Jerome Gambit: Is Black's King Actually Safer At d8?

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The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) revolves around the question: Is Black's King actually safer at d8? For a while, the surprising answer seems to be Yes, but quickly - this is a 1 0 bullet game - a resounding No takes its place.

angelcamina - traan
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qe7 9.Qe3 

Recently, White avoided the retreat, with two different outcomes:

9.Qxe7+ N8xe7 10.O-O Kf7 11.Nc3 Rf8 12.d3 Kg8 13.Bg5 Nc6 14.Nd5 d6 15.Nxc7 Rb8 16.Nd5 Nd4 17.c3 Nc6 18.f4 Bg4 19.d4 Be2 20.Rf2 Bc4 21.b3 Bxd5 22.exd5 Nce7 23.c4 Nf5 24.Re1 Nxd4 25.Be7 Nxe7 26.Rxe7 Nf5 27.Re6 Rbe8 28.Rxe8 Rxe8 29.g4 Re1+ 30.Rf1 Rxf1+ 31.Kxf1 Ne3+ 32.Ke2 Nxg4 33.b4 Nxh2 34.c5 dxc5 35.bxc5 Ng4 36.c6 bxc6 37.dxc6 Nf6 38.c7 Kf7 39.c8=Q Nh5 40.Qc7+ Kg6 41.Qxa7 Nxf4+ 42.Kd2 h5 43.Qa6+ Kg5 44.Qa5+ Kg4 45.a4 h4 46.Qa8 h3 47.Qh1 Kg3 48.a5 Ne6 49.a6 Nc7 50.a7 g5 51.Qb7 h2 52.Qxc7+ Kg2 53.a8=Q+ Kg1 54.Qc1+ Kf2 55.Qf8+ Kg3 56.Qfa3+ Kg2 57.Qc6+ Kg1 58.Qg3+ Kf1 59.Qcf3 checkmate, Anonymous - Beatboxer47, 3 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; and

9.Qxc7 Qxe4+ 10.Kf1 Nf4 11.Rg1 Qe2 checkmate, ianfencer - Evern, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020. 

9...Nf6 

Or 9...d6 10.O-O Nf6 11.d3 Kf7 12.Nc3 Rf8 13.f4 Kg8 14.b3 c6 15.Ba3 d5 16.Bxe7 Nxe7 17.e5 Ng4 18.Qg3 Nh6 19.d4 Nef5 20.Qd3 g6 21.h3 a6 22.g4 Ne7 23.Rae1 Be6 24.Na4 Kh8 25.Nc5 Bc8 26.f5 gxf5 27.gxf5 Bxf5 28.Rxf5 Nexf5 29.e6 Rg8+ 30.Kh2 Rg3 31.Qe2 Rag8 32.Qe5+ R3g7 33.Rg1 White won on time, angelcamina - albatronus, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020.

10.Nc3 

Or 10.d3 d5 11.O-O dxe4 12.dxe4 Qxe4 13.Qa3+ Qe7 14.b4 Be6 15.Re1 a5 16.c3 Kf7 17.Be3 axb4 18.Qb2 bxc3 19.Nxc3 Rhe8 20.Bg5 Qa3 21.Qd2 Rad8 22.Qc2 Bc4 23.Bxf6 gxf6 24.Ne4 Bd3 25.Qxc7+ Qe7 26.Qxe7+ Rxe7 27.Rad1 Red7 28.Nc5 Rd5 29.Nxb7 Ba6 30.Nxd8+ Black resigned, Atti0130 - smarlny, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020.

10...d6 11.O-O 

Alternately, 11.d4 Kf7 12.O-O Re8 13.f4 Nxe4 14.f5 Nf8 15.Nd5 Qd8 16.Qb3 Kg8 17.Nf6+ Black resigned, croc_master - Krog, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020. 

11...Ke8 

Black believes his King will be safer on d8. He plans to bring his Rook to e8 to pressure White's e-pawn.

12.d4 Kd8 13.f4 Re8 14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5 

15...Ng4 16.Qg3 Qc5+ 17.Kh1 h5 

Black pushes his attack, even as his King sits on an open file.

18.h3 h4

Following the advice, If someone attacks one of your pieces, attack one of his, a more valuable one if possible. 

19.Qf3 Nh6 20.f5 

The "Jerome pawns" are on the march.

20...Nxf5 21.Qd3+ Bd7 22.Rxf5 c6 23.Rf7 Re7 24.Bg5 

Black's King is no longer safe.

24...Nxe5 25.Bxe7+ Qxe7 26.Rxe7 Nxd3 27.Rxd7+ Kxd7 28.cxd3 Kc7 

29.Rf1 Rd8 30.Rf7+ Kb6 31.Na4+ Kb5 32.b3 White won on time

Jerome Gambit: It Helps to Be Prepared

Opponents facing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) would do well to be prepared. Even if the opening is officially "refuted", any old response will not do. The following game is a good example of how things can quickly go bad for the defender.

The games in the notes provide additional proof that Black needs to be careful.

Eelco_Niermeijer - CatharWitch
2 1 blitz, Chess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 

Here, Black resigned recently in Martynas-S - OkKidA, 5 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2020.

8...Qe7

Also seen, lately,

8...Qf6 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.Nc3 (10.d3 Ng4 11.f3 Ne5 12.Bf4 Nc6 13.c3 Bd7 14.d4 Bb6 15.Nd2 Re8 16.O-O-O Na5 17.d5 Kf6 18.b4 g5 19.Bg3 Be3 20.bxa5 h5 21.Rhe1 Bc5 22.Rf1 h4 23.Bf2 Ba4 24.Rde1 Ba3+ 25.Kb1 Ke5 26.Nc4+ Black resigned Nobody_WhtSoEvr - CASHDAVIS, 5 5 blitz, lichess.org, 2020) 10...Be6 11.a3 c6 12.O-O Rf8 13.b4 Bd4 14.Bb2 b5 15.d3 Kg8 16.Nd1 Bb6 17.Bxf6 Rxf6 18.Ne3 d5 19.exd5 cxd5 20.Rae1 Rf8 21.Nd1 Bg4 22.Nc3 d4 23.Nxb5 a5 24.Re4 Bd7 25.Nxd4 axb4 26.axb4 Kh8 27.c4 Ba4 28.Ne6 Rf6 29.c5 Bc6 30.Re3 White won on time, Atti0130 - Narsin, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; 

8...d5 9.Qxh7+ Kf6 10.e5+ Kf5 11.O-O Kxe5 12.Qxg6 Bf5 13.Re1+ Kd4 14.c3+ Kd3 15.Qxf5+ Black resigned, HadesNoir - Ingerboi, 10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020;

8...Qg5 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.O-O Nh6 11.d4 Qg4 12.Qxh6+ Kg8 13.dxc5 Qxe4 14.Nc3 Qxc2 15.Be3 Qxb2 16.Bd4 Black resigned, gabrielebattaglia - FDACH00, 15 10, lichess.org, 2020;

8...Nf6 9.Qxd8 Black resigned, CasualGames4ever - Alanvarela10, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020 9...Nxe4 10.Qxc7+ Ke8 11.Qxh7 Nxf2 12.O-O Ng4+ 13.Kh1 Nf2+ 14.Rxf2 Bxf2 15.Qxg6+ Kd8 16.Qf6+ Ke8 17.Qxf2 Be6 18.Nc3 Rd8 19.d3 d5 20.Bg5 Rd6 21.Qxa7 Black resigned, akosimike - Dadlani_Harsh, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020; and

8... Qh4 9. O-O (9.d4 Qxe4+ [9...Bh3 10.Be3 Re8 11.dxc5 Nf6 12.Qxe8+ Kxe8 13.gxh3 Qxe4 14.Rg1 Qxc2 15.Nd2 dxc5 16.Rg5 b6 17.Rd1 Qxb2 18.Nf3 Qxa2 19.Re5+ Kf7 20.Ng5+ Kg7 21.Re7+ Kg8 22.Rd8+ Black resigned, penguingim1 - sutcunuri, .5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020] 10.Be3 Qxg2 11.Qxh7+ Kf8 12.Rf1 Bh3 13.Nd2 Nf6 14.Bh6+ Ke8 15.Qh8+ Kf7 16.Qg7+ Ke6 17.dxc5 Rg8 18.Qxg8+ Nxg8 19.Be3 Kf7 20.cxd6 Qc6 21.dxc7 Qxc7 22.Rg1 Bf5 23.c3 Qc4 24.Nxc4 Black resigned, penguingim1 - sutcunuri, .5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020) 9... Qxe4 (9...Nf6 10.Nc3 Bh3 11.Qxa8 Qg4 12.g3 Qf3 White resigned, flash_ahaaa - thefinalzugzwang, 2 1 blitz, lichess.org, 2020) 10.Nc3 Qf4 11.Nd5 Qg4 12.Qxh7+ Kf8 13.d3 Qg5 14.Bxg5 Black resigned, Jelks_Cabaniss - alessandrochiesa, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com 2020. 

9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.Qxe7+ Kxe7 11.O-O Nf6 Black resigned

Interestingly enough, the same moves were played in youngrema - Stella-chan, lichess.org, 2020.