(Horse)fly in the Ointment

The Blackburne Defense to the Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6, is probably the best known of the Jerome Gambit refutations, considered to be either winning for Black, better for White, or leading to a drawn game, depending upon your resource.

It was showcased in the most widely-known Jerome Gambit game, Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885 (see "Nobody expects the Jerome Gambit!", "Mars Attacks!" and "One More Time"), which featured a scintillating attack by Black(burne), topped off by a Queen sacrifice and a jaunty checkmate.

The opportunity to pull off The Black Death's coup de grâce is an irresistible attraction...

KONB - elmflare
standard game, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6

Here we go! Black offers to return material. White can take the Rook if he knows how to defend and counter-attack. Sometimes he does, and sometimes he doesn't...

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6

[Sound of a door slamming shut on the White Queen...]

10.Nc3

Amateur - Blackburne, London 1885 continued with the similarly ineffective 10.c3 Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8 Qxh3+ 14.gxh3 Bxe4 mate.

analysis diagram








The escape hatch for White is 10.Qd8.

Now Black pours it on. 

10...Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8

Here, take the other Rook, too!

13...Qxh3+

And now... Wait, wait a minute – there's a fly in the ointment here...

14.gxh3 Bxe4+ 15.Nxe4

Oh, yeah, that's right, White played 10.Nc3, not 10.c3. It makes a difference.

Black resigned.

I'm sure he immediately saw that 13...Qg3 would have forced checkmate.