Jerome Gambit: Inescapable Problems

The following Jerome Gambit game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) features a creative, but ineffective, defensive line - and attacking move which creates inescapable problems for Black's Queen and King.

Richi_the_king - poglas

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Bd6 

Attacking the Queen, but letting go of the Rook.

8.Qxh8 Qg5 

Things have already gotten out of hand, and the text does not fix them, nor did any of these other recent tries -

8...Qe7 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.Qxg6 Qf7 11.Qxf7+ Kxf7 12.O-O Bc5 13.d3 d6 14.Be3 Bb6 15.Bxb6 axb6 16.a3 Be6 17.Nc3 Nf6 18.b4 c5 19.b5 Nd7 20.f4 Ke7 21.f5 Bf7 22.f6+ Nxf6 23.Nd5+ Nxd5 24.exd5 Bxd5 25.Rae1+ Be6 26.Re3 Kd7 27.Rfe1 Re8 28.c4 Bf7 29.Rxe8 Bxe8 30.g4 Bg6 31.Re3 Bf7 32.h4 Be6 33.g5 Ke7 34.Kf2 Kf7 35.Kg3 Bf5 36.Rf3 Kg6 37.Kf4 Be6 38.Re3 Bf5 39.Re7 Bxd3 40.Rxb7 Bxc4 41.Rxb6 Kh5 42.Rxd6 Bxb5 43.Rh6 checkmate JabbaKappa - Zauberer, Chess.com, 2020;

8...b6 9.Qd4 Bb7 10.Nc3 Qe7 11.O-O Rf8 12.d3 Ke8 13.Nb5 Bc5 14.Nxc7+ Kd8 15.Ne6+ Qxe6 16.Qc4 Qf7 17.Qxf7 Rxf7 18.Bg5+ Kc8 19.c3 h6 20.Bh4 g5 21.Bg3 h5 22.d4 Be7 23.d5 h4 24.Be5 d6 25.Bd4 Rf4 26.f3 Kd7 27.b4 Ba6 28.Rfd1 Bc4 29.a4 a6 30.Bxb6 Bf6 31.b5 axb5 32.axb5 Bxb5 33.Rab1 Bc4 34.Rb4 Be2 35.Rdb1 Bxc3 36.Ra4 Rf8 37.Bd4 Bd2 38.Rb7+ Ke8 39.Ra8 checkmate, timinphilly - BrennanBibic, Chess.com, 2020;

8...Qe8 9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.d3 Bb4+ 11.Nc3 d6 12.Bh6+ Nxh6 13.Qxh6+ Ke7 14.Qg7+ Kd8 15.Qf6+ Kd7 16.a3 d5 Black resigned cian_hudder - 11wduuwdbjn, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020; and

8...Nf6 Black resigned Mathiasgraabeck - IMMERAMZOCKEN23, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020, 9.Qxd8 Black resigned, Fedez9292 - mnt0788, 1 0 bullet, Chess.com, 2020.

9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.O-O Nf6 11.Qh8+ Ng8 

12.d3 Qf6 13.Bh6+ Kf7 14.Qh7+ Ke6 15.Qxg8+ Ke7 

Unfortunately, 15...Qf7 would allow the exchange of Queens, with little compensation for the lost Rook and pawns; and 15...Ke5 would be met with 16.Qd5 checkmate.

16.f4 

How does Black deal with the threat 17.Bg5 ?

16...b6 17.e5 

This wins - but so does 17.Bg5.

17...Bxe5 18.fxe5 Qxf1+ Black resigned

What else? There was no way to escape checkmate - other than resignation. Wow.