Jerome Gambit: Drawing Upon History

The following game nods toward historical play, but shows that aggressive openings do not always lead to a full point for either player.

e4_e5_or_afk - faz1819

2 1 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 

In an earlier post, "War", concerning the game AsceticKing9 - blackburne, ChessWorld Jerome Gambit tournament 6, 2011, I wrote

The Blackburne Defense, harking back to Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885. See "Nobody Expects the Jerome Gambit!" 

Not surprisingly, the modern "blackburne" has played this sacrificial line as well. See "blackburne as Blackburne with black".

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.O-O Bh3 

Instead, 9...Nf6 (before ...Bh3) would have led to the best known Jerome Gambit game, and a delightful checkmate - by Black.

Subsequently, and perhaps with a sense of relief, Geoff Chandler and Todor Dimitrov have shown that the game should end as a draw. 

The position in the diagram is interesting. Does Black have an attack on the King? Is the White Queen in danger? Can the game transpose to Blackburne's line?

I checked The Database, and it showed 11 - 3 - 1 (77%) for White. The lichess.org database has 359 games, with White scoring 70%. 

How does this come about?

10.gxh3 

This move is good enough for a draw.

Stronger was 10.Qc3! Be6 (10...Bxg2 11.Kxg2 Nf6 (11...Qxe4+ 12.Qf3+ Qxf3+ 13.Kxf3 Nf6 14.Nc3 Re8 15.Kg2 b5 16.Nxb5 Re2 17.d4 Bb6 18.b3 Rxc2 19.Bg5 Ng4 20.a4 Black resigned, Anti-Duhring - CptKnorke, lichess.org, 2023) 12.Qg3 Qxe4+ 13.Qf3 Qe5 14.Nc3 Rf8 15.d3 Kg8 16.Qe2 Qf5 17.Ne4 Re8 18.Nxf6+ Kf7 19.Qxe8+ Black resigned, Astral1119 - LittleRock, lichess.org, 2021) 11.d4 (11.Qg3 Qf6 (11...Qh5 12.d3 Rf8 13.Be3 Nf6 14.Bxc5 dxc5 15.Nc3 Kg8 16.f4 c4 17.f5 Bf7 18.e5 Ng4 19.e6 Be8 20.Rae1 gxf5 21.h3 f4 22.Qxg4+ Qxg4 23.hxg4 Black resigned, neelnikhar - abdoessam311, lichess.org, 2021) 12.Nc3 h5 13.d3 Nh6 14.Bxh6 Black resigned, Chess-For-All - irakligunia, lichess.org, 2017) 11...Bb6 12.Nd2 Nf6 13.Nf3 Qh5 14.Ng5+ Ke7 15.e5 Ng4 16.h3 Nh6 17.exd6+ cxd6 18.Qe3 Black resigned, Fritz 8 - RevvedUp, 2 12 blitz, 2006. 

Wild, as 1-minute games are, was 10.d4? Qg4? 11.g3? Qf3? 12.Qxh7+ Ke6 13.Qxh3+ Ke7 14.dxc5 Nf6 15.Bg5 Kf7 16.Bxf6 Kxf6 17.Nd2 Qe2 18.Rad1 Kg7 19.cxd6 Rh8 20.Qd7+ Kg8 Black resigned, DutchLiLi - dikkebertha, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022. 

10...Qxh3 

Black needed to realize that he had escaped a bad outcome (i.e. 10.Qc3!) and should have run for a draw.

With 10...Nf6, offering a Rook, Black would have enticed White into helping him check his way to a half-point: 11.Qxa8 Qxh3 12.Qxb7 (not 12.Re1 Ng4 13.d4 Qxh2+ 14.Kf1 Qxf2 checkmate, IsidraRules - brachiotheragon, lichess.org, 2021) 12...Qg4+ (not 12...Ng4 because of 13.Qb3+ winning) 13.Kh1 Qf3+ 14.Kg1 Qg4+ etc with a draw by repetition.

11.Qc3 

Instead, 11.d4 Qg4+ 12.Kh1 Qf3+ 13.Kg1 Qg4+ 14.Kh1 Qf3+ 15.Kg1 Qg4+ was drawn in angelcamina - ermit, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022. 

11...Qg4+ 12.Qg3 Black resigned

Black does not have his checking-to-draw option, and he is down a Rook and a pawn.