Jerome Gambit: Education in Defense

I recently received an email and a game from Chris Torres, who occasionally shares his experiences with the Jerome Gambit. (See "More Musings", "More Useful Junk", "Always Be Ready to Deliver Checkmate" and "Jerome Gambit: Advance in the Center, Attack on the Kingside, Checkmate on the Queenside".)

In the game below, Chris shows that the Jerome Gambit can be an educational tool for students to practice their defensive skills. I have added diagrams and a final comment.

Rick,
I thought you might enjoy this Jerome Gambit miniature played against a young student in our regular Monday night school chess team meeting. Keep up the good work on your blog!
Sincerely,Chris www.chessmusings.wordpress.com

Chris Torres - Student

MSJE Chess Team, Fremont, Ca, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ N8e7 

9.f4 Kg8 10.O-O h6 11.f5 Nf8 12.d4 d6 

13.Qc4+ Kh7 14.f6 gxf6 15.Qf7 checkmate

A very educational game! Black wisely takes care to move his King to a safer place on the wing. He later falls victim to avoiding an "automatic" move (13...d5, even after having played 12...d6, would have better met the Queen check) and then playing an "automatic" one (14...gxf6 lets in the enemy Queen). I suspect, like The Who, he "won't get fooled again!" - Rick

A Quick Jerome Gambit Lesson

Bill Wall has encouraged others to play the Jerome Gambit. The following game is between a friend of his - a teacher - in St. Paul and a student. It is a good example of a stronger player giving "Jerome Gambit odds" and the game is good source material for understanding about attack and defense.

teacher - student
Minnesota, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

White will offer a couple of pieces. Can Black defend?

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

A common, reasonable defense - Black removes one piece from the line of fire, and returns the other, a time-honored recipe for dealing with a gambit. White has to be pleased, however, as Black has side-stepped some of the sharper, more challenging defenses.

7.Qd5+ Kf6

Stockfish 8 sees this move (at 30 ply) as about 1/4 pawn worse than the top alternatives, 7...Kf8 and 7...Ke8; but the text allows a certain amount of mischief to wander in - starting with White's next move.

8.d4

A stranger to the Jerome has to wonder - why is White again refraining from capturing the Bishop?

The piece is doomed, whether it sits or moves. White is giving some misdirection: the open c1-g5 diagonal is the reason behind his play.

8...Bb4+ 9.c3 Ba5

The Bishop is safe - but the King is not. Necessary was for the monarch to retreat along the d8-h4 diagonal, when the worried-about piece will fall after all.

10.Bg5 checkmate