How well do you know the Jerome Gambit? Certainly, the first four moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+. Likely the next two, as well, after 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 and either 6.Qh5+ or 6.d4. As the following game illustrates, it is helpful to know a few more, critical, moves in a variation that guarantees that Black's game will be nasty, brutish and short.
vlastous - imed 86
internet, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nf6
Black clearly is unfamiliar with the Jerome Gambit, and, in attacking White's Queen, manages to quickly return both sacrificed pieces. The Database has 63 games with this position, with White scoring 73% - I am surprised that White doesn't do better. You should know the follow-up.
8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 Nxe4
Black's second gaffe makes things worse. Again, White should be able to spot the tactic right away.
10.Qd5+ Kf8
Instead, 10...Kf6 was met by 11.b4!? in Vlastous - Orca, ChessManiac.com, 2016 (1-0, 16)
11.Qxe4 Qf6 12.O-O d6
13.Re1 Kf7 14.Qc4+ Kg6 15.Nc3 Rf8
Black still has fight in him, and envisions a counter-attack down the f-file, aimed at White's King.
White has other ideas.
16.Nd5 Qf7 17.Re7 Qf5 18.Qxc7 Qxd5
What else? But, if it looks like Black can now no longer escape checkmate, you are right.
19.Rxg7+ Kf5 20.Rg5+ Ke4 21.d3+ Kd4 22.c3+ Kxd3 23.Rxd5+ Ke4 24.Qc4 checkmate
Chessfriend Vlastimil Fejfar sent a couple more of his games. They fit in well with the current "Theory and Practice" theme.
Here is the first, which illustrates an important, if infrequent line, where Black's carelessness (who needs to analyze against the Jerome Gambit?) needs to be addressed right away, with an immediate advantage to White. Suddenly, a "funny" opening isn't funny any more.
Vlastous - Orca
ChessManiac.com, 2016.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nf6
Despite developing a piece that attacks the enemy Queen, this move is an error. White needs to know the proper response and play it quickly, as it leads to a position where he is up a couple of pawns (not down a couple of pieces).
The Database has 56 games with this position, with White scoring 73%. (In club play, a 2-pawn advantage isn't always decisive. See "Blunder Table" for Geoff Chandler's interesting point of view.)
8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Kf6 11.b4
I like this move, which is a TN.
Of course not 11.Qxe4 Re8.
Petasluk twice tried 11.Qe5+ Kf7 followed by 12.O-O: 12...Nf6 (12...Re8 13.Qd5+ Kf8 14.d3 c6 15.Qh5 Qb6+ 16.Kh1 Nf2+ 17.Kg1 Nxd3+ 18.Kh1 Nf2+ 19.Kg1 Re1 20.Qf5+ Kg8 21.Nd2 Nd1+ 22.Kh1 Rxf1+ 23.Nxf1 Qf2 24.Qd3 d5 25.Be3 Nxe3 26.Nxe3 Be6 27.Rf1 Qh4 28.f5 Bd7 29.Nxd5 Rf8 30.g3 Qh3 31.f6 cxd5 32.Qxd5+ Be6 33.Qd3 Rxf6 34.Rxf6 gxf6 35.Qd8+ Kg7 36.Qe7+ Kg6 37.Qe8+ Bf7 38.Qe4+ Kg7 39.Kg1 Qd7 40.Qe2 Qd4+ 41.Qf2 Qd1+ 42.Qf1 Qxc2 43.Qf2 Qd1+ 44.Qf1 Qd4+ 45.Qf2 Qxf2+ 46.Kxf2 Bxa2 47.b4 Be6 48.Ke3 a6 49.Kd4 b5 50.Kc5 Bf5 51.Kb6 h5 52.Kxa6 h4 53.Kxb5 Black lost on time, Petasluk - tiranas, FICS, 2010) 13.d3 Re8 14.Qd4 Kg8 15.Nc3 d6 16.Bd2 c5 17.Qf2 Ng4 18.Qf3 h6 19.h3 Nf6 20.Rae1 Rb8 21.Ne4 b5 22.a3 Nxe4 23.dxe4 Bb7 24.Bc3 Qh4 25.f5 Bxe4 26.Qg4 Qxg4 27.hxg4 Bxc2 28.Rc1 Bd3 29.f6 Bxf1 30.Kxf1 gxf6 31.g3 Rf8 32.Kg2 f5 33.gxf5 Rxf5 34.Rd1 Rb6 35.Rh1 d5 36.Bd2 h5 37.Bf4 Rg6 38.Kf3 d4 39.Rc1 Kf7 40.Ke4 Kf6 41.b4 cxb4 42.axb4 Rg4 43.Rc6+ Ke7 44.Kxf5 Rg7 45.Ra6 h4 46.gxh4 Rf7+ 47.Kg4 d3 48.Rxa7+ Ke8 49.Rxf7 Kxf7 50.h5 Kf6 51.h6 Kg6 52.Bd2 Kh7 53.Kh5 Kh8 54.Kg6 Kg8 55.h7+ Kh8 56.Bc3 checkmate, Petasluk - DenisBarin, FICS, 2013.
Once he played 11.O-O directly: 11...Nd6 12.Qe5+ Kf7 13.d4 Re8 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Nc3 Qf6 16.f5 Qxd4+ 17.Kh1 Qc4 18.Bf4 Rf8 19.Bxd6 cxd6 20.f6 gxf6 21.Nd5 Qd4 22.Rf4 Qe5 23.Rf5 Qe6 24.Raf1 Kg7 25.Qg4+ Kh8 26.Nxf6 Rxf6 27.Qd4 Black forfeited on time, Petasluk - fabercastle, FICS, 2009.
11...Re8 12.O-O h6 13.f5 Ng5
Allowing checkmate.
14.Bb2+ Ke7 15.f6+ gxf6 16.Bxf6+ Black resigned
White does not even need to win Black's Queen, but that alone would be enough to force resignation.
