In the following bullet game - time control of one minute, no increment - Jerome Gambit veteran angelcamina plays a variation that has a brutal refutation; but his opponent does not reply sharply enough. The game dances on a knife's edge, and then White breaks through. It is fascinating to watch the thinking at an extremely rapid rate.
angelcamina - Marlon_Romano
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7
This is Whistler's Defense, which is relatively less complicated, but more dangerous, than Blackburne's Defense (7...d6). The Rook should not now be taken. That being said, the game remains quite complicated.
8.Qxh8
Wow. angelcamina has been here before, and should know the risks. Maybe he does. Maybe he likes the chaos.
8...Nf6
Black locks in White's Queen. This is a theme that can be found in Blackburne's Defense; it will be followed by developing Black's light-squared Bishop, attacking the White Queen with the remaining Rook.
Perhaps Marlon_Romano is familiar with Blackburne's Defense to the Jerome Gambit, but he seems less familiar with Whistler's Defense, which requires 8...Qxe4+ to start a ferocious attack on White's King. An earlier example is angelcamina - ssez222, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2018 - yes, even against the virulent counter-attack, angelcamina succeeded.
9.O-O
White realizes that he needs to safeguard his King, and this move leads to a relatively even game; but he could have combined defense with offense with the move 9.d3. He immediately shows an awareness of this.
9...b6
Getting ready to uncover the Rook to attack the Queen.
10.e5 Qxe5 11.d4 Bxd4
Opening the c1-h6 diagonal for the Bishop in an attack that rescues the Queen.
12.c3
A temporary slip. White quickly turns back to attack.
12...Bc5
Taking the Bishop out of danger, and preparing to reposition it; but, likewise, a slip. 12...Bb7 was the consistent move.
13.Bh6
Now the game is in balance: 13...Bb7 14.Qg7+ Ke6 15.Nd2 Bf8 16.Qxf8+ Rxf8 17.Rae1 Re8 18.Rxe5+ Kxe5 looks even.
13...Bd6
The checkmate threat is not enough.
14.Qg7+ Ke6 15.f4 Qc5+
White is up the exchange. His attack rolls on.
16.Kh1 Ba6 17.Re1+ Kf5
18.h3 Qf2 19.g4+ Black resigned
Playing the Jerome Gambit is always a calculated risk. How much does your opponent know? How much can he figure out? How quickly can he think his way through the complications?
The following game features bold play by angelcamina, who enters the most dangerous variation of one of the most dangerous defenses to the Jerome Gambit - and lives to tell of it. He knows what he is doing; his opponent, less so. With only 1 minute on the clock, knowledge and experience beat improvisation.
angelcamina - ssez222
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7
As in the better-known Blackburne Defense, 7...d6!?, Black offers a Rook. The Queen move, apparently the invention of Lt. G. N. Whistler, who played in a correspondence match against Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, is even stronger.
8.Qxh8
Wow! White takes the Rook and hurls a challenge: can you make me pay?
Analytically, the move leads to a crushing position - for Black. (Komodo 9 says he is almost 6 pawns ahead.) Of course, the defender has to find the follow-up. (Here is a discussion from a previous post.)
Also, as a reflection of the complexity of the position, I have to mention that in the 494 games with the capture of the Rook in The Database, White scores 66%!
8...Qxe4+
This is, of course, Black's point. He should be able to combine attacks on the White King and Queen to wrap things up quickly.
9.Kf1 Bd4
This is an inspired idea, and probably cost Black important seconds of thinking time. It still leads to advantage, but the brutal 9...Qh4!? was the way to seek quick victory.
Maybe. Even after that move, The Database give 4 games: two wins by Black, but two checkmates by White.
10.Qxh7+
Possibly overlooked by Black.
10...Bg7 11.d3 Qg4 12.Nc3
White is the exchange and a couple of pawns ahead. More importantly, his King and Queen are safe and he can begin to seek aggressive play, himself.
12...d5
Possibly not best, but the computer recommendation is discouraging: 12...Nf6 13.f3 Qxf3+ 14.gxf3 Nxh7.
13.Qh3 Qb4
Black, too, has aggressive thoughts, and so retains his Queen - but he would have done better to exchange it, to mess up White's pawns.
Now White moves in for the knockout.
14.Qf3+ Bf5 15.Qxd5+ Kf6 16.g4 Bxg4 17.Bg5 checkmate.
