The following game reminds me of Paul Simon's song, "Slip Slidin' Away", especially the lament the nearer your destination, the more you’re slip slidin’ away...
Somehow, Black's advantage slips away.
Jerome Gambit.
Mbokharie - Zoloto-av
7 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2026
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
With all of the cautions about statistics and sampling bias, I can add that The Database has 4,946 games with 6.d4, with White scoring 54%. It has 36,659 games with 6.Qh5+, with White scoring 56%.
6...Bb4+
Black's strongest response is 6...Qh4, but that line is best prepared beforehand. Zoloto-av has something similar, but slightly different, in mind.
7.c3 Qh4
Useful, and complicated. Black looks like his pieces are going to over-run White's position.
8.Qb3+
In an earlier game, mbokhari grabbed the Bishop on b4, and came to regret it: 8.cxb4 Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 Qd3+ 10.Qxd3 Nxd3 11.Nc3 d6 12.Be3 Nxb4 13.Rc1 Nf6 14.a3 Nd3 15.Rd1 Nxb2 16.Rd2 Nc4 17.Re2 Nxa3 18.f3 Nc4 19.Bg5 h6 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Nd5 Re8 22.Rxe8 Kxe8 23.Nxc7+ Kd7 24.Nxa8 b6 25.Kf2 Bb7 26.Ra1 Na5 27.Rc1 Bxa8 28.Rc7+ Kxc7 White resigned, mbokhari - Serhat_Yeni, lichess.org, 2020
Stockfish 16.1 (30 ply) recommends "castling into it" with 8.0-0, but that is without the knowledge of Karpov, Anatoly (father) -- Bukayev, Yury , 15 0 rapid, as given in the post "Anatoly Karpov & Jerome Gambit (Part 10)"
8...Ke7
This is not a case of "just about any move will win". I suspect that time pressure pushed Black to overlook
8...Ke8 9.O-O (9...Nf3+!? 10.gxf3 Bd6 11.e5 Be7) Ng4 10.h3 Be7 11.hxg4 h5 or
8...d5 9.O-O Nf3+!? 10.gxf3 Bd6 11.e5 Be7 12.Qxd5+ Be6 13.Qe4 c6
Both keep Black's advantage.
9.Qxb4+ d6
Given enough time on the clock, he would probably have found the cute 9...c5, which does not save him, but offers material to find time to save his Knight: 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qc7+ Nd7.
10.dxe5
10...Qxe4+? 11.Qxe4 Black resigned
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