Here is another (see "Jerome Gambit: Full-Bodied Defense") Jerome Gambit game which should be routine and boring. Black makes a mistake on move 7, turning his clear advantage into a clear disadvantage. In fact, this had happened twice before in Bill Wall games, and they showed "1-0" in 10 moves or less (in a third game, Black struggled on for 10 more moves).
So, Bill takes his advantage and moves on to the win. Things were not that simple, though. Watch.
Wall, Bill - Anonymous
lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 g6
It is fun, kicking White's Queen. However, this move gives up the Knight at e5 and the Rook at h8. (If you worry about being greedy, you can substitute capturing the Bishop at c5.)
8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxh8
Here, Black resigned in Wall, Bill - DGTS, FICS, 2011.
9...Qh4+ 10.g3
Here, Black resigned, in Wall, Bill - Guest1681797, PlayChess.com, 2013,
10...Qh3
Or 10...Qf6 11.Qxh7+ Qg7 12.Qxg7+ Kxg7 13.Nc3 d6 14.Nd5 Bb6 15.b3 Bg4 16.Bb2+ Kh7 17.Nxb6 axb6 18.Kf2 Re8 19.h3 Be6 20.g4 Black resigned, Wall, Bill - Guest862403, Play.Chess.com 2014.
11.d3 d5
So, here we go. White is up the exchange and a couple of pawns. His Queen is a bit uncomfortable in the corner, at h8, however, and his King is not altogether safe. What to do?
12.Qe5
Perfectly reasonable. Anyone who has ever seen Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884 (see "Nobody expects the Jerome Gambit!" and "Jerome Gambit: Dr. Harding Checks In") would not wait for ...Nf6, locking in White's Queen.
Now, White goes on to win in three dozen more moves.
But - wait. Stockfish 10, recommends, instead, 12.f5!?, with a whole lot of crazy tactics - 12...Bxf5 (not 12...gxf5 because of 13.Nd2 dxe4 14.Nxe4!? fxe4 15.Rf1+ and attack) 13.Qe5 and the f-file will be trouble for Black, especially after ...Qg2 is met by Rf1. Just one example of play is 13...dxe4 14.Qxc5 exd3 15.Qxc7+ Kf8 16.Qc5+ Kg7 17.Nc3 Qg2 18.Rf1 dxc2 19.Be3 Re8 20.g4 Qxg4 21.Kd2 - and you can see why Bill simply chose to remove his Queen!
12...c6
Black supports his d-pawn - but Stockfish 10 will have none of it. To keep only about a three-fourths of a pawn behind, Black should try 12...Qg2 13.Rf1 Bg4!? 14.Qxd5+ Kg7 15.Nc3 b6!? when 16.f5 Nf6!? 17.Qc4 (not 17.Qxa8? Bd4! with a forced mate) Qxh2 18.d4 Qxg3+ 19.Rf2 Qg1+ 20.Qf1 Qxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Bxd4 22.fxg6 hxg6 23.Nb5 Be5 24.Bf4 Bxf4 25.Rxf4 g5 26.Rf1 Nxe4 27.Rg1 Nf6 leaves Black with a pawn for the exchange...
So - Black's choice of a move is understandable, too.
13.f5 gxf5 14.Nd2 Nf6 15.Nf3 Qg2 16.Rf1 Qxc2
It is humorous to point out that Stockfish 10 sees White as being the equivalent of 4 pieces ahead. I am not sure that Bill's King felt that way!
17.Ng5+ Kg7 18.Bd2 Qxd3 19.exf5
This will support White's Knight when it comes to e6. For sheer madness, take a look at 19.Rf3 Qc4 20.Rf4
19...h6 20.Ne6+ Bxe6
21.fxe6
This is fine, altough Stockfish 10 recommends 21.O-O-O!? Qc4+
22.Bc3 Bd4 23.Qxd4 Qxd4 24.Rxd4 Bg8 when White would still be up the exchange.
21... Bd4 22.Qc7+ Kh8 23.O-O-O Qc4+ 24. Kb1 Ne4 25. Bc1 Qb4
26.e7
Cold blooded. Others might have returned the exchange with 26.Rxd4 to deal with one threat to b2, or tried 26.Ka1 to avoid the nasty 26...Nc3+ fork. Instead, Bill enlists the "Jerome pawn" in his checkmate threats.
26... Nc3+ 27.Ka1 Nxd1 28.Qd8+ Rxd8
Abject surrender, although 28...Kh7 29.Rxd1 Bg7 30.Qxa8 Qxe7 would also leave him a Rook down.
29.exd8=Q+ Kg7
30.Qd7+ Kh8 31.Qe8+ Kh7 32.Rf7+ Bg7 33.Qd7 Qd4
34.Qf5+ Kg8 35.Re7 Qf6 36.Re8+ Kf7 37.Qh5+ Qg6 38.Re7+ Black resigned
He will soon be down a Queen for a few pawns.
