If White is looking to play a wild attack in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), how much of a victory is it for Black to deny him that? What is the appropriate "price" to pay?
In the following game the defender might have felt pleased that he was not over-run by enemy pieces, but he still had a game to win - or draw. By the time he had made any progress on that goal, it seems he might have tripped over his clock, in which case, White was quite happy to show how to secure the win, and it only cost Black a full point.
Eelco_Niermeijer - sobhandavoodi2
10 0 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 Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Nf6
Usually the counter-sacrifice at f2 is followed by an exchange of Queens, to reduce White's attacking chances, even if that means that Black is, in effect the one offering a gambit.
A few recent alternatives to the text:
8...Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6+ 10.Qxf6+ Kxf6 (10...Nxf6 11.Nc3 (11.Rf1 Re8 12.d3 Ng4+ 13.Kf3 d6 14.Kg2+ Kg7 15.Bf4 c6 16.Nc3 Be6 17.h3 Nh6 18.Bxd6 Rad8 19.e5 Nf5 20.Rae1 h5 21.Ne4 h4 22.Bc7 Rd7 23.Nd6 Rf8 24.Nxf5+ Bxf5 25.Bd6 Re8 26.g4 Be6 27.Rf2 Bd5+ 28.Kh2 Bxa2 29.b3 b5 30.Ra1 Bxb3 31.cxb3 Kh6 32.Ra6 g5 33.Rxc6 Black resigned, alex836 - Greg11, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020) 11...Rf8 (11...d6 12.d4 Bg4 13.Bg5 Rhe8 14.Rae1 a5 15.Kg2 Ra6 16.Rhf1 Re6 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Rac6 19.Bxf6 Bf5 20.g4 Bxc2 21.Bd8+ Ke8 22.Bxc7 Rxc7 23.Nd5 Rc5 24.Nf6+ Ke7 25.Re2 Bd3 26.Ng8+ Ke8 27.Nf6+ Ke7 28.Ng8+ Ke8 29.Nf6+ Ke7 drawn, NN - NN, 1 0 lightning, 2020) 12.Kg2 d6 13.d3 b6 14.Bh6 Re8 15.Rhf1 Re6 16.Rf4 Kg8 17.Raf1 Nd7 18.Rf8+ Nxf8 19.Rxf8 checkmate, Eelco_Niermeijer - brewek, 2 1 blitz, Chess.com, 2020) 11.Kg2 (11.d4 d6 12.Nc3 Kg7 13.Nd5 Nh6 14.Nxc7 Rf8+ 15.Kg2 Rb8 16.Bf4 Rf7 17.Nd5 b6 18.Rhf1 Ba6 19.Bxh6+ Kxh6 20.Rxf7 Re8 21.Re1 Rc8 22.c3 Bb7 23.Rxb7 Black resigned, Packersuck - Aidar_Khusnutdinov, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020) 11...Nh6 12.Nc3 Rf8 13.d4 Kg7 14.Bxh6+ Kxh6 15.Raf1 Rxf1 16.Rxf1 b6 17.Nd5 Ba6 18.Rf2 Re8 19.Nxc7 Bb5 20.Nxe8 Black resigned, shubhxo - ilPerozzi, 5 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020;
8...Nh6 9.Rf1 Rf8 10.Kg1+ Kg8 11.d4 Rxf1+ 12.Kxf1 Qf8+ 13.Kg1 Ng4 14.Qg3 d6 15.Be3 Bd7 16.c3 Bb5 17.Nd2 Re8 18.h3 Nf6 19.c4 Nxe4 20.Nxe4 Rxe4 21.cxb5 Qe7 22.Bd2 Re2 23.Re1 Rxe1+ 24.Qxe1 Qxe1+ 25.Bxe1 Kf7 26.Bf2 Ke6 27.a4 c6 28.bxc6 bxc6 29.b4 Kd5 30.Kf1 Kc4 31.b5 cxb5 32.axb5 Kxb5 33.Ke2 a5 34.Kd3 Kb4 35.Bg3 Kb5 36.Bxd6 a4 37.Bf8 h5 38.Ke4 Kc4 39.d5 Kb5 40.Ba3 Kc4 41.d6 Kb5 42.d7 Kc6 43.d8=Q Kb5 44.Qg5+ Kc4 45.Qxg6 Kb3 46.Qxh5 Black lost on time, milomallaby - Darkwarriorofthenite, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com 2020;
8...Qf6+ 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.e5 Ng4+ 11.Ke1 Nxe5 12.Rf1+ Kg7 13.d4 Nc6 14.Bg5 Re8+ 15.Kd2 Nxd4 16.Bf6+ Kg8 17.Bxd4 d6 18.Nc3 c5 19.Bf2 a6 20.Rae1 Bf5 21.h3 b5 22.g4 Be6 23.Ne4 Bxa2 24.Nf6+ Kf7 Black resigned, amazonriver17 - Nguyenxuanhieu47, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020.
9.Rf1 Rf8 10.Kg1 Kg7
Both Kings have castled-by-hand, a wise choice. White's edge is clear.
11.b3 d6 12.Qd4 c5 13.Qe3 Ng4 14.Rxf8 Qxf8 15.Qf3 Qxf3 16.gxf3 Ne5
Perhaps Black was happy here, as he could hope for a transition to a drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors ending. As the game goes on, the clock seems to make itself felt.
17.Bb2 Kg8 18.Kf2 Be6 19.Nc3
Developing a piece, but leaving his pawn at f3 vulnerable.
19...c4
Missing his chance for 19...Rf8.
20.Rg1 cxb3 21.axb3 Rc8 22.Ra1 a6 23.Ke3 Rf8 24.Rf1 Ng4+
25.Ke2 Nxh2 26.Rf2 Ng4
It is unclear if Black was trying (mistakenly) for a repetition of moves here (if so: the clock) or if he just overlooked 26...Nxf3, since 27.Rxf3 would have been met by 27...Bg4.
In any event, White is happy to exchange places, as it were - he will now have the extra piece for a pawn, with more material to come.
27.fxg4 Bxg4+ 28.Ke3 Re8 29.Nd5 Be6 30.Nf6+ Black resigned
