The Queen Escapes. The End.

Some lines in the Jerome Gambit feature the offer - and, sometimes, the capture - of Black's Rook at h8, with the hope that White's Queen will then be out of play, and perhaps eventually captured.

The Queen's escape usually means that Black's chances have dissipated.

imc47 - TolikPavlov174

5 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qxe5 

8...Be7 

Including the current one, there are only 2 games in The Database with this move.

As mentioned in "Pulling A Rabbit Out Of A Hat", 8...Bf8 was a good alternative (although White's result is 3 - 5). Then 9.Qf4+ (9.Qg3 d6 10.d4 Ne7 11.d5 Bg7 12.c4 Qd7 13.Nc3; 9.Qxh8 Bg7 and White scored only 2 - 4) 9...Kg7 10.b3 Nf6 11.Bb2 d6 /+

Also 8...Nf6 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qe3 Ng4 (10...Qe8 11.Nc3 c6 12.d3 Be6 13.f4 Ke7 14.f5 gxf5 15.exf5 Kd7 16.Qxe6+ Qxe6 17.fxe6+ Kxe6 18.Bd2 Kd7 19.Rxf6 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - wadada, 10 0 blitz, FICS, 2009) 11.Qf4+ Kg7 12.d4 Rf8 13.Qg3 g5 14.Nc3 c5 15.f4 cxd4 16.Ne2 Ne3 17.Bxe3 dxe3 18.Qxe3 gxf4 19.Nxf4 Qg5 20.Nd5 Qxe3+ 21.Nxe3 Be6 22.Nf5+ Bxf5 23.exf5 Rae8 24.Rae1 Rxe1 25.Rxe1 Rxf5 26.Re7+ Kf6 27.Rxb7 Rc5 28.Rxa7 Rxc2 29.Rb7 Rc1+ 30.Kf2 Ke5 31.Rb3 Rc2+ 32.Kf3 d5 33.Re3+ Kf5 34.Re2 Rc4 35.g3 h5 36.b3 Rc5 37.Ke3 Rc3+ 38.Kd4 Rf3 39.Kxd5 Kg4 40.b4 h4 41.gxh4 Kxh4 42.b5 Rd3+ 43.Kc4 Rd7 44.b6 Rb7 45.Kc5 Rxb6 46.Kxb6 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - islanderchess, 10 0 blitz, FICS, 2008 

9.Qxh8 d6 

Black needed to play 9...Bf6.

There was also 9...Nf6 10.Qxd8 Bxd8 11.Nc3 d6 12.d3 Be6 13.Bxh6 Ng4 14.Bf4 h4 15.h3 Nf6 16.g3 Nh5 17.Be3 Bf6 18.g4 Ng7 19.f4 Rh8 20.Kg2 Bh4 21.f5 gxf5 22.exf5 Bd7 23.Bf2 Bc6+ 24.Ne4 d5 25.Ng3 Bg5 26.Rae1 Bd2 27.Re2 Bg5 28.Bd4 Rh7 29.Bxg7 Kxg7 30.Nh5+ Kf7 31.Kg3 Bd7 32.Rfe1 Kg8 33.h4 Bd8 34.d4 c6 35.Re8+ Bxe8 36.Rxe8+ Kf7 37.Rxd8 b5 38.Rd7+ Kg8 39.Rxh7 Kxh7 40.g5 b4 41.Kf4 a5 42.Nf6+ Kg7 43.h5 Kf7 44.h6 Ke7 45.h7 Kf7 46.h8=Q a4 47.Qe8+ Kg7 48.Nh5+ Kh7 49.Qg6+ Kh8 50.Qg7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - PravinMamania, 14 0 blitz, FICS, 2010.

10.Qh7+ 

White's Queen escapes, and Black does not have enough compensation for his loss of the exchange and two pawns.

10...Kf8 11.Qxg6 Bg5 12.Nc3 Bg4 13.f4 Ne7 

A final slip: White's capture will come with discovered check, so the attack on his Queen is irrelevant.

14.fxg5+ Black resigned