Working Knights

Here's another Jerome Gambit with a flurry of pieces, especially Knights, on the Kingside, harassing my poor Queen...

perrypawnpusher - Verlen
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

10.0-0 Be6 11.f4 Ng4

Black has developed his Bishop to a risky square, facing a pawn fork after 11.f4. His solution is to ignore the threat and attack White's Queen. Safer was either 11...Bf7 or 11...Ne7.

12.Qg3 Rf8

Black has a simpler way out of his dilemma: exchange Queens. After the game Rybka suggested 12...Qh4 13.Qxh4 Nxh4 14.g3 d5 15.gxh4 dxe4 16.Nc3 Nf6 17.Re1 Kd7 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Rxe4 Rae8 and White's two extra pawns are not going to mean much, especially if Black can force the Rooks off of the board and play a Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame.

13.f5 N6e5

14.d4

Simpler was 14.fxe6, but the text move is okay.

14...Bc4 15.Re1 h5

16.dxe5 dxe5 17.Be3 Qd7 18.h3 Nxe3 19.Qxe3 Qb5

20.b3 Bf7 21.Nc3 Qc6 22.Rad1 Qf6

Black has reinforced his Kingside with pieces. True, White has a pawn advantage, but it will be a long time before it will become meaningful in the game; and even then, it will be facing a stocked side of the board.

23.Nd5 Black resigned

The end came as a surprise to me. Perhaps my opponent just didn't see the value (or fun) in defending a technical position.