Jerome Gambit: Battle!

I recently received a Jerome Gambit game that richly illustrates its attractiveness to club players. The play is not perfect, and occasionally provokes some head-scratching, but it is a battle that sees the attacker prevail with a nice checkmate. 

samsanit - francoir_buldog

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Nf6 

Black's move protects his Rook, but allows White to grab the Bishop, putting him a couple of pawns ahead.

8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc4+ Be6 10.Qd4 c5 11.Qd3 Qb6 

White's development is lagging, but his position is compact, and he remains better.

12.O-O Rac8 13.b3 g5 14.Bb2 Qc6 15.Nc3 b5 

Black's buildup on the Queenside risks his King's safety.

16.Nxb5 Nxe4 17.Qf3+ Nf6 

The Bishop on the a1-h8 diagonal cooperates nicely with the Queen; checkmate is now possible.

18.Qe2 

Missing the opportunity, but he grabs it next move.

18...a6 19.Qf3 Qxb5 

Exchanging Queens would have safeguarded his King, although he would still be worse.

20.Qxf6+ Ke8 21.Qxh8+ 

Grabbing the Rook. There was also 21.Qxe6+ Kd8 22.Qxd6+ Qd7 23.Bf6+ Ke8 24.Rfe1+ Kf7 25.Qxd7+ Kxf6 26.Re6+ Kf5 27.Qf7+ Kg4 28.Re4 checkmate. That is a lot to calculate in a 3-minute game, but it would be possible to find the first two moves and figure out the rest, as things progressed.

21...Kd7 22.Qg7+ Kc6 23.Qxg5 Qe2 24.Rfe1 Qxd2 25.Rxe6 

An oversight, but one that White quickly overcomes.

25...Qxg5 26.Rd1 Qf5 27.Rdxd6+ Kb5 28.Rb6+ Ka5 29.Rxa6+ Kb4 30.c3+ Kb5 31.Reb6 checkmate

Very nice!