Here is another game from Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member fehim at FICS, showing his opponent the proper way to deal with an unusual response - to an, admittedly, unusual opening.
fehim - pnicolas
blitz, FICS. 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Bd6
White is no doubt used to being the one to introduce "unusual" into his games. Yet, here Black's play is inventive (not to be mistaken with "strong") and it becomes clear it is time to provide corrective action. Black, wandering away from the "main lines" of the Jerome Gambit can only find disaster...
8. Qf5+
A bit better than his later 8.fxe5 Bxe5 9.O-O (After 9.Qf5+ White is better) 9...Nf6 (Instead, 9... g6 is equal) 10.Qf5+ Kd6 11.c3 c5 12.Na3 g6? 13.Nc4+ Kc6 14.Nxe5+ Kc7 15.Qxf6 d6 16.Qg7+ Kb8 17.Nf7 Rg8 18.Nxd8 Rxg7 19.Rf8 Kc7 20.Ne6+ Bxe6 21.Rxa8 Black resigned, fehim - raviven, FICS, 2013.
8...Ke7 9.fxe5 Bc5
Quick disaster also followed with 9...Nh6 10.exd6+ Kxd6 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.O-O c6 13.Qe5 checkmate, Wall,B - xChristopher, FICS, 2010.
10.d4
Taking advantage of the hapless, misplaced Bishop.
10...Bb6
10...Bb4+ 11.c3 Ba5 did not help, for similar reasons, in MariaTavares - Motyl, FICS, 2005, (1-0, 13).
11.Bg5+ Black resigned
Black will have to give back a piece - for starters - with 11...Nf6, and will not escape further losses and an eventual checkmate.
If you are playing the Black pieces and are facing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), is a draw a favorable outcome for you? In my experience, my opponents would respond with a resounding "No!" – despite the fact that I have scored 85%+ with the opening.
In the following game my opponent quickly reached a worse position. My sloppiness allowed a draw by repetition – which would have been a fair result for both of us.
Instead, my opponent sought more – and found less.
perrypawnpusher - elyza
blitz FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6
This can lead to either the Blackburne (7.Qxe5 d6) or Whistler (7.Qxe5 Qe7) Defenses.
7.Qxe5 Bd6
This is kind of a "semi-Blackburne" defense, the kind of thing that I fussed about in "Half a defense is worse than none at all...".
The updated New Year's Database gives 25 previous games, with White scoring 88%.
The successful 6...g6 defense relies on a blistering attack on White's King (and possibly trapping White's Queen) to offset the loss of the Rook. That doesn't happen after 7...Bd6.
8.Qxh8 Qg5
After the game, Rybka recommended 8...Qh4 9.d3 Qh5 10.g4 Qh3 11.g5 b6 12.Be3 Ba6 13.Nd2 Rf8 14.Qc3 Ne7 with advantage to White as his Queen has escaped, his King will soon castle, and he has a material edge.
analysis diagram
Two previously unsuccessful tries for Black were: 8...Be7 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.Qxg6 d6 11.d4 Bd7 12.Bh6+ Nxh6 13.Qxh6+ Kf7 14.Qh7+ Kf8 15.Qh8+ Kf7 16.Qxd8 Rxd8 17.Nc3 c6 18.0-0 Rg8 19.f4 Bh3 20.Rf2 Bd7 21.e5 dxe5 22.dxe5 Ke8 23.f5 Bc5 24.f6 Bxf2+ 25.Kxf2 Be6 26.Ne4 Rf8 27.Nd6+ Kd7 28.Rd1 Kc7 29.h3 Bd5 30.g4 Rh8 31.Kg3 b6 32.h4 Be6 33.g5 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - tuffnut, blitz FICS, 2007; and
8...Ke6 9.Qxh7 Ne7 10.d4 c5 11.d5+ Ke5 12.Nc3 Kd4 13.Be3+ Kc4 14.0-0-0 Be5 15.Bd2 Qb6 16.Qh3 d6 17.Qd3+ Kb4 18.a3+ Ka5 19.Qc4 Bxc3 20.Bxc3+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - bakker, blitz FICS, 2008.
9.Qxh7+ Kf6 10.Qxg8
Grabbing the extra piece, but simpler was 10.0-0 Nh6 11.d4 b6 12.Bxg5+ Black resigned, MariaTavares - PeterPygmalion, FICS, 2005
10...Qxg2 11.Rf1
This was a knee-jerk reaction, almost as fast as my capture of the Knight – and it could have had unhappy consequences.
The fact is – in a reversal of roles from the Blackburne or Whistler defenses – White is in position to give up his Rook and focus on bringing danger to Black's King with: 11.Nc3!? Qxh1+ 12.Ke2.
analysis diagram
Black's best move now is 12...c6, keeping White's Knight off of d5, although like all the other choices it will lead to checkmate (starting with 13.d4).
11...Qxe4+ 12.Kd1
12...b6
It was wisest to split the point: 12...Qf3+ 13.Ke1 Qe4+ 14.Kd1 etc., repeating the position.
13.Qh8+ Kf5 14.Qh3+ Kf6
15.Nc3 Qe5 16.Qf3+ Kg7 17.Qxa8
17...Qh5+ 18.f3 Ba6 19.d3 Qxh2 20.Qe4 Qg2 21.Qe2
White's King is safe, the extra material will tell.
22...Qg3 22.Ne4 Qh4 23.Nxd6 cxd6 24.Re1 Black resigned
