Jerome Gambit: Advance in the Center, Attack on the Kingside, Checkmate on the Queenside

Chris Torres (see "Always Be Ready to Deliver Checkmate", "The Most Violent Chess Game Ever Played!", "Another Lesson in the Jerome Gambit", "More Musings" and "More Useful Junk") of the blog site Chess Musings, always sends exciting Jerome Gambit games.

His game below clearly illustrates why many club players still find a way to play the "refuted" opening.

chessmusings - snoopy2
Internet, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+  Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

Here we have a fairly representative position from the "classical" Jerome Gambit (5.Nxe5+), 6...Ng6 variation, including the "nudge" 7.Qd5+ (giving Black something more to think about).

10.O-O Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.Nc3 Qe7 

White has castled and begun to move his central pawns forward. Black is near castling-by-hand and has chosen the e-pawn as a target.

13.d3 Ng4 

Was it Oscar Wilde who said "I can resist anything except temptation"?

Black suddenly decides that harassing the White Queen is a good idea.

14.Qf3 Kg8 

Safe and sound.

15.f5 N6e5 16.Qg3 h6 

A risky waste of time, creating a weakness - all disguised as defensive preparation against Bg5. 

17.d4 Nxh2 

Things are becoming complicated, and Black decides that, since he has an extra piece, the simplest path would be to return one, grabbing a pawn in the process. However, even if more pieces on the board means more things to calculate, 17...Nf6 was the proper move.

It is ironic that the Knight sac lures White's King to an exposed square where, in a few moves, Black will be able to check and win back a piece - thereby sealing his fate.

18.Kxh2 Nc6 19.f6 

Oh, those "Jerome pawns"!

19...Qf7 20.Bxh6 

See the note to move 16.

20...Qh5+ 

Black is in a very difficult position, as even the boring 20...Nxd4 21.Qxg7+ Qxg7 22.Bxf7 shows - White's extra, passed pawns will give the win.

Black is happy to win the Bishop at h6, but in the process he overlooks White's f-pawn. Time problems? Over-confidence? Despair?

 21.Kg1 Qxh6 22.f7+

22...Kf8 23.fxe8/Q+ Kxe8 24.Nd5 Nxd4

Black can afford to allow the Knight fork at c7, attacking a Rook, because he has his own Knight fork at e2, attacking a Queen.

25. Nc7+ Kd7 26.Rf7+ 

But, here is the thing: the game is no longer just about material advantage (as 26...Kd8 27.Qd3 would show) but also about King safety - and checkmate. 

26...Kc6 27.Qc3+ Kb6 28.Nd5+ Ka6 29.Nb4+ Kb5 30.a4+ Kb6 31.Qc7 checkmate

Very nice.