Jerome Gambit: Just One of Many Reasons

In the following game, White pursues the enemy King, and ends up checkmating him. It is instructional to see what paths of escape were available to Black - for club players, attack seems easier than defense, and that is just one of many reasons why the Jerome Gambit is attractive.

Manucapo45 - Kardan39

25 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8. Nc3 Nh6 

Black develops a piece and attacks the enemy Queen. The move is okay, but stronger was 8...Qf6.

9.Nb5+ Kc6 10.Qxe5 Kxb5

Black had the opportunity to make his opponent's King uneasy with 10...Bxf2+.

11.a4+ 

The start of the King hunt. There are ways to escape, but Black has to find them.

11...Kc6

The King prefers staying out of the corner, fearing that it would be unsafe.

Yet 11...Ka6 was the only way out, even if after 12.Qxc5 White threatens checkmate in one. After 12...b6 13.Qd5 c6 14.Qd3+ Kb7 the Black King has found refuge and counter-pressure can give the defender an edge, according to Stockfih 15: 15.a5 Re8 16.O-O Qe7 17.Qg3 Qe5 18.Qxe5 Rxe5. 

12.Qd5+ Kb6 13.a5+ 

13...Kb5

Again the King avoids the corner. True, going there would now lead to an advantage for White - 13...Ka6 14.b4 Bxf2+!? 15.Ke2!? b5 16.axb6+ Kxb6 17.Qxa8 Ba6+ 18.Rxa6+ Kxa6 19.Qxd8 Rxd8 20.Kxf2 - but the text move should lead to mate.

14.c4+ 

White's pawns are happy to join in the attack.

14...Kb4 15.Qd3

The computers grumble that there was a checkmate to be had, but the text move maintains White's advantage.

For the record: 15.b3 Qf6 16.Ba3+ Kxb3 17.Qd3+ Ka4 18.Bb2+ Kb4 19.Bc3+ Kb3 20.Bxf6+ Kb4 21.Qc3 mate 

15...Bxf2+ 

Hoping that an exposed White King might lead to some counterplay.

16.Kf1 

White suspects something, and avoids 16.Kxf2 d5. 

16...Qf6 

Both 16...d5 and 16...Bd4 seem to hold for Black now.

17.Qa3+

Missing the very attractive 17.Ra4+! Kxa4 18.Qa3 mate 

17...Kxc4 18.d3+ 

Again, it looks like Black will now find his way home. However, he runs afoul of the caveat: When the attacker misplays his attack, he loses the attack; when the defender misplays his defense, he loses his King.

18...Kd4

Weirdly, the King would be safe at b5.

19.Qc3 checkmate