Jerome Gambit: Return Is Not Enough

The following game demonstrates that returning some of the material sacrificed in the Jerome Gambit is not, in itself, enough to provide a win to the defender.

ryuugu-rena - shaquill3_oatmeal

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7. f4 Bf2+ 

What I call the Anti-Bill Wall Gambit, seen in "Jerome Gambit: A Cautionary Tale", "Jerome Gambit: Another Reason", and, most recently, Jerome Gambit: The Anti-Bill Wall Gambit, Return to Discussion (Part 1 & 2), leads to an equal position.

8.Kxf2 Ng6

This is Stockfish 17.1's 5th choice. White now has the advantage.

Two earlier games:

8...Nc6 (the computer's second choice) 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.d4 d6 11.e5 Be6 12.exd6+ Qxd6 13.Qg5+ Kf7 14.Rf1 Qxd4+ 15.Be3 Qxb2 16.Nd2 Nf6 17.Kg1 Rhd8 18.Nf3 Kg8 19.Nh4 Qxc2 20.f5 Bd5 21.Rac1 Qxa2 22.Rxc6 bxc6 23.Bd4 h6 24.Qg6 Qxg2+ 25.Nxg2 Bxg2 26.Kxg2 Rxd4 27.Re1 Rad8 28.Re6 Rd2+ 29.Kf3 R8d3+ 30.Kf4 Nd5+ 31.Ke5 Re3 checkmate, ryuugu-rena - RubenGarces, lichess.org, 2023; and 

8...Nf7 (the computer's top choice) 9.d4 Nf6 10.Qe5+ Nxe5 11.d5+ Ke7 12.fxe5 Nxe4+ 13.Ke3 Nc5 14.Kd4 Na6 15.Bg5+ Ke8 16.Bxd8 Kxd8 17.Nc3 Ke7 18.Rhf1 Rf8 19.Ne4 d6 20.exd6+ cxd6 21.Rae1 Rxf1 22.Rxf1 Bd7 23.Ng5 h6 24.Ne4 Rc8 25.c4 Nb4 26.a3 Na6 27.Rf3 Nc5 28.Ng3 Bg4 29.Rf4 Bd7 30.Nh5 g6 31.Ng7 Rg8 32.Ne6 Nxe6+ 33.dxe6 Bxe6 34.b3 Kd7 35.Kc3 Bf5 36.g4 Re8 37.gxf5 gxf5 38.Rxf5 Ke6 39.Rh5 Rh8 40.h4 Kf6 41.Rb5 b6 42.Ra5 Rh7 43.Rd5 Ke6 44.Rd3 Ke5 45.a4 h5 46.Rd5+ Ke6 47.Rg5 Rh6 48.Rxh5 a6 49.Rxh6+ Black resigned, ryuugu-rena - alex039, lichess.org, 2023

9.f5+ Kf6 

Slightly better is 9...Kf7 10.fxg6+ hxg6 11.Qxh8 Qf6+ 12.Ke2 d6 13.Rf1 Bg4+ 14.Ke1 Bf5 15.exf5 Re8+ 16.Kf2 Qxf5+ 17.Kg1 Re1 18.h3 Qxf1+ 19.Kh2 Qf4+ 20.g3 Qf2 checkmate, ryuugu-rena - BlackDissident, lichess.org, 2023 

10.fxg6 h6 

A slip, in a 3-minute game.

11.Qh4+ Black resigned