Diagnosis: Misplaced Knight

It has been said that if one piece sits poorly in a chess game, the entire position becomes poor for that player.

I think that remark usually refers to games played above the level of those involving the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), but it does appear true that in the following game, my opponent's Queen Knight (and to some extent, his King Knight) caused him a lot of difficulty.

Of course, I was cooperative: as Genrikh Chepukaitis said “You need not play well - just help your opponent to play badly”

perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka

blitz 6 5, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian.

4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Transposing to a Jerome Gambit, of course. I think the extra 0-0 helps White more than the extra ...h6 helps Black.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6

8.Qd5+

I continue to prefer Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's "nudge" here, instead of the direct capture of the Bishop.

An alternative, from the current Chessworld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, is 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc4+ Be6 10.Qe2 Nf4 TN 11.Qf3 g5 12.d3 Nf6 13.Bxf4 Bg4 14.Qe3 gxf4 15.Qxf4 Qd7 16.Nc3 c6 17.f3 Be6 18.Qe3 Rag8 19.Rf2 Rg6 20.f4 Ng4 21.Qf3 Ke8 22.f5 Rf6 23.fxe6 Qxe6 24.Qh3 Rxf2 25.Qh5+ Kd7 26.h3 Rxg2+ 27.Kxg2 Ne3+ 28.Kf2 Nxc2 29.Rc1 Rf8+ 30.Ke2 Nd4+ 31.Kd1 Rf1+ 32.Kd2 Nf3+ 33.Kc2 Rxc1+ 34.Kxc1 Ng5 35.h4 Qh3 36.Qxh6 Qf1+ 37.Kc2 Qf2+ 38.Kb3 Qb6+ 39.Kc2 Qf2+ 40.Kb3 Qb6+ 41.Kc2 Qf2+ 42.Kb3 Draw, Black Puma - TWODOGS, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009

8...Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6

Earlier this year I faced 9...Qe7 10.Qe3 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 b6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Ba6 15.dxe5 Qxe5 16.Re1 Kf7 17.Qf3 Rhe8 18.Bf4 Qc5+ 19.Be3 Qb5 20.Bd4 Qxb2 21.e5 Nd5 22.e6+ Kg8 23.Qg4 Nxc3 24.Qxg7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Cibola, FICS, 2009

10.Qe3 Ne5

I am sometimes surprised that my opponents think so little of the Jerome Gambit that they act as if anything can be played against it. White is close to having an equal game after this move.

11.d4 Ng4 12.Qg3 N8f6

This unnecessarily complicates things.

13.Nc3

The position is trickier than I thought when I was playing. For example, after 13.f3, Black's Knights prance around: 13...Nh5 14.Qe1 Ngf6 15.g4 Nxg4 16.fxg4 Bxg4 17.Nc3 Kd7 and the game is about even.

13...Be6

Fritz8 prefers 13...Nh5 14.Qd3 Ngf6 15.f4, giving White a small advantage.

14.h3 Bc4

Black needed to complicate things with something like 14...Nh5, for example 15.Qf3 (eye on the Knights!) Rf8 16.Qe2 (the same) Ngf6 17.e5 Kf7 (castling-by-hand!) 18.exf6 Nxf6 19.Re1 Qd7 20.Ne4 Kg8 and White is a pawn up, but things are still challenging: if 21.Nxd6 then 21...Bxh3.

15.Re1 Qd7 16.hxg4

Gathering in the wayward Knight.

16...Nxg4 17.f3 Nf6 18.e5 Nh5

19.exd6+

A bit better was 19.Qh4 Qf7 20.exd6+ Kf8 21.Re7 Qg6 22.d5, snaring the Black Bishop; but the text is sufficient.

19...Kf7 20.Qh2 g6 21.Re7+ Black resigned