Many people play the Jerome Gambit for a very simple, straight-forward reason: it is fun. Imagine how much enjoyment Bill experienced in the following game, where he delivers wreckage and ruin upon the enemy King.
Wall, Bill - Guest3157671
PlayChess.com, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5
Of course, 7.Qd5+, "the nudge", is also played by Bill:
Wall,B - Quack, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 22)
Wall, B - Vijay, V, Chess.com, 2010, (1-0, 22)
Wall,B - LC, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 20)
Wall,B - guest154187, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 22)
Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com 2012 (1-0, 32)
Wall,B - Guest4149739, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 30)
Wall, B - guest3797656, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 40)
Wall, B - guest392045, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 33)
Wall,B - Guest198654, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 21)
Wall, B - Guest428245, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0,20)
7...d6 8.Qd5+
Ah, "Nudge 2.0", another Wall specialty.
8...Ke7
Or 8...Ke8 as in Wall,B - Seven11, Chess.com, 2008 (1-0, 51)
Or 8...Kf8 as in Wall,B - Chung,J, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 25).
Or 8...Be6 as in Wall, B - CheckMe, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23) and Wall,B - Guest249301,PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 30).
9.O-O
Or 9.d3 as in Wall,B - Guest4395, Internet, 2001 (1-0, 18).
9... Nf6
10.Qg5 Be6
Despite the awkward placement of his King, Black is feeling comfortable with his lead in development. All he has to do is take care of that pesky White Queen, and it will be smooth sailing, he reassures himself.
11.f4 Bf7 12.d4
Indeed, and how can White expect to prevail when he is only moving his Queen and his pawns? (Ah, the eternal Jerome Gambit question!)
12...h6 13.Qg3
Bill suggests 13.Qb5 and 13.Qf5 as alternate possibilities.
13...Re8
It looks risky for Black, but Bill's suggestion of 13...Nxe4 14.Qe1 d5 15.f5 Nf8 has merit.
14.f5 Nf8
This position reminds me of the kind of thing that my old "Chess Challenger 7" computer used to do - leave its King in the center of the board, surround it by pieces, and consider the position to be good. Often it would continue with the advance of a Rook pawn.
15.e5
Of course, Bill advances his "Jerome pawns" and plans to open up the center to get at the enemy King.
15...dxe5
Things are already dire for the defender, as Bill points out: 15...Nh5 16.Qh4+ Nf6 17.Bxh6 and 15...Nd5 16.Qxg7.
16.dxe5 Nd5
Or, fast and furious, any of the following: 16...Nh5 17.Qa3+ Kd7 18.Rd1+ or 16...Qd4+ 17.Be3 or 16...Ne4 17.Qh4+ Kd7 18.Qxe4.
17.Qxg7 Nd7 18.e6
18...N7f6 19.exf7 Rf8 20.Re1+ Kd6
21.c4 Nb6 22.Rd1+ Kc5 23.Rxd8 Raxd8 24.Be3+
As the loss of Black's Queen is not enough to cause him to strike his colors, Bill brings out some more pieces to enforce checkmate. Bill also notes that 24.Qxf6 leads to mate as well.
24...Kxc4 25.Na3+ Kd3 26.Bxh6 Ne4 27. Rd1+ Ke2 28. Qg4 checkmate
The following game is a Jerome Gambit. It was played at blitz speed. My opponent appeared to be a bit unfamiliar with the line - giving me credit for some "sacrifices" that probably were "blunders".
perrypawnpusher - oopsaqueen
blitz, FICS, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6
My opponent, oopsaqueen, has a pleasant 5-1 record on FICS defending an "accelerated Jerome Gambit" against the Semi-Italian Opening - 4.Bxf7+, etc.
However, he does not appear (according to The Database) to have faced the "normal" Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, and in this game chooses a move (still okay for Black) that is weaker than 7...Ke6, 7...Ke8 or 7...g6.
8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qe3 Nf6
Black chose the alternative, 10...N8e7, in perrypawnpusher - pascalwilliams, blitz 3 0, FICS, 2007 (½-½, 32).
11.f4
The more sedate 11.f3 was seen in Wall,B - LC, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 20).
11...Kg8 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nf7 14.e5
Thematic, but premature in this situation. White would have done better to complete his development with 14.Nc3 Qe7 15.Bd2 Bd7 16.Rae1 Re8.
14...dxe5 15.dxe5 Nd5
Here 15...Ng4 16.Qe4 Ngxe5 would have punished my rashness.
16.Qb3
Simply dropping a pawn, instead of the necessary 16.Qe2.
16...c6 17.Nc3
Here 17.e6 would have saved the e-pawn. Luckily for me, my opponent figured that I knew what I was doing.
17...Kh7 18.Nxd5 Qxd5 19.Qxd5 cxd5 20.e6 Ne5
By dint of good fortune, I have just about evened the game.
21.Bf4 Nc6 22.Rad1 Re8 23.Rxd5 Bxe6 24.fxe6 Rxe6
In another example of "Scientific Progress Goes Boink" (see "After the Refutation: Play On!"), my opponent has returned his extra piece for a couple of pawns, leaving him with a much freer game, but a pawn down.
25.c3 Rae8 26.Rfd1 a6 27.Rd7 Re1+ 28.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 29.Kf2 Ra1
30.Rxb7 Rxa2 31.Rb6 Ne7 32.c4 a5 33.Bd2 a4 34.Bc3 a3
35.Kf3 axb2 36.Bxb2 Nf5 37.Rb7 Ra5
Stopping the advance of White's c-pawn, but missing the threat.
38.g4 Nd6 39.Rxg7+ Kh8 Black resigned
White will win a Rook with 40.Ra7+.
Here is the latest Jerome Gambit from Bill Wall. (Notes by Bill, unless otherwise indicated.) It features a Kingside pawn storm that proves to be Black's undoing.
Wall,B - Guest154187
Playchess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
10.0-0 Kg8
[This move seems to be a "TN", somewhere between the 10...h6 of Wall - LC, Chess.com, 2012 (1-0, 20) and the 10...Kf7 of Wall - Vijay, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 22) - Rick]
11.Qb3+ Kf8 12.d3 Ne5 13.f4 Neg4?!
Better seems 13...Nc6
14.h3 Nh6 15.f5 Qe7 16.g4 Nf7 17.Nc3 c6 18.g5 Nh5 19.g6 Ne5
19...Nd8 looks stronger. White cannot penetrate yet.
20.d4 Qh4?
Black tries for counterplay, but he should defend with 20...hxg6 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.fxg6+ Nf6.
21.Ne2
To stop the 21...Qg3+ threat.
If 21.dxe5?? then 21...Qg3+ 22.Kh1 Qxh3+ 23.Kg1 Qg3+ 24.Kh1 hxg6 threatening 25...Nf4 mate
21...Ng3?
Not 21...Nd7?? 22.Qf7#;
Best is 21...Nc4 22.Qxc4 hxg6 23.fxg6+ Ke8 24.Qf7+ Kd8 25.Bf4 and White should be slightly better.
22.Nxg3 and Black runs out of good moves and resigns.
He could play 22...Nc4, but now White plays 23.Rf3 and wins and not 23.Qxc4?? Qxg3+ 24.Kh1 Qxh3+ 25.Qg3+ 26.Kh1 hxg6+ and Black mates.
