Jerome Gambit: Assumed, Not Easily Seen

The following game reached a position which should have been drawn, but it would have required a long string of Queen checks, the end of which had to be assumed, as it could not be easily seen.

In the end, lucky me, I escaped with the full point.

perrypawnpusher - kertt1

Giuoco Fun, Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke7 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

Similar was 9...Be6 10.O-O Nf6 in perrypawnpusher - frogonatwig, 3 d/move, Piano Piano tournament, Chess.com 2020 (1-0, 30). 

10.Nc3 Kf7 11.O-O Rf8 12.d4 Kg8 

Black has castled-by-hand and has a piece for White's two extra pawns. Those "Jerome pawns" have to start stirring up trouble.

13.f4 Ng4 

I have not done the math (the number of examples approaches 3,000), but I suspect that when Black plays ...Ng4 to attack the Queen on e3, or ...Nb5 to attack the Queen on d3, more often than not, the first player benefits, because of the lost time involved.

Such is the case, here, even with the followup threat.

14.Qf3 Qh4 15.h3 Nh6 

16.f5 

Possibly premature, as my opponent demonstrates.

16...Nxf5 17.exf5 Rxf5 18.Qd3 

Having returned the piece for two pawns, Black can now stir up some trouble by exchanging rooks with 18...Rxf1+ followed by 19...Bxh3!?

18...Nf4 

Allowing me to overtake my opponent in development.

19.Bxf4 Rxf4 20.Rxf4 Qxf4 21.Rf1 Qg5 

22.Qc4+ 

A useful check, as White can now grab a couple of pawns: 22...d5 23.Qxd5+ Qxd5 24.Nxd5 Bd7 25.Nxc7, as Black can not capture White' c-pawn with and x-ray attack, 25...Rc8 26.Nd5 Rxc2 because of 27.Ne7+ Kh8 28.Rf8 checkmate.

22...Be6 

Careless.

23.Qxe6+ Kh8 24.Qf7 h6 

25.Re1 

It was okay to grab the c-pawn, but the text move is fine.

25...Qd2 26.Re8+ Rxe8 27. Qxe8+ Kh7 28.Qe4+ Kh8 

29. Nd5 c6 30.Ne3 d5 31.Qe8+Kh7 32.Nf5 Qg5 

33.Ne7 

Threatening checkmate, but allowing Black a chance to draw by checking White's King, forever... The move to make, instead, was 33.Qe5.

33...Qe3+ 34.Kf1 Qe6 

Overly concerned by my threat. 

Instead, 34...Qc1+ 35.Kf2 Qf4+ 36.Ke2 Qe4+ 37.Kc1 Qxd4+ 38.Ke2 Qc4+ 39.Ke3 Qe4+, etc., etc. draw

35.Qf8 h5 36.Qf5+ Qxf5+ 37.Nxf5 

The rest of the game unfolded as expected: Knight wins pawns to create a passd pawn; passed pawn promotes; Queen checkmates.

Unfortunately for my opponent, one of my usual blunders did not show up.

37...Kg6 38.Nd6 b6 39.Nc8 Kf5 40.Nxa7 c5 41.dxc5 bxc5 42.Ke2 Ke4 43.Nc6 g5 44.a4 Kf4 45.a5 Kg3 46.Kf1 Kf4 47.a6 Ke3 48.Ke1 d4 49.a7 d3 50.cxd3 Kxd3 51.a8=Q Kc2 52.Qa3 c4 53.Nd4+ Kb1 54.Kd2 c3+ 55.bxc3 g4 56.Nc2 gxh3 57.Qa1 checkmate