Jerome Gambit: Recent Miniature

Quite often, Jerome Gambit games end quickly - even (especially) the ones that the first player wins.

Here is a recent miniature.

MrFiore - Thal-011

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

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

Blackburne's defense, tricky, but leading to a draw with best play - although Stockfish 14.1 evaluates the current position as 3 1/3 pawns better for White!?

On top of that, The Database has 952 games with the Blackburne defense, with White scoring 73%

Contrast that with Whistler's defense, 7...Qe7, which Stockfish 16.1 evaluates as about 2 1/3 pawns better for Black.

In 617 games in The Database, White scores only 51%.

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.d4 

White's response to Black's Queen's arrival is best.

Instead, 9.O-O leads to 9...Nf6 10.Qd8 Bh3 11.Qxc7+Kf8 12.Qxb7 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 Qg4+ 14.Kh1 Qf3+ 15.Kg1 Qg4+ etc, drawing by repetition of position. Both players should be aware of this line of play.

9...Qxe4+ 

The computer sees 9...Bb4+ as the best choice for Black, here, although it does not come up with any move that changes the evaluation from "Better for White"to "Better for Black". 

There are only 3 games in The Database with 9...Bb4+, and White wins all of them, starting with 10.c3, but they are all messy; for example, perrypawnpusher - bakker, blitz, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 33).

10.Be3 Bb4+ 

Here, Black resigned.

He is down the exchange and a pawn. His King is uneasy. Possibly, the clock was working against him, as well.