Jerome Gambit: No Queen, No Problem

One tool a defender often has at his disposal is the exchange of Queens, which can lead to the blunting of an attack.

In the following game, however, Bill Wall's aggression does not appear to be troubled by such a strategy. The game ends with an impending checkmate in 10 moves.

Wall, Bill - Pakyaw

internet, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Nf6 

Raising a familiar question: Jerome Gambit: What About the Rook?

Black protects his Rook on h8, and develops a piece at the same time. 

As I wrote about 16 years ago, in Flaws (Part II)

seen at least as early as in the 5th game of the second match between Mexican Champion Andres Clemente Vazquez and American William Harrington, Mexico, 1876 (Vazquez won the match 12-3-1)

For a more modern take, I consulted The Database, which has 300 games with this move; White scores 76%. 

The second player would have done better offering the Rook on h8 with either Blackburne's defense 7...d6, or Whistler's defense, 7...Qe7.

8.Qxc5 Qe7 

Bill has also seen 8...Nxe4, in  Wall,B-Sigmon,A, internet, 2012 (1-0, 32) and 8...Qe8 9.d3 d6 10.Qxc7+ Bd7 11.Qxd6 Nxe4 12.dxe4 Qxe4+ 13.Be3 Rhd8 14.Nc3 Qxg2 15.O-O-O Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, internet, 2020.

Black probably should have played 8...d6, and after 9.Qe3 Nxe4 he could hope for 10.Qxe4? Re8, but he would be frustrated by 10.O-O.) 

9.Qxe7+ 

Why not? Bill chooses a Queenless middlegame two pawns up.

9...Kxe7 10.Nc3 c6 11.d4 Kf7 12.O-O Re8 13.e5 

13...Nh5 14.g4 Ng7 15.f4 Kg8 

Black's King would prefer to side-step the advancing "Jerome pawns".

White's attack is not hampered by the lack of his Queen.

16.Ne4 Rf8 17.Nf6+ Kh8 18.f5 

Part of the Black's difficulty here is that he is afflicted by a familiar Jerome Gambit defender's malady: his pawn blocks his Bishop which hems in his Rook.

18...b6 19.fxg6 hxg6 20.Rf3 

Eyeing the h-file.

20...Rxf6 

A sand necessity, but things do not get better.

21.Rxf6 Kh7 22.h4 Ne6 23.Be3 Kg7 

White's lead in development is decisive. 

24.Raf1 Nd8 25.h5 gxh5 26.gxh5 Ba6 

Alas, the Bishop is late to the excitment.

27.R1f3 Black resigned

Black's King is in a mating net.