classic #1, Chess.com, 2024 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Qe7 

Whistler's defense.

8.Qxh8 

A very dangerous capture. He should have bailed out with 8.Qf4+ Qf6 9.Qg3.

8...Qxe4+ 

9.Kf1

Not any stronger is 9.Kd1 as in Jerome, A - Whistler, G, correspondence, 1876 (0-1, 15 ) ; blackburne - perrypawnpusher, Jerome Gambit3 thematic, ChessWorld.net 2008 (0-1, 17);  F0nix - perrypawnpusher, Chess.com, 2021 (0-1, 13); and REustace - perrypawnpusher, Chess.com, 2022 (0-1, 20). 

9...Qh4 10.g3 Qh3+ 11.Ke1 

Or 11.Kg1 as in IndeedPerhapsYes - perrypawnpusher, Chess.com, 2021, continuing 11...Qe6 12.Kg2 Qe4+ 13.Kg1 Qe1+ 14.Kg2 Qxf2+ 15.Kh3 d5+ 16.g4 Qf3+ 17.Kh4 Qxg4 checkmate
. 

11...Qg2 

Thinking that I was pursuing the attack, this move throws away all of Black's advantage.

The same thematic idea could have been played after 11...Qe6+ 12.Kf1 Nf6 13.d3 -  and then 13...Qh3+ 14.Ke1 Qg2 15.Rf1, etc. 

12.Rf1 

White's escape was with 12.Qxh7+ Kf8 13.Rf1 when Black might just have to settle for 13...Qf3+ 14.Ke1 Qe4+ 15.Kf1 Qf3+, etc and a draw by repetition.

12...Nf6

Covering the pawn at h7. Things are back to how they were.

13.d3 d5 14.Bg5 

Threatening Black at f6, but it is too late.

14...Qxf1+ 

Not too hard to find, but pretty, nonetheless.

15.Kxf1 Bh3+ 16.Kg1 Rxh8 

Black is ahead a piece for a pawn. Time to wrap things up.

17.Nd2 Ng4 18.Be3 Nxe3 19.fxe3 Bxe3+ White resigned

White is down a piece, and soon it will be two.