Jerome Gambit: Not Taking It Seriously Has Consequences

Recently I received some Jerome Gambit games from long-time unorthodox openings expert Bill Wall. He pointed out 

My chessbase database says I have played 352 Jeromes without transposition and I just now discovered the statistics page with a 93% winning advantage.  I have 168 games with 6.Qh5 (90% winning percentage) and 138 games with 6.d4 with a 90.6% winning percentage.  Pretty even.
I have now played 50,817 chess games that I have a recorded game since 1969.  I should hit 51,000 before the end of the year.

One reason (besides skill and knowledge) that Bill does so well with the Jerome Gambit is that his opponents do not take the opening seriously - to their dismay, as he does.

Wall, Bill - Guest412053
PlayChess.com, 2017

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bd6 

This is trouble. The Bishop could have gone to e7 or f8, with or without checking at b4 first.

7.dxe5 Bxe5

A tale similar to the game: 7...Bb4+ 8.c3 Ba5 9.Qd5+ Ke8 10.Qxa5 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest1227654, PlayChess.com, 2017. 

8.Qd5+

Or 8.Qh5+ Ke6 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.Na3 Qf6 11.Nc4+ Ke7 12.Bg5 d6 13.Bxf6+ gxf6 14.Qf3 Black resigned, Wall,B - Nikelin, lichess.org, 2017.

8...Kf6

Not the only, or safest, way to move the King. There was: 8...Kf8 9.Qxe5 d6 (9...Qe7 10.Qxc7 [10.Qf4+ Nf6 11.Nc3 d6 12.O-O Qe5 13.Qxe5 dxe5 14.f4 exf4 15.Bxf4 Ne8 16.Bd6+ Kg8 17.Rf8 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest539122, PlayChess.com, 2015] 10...Qxe4+ 11.Kf1 d5 12.b3 d4 13.Ba3+ Ne7 14.Nd2 Qe6 15.Re1 Qd7 16.Bxe7+ Black resigned,Wall,B - Guest851465, PlayChess.com, 2017) 10.Qb5 (10.Qd4 Nf6 11.O-O c5 12.Qd3 Bd7 13.Bf4 a6 14.Bxd6+ Kf7 15.e5 Bb5 16.c4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest5856753, PlayChess.com, 2016) 10...Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.Qd3 Be6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 Ke7 16.O-O-O Ne8 17.f4 g4 18.Bh4+ Nf6 19.e5 dxe5 20.Qg6 Qf8 21.fxe5 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016. 

9.f4 Bd6 

Apparently offering to return the piece, after all, once White has played the fork 10.e5+.

Black has tried other moves against Bill, as well:

9...Qe7 10.fxe5+ Qxe5 11.Rf1+ Kg6 12.Qf7 checkmate, Wall,B - Vicher, lichess.org, 2016; and

9...c6 10.Qxe5+ Kf7 11.O-O Qe7 12.Nc3 d6 13.Qh5+ g6 14.Qe2 Nf6 15.e5 Nd5 16.Nxd5 cxd5 17.Qb5 dxe5 18.fxe5+ Kg7 19.Qxd5 Re8 20.c3 Qxe5 21.Qf7+ Kh8 22.Bg5 Qxg5 23.Qxe8+ Kg7 24.Qf8 checkmate, Wall,B - Neilson,C, Melbourne, FL, 2016.

10.Qg5+ 

The real threat, winning Black's Queen.

One of Bill's games last year continued 10...Kf7 11.Qxd8 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org 2016, but  in this game, here

Black resigned 

Jerome Gambit: The Improved Fork Trick

Next to the "I have never seen this before!" reaction of some players defending against the Jerome Gambit, the "Oh, this looks familiar!" has to be an equally frequent response. There is always the risk, however, of moving too quickly and falling into an "improved" Fork Trick, as Bill Wall shows in the following game. 

Wall, Bill - Vicher
lichess.org, 2016

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bd6

This position has a resemblance to that of the "fork trick", and that may be the reason Black opted to move the Bishop where he did. However, the placement of his King makes for a significant difference in the play White can develop.

7.dxe5 Bxe5

As planned, but transforming a roughly equal position to one definitely better for White. (Omigosh! How did that happen?? Black had a won position after 5 moves!)

8.Qd5+ Kf6

Yes, Bill has been here before: 8...Kf8 9.Qxe5 d6 (9...Qe7 10.Qf4+ Nf6 11.Nc3 d6 12.O-O Qe5 13.Qxe5 dxe5 14.f4 exf4 15.Bxf4 Ne8 16.Bd6+ Kg8 17.Rf8 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest539122, PlayChess.com, 2015) 10.Qd4 (10.Qb5 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.Qd3 Be6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 Ke7 16.O-O-O Ne8 17.f4 g4 18.Bh4+ Nf6 19.e5 dxe5 20.Qg6 Qf8 21.fxe5 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016) 10...Nf6 11.O-O c5 12.Qd3 Bd7 13.Bf4 a6 14.Bxd6+ Kf7 15.e5 Bb5 16.c4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest5856753, PlayChess.com, 2016.

9.f4 Qe7

Or 9...c6 10.Qxe5+ Kf7 11.O-O Qe7 12.Nc3 d6 13.Qh5+ g6 14.Qe2 Nf6 15.e5 Nd5 16.Nxd5 cxd5 17.Qb5 dxe5 18.fxe5+ Kg7 19.Qxd5 Re8 20.c3 Qxe5 21.Qf7+ Kh8 22.Bg5 Qxg5 23.Qxe8+
Kg7 24.Qf8 checkmate, Wall,B - Neilson,C, Melbourne, FL, 2016.

Or 9...Bd6 10.Qg5+ Kf7 11.Qxd8 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016.

10.fxe5+ Qxe5

11.Rf1+ Kg6 12.Qf7 checkmate