Jerome Gambit: Choices

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, White plays an interesting, but not mainline, 5th move, giving Black choices - choices that lead to a win for the first player in only a dozen moves.

By the way, moisesah finished third in the tournament - out of 142.

moisesah - cjg179

Jerome Gambit Classic #1, Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.d4 

Going off the main path.

Checking The Database, there are 2,786 games with 5.d4, with White scoring 38%. Compare this to 5.Nxe5+, with 26,717 games in The Database, with White scoring 56%. 

Black has three choices.

5...Nxd4 

This move is okay, but a bit stronger were 5...Bxd4 and 5...dxe4. 

6.Nxe5+ Ke8 

Instead, 6...Kf8, with no check upcoming, makes a big difference.  

7.Qh5+ Ke7 

It is possible that Black avoided 7...g6, because he saw 8.Nxg6. It is true that after 8...hxg6 White would be better, after either 9.Qxh8 or 9...Nf6 but both would be better than what he allows. 

8.Bg5+ 

This move it good. It wins.

Stockfish 16.1, in its fussiness, pointes out 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Nc3 Nf3+ 10.Ke2 Nxe5 11.Rd1+ Nd3 12.Rxd3+ Kc6 13.Qd5+ Kb6 14.Qb3+ Bb4 15.Qxb4+ Ka6 16.Qb5 checkmate 

8...Nf6 

9.Bxf6+ gxf6 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Nc4+ Kc6 12.Qd5+ Black resigned

Black will lose two pieces: 12...Kb5 13.Nba3+ Ka6 14.Qxc5 followed by 15.Qxd4.