Jerome Gambit: Not Fully Realized

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, the players are rated about as far below me as I am rated below a master. Yet they create an interesting game, and likely an enjoyable one.

Matthew_Slater - GengisKhanXIV

correspondence, Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe8 

As I wrote in "Jerome Gambit: Odds"

This is an interesting idea, not fully realized. Black is willing to sacrifice his Rook - see "Jerome Gambit: What About the Rook?" - counting on a strong counter-attack starting with ...Qxe4+.

This is similar to Whistler's defense, where Black plays 7...Qe7, which is more prudent, as it protects his Bishop.

8.Qxh8

Diving into danger, as Black could now play 8...Qxe4+, transposing to Whistler's defense, with advantage.

Best was 8.Qxc5 something not possible against Whistler's defense.

8...Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 

9...Qc4+

It feels good to command side-by-side diagonals, but much stronger was to slide over to the e1-h4 diagonal, with 9...Qh4. At that point the major danger for White would shift to having his Queen trapped - say, 10.g3 Qh3+ 11.Ke2 Qe6+ 12.Kf1 Nf6.

10.d3 Qxc2 11.Qxh7+ Kf8 12.Bh6+

12...Nxh6 13.Qxh6+ Kf7 14.Qd2 

White is up the exchange and a pawn. If you check Geoff Chandler's "blunder table", that is not likely enough for a win, but a "safety first" approach is very reasonable here.

14..Qxd2 15.Nxd2 d5 

Development, of course.

16.Nf3 Bf5 17.d4 

17...Bd3+ 18.Kg1 Re8 

"Counter a threat with a threat" - but this is not any kind of threat.

19.dxc5 Re2 20.b4 b5 21.g3 a5 22.a3

Once White's Rook at h1 gets into the game (after Kg2) everything would be uphill for the second player.

Black resigned