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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ...and related lines
(risky/nonrisky lines, tactics & psychology for fast, exciting play)
By the way, there's the odd game tonik - mika76, GameKnot.com, 2008, where Black recaptured with neither pawn, but instead started his own counter-attack: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Nxc6 Bxf2+ 7.Kxf2 dxc6 8.Rf1 Qd4+ White resigned. Giving up the game was premature, as after 9.Ke1+ the first player had time to protect his e-pawn with 10.d3, and maintain a small advantage.
Still, in the diagram above, while it is possible to see Black's typical advantage in the Jerome Gambit (piece for two pawns), it is smaller than usual; and it is hard to see why White can't go about his standard plan of castling, developing pieces, and advancing his Kingside pawns with the usual play. My one game with the line, perrypawnpusher - Ykcir, blitz 14 0, FICS, 2009, ended in a quick draw, and things did not appear nearly as dire as to attract the label "Critical Variation."
Suggested by International Master Gary Lane in his "Opening Lanes" (see "International Master Gary Lane") column at Chess Cafe. (Readers: when was the last time you heard of an IM making a substantive contribution to Jerome Gambit theory??)
Mika76, however, tells me that he came up with the move on his own.
"the 'Critical line' for White [after 4...Kxf7] in which he scored only 29%, is 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Nxc6 dxc6, which certainly bears some looking into."
5...Kf8 leaves White's pawns intact while Black has lost two strong pawns and doubled another. This defense was adopted by G.J. Dougherty of Mineola, NY, a strong amateur, against whom I first played the opening, and I think he will agree that 5...Kf8 is not a good defense. He generally played 6.bc and that was the play of Mr. J. C. Young of Danville, KY, who subsequently abandoned the game. Why, I do not know, as it was not necessarily lost to either of us. It is a question with which Pawn it is best to take.