Pawnful

Today's game is a routine Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+): White plays solidly, Black plays second-best moves, White accepts the full point.

perrypawnpusher - caterwaul
blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

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

The updated New Year's Database has 250 games with this position. White scores 46%.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3
 

I've only reached this position a couple of times, but there are over 70 games with it in the New Year's Database. White scores 53%.

8...Nf6

An alternate defense was seen in perrypawnpusher - frencheng, blitz FICS, 2010: 8...Qe7 9.d3 d5 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.

9.d3

Or 9.Nc3 Ng4 10.0-0 g6 11.d3 Kg7 12.h3 Ne5 13.Kh1 Rf8 14.f4 Kh8 15.Bd2 Nc6 16.Nd5 Be6 17.Ne3 Rg8 18.c3 d5 19.d4 Be7 20.e5 Bh4 21.Qf3 Qf8 22.g3 Be7 23.g4 Qf7 24.f5 gxf5 25.gxf5 Bc8 26.f6 Bf8 27.Nf5 Bxf5 28.Qxf5 Re8 29.Rae1 Nd8 30.Kh2 Ne6 31.Rg1 Rxg1 32.Rxg1 a5 33.Qg4 White won on time, perrypawnpusher - klixar, blitz FICS, 2007.

9...h6

10.Nc3 c6 11.0-0 Be6 12.Be3 Qd7

There was nothing wrong with 12...Bxe3; in fact, it was probably better than the text.

13.f4 Bxe3+ 14.Qxe3 Qe7

The game is about even. Black's King is still not castled (by-hand) and White's "Jerome pawns" are ready to roll.

15.e5 Nd5 16.Qe4 

An odd choice. After the game Rybka suggested: 16.Nxd5 Bxd5 17.c4 Bg8 18.Rae1 Bh7 19.d4 Bf5 20.Qf3 Rd8 21.g4 which seems to work out better.
 

analysis diagram





16...Nxc3 17.bxc3 Qf7 18.f5 Bd5 19.Qf4

19...Ke7

Making room for the Rooks, apparently, but 19...dxe5 20.Qxe5 Re8 showcased Black's advantage. Instead, Black's Bishop gets caught by the pawns.

20.c4 Be6

The desperado move 20...Bxg2 was better, although White would still have the advantage.

21.exd6+ Kd7 22.fxe6+ Qxe6

23.c5

Much stronger was 23.Qg3, as Black has no good way to protect the pawn at g7, and when White's captures it with check he has the dual threats of winning one of Black's Rooks if the King goes to the back rank, or pinning Black's Queen to his King with a Rook if the King advances.

I played the text move with the Rooks and pawns endgame in mind.

23...Rae8 24.Qf7+ Qxf7 25.Rxf7+ Ke6 26.Rxb7

White's advantage is clear. I admit that my next moves appear wasteful, as I allow my two advanced pawns to be captured; but my plan was to gobble up Black's pawns in return, and create more passers for myself.

26...Kd5 27.Rxa7 Kxc5 28.Rxg7 Kxd6 29.Rg6+ Kc5 30.a4 Re2 31.a5 Rxc2 32.a6

32...Kb6 33.Rg4 Ra8 34.Rb4+ Kc7 35.Rb7+ Kc8 36.Rh7 Kb8

37.Rxh6

I was not doing a lot of analysis here, but I didn't think that I needed to.

37...c5 38.Rb1+ Ka7 39.Rb7 checkmate