Jerome Gambit: Illusion

In the following bullet game, White keeps calm as Black plans a deadly fork - that turns out to be an illusion. 

shyamdangol - pvp803

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.c3

White prepares for d4, as in the regular Giuoco Piano.

The idea is an interesting combination of both "modern" and "classical" approaches to the Jerome. It appears in 128 games in The Database, with Whtie scoring 49%.

Alternately, there was 7.Qh3 (145 games, scoring 44%), or 7.f4 (1,870 games, scoring 60%), or 7.Qf5+ (2,162 games, scoring 54%).

7...Nf6

Black also had 7...Nd3+ which sets a number of problems for White, via possible Knight forks. There are 17 games in The Database with 7...Nd3+. White scores 50%).

 8.Qf5+ 

Consistent, as opposed to 8.Qe2, a computer recommendation; there are no game examples in The Database/

8...Kd6

Hanging onto the Knight.

He also had 8...Kf7, so that after 9.Qxe5, the pesky 9...Bxf2+ (not in The Database) could again arrive, again with advantage.

 9.d4

9...Nd3+ 

Escaping the pawn fork, with check

10.Kd2 

The computer doesn't see much difference between this move or 10.Kd1 or 10.Kf1 or 10.Ke2. 

10...Nxe4+ 

Counting on a Knight fork at f2, but missing something. In bullet chess, that happens.

11.Qxe4 Nxf2 

12.Qe5+ Kc6 13.Qxc5 checkmate