Continuing my search for the "essence" of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), or at least an insight into how it "works" (see Part 1 and Part 2) I examined The Database for games of a half-dozen moves in length.
For the most part, as might be expected, the footnote to most of White's 6-move wins was "White won on time". Opponents were either dazzled, shocked, bored, distracted or offended... and went on to other things. An exception was the following game
Perfesser - Talking LCD Chess (1 ply)
casual game at home, 2003
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6 1-0
More about this game and the match between these two opponents can be found at "Jerome Gambit and The Perfesser" Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.
After six moves in the game, White can recover his sacrificed pieces, playing 7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ and then either 9.Qxc5+ or 9.Qd5+ and 10.Qxc5, depending on Black's 8th move.
This looks very good for the first player, although I have to point out that White lost 8 of 32 games (after 6...Kf6) in The Database, including the very embarassing perrypawnpusher - chingching, blitz, FICS, 2011.
Although White White's main enemy in 6-move games remained the clock, about one third of those "0-1"s were the result of 5.Ng5+ (see "The Return of Jerome Gambit for Dummies, Part 2").
There was also the first appearance of a new kind of obstacle, one that I had bemoaned a couple of years ago in "A Sneaky Way to Defeat the Jerome Gambit"
Chainbk - zdveslo
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Black wins by ajudication
My favorite anti-Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) line is Whistler's Defense. It gave me a very nice game against Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Pete Banks ("blackburne") in one of our games in the 2008 ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Tournament.
So far this year I've found only 3 examples of Black trying the Whistler: each time White took the poisoned Rook at h8, but twice he escaped.
UNPREDICTABLE - sharepointme
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6
7.Qxe5 Qe7
Whistler's Defense.
8.Qxh8
This should lead to disaster.
8...Qxe4+
The proper continuation.
Ineffective was 8...Qf6, as the White Queen escapes and causes problems: 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.0-0 (Black resigned here in Wall - Sepoli, Chess.com, 2010) Bd6 11.d3 Qe5 12.g3 Qg7 13.Qh4 Be7 14.Qf4+ Nf6 15.Qxc7 Qh6 16.Bxh6+ Black resigned, Chainbk - Baffipapa, FICS, 2010.
9.Kf1
Or 9.Kd1 Qxg2 10.Qxh7+ Kf8 11.d4 Qxh1+ and Black has the advantage.
9...Nf6
10.d3 Qa4
This turns the advantage over to White.
Black must play strongly and accurately: 10...Qd4 11.Be3 Qxb2 12.Nd2 Bxe3 (12...Qxa1+ 13.Kd2 Qxh1 14.Ne4 allows White to draw!) 13.Ne4 (13.fxe3 allows Black a timely check of the White King, either by Queen or Knight) Qxa1+ (now this is okay) 14.Ke2 d5 (but not 14...Qxh1, as 15.Qxf6+ allows White to draw through repetition!) 15.Qxf6+ (15.Rxa1 Bg4+ 16.Kxe3 Rxh8 is no better) Qxf6 16.Nxf6 Kxf6 17.fxe3 and White is down a piece with no counterplay.
11.Nc3
Developing a piece, attacking the Queen... and giving up the advantage.
Necessary was a continued focus on releasing or exchanging the White Queen: 11.Bg5 Qd4 12.Qxf6+ Qxf6 13.Bxf6 Kxf6 and White is up the exchange and a pawn.
11...Qxc2 12.Ne4
This move would work, if Black didn't have the following reply (or 12...Qd1 checkmate).
12...Qxd3+
It's all over but the shouting.
13.Ke1 Qxe4+ 14.Be3 Bxe3 15.fxe3 Qxe3+
16.Kd1 d6 17.Rf1 Bg4+ 18.Kc2 Rxh8
19.Rae1 Qc5+ 20.Kb1 Bf5+ 21.Ka1 Re8 22.Rc1 Qe3 23.Rxc7+ Kg8 24.Rcc1 Ng4 25.h3 Nf2 26.Rfe1 Qxe1 White resigned
