In the following game, when Black refuses the sacrificed Bishop, White complicates things - and then safeguards the refused piece.True, he then exchanges the prelate, but it is not often that a Jerome Gambit leads to a material advantage after a half dozen moves.
Reiepula - ensaladadefrutas
2 2 bullet, lichess.org, 2023
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7+
4...Kf8
Black wants no part of the sacrifice.
Has he seen it before? The Database has 120,000 games, and has only 1 other game where ensaladadefrutas faced the Jerome Gambit - and it was played after this one.
By the way, The Database has 1,111 games where Black plays 4...Kf8. White scores 61%.
5.Nxe5
Instead of withdrawing the Bishop to b3 or c4 or d5 - or exchanging it off, with 5.Bxg8 - Black first complicates the position.
The Database has 298 games with this move. White scores 56%.
5...Nxe5 6.Bxg8
Just for the record, had White chosen 6.d4, then 6...Kxf7 would reach a position regularly in the Jerome Gambit - with White to move, instead of Black.
6...Ng6
I don't know what to make of this move.
Reieula has also seen:
6...Rxg8 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Qf6 9.0–0 Nf3+ White resigned, Reiepula - Realstealth, lichess.org, 2022;
6...Rxg8 7.d4 Bb6 8.dxe5 Qh4 9.0–0 Ke7 10.Nc3 c6 11.b3 Rf8 12.Ba3+ c5 13.Qd6+ Ke8 14.Nd5 Bd8 15.Bxc5 Rf7 16.Rad1 b6 17.Ba3 Bb7 18.Nc7+ Bxc7 19.Qxc7 Bxe4 20.Qc4 d5 21.Qc6+ Kd8 22.Qxa8+ Kd7 23.Rxd5+ Ke6 24.Qc6+ Kf5 25.Rd4 Qg5 26.Rxe4 Black resigned, Reiepula - Niiiiik08, lichess.org, 2023;
6...Bxf2+ 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Ke2 Rxg8 9.Rf1 d6 10.Rxf6+ gxf6 11.Qf1 Bg4+ 12.Ke1 Ke7 13.d4 Nc6 14.Be3 Rae8 15.Nc3 a6 16.Nd5+ Kf7 17.Qxf6 checkmate, Reiepula - Robertjudo, lichess.org, 2024; and
6...Kxg8 7.d4 Bb4+ 8.c3 Ba5 9.dxe5 Qh4 10.Qd5+ Kf8 11.Qxa5 Qxe4+ 12.Be3 b6 13.Qa3+ c5 14.0–0 Bb7 15.Bxc5+ Ke8 16.f3 Qe2 17.Bf2 h5 18.e6 h4 19.exd7+ Kd8 20.Bxh4+ Rxh4 21.Qf8+ Kc7 22.Qxg7 Rxh2 23.Qg3+ Kxd7 24.Qxh2 Qe3+ 25.Kh1 Qe2 26.Na3 Qxb2 27.Rad1+ Kc6 28.Qh6+ Kc5 29.Qg5+ Kc6 30.Qd5+ Kc7 31.Nb5+ Kb8 32.Qd6+ Kc8 33.Rb1 Qe2 34.Rfe1 Qf2 35.Re8 checkmate, Reiepula - hombrepopa, lichess.org, 2024;
7.Bb3
Of course.
7...Qf6 8.O-O d6
White has an advantage in King safety and material (plus 2 pawns) and is clearly better.9.Nc3 Ne5
I remain fascinated by the number of defenders who put their Knight on e5, as if saying "Go ahead, hit me".
10.d4 Ng4
Quite possibly the clock affected this move, due to the 3-minute time control.
11.dxc5 Qh4
Hope springs eternal.
12.h3 Ne5 13.Qd2 Ke7
To bring his Rook into play.
For shock value, if White were running short of time, too, the second player might have tried 13...Bxh3 14.gxh3 Nf3+ although after 15.Kg2 Nxd2 16.Bxd2 he still would be worse.
14.Qg5+ Black resigned
Exchanging Queens now would leave White ahead by a piece and a couple of pawns.
