Halo Effect

When people notice a good trait in a person, they often assume other positives. With the Jerome Gambit  often a negative "halo effect" occurs – if the early moves are bad, many of the other ones must be bad, too.

perrypawnpusher  - dkahnd
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Qe7

Starting the counter-attack in the center.

9.Nc3

Alternatives: 9.d3 d5 (9...Nf6 10.0-0 Qe5 11.Qf3 Bg4 12.Qg3 Qxg3 13.hxg3 Ke7 14.c3 Be2 15.Re1 Bxd3 16.e5 Ng4 17.exd6+ Kxd6 18.Be3 Nxe3 19.fxe3 Ke6 20.Nd2 Rad8 21.Kh2 Rhf8 22.Nf3 Rf6 23.e4 Rh6+ 24.Nh4 g5 25.Rad1 gxh4 26.g4 Bd6+ 27.Kh3 Bb5 28.Rd4 Bg3 29.Red1 Rxd4 30.cxd4 Bd7 31.b3 Rg6 32.e5 h5 White resigned, Petasluk - pawnloss, FICS 2006) 10.0-0 dxe4 11.Re1 Qd6 12.Bf4 Qd4 13.Be5 Qd7 14.Rxe4 Qf5 15.Qxg7+ Ke8 16.Bg3+ Qxe4 17.dxe4 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - frencheng, blitz, FICS, 2010.

9...Nf6 10.d3 Ng4

Here comes the counter-attack on f2 again (see "Frying Pan Minus Perspective Equals Fire").

Two different courses of play: 10...b6 11.Na4 Bb4+ 12.c3 b5 13.cxb4 bxa4 14.Bd2 Qe5 15.Qxe5 dxe5 16.Rc1 Ne8 17.Bc3 Be6 18.a3 Rd8 19.Ke2 Nd6 20.Bxe5 Nb5 21.Bxc7 Nxc7 22.Rxc7 Bd7 23.Rxa7 Ke7 24.Rc1 Rc8 25.Rac7 Rxc7 26.Rxc7 Rc8 27.Rxc8 Bxc8 28.Ke3 h6 29.Kd4 Kd6 30.f4 g6 31.Kc3 Ba6 32.d4 Bf1 33.g3 Bg2 34.e5+ Kd5 35.b5 Ke6 36.Kb4 Kd7 37.Kxa4 Bh3 38.Ka5 Kc7 39.b6+ Kb7 40.d5 Bg2 41.d6 Bh3 42.Kb5 Bd7+ 43.Kc5 Be6 44.a4 h5 45.b4 Black resigned, levigun - dmyze, GameKnot.com, 2004; and

10...h6 11.Be3 Bxe3 12.fxe3 Qe5 13.Qxe5 dxe5 14.Rf1 Ke7 15.Nd5+ Nxd5 16.exd5 Bd7 17.Rf2 Rhf8 18.Rxf8 Rxf8 19.Ke2 Bg4+ 20.Ke1 g5 21.c4 Kd6 22.b4 b6 23.a3 a6 24.Ra2 Bf5 25.Rf2 Ke7 26.e4 Bg4 27.Rxf8 Kxf8 28.Kd2 Ke7 29.d4 exd4 30.Kd3 Kd6 31.Kxd4 c5+ 32.dxc6 Kxc6 33.c5 bxc5+ 34.bxc5 h5 35.g3 h4 36.gxh4 gxh4 37.Ke5 Kxc5 38.Kf4 Bd7 39.h3 Bxh3 40.Kg5 Bg2 41.Kxh4 Bxe4 42.Kg4 a5 43.Kf4 Bc2 44.Ke3 Kc4 45.Kd2 Kb3 46.a4 Kb2 47.Ke1 Bxa4 48.Kd2 Bc2 White resigned, rhoadarmer - partha, Gameknot.com, 2006.

11.0-0 Ke8 12.Nd5 Qf7

Black continues his preparations even though the game has leveled out. 

13.h3

More to the point, as with perrypawnpusher - marianomocoroa, blitz, FICS 1020, was 13.Be3.

13...Nxf2

This is an error that 14.Be3 would have pointed out – just because White's early moves were bad doesn't make all of his other moves, or his position now, bad.

13...Rxf2 Rf8

Consistent, but 13...Bxf2+ 14.Qxf2 Qxf2+ 15.Kxf2 Rf8+ 16.Kg3 Rf7 18.Be3 would have given Black a position with the exchange for a pawn. Now White recovers.

15.Be3 Bxe3 16.Qxe3 Qd7

17.Rxf8+ Kxf8 18.Rf1+ Kg8 19.Qf3

Even stronger was 19.Qg5, when Black will have to give up his Queen (e.g. 19...h6 20.Qg6 Qe6 21.Nf6+ Qxf6 22.Rxf6) to avoid checkmate.

19...Qd8 20.Qf7+ Black resigned