Then – he has no idea what to do next.
perrypawnpusher - taman
blitz FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
One of the standard refutations, although it does allow White to get rid of the enemy dark-square Bishop, which in turn allows an early f2-f4 and a march of the "Jerome pawns".
7.Qd5+
I still like this "nudge" and my opponent often takes time to try to figure out What is he doing?? (I just want the Black King on the back rank, to interfere with any plans of castling-by-hand; plus, I want my opponent taking time to try to figure out what I'm doing...)
7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3
9...N8e7
I haven't seen this move played often, although it is very logical: Black will bring his Rook to f8.
10.f4
Or 10.0-0 Be6 (10...Rf8 11.d4 Rf7 12.f4 Nc6 13.f5 Nge7 14.g4 Kf8 15.c3 Kg8 16.Na3 Qf8 17.Bd2 Bd7 18.Rae1 a6 19.c4 Re8 20.e5 dxe5 21.dxe5 Nxe5 22.Qxe5 Nxf5 23.Qxc7 Rxe1 24.Bxe1 Bc6 25.Qb6 Nh4 Black resigned, mrjoker - tomnoah, ICC, 2008) 11.d4 c6 12.f4 Bc4 13.Rf3 Qd7 14.b3 Bf7 15.f5 Nf8 16.f6 gxf6 17.Rxf6 Bg6 18.Ba3 Ng8 19.Rxd6 Qg4 20.Nd2 Rd8 21.e5 Rxd6 22.exd6+ Kd7 23.Re1 Ne6 24.Qe5 Qxd4+ 25.Qxd4 Nxd4 26.Nc4 Nxc2 27.Ne5+ Kd8 28.Rf1 Nxa3 29.Rf8+ Be8 30.d7 Ke7 31.dxe8Q+ Kd6 32.Nf7+ Black resigned, Chemistry - Chamaeleon, ICC, 2003
10...Rf8
11.0-0 Nc6 12.f5 Nge5 13.d4 Ng4 14.Qg3 h5
See "Out of a clear sky..." for tales of Knights-that-go-to-g4.
15.Be3
I didn't like this move, but I couldn't think of something better. After the game Rybka suggested 15.h3 Nf6 16.Nc3, since after 16...Nxd4 White has 17.e5 dxe5 18.Qxe5+ Kf7 19.Rd1 Nc6 20.Qe2 Qe7 21.Qc4+ Ke8 22.Bg5 Ne5 23.Qd4 Nc6 24.Qc4 Ne5 25.Qd4 Nc6 26.Qc4 Ne5 when it suggests that White take the draw by repetition.
analysis diagram
15...Nxe3 16.Qxe3 Qf6 17.c3
This was probably the hardest move in the game for me to play. Too often I try to get Jerome Gambit to act like The Incredible Hulk – you know, Hulk Smash!! – when a quieter and more effective line is available.
17...g6 18.Nd2 g5
Confidently preparing for a counter-attack, but I do not think that this is best, as it lets my pawns advance.
19.e5 dxe5 20.dxe5 Qxe5 21.Qxe5+ Nxe5
22.Rae1 Kf7 23.Rxe5 Kf6
I was happy to reach this position, being a pawn up in the end game – always a reasonable outcome for a refuted opening.
I think my opponent was happy, too, having turned away a scary attack – in fact, it is not immediately clear how much Black's Bishop vs Knight (pawns on both sides of the board) advantage offsets that extra pawn.
The truth is that White is quite a bit better here, but that understanding is based on a tactic that I missed.
24.Re2
Consolidating.
Instead, the Rook needed to remain active: 24.Rc5. Black's best response would have been to activate his Rook as well, with 25...Re8. I saw this far, but also saw that after 25.Rxc7 Black simply had 25...Bxf5, swapping pawns.
The trick is that White then has 26.Rc5 (the active Rook again) Re5 27.Rxe5 Kxe5 28.Nf3+ – when Black cannot now protect his pawn at g5 with 28...Kf6 because of 29.Nd4, winning the Bishop. After 28...Kd5 29.Nxg5 it is clear that White's Knight plus two pawns will outweigh Black's Bishop.
analysis diagram
24...Bd7
The pawn was free to be taken, instead.
25.Ne4+ Kg7 26.f6+
Simpler and better was to exchange the sickly f-pawn for Black's g-pawn, 26.Nxg5 Bxf5, remaining with an edge. I could see that, but I kept thinking: there has to be more in this position – and I couldn't find it.
The only things going right for me at this point were that I was ahead on time, and that my opponent continued to think that I was up to something.
26...Kg6 27.Rfe1
Same criticism: better to let the weaky go with 27.f7 Rxf7 28.Rxf7 Kxf7 29.Nxg5+.
27...h4
Suspecting (correctly) that I was just shuttling pieces at this point, (trying not to make things worse) my opponent went in for a plan that would eat up a few moves – he was beginning to feel the time crunch.
28.c4 g4 29.Rf2
29...Rae8 30.Rfe2 Bc6 31.Nd2 Rd8
32.Ne4 h3 33.gxh3 gxh3 34.Kf2 Rde8 35.Kg3 Black forfeited on time
White has a small edge in the final position, but Black can exchange his Bishop for White's Knight and then win the f6-pawn, leaving White to win the h3-pawn. It is not clear then that White's extra pawn at h2 would be worth much in a two Rook vs two Rook endgame.
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