Eyeblink Chess: Soar

Of course, part of the fun of playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and related lines is that there is often a quick win (see "Eyeblink Chess: Crash" for the alternative) awaiting the attacker (with occasional help from the defender, of course).

PeoKratoR - kirki

blitz FICS, 2000
1.Nc3 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.e4 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kf8 6.Bc4 Black resigned


Darrenshome - gleyhorizon
blitz FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Ke7 5.Bxg8 Nxf3+ 6.Qxf3 Qe8 7.Bb3 Black resigned


UNPREDICTABLE  - Sanomis
blitz FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.Qh5+ Black resigned


GOH  - imre
blitz FICS, 2000
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 h6 4.d4 Nxd4 5.Bxf7+ Ke7 6.Nxe5 Ne6 7.Nc3 d6 8.Nd5 checkmate


hinders  - hober
blitz FICS, 2000
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Qe2 d6 7.Qc4+ Be6 8.Ng5+ Black resigned


thin  - rusalka
blitz FICS, 2000
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d3 Nge7 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Kg8 7.Qf3 d6 8.Qf7 checkmate


Cherokee - Gepetto
FICS, 2000
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.f4+ Kxe4 8.Nc3 checkmate


(By the way, the character in the graphic is Perry the Platypus, a nice name in my opinion – but then, I'm perrypawnpusher, and I play the Jerome Gambit, the duck-billed platypus of chess.)

That Strange Move Again

Playing through a new (to me) Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, I encountered an unusual line, with a strange improvement/recommendation that I'd seen sometime before...

UNPREDICTABLE - Sanomis

blitz FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

This is not one of the usual Jerome Gambit refutations, and a pretty rare choice of move, although it's been touched upon in "You, too, can add to Jerome Gambit theory!" and "Ooops..."

6.Nxc6

Of course, this is White's best move.

Black has a strange response here that is both thematic and counter-intuitive (you gotta love the Jerome Gambit!): 6...Qh4!?

analysis diagram

Best play now seems to be 7.d4 Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 when, after a dance of the pieces, 9...Bb6 10.Nb4 Bxd4 11.Nd5 Kd8 the position is equal.

analysis diagram

This is not the thunder-and-lightning play of Whistler's Defense, which is clearly better for Black, but it's probably not the kind of position that White was hoping for when he sacrificed his Bishop.

Instead, Black simply captures the Knight on c6, and then realizes that he will be two pawns down with an uncastled King and no counterplay.

6...dxc6 7.Qh5+ Black resigned