Jerome Gambit: Ten Move Checkmate

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game is a 10-move win, by checkmate.

It is another light-hearted answer to the question Why play the Jerome?

Tracy824 - tosten

5 0 blits, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

White will win back one of his sacrificed pieces, but if Black can find his way through the complications, he will gather in the full point.

7.f4 Qf6 8.Rf1 

The Database has almost 300 games with this move, with White scoring 63%.

8...d6 

Best.

Tracy824 has also faced 8...g6: 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.fxe5 Qxe5 11.d3 d5 12.Qh4+ Nf6 (12...Ke8 13.Bf4 Qxb2 14.Bxc7 Ne7 15.Qf4 Be6 16.Be5 Bb4+ 17.Kd1 d4 18.Bxh8 Qxa1 19.Qf8+ Kd7 20.Qxa8 Qxb1+ 21.Ke2 Bg4+ 22.Kf2 Qxc2+ 23.Kg1 Kc7 24.Bxd4 Bc5 25.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 26.Kh1 Be2 27.Rg1 Bxd3 28.Qf8 Bxe4 29.Qf4+ Qd6 30.Qxe4 Nf5 31.Rc1+ Kb6 32.Qb1+ Ka6 33.Qb3 b6 34.Qc4+ Ka5 35.a4 a6 36.Qc3+ Qb4 37.Qe5+ b5 38.axb5 axb5 39.Ra1+ Kb6 40.Qe6+ Qd6 41.Qb3 Nd4 42.Qe3 Qc5 43.Re1 b4 44.h3 Nc2 45.Qe6+ Kb5 46.Re5 Nd4 47.Rxc5+ Kxc5 48.Qe7+ Kc4 49.Qxh7 b3 50.Qxg6 b2 51.Qb1 Black resigned, Tracy824 - tosten, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024) 13.Nc3 c6 14.Bg5 Rf8 15.O-O-O d4 16.Ne2 Be6 17.b3 Ba3+ 18.Kb1 a5 19.c3 dxc3 20.d4 Qb5 21.Bxf6+ Kd7 22.Nxc3 Qb4 23.Kc2 a4 24.d5 axb3+ 25.axb3 cxd5 26.exd5 Bf5+ 27.Rxf5 Qxh4 28.Bxh4 Rxf5 29.Bg3 Bb4 30.Na4 Rc8+ 31.Kb2 Ke7 32.d6+ Ke6 33.d7 Rd8 34.Nc3 Bxc3+ 35.Kxc3 Rxd7 36.Re1+ Kf6 37.Re8 h5 38.Rh8 Rc5+ 39.Kb4 Rc2 40.Re8 Rxg2 41.Be5+ Kf7 42.Rh8 Rg4+ 43.Ka3 Rd3 44.Rh7+ Ke6 45.Bg3 Rd7 46.Rh8 b5 47.Re8+ Kd5 48.Re5+ Kc6 49.Re2 Ra7+ 50.Kb2 h4 51.Rc2+ Kd5 52.Bf2 Rb7 53.Rc5+ Kd6 54.Rc2 h3 55.Bg3+ Kd5 56.Rd2+ Ke4 57.Rf2 b4 58.Rc2 g5 59.Rc4+ Kf3 60.Rc5 Rxg3 61.hxg3 h2 62.Rxg5 h1=Q 63.Rf5+ Ke4 64.Rf4+ Ke3 65.Rc4 Qg2+ 66.Rc2 Qe4 67.Rc4 Qe5+ 68.Kb1 Ra7 69.Kc2 Ra2+ 70.Kd1 Qa1+ 71.Rc1 Rd2+ 72.Ke1 Qxc1 checkmate, Tracy824 - tosten, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024

9.fxe5 

There is only one good response to the discovered attack by White's Rook.

9...Qe7 

The proper response is 9...Qg6 -

10.Qxg6+ 

10.Qh3+ Ke7 11.Qf3 Nh6 12.exd6+ cxd6 13.c3 Bg4 14.Qg3 Rhf8 15.d4 Rxf1+ 16.Kxf1 Rf8+ 17.Ke1 Qxe4+ 18.Be3 Qd3 19.Bg5+ Kd7 20.Qxd3 Bb6 21.Qxh7 Re8+ 22.Kd2 Re2+ 23.Kd3 Nf5 24.Qxf5+ Bxf5+ 25.Kxe2 Bd8 26.Nd2 Bxg5 27.Nf3 Bf6 28.Rf1 Bg6 29.Nd2 Ke7 30.Ne4 Bh5+ 31.Kd3 Bg6 32.Ke3 Bg5+ 33.Kf3 Bc1 34.Rxc1 Bf5 35.Rf1 Be6 36.Ng5 Bd7 37.Ke4 Kd8 38.Rf8+ Kc7 39.Rf7 Kb6 White resigned, DutchLiLi - Nicus, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2022; 

10.Qf5+ Qxf5 11.exf5+ Kxe5 12.c3 Kf6 13.d4 Bb6 14.g4 h6 15.Bf4 Bd7 16.Kd2 g5 17.fxg6 Kxg6 18.Na3 Nf6 19.Rae1 Rae8 20.Nc4 Rxe1 21.Rxe1 Re8 22.Rf1 Nxg4 23.h3 Nf6 24.Ne3 Ne4+ 25.Kd3 Bxh3 26.Rh1 Nf2+ 27.Ke2 Nxh1 White resigned, Petasluk - Caarreeyy, 5 0 blitz, FICS, 2017; 10.Qe2 Ne7 11.d4 Bb4+ 12.c3 Ba5 13.Rf3 dxe5 14.Rg3 Qf7 15.Qc4+ Kf6 16.dxe5+ Black resigned, ninadrsane - anakmedan2555, 10 0 blitz, lichess.com 2015 

10...hxg6 11.exd6 Bxd6 12.d4 Bxh2 13.Be3 Bg3+ 14.Ke2 Nf6 15.Nd2 Bd7 16.Rf3 Nh5 17.Raf1 Rae8 18.d5+ Kd6 19.Nc4+ Ke7 20.Rf7+ Kd8 21.Bg5+ Kc8 22.Kd3 Bb5 23.b3 Re5 24.Be3 Bxc4+ 25.bxc4 Rhe8 26.Rf8 Kd7 27.Bxa7 Rxe4 28.c5 R4e7 29.R8f3 Ra8 30.c6+ bxc6 31.dxc6+ Kxc6 32.Bd4 Rxa2 33.c3 Rxg2 34.Ra1 Rd7 35.Ra6+ Kb7 36.Ra7+ Kc6 37.Kc4 Nf6 38.Ra6+ Kb7 39.Ra7+ Kc6 40.Rf1 Rd5 41.Rfa1 Rf5 42.R1a6+ Kd7 43.Bxf6 Kc8 44.Bd4 Be5 45.Ra8+ Black resigned, Tracy824 - Dimian1979, 5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024

Whew! To summarize, after 9...Qg6, White's best move is 10.Qe2.

Oh, and of course, after 9.fxe5, as in the game, Black can not recapture with 9...Qxe5 because of  10.Qf7 checkmate. 

But 9...Qe7 leads to a quick end.

10.Qf5 checkmate

Regular readers of this blog may notice that this checkmate appears familiar. Indeed, it is similar to the end of Idusha2010 - Egor_Shtanko. 30 0, lichess.org, 2022.