Bill Wall has played the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) several times against his opponent, Akela - whose name reminds me of Rudyard Kipling's stories, The Jungle Book (1894) and The Second Jungle Book (1895), which portrays the great gray wolf, leading his pack by strength and cunning.
Today, experience out-duels strength and cunning.
Wall, Bill - Akela
internet, 2025
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+
Bill has played the quieter 5.Nc3 against this opponent, although winning with it took some work, some patience, and some tactical alertness: 5...d6 6.d3 h6 7.O-O Nf6 8.h3 Rf8 9.Na4 Bb6 10.Re1 Kg8 11.Nxb6 axb6 12.d4 exd4 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 14.Qxd4 Bd7 15.f3 Bc6 16.Be3 Re8 17.a4 Qe7 18.b3 Qe5 19.Qd2 Qe6 20.c4 Nd7 21.Rac1 Nc5 22.Qc3 Qe5 23.Bd4 Qe7 24.Bf2 Ne6 25.Rc2 Rf8 26.Rd2 Qf6 27.Qe3 Nc5 28.Bg3 Rae8 29.Rf2 Ne6 30.Kh2 Qd4 31.Qc1 Nc5 32.Rd2 Qf6 33.Re3 Rd8 34.b4 Nxa4 35.Ra2 b5 36.cxb5 Bxb5 37.Qxc7 Qd4 38.Rea3 Qxb4 39.Qxb7 Rb8 40.Qd5+ Kh8 41.Bxd6 Nc3 42.Bxb4 Nxd5 43.Bxf8 Rxf8 44.Ra8 Kg8 45.exd5 Bc4 46.R2a5 Rxa8 47.Rxa8+ Kf7 48.Ra7+ Kf6 49.d6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Akela, internet, 2023.
5...Nxe5 6.d4
Or 6.Qh5+ Ke6 (6...Kf8 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Qf6 9.Nc3 Ne7 10.O-O a6 11.d3 Ng6 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.Bg5 Qd7 14.b4 Ba7 15.c3 c6 16.Nf4 Qf7 17.Ne2 Qe6 18.Be3 Kf7 19.h3 Rf8 20.Nd4 Qe5 21.f4 Qh5 22.f5 Ne5 23.Bf4 Re8 24.Kh1 Kg8 25.Rae1 Qf7 26.Nf3 Nxd3 27.Ng5 Qc4 28.Nxh7 Kxh7 29.Qg6+ Kg8 30.Qxe8+ Kh7 31.Re2 Nxf4 32.Rxf4 g6 33.Qxg6+ Kh8 34.Rh4 checkmate, Wall,B - Akela, internet, 2024) 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qe7 9.Na3 Bxa3 10.bxa3 Qf6 11.fxe5+ Qxe5 12.Qxe5+ Kxe5 13.Bb2+ Kxe4 14.Bxg7 d6 15.O-O Be6 16.Rae1+ Kd5 17.c4+ Kxc4 18.Rxe6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Akela, internet, 2023
6...Bxd4 7.Qxd4
7...Qf6
Or 7...d6 8.O-O Nf6 as in Wall,B - Akela, internet, 2022 (1-0, 26)
8.Qc5 Nc6 9.O-O d6 10.Qb5
White's King is safe, so he can afford to have a roaming Queen pressuring the enemy position.
10...Nge7 11.Nc3 a6 12.Qh5+ Qg6 13.Qf3+ Qf6 14.Qe2
If the Jerome Gambit was an affront to Black's sense of how-to-play-chess, the White Queen's travel has to be further annoying.
14...Re8 15.Be3 Ng6 16.Nd5 Qd8
17.f4 Kg8
Black safeguards his King. White has grabbed the initiative.
18.f5 Nge7
Defense can be more uncomfortable than offense. Here, Black might have chosen, instead, 18...Nge5 19.Qh5 Nf7.
19.f6
Beware the f-file.
19...Nxd5
It can be hard to find the right path: 19...Be6 20.Qh5 Nxd5 21.exd5 Ne5 22.Qg5 g6 23.dxe6 Rxe1 24.Rae1 when White might have an edge.
20.f7+ Kh8 21.fxe8=Q+ Qxe8 22.exd5 Ne7 23.Bg5 Black resigned
Black's Knight is doomed. The defender has had enough for this game.
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