A game I recently saw at quebecechecs.com got me thinking: can you "Jerome" everything?
Dorion,Francois - Ouellet,Paul-G
1993
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nce7
An extravagant move that calls out for some kind of response. Of course, 4.Nxe5 comes to mind, first...
It is not clear what Black's idea is - likely he has been away from the game for a while. Yet, I have uncovered two more games with the move (see below).
4.Bxf7+
Understandable. White would like to end the game quickly.
4.Nc3 c6 5.d3 d5 6.exd5 cxd5 7.Bb3 Nf6 8.Nxe5 Ng6 9.Nxg6 hxg6 10.Bg5 Bb4 11.h3 0-0 12.0-0 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Qa5 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.c4 Be6 16.Qf3 Rad8 17.Qxf6 Qc5 18.Rfe1 d4 19.Re4 Rd6 20.Rh4 Qh5 21.Rxh5 gxh5 22.Qg5+ Kh7 23.Qxh5+ Kg7 24.Qe5+ Black resigned, Boyer,M - Miller,D, Blackpool, 1993.
4.0-0 Nh6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 f6 8.Be3 Bg4 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 g5 11.Rad1 g4 12.hxg4 Nf7 13.g5 fxg5 14.Qh5 (14.Qxf7#) 14...Ne7 15.Nd5 (15.Bxf7+ Kd7 16.Qg4+ Nf5 (16...Kc6 17.Bd5+ Nxd5 18.exd5#) 17.Qxf5+ Kc6 18.Bd5#; 15...Ng6 16.Nb4 Nf4 17.Qxf7 checkmate, Oberhofer,C - Fürst,Lm Österreichische Meisterschaften, 2011.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+
Very Jerome Gambit-ish. Black would do well to withdraw his King with 5...Ke8 now, but his monarch is never really going to feel comfortable.
5...Ke6 6.Qg4+
In for a penny, in for a pound.
White sacrifices another piece to make the position even more terrifying for the enemy King. In the cold light of day, however, and psychology aside, 6.d4 was "objectively" more sound.
6...Kxe5 7.d4+ Kf6 8.Qf4+ Kg6 9.e5 d6 10.Nc3
10...Nh6 11.h4 Nhf5 12.g4 Kf7 13.gxf5 Bxf5 14.Ne4 dxe5 15.Ng5+
Black had defended remarkably well. He only has to think of "castles-by-hand" for his next move, and he should weather the storm.
15...Kg6
Tempting fate. The move-to-make was ...Kg8.
16.dxe5
Surprisingly, White overlooks 16.h5+ Kf6 (16...Kh6 17.Nf7#) 17.Qxe5 checkmate.
16...Nd5
Black could fight on a bit longer with 16...h5, but there would be no joy in it.
17.h5+ Kh6 18.Nf7 checkmate
