Jerome Gambit: Beware the Calm After the Storm

The following game starts out with the wild Jerome Gambit, which is met by one of the wildest defenses available.

White does not deliver checkmate.

Black does not deliver checkmate.

The game becomes balanced and calm.

Then White checkmates.

Wall, Bill - Guest699499
PlayChess.com, 2017 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4 

This is Black's sharpest response to 6.d4. I have often called it a "pie-in-the-face variation".

7.O-O Ng4 8.h3 Bb6

Probably Black's best move. Bill has faced

8...N8f6 9.dxc5 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Kf6 11.Qxe4 d5 12.cxd6 cxd6 13.f3 h5 14.fxg4+ Black resigned, Wall,B - PassCapture, lichess.org, 2016;

8...Bd6 9.e5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 Bxe5 11.Qd5+ Kf6 12.Re1 d6 13.Rxe5 dxe5 14.Qd8+ Ne7 15.Qxh8 (15...Qe4 16.Qf8+ Ke6 17.Bg5 Qb4 18.Qxg7 Bd7 19.Qf6+ Kd5 20.Nc3+ Kc4 21.b3+ Kxc3 22.Qxe5+ Qd4 23.Bd2+ Kxd2 24.Qxd4+ Kxc2 25.Rd1 Black resigned,Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016) Kf7 16.Nd2 Ng6 17.Nf3 Qxf2+ 18.Kxf2 Nxh8 19.Nxe5+ Kf6 20.Nf3 Bf5 21.Be3 Ng6 22.g4 Be4 23.Bd4+ Ke6 24.Re1 Rf8 25.Rxe4+ Kd5 26.Ke3 c5 27.Bxg7 Rf7 28.c4+ Kd6 29.Be5+ Nxe5 30.Nxe5 Rf1 31.Nd3 Rh1 32.Nf4 Rh2 33.Re6+ Kc7 34.Re7+ Kb6 35.Rxh7 Rxb2 36.g5 Rxa2 37.g6 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016;

and 8...d6 9.dxc5 N4f6 10.cxd6 cxd6 11.Nd2 Nxe4 12.Nf3 Qh5 13.Ng5+ Qxg5 14.Bxg5 Nxg5 15.Qh5+ Kf6 16.f4 Ne4 17.Qe8 d5 18.Qe5+ Kf7 19.Qxd5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016.

9.hxg4 Nf6 

Black is not too upset at having lost his Knight, as he plans to move the other one into the attack.

Two other ideas:

9...h5 10.Qf3+ Ke8 11.g5 Bxd4 12.Qd3 Bb6 13.Nc3 Ne7 14.Na4 Ba5 15.a3 c6 16.f4 d6 17.Be3 Bc7 18.Bd4 b5 19.Nc3 Rf8 20.Ne2 Bg4 21.Nc3 Bd7 22.Ne2 Rf7 23.Rf3 c5 24.Bf2 Qg4 25.Rg3 Qe6 26.Re1 Ba5 27.b4 cxb4 28.axb4 Bxb4 29.c3 Bc5 30.Bxc5 dxc5 31.f5 Qe5 32.Qd2 b4 33.cxb4 Qxe4 34.g6 Rxf5 35.Re3 Qxb4 36.Qxb4 cxb4 37.Ng3 Rg5 38.Rxe7+ Kf8 39.Rf7+ Kg8 40.Nxh5 Rxh5 41.Rxd7 drawn, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org,  2016; and

9...d6 10.f3 Be6 11.Be3 Bc4 12.Re1 Ne7 13.f4 Rhe8 14.Nd2 Ba6 15.Nf3 Qg3 16.a4 Ba5 17.c3 Kf8 18.b4 Ng6 19.f5 Nf4 20.Bxf4 Qxf4 21.Qc2 c5 22.bxa5 Qxg4 23.Rad1 cxd4 24.Rxd4 Qg3 25.Qb3 Qf4 26.Qb1 Qg3 27.e5 g6 28.Rxd6 Re7 29.f6 Ree8 30.Qb4 Bb5 31.Rd8+ Kf7 32.e6+ Kxf6 33.Qd4+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Rajiv, Chess.com, 2010. 

10.g5 Ng4 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Qh3 Qxh3 

Leading to a situation similar to what we recently saw in Wall, Bill - Guest709079, PlayChess.com, 2017 (1-0, 30) - Queens are exchanged, and Black's Knight is trapped. Quirky.

13.gxh3 Nxf2 14.Kxf2 Bxd4+ 15.Kg2 d6 

The game has reached a balance. Should either player be pleased with this? Black started out after a few moves with a "won" position, so he may not be happy. White threw a whole lot into a wild attack, so he may wish for more than a split point.

16.c3 Be5 17.Nd2 Bd7 18.Nf3 Bc6 19.Bd2 Bxe4 20.Rae1 Bc6 21.Bf4 Rf8 22.Bxe5 dxe5 23.Rxe5+ Kf7 

24.Kg3 Kg8 25.c4

Stockfish 8 slightly prefers 25.Rf2, keeping the game level. The Rook eventually gets there.

25...Rad8 26.Re3 Rf5 27.h4 Rdf8 28.Rf2 Rf4 29.b3 Bd7 

30.Rfe2 Rg4+ 31.Kh2 Bc6 32.Ne5 

Looking to squeeze something more out of the position.

32...Rxh4+ 33.Kg3 Rff4 34.Rd2 Re4 

Looking to swap Rooks, and enjoy a guaranteed draw, while hoping to make something out of his extra Kingside pawn?

Black has overlooked something.

35.Rd8+ Black resigned