Jerome Gambit: An Early Inspiration?

I received an email from chessfriend Yury V. Bukayev, pointing me toward the chessgames.com site, and its "Game of the Day",Samuel Rosenthal vs Count Isourard, 1871: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.O-O gxf3 6.Qxf3 Qf6 7.e5 Qxe5 8.Bxf7 +Kxf7 9.d4 Qf6 10.Bxf4 Bg7 11.Qh5+ Qg6 12.Bd6+ Ke8 13.Qe5+ Qe6 14.Qxg7 Qxd6 15.Rae1+ Qe7 16.Qf8# 

It certainly got me thinking.

In earlier posts to my blog, I have looked at games or analysis that may have inspired Alonzo Wheeler Jerome to produce "his" opening. As today's chessgames.com "Game of the Day" has Samuel Rosenthal as White, I looked at some of his games.

Interesting is Rosenthal - Robert, simultaneous exhibition, Paris, 1874: 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 5.Kxf2 Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4+ 7.g3 Qf6+ 8.Kg2 Ng6 9.Bc4 Qd8 10.Rf1 f6 11.e5 b5 12.Nxb5 Bb7+ 13.Kg1 d6 14.exd6 cxd6 15.Qh5 Qe7 16.Bf4 O-O-O 17.Rae1 Qf8 18.Be6+ Kb8 and White announced mate in three moves (19.Qc5, etc.) 1-0

There is also Rosenthal - Dermenon, simultaneous exhibition, Paris, 1874: 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 5.Kxf2 Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6 7.Bc4 d6 8.Rf1 N8e7 9.Kg1 O-O 10.Qh5 c6 11.Bg5 b5 12.Bb3 a5 13.a3 Ra7 14.d5 Qb6+ 15.Kh1 c5 16.a4 c4 17.Ba2 f6 18.Bd2 bxa4 19.Bxc4 Ne5 20.Be2 Bd7 21.Nxa4 Qd4 22.Bc3 Qxe4 23.Bf3 Nxf3 24.Qxf3 Qxc2 25.Nb6 Bb5 26.Rf2 Qg6 27.Re1 Nc8 28.Nxc8 Rxc8 29.Qe3 Qf7 30.Qb6 Ba6 31.Qxd6 a4 32.Rf3 Bb5 33.Re6 Bd7 34.Rexf6 gxf6 35.Rg3+ Kh8 36.Qxf6+1-0

Both Rosenthal games were played at the same simultaneous exhibition. Club players playing Black and sacrificing against the master? What was going on?

Well, earlier, in 1870 there was the following game, the earliest example that I have found, yet, of Black's Bishop sacrifice on f2: Louis Paulsen vs Anderssen, Baden Baden 1870: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 5.Kxf2 Nxe5 6.d4 Qf6+ 7.Kg1 Ng4 8.Qd2 Ne7 9.h3 Nh6 10.Qf2 Qg6 11.Nb 5O-O 12.Nxc7 Rb8 13.Nb5 f5 14.e5 d5 15.exd6 Nd5 16.Bc4 Be6 17.Nc7 Nxc7 18.dxc7 Rbc8 19.Bxe6+ Qxe6 20.Bf4 Nf7 21.Kh2 Qb6 22.Rhe1 g5 23.Be5 Nxe5 24.Rxe5 Qxc7 25.c3 g4 26.hxg4 fxg4 27.Qh4 Kh8 28.Kg1 Qb6 29.Rae1 Qxb2 30.Re7 Qc2 31.R1e4 Qc1+ 32.Kh2 h6 33.Re3 Rc6 34.Qxg4 Rg8 35.Re8 1-0

It turns out that, later, Capablanca faced the Bishop sacrifice three times, winning twice and drawing once. Alekhine faced it at least twice, in different simuls, winning both. (Amusingly enough, I faced the move, too, 40 years ago - first my opponent checked my rating, and, having learned it, decided to sacrifice the Bishop. He lost in 44 moves: "Jerome Gambit: More at the Table" https://jeromegambit.blogspot.com/search?q=Chesbrough )

There is also 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Bxf2+ that first appeared (as far as I have found) in Cooke, W. - Charlick, H., Adelaide Chess Club, 1884: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 4.Kxf2 Qh4+ 5.g3 Qxe4 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.Qe2 d5 8.Qxe4+ dxe4 9.Nd4 O-O 10.Bg2 Ng4+ 11.Ke2 f5 12.h3 Ne5 13.d3 c5 14.Nb5 Nbc6 15.dxe4 a6 16.Nc7 Nd4+ 17.Kd2 Ra7 18.Na3 b5 19.c3 Ndc6 20.Nd5 fxe4 21.Ke3 b4 22.Nc2 Nc4+ 23.Kxe4 Rb7 24.Nce3 0-1

There is also 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.Na4 Bxf2+, from Hamppe - Meitner Vienna Club, 1872 - see "Godfather of the Jerome Gambit? (Part I)" and later Steinitz,W - Steinkuehler,G, simultaneous exhibition, Great Britain, 1874  "Godfather of the Jerome Gambit?(Part II)"

In responding to Yury, I just created today's blog post...