Classic Jerome Gambit Difficulty (for Black)

Sometimes a small problem in a position, if unattended to, becomes larger and larger, placing the whole game in danger.

The following game is a good example of how something small in the defender's position grew and grew.

Wall, Bill - NumberSix

internet, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ 

Bill has experimented with 8.Qf5+ in Wall,B - Guest198654, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 21). 

8...d6 

Or 8...Qe7 as in Wall,B - Quack, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 22).

9.Qc3 

Or 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.0–0 h6 11.f3 Kg8 12.d4 Kh7 13.c4 Re8 14.Nc3 Kg8 15.Qd3 Nf4 16.Bxf4 c5 17.Nb5 cxd4 18.Qxd4 Qb6 19.Qxb6 axb6 20.Nc7 Black resigned, as in Wall,B - LC, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 20)

9...Nf6 

Bill has also faced 9...Be6 10.d3 c6 11.O-O Qf6 12.Qa3 Qe7 13.f4 Bd7 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5+ Ke8 16.Qc3 Be6 17.Nd2 Bd5 18.d4 Nf4 19.Rxf4 Qg5 20.Rf2 Qg4 21.Qb4 Ne7 22.Qxb7 Qd1+ 23.Rf1 Qg4 24.Qxa8+ Kd7 25.Qxa7+ Ke6 26.Nf3 Black resigned, Wall,B-Petrosianic, PlayChess.com 2015.

10.d3 

This move opens the diagonal for his Bishop, but he needs to be mindful that his Queen not be blocked off from the action.

10...Qd7 

Also 10...c6 as in Wall,B - Boris, Sparkchess.com, 2012; or

10...Qe7 as in Wall,B - Guest4149739, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 30); or 

10...Kf7 as in Wall,B - Guest428245, PlayChess, 2014 (1-0, 20). 

11.O-O Kf7 

Hoping to castle-by-hand.

12.f4 Re8 13.Qb3+ Kf8 14.Nc3 a6 

Black has castled (sort of) and leads in development, but he has that classic Jerome Gambit difficulty sometimes seen in defenders: his Queen blocks his Bishop, which impedes his Rook. It will cost tempos to remedy this.

White's "Jerome pawns" are ready to roll.

15.f5 Ne5 16. Bg5 Qf7 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 

Black's capture with the Queen helps preserve his Kingside pawn structure, but the Queen's placement gives White a tempo move. 

By the way, exchanging Queens first with 17...Qxb3 18.axb3 gxf6 would allow 19.Nd5 with and edge for White.

18.Nd5 Qf7 19.Qc3 c6 20.f6 

The position calls out for this move, taking advantage of the alignment of Black's King and Queen on the same file as White's Rook.

20...Kg8 21.fxg7 Qxg7 

Getting the Queen out of the line of fire, but Stockfish 15.1's move was 21...cxd5, after which the play would continue 22.Rxf7 Nxf7 23.exd5 Bf5 24.Re1 Rxe1+ 25.Qxe1 Kxg7 and the computer assesses White's Queen plus three pawns as better than Black's Rook, Bishop and Knight. 

Analysis Diagram

It is hard to see how White would make much progress, though. For one idea, the computer likes 12.Qf2 Kg6 13.h3 h5 14.b4 b5 15.Qe1 Kf6 16.c4.

The text, however, allows a winning fork.

22.Nf6+ Kh8 23.Nxe8 Qg6 24.Rf8+ Black resigned

The Queen will be lost, and checkmate will follow.