Even though the Jerome Gambit is considered "objectively" a win for Black, it must be said that the second player does a good job in the following game of hanging in with a very strong member of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde - until the very end.
Wall, Bill - HyperElastic
lichess.org, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qf6 8.Qc5
Avoiding the threat of ...Nf3+.
Bill has also played 8.Qe3 Ne7 9.O-O Rf8 10.Nc3 c6 11.f4 Ng4 12.Qd3 Kg8 13.h3 Nh6 14.Be3 Qf7 15.f5 b5 16.g4 Kh8 17.f6 Ng6 18.Bd4 gxf6 19.Rxf6 Qc4 20.Rxf8 checkmate, Wall,B - Tsyalex, PlayChess.com, 2015.
8...Qd6
Or 8...c6 9.f4 d6 10.fxe5 Qh4+ 11.Qf2+ Qxf2+ 12.Kxf2 dxe5 13.Nd2 Nf6 14.b3 Rf8 15.Ba3 Rd8 16.Ke3 Ng4+ 17.Ke2 Kg8 18.h3 Nf6 19.Bb2 Re8 20.Rhf1 b6 21.Ke3 Ba6 22.Rf5 Rad8 23.Rxe5 Rxe5 24.Bxe5 Re8 25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.Rd1 f5 27.c4 fxe4 28.Nxe4 c5 29.Kf4 Rf8+ 30.Kg5 Bc8 31.Nf6+ Kg7 32.Nh5+ Kg8 33.g4 Kh8 34.Re1 Rg8+ 35.Kh4 h6 36.Re7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Jatai, lichess.org, 2016.
9.Qc3
Previously:
9.Qb5 a6 10.Qb3+ Qe6 11.Qc3 Qd6 12.Qb3+ Qe6 13.Qc3 c6 14.O-O Nf6 15.Nd2 Rf8 16.f4 Neg4 17.h3 Nh6 18.g4 Nhxg4 19.f5 Qd6 20.hxg4 Nxg4 21.e5 Nxe5 22.Re1 Ng4 23.Qc4+ Qd5 24.Qxg4 d6 25.Nc4 Kg8 26.Re7 Rf7 27.Re8+ Rf8 28.Bh6 Qf7 29.Nxd6 Bxf5 30.Rxf8+ Kxf8 31.Rf1 Bxg4 32.Rxf7+ Kg8 33.Rxg7+ Kh8 34.Nf7 checkmate, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016; and
9.Qxd6 cxd6 10.Bf4 (10.O-O Nf6 11.Nc3 a6 12.Rd1 Ke7 13.b3 b5 14.Ba3 Nf7 15.e5 Ne8 16.exd6+ Nexd6 17.Ne4 Bb7 18.Nxd6 Nxd6 19.Rxd6 Kd8 20.Rad1 Bc6 21.Rxc6 Black resigned, Wall,B - berserkergang, FICS, 2011) 10...Nf6 11.Nc3 b6 12.O-O-O Ke6 13.Nb5 Nxe4 14.Nc7+ Ke7 15.Nxa8 Nxf2 16.Bg5+ Kf7 17.Rhf1 Kg6 18.Rxf2 Kxg5 19.Nc7 Bb7 20.Nb5 a6 21.Nxd6 Be4 22.Nxe4+ Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016.
9...Nf6 10.Bf4 Re8
Or 10...Nxe4 11.Qxe5 Qxe5 12.Bxe5 d6 13.f3 Re8 14.fxe4 Rxe5 15.Nc3 c6 16.Rf1+ Kg8 17.O-O-O d5 18.exd5 Bd7 19.dxc6 Bxc6 20.g3 Rae8 21.Rd4 h6 22.Kd2 a6 23.a3 Bb5 24.Nxb5 axb5 25.Rf2 b6 26.Rd6 Kh7 27.Rxb6 Rd5+ 28.Kc3 Re3+ 29.Kb4 Re4+ 30.Kb3 Re3+ 31.c3 Rde5 32.Rb7 Re7 33.Rxb5 Re2 34.Rxe2 Rxe2 35.a4 Rxh2 36.a5 Rg2 37.a6 Rxg3 38.a7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest3967134, PlayChess.com, 2015.
11.Nd2 Kg8 12.O-O b6 13.Nc4 Qc5 14.Nxe5 Qxc3 15.bxc3 Nxe4 16.Rfe1 Nxc3
Black's advantage is down to a pawn.
17.Bd2 Nb5 18.c4 Nd4 19.Ng4 Bb7 20.Ne3 Re7 21.Bc3 c5 22.Bxd4 cxd4 23.Nf5 Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 d3 25.Nd6 Ba6 26.Rd1 Rf8 27.Rxd3 Rf6
Things look even.
28.g3 Re6 29.Ra3 Rxd6 30.Rxa6 Rc6 31.Rxa7 Rxc4 32.Rxd7 Ra4 33.Rb7 Rxa2 34.Rxb6 h6
Black should be able to hold. It is not clear how much time was left in the game.
35.Kg2 Kh7 36.h4 h5 37.Kf3 g6 38.Ke3 Kh6 39.Rd6 Ra3+ 40.Ke4 Ra1 41.f3 Re1+ 42.Kf4 Rc1 43.g4 Rc4+ 44.Kg3 Rc5 45.Re6 Rd5 46.Re7 Rd3 47.g5 checkmate
Truly an unfortunate turn of events for Black.
The first thing that comes to mind at the mention of the Jerome Gambit is not "positional play". Yet, in the following game Bill Wall works to delay the development of Black's light-squared Bishop (a state of affairs that is often deadly for the second player) even at the cost of trading Queens.
Wall, Bill- NN
lichess.org, 2016
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4
Qf6
With both defense and a trap in mind.
8.Qc5 Qd6 9.Qxd6
Black's Bishop will not be travelling on the c8-h3 diagonal.
For 9.Qc3 see Wall, B - Guest3967134, PlayChess.com, 2015. Also 8.Qe3 as in Wall,B - Tsyalex, PlayChess.com, 2015 (1-0, 20); and 8.Qd1 as seen in an unfinished correspondence game Jerome,A - Norton, D.P., 1876, and the later Jerome,A - Jaeger,D, correspondence, 1879, (1-0, 35).
Don't overlook "Why Did He Play That Move?"
9...cxd6 10.Bf4
The alternative, 10.O-O, was seen in Wall,B - berserkergang, FICS, 2011,
(1-0, 21).
10...Nf6 11.Nc3 b6 12.O-O-O Ke6 13.Nb5
13...Nxe4
Black protects the pawn at d6, but not the space at c7. Perhaps he has his eyes on his own fork at f2.
14.Nc7+ Ke7 15.Nxa8 Nxf2 16.Bg5+ Kf7
Not as good is 16...Ke6, i.e. 17.Rhf1 Ned3+ (not 17...Nxd1 18.Nc7#) 18.cxd3 Nxd1 19.Nc7+ Ke5 20.Kxd1 Bb7. Black's Bishop is finally developed, but he is worse.
Black continues, but his oversight on move 21 seals the game.
17.Rhf1 Kg6 18.Rxf2 Kxg5 19.Nc7 Bb7 20.Nb5 a6 21.Nxd6
Be4 22.Nxe4+ Black resigned
There are so many ways to defeat the Jerome Gambit, it's not surprising to see Black, in the following game, attempt several of them. I suppose that any one of them could work - on a different day, in a different game, against a different player...
Wall, Bill - Guest3967134
PlayChess.com, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qf6
Black has given back one of the sacrificed pieces, and then developed his Queen to where it protects his King, controls the center and threatens an exchange. Surely, this is enough?
8.Qc5
A couple of notable alternatives:
8.Qe3 as in Wall,B - Tsyalex, PlayChess.com, 2015 (1-0, 20); and
8.Qd1 as seen in an unfinished correspondence game Jerome,A - Norton, D.P., 1876, and the later Jerome,A - Jaeger,D, correspondence, 1879, (1-0, 35).
Don't overlook "Why Did He Play That Move?"
8...Qd6 9.Qc3
The positional 9.Qxd6!? was seen in Wall,B - berserkergang, FICS, 2011: 9...cxd6 10. O-O Nf6 11. Nc3 a6 12. Rd1 Ke7 13. b3 b5 14. Ba3 Nf7 15. e5 Ne8 16. exd6+ Nexd6 17. Ne4 Bb7 18. Nxd6 Nxd6 19. Rxd6 Kd8 20. Rad1 Bc6 21.Rxc6 Black resigned
9...Nf6 10.Bf4 Nxe4
Giving back the other sacrificed piece. Surely, this at least draws?
11.Qxe5 Qxe5 12.Bxe5 d6
13.f3 Re8 14.fxe4 Rxe5 15.Nc3 c6
Black has play against White's isolated e-pawn - plus a Bishop for a Knight. Winning in the endgame is no shame.
16.Rf1+ Kg8 17.O-O-O d5 18.exd5 Bd7 19.dxc6 Bxc6
Black has sacrificed a pawn for dynamic piece play. Look at that Bishop!
20.g3 Rae8 21.Rd4 h6 22.Kd2 a6 23.a3 Bb5 24.Nxb5 axb5 25.Rf2 b6
Okay, maybe things are going a bit awry for Black...
26.Rd6 Kh7 27.Rxb6 Rd5+ 28.Kc3 Re3+ 29.Kb4 Re4+ 30.Kb3 Re3+ 31.c3 Rde5 32.Rb7 Re7 33.Rxb5 Re2 34.Rxe2 Rxe2 35.a4
35...Rxh2 36.a5 Rg2 37.a6 Rxg3 38.a7 Black resigned
In the following game Bill Wall changes up his Jerome Gambit attack, playing 6.d4, the favorite move, at first, of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome. Can his opponent follow him through the maze?
Wall,B - Guest4060198
PlayChess.com, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4
6...Qf6
The more straight-forward 6...Bxd4 was seen in Wall,B - berserkergang, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 21) and Wall,B - Guest903719, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 47), as well as the seminal Jerome,A - Shinkman,W, 1876, (½-½, 42).
The trickier 6...Bb4+ was seen in Wall,B - ChrSav, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11); Wall,B - Caynaboos, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 26); Wall,B - ChessFlower, PlayChess.com, 2012 (27); and Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 31).
The questionable 6...Nf3+ was seen in Wall,B - Guest151963, PlayChess.com, 2011 (1-0,17).
6...Qh4, probably Black's strongest reply, was seen in Wall,B - Rajiv, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 33); Wall,B - Gorodetsky,D, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 18); and Wall,B - felineMMXI, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0,18).
7.dxc5 Ne7 8.0-0 Rf8 9.Nc3 c6
Black would do better to follow through on his plan to castle-by-hand: 9...Kg8 10.f4 Nf7. The problem seems to be that he is trying to do too many good things at once - play ...Qf6, safeguard his King, hit back in the center with ...d5.
10.f4 N5g6 11.Be3 d5? 12.cxd6 Ng8
The "Jerome Pawns" are a scary sight.
13.d7 Rd8
A bit better (but not much) was 13...Bxd7 14.Qxd7+ N6e7.
14.dxc8/Q Raxc8 15.Qh5
Threatening 16.f5. White is up two pawns, with the initiative.
15...Kf8 16.e5 Qf7 17.f5 Nxe5 18.Bc5+ Ne7 19.Qxh7 Qf6 20.Ne4 Qh6 21.Qxh6 gxh6 22.f6 Black resigned
No matter how he struggles, Black is going to lose a piece and a Rook. Amazing.
