La la la la la...

I have presented some of the "don't worry, be happy" Jerome Gambit games of Bill Wall, where he seems to be unconcernedly worse – until he is suddenly unarguably better.

Now I've run across some 2011 games by axykk at FICS with the same attitude; and I'd like to share a few.

axykk - gasparegg
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

There is enough of a difference in ratings between axykk and his opponent to believe that White is giving "Jerome Gambit odds."

Unlike many "odds" situations, however, here gasparegg knows a thing or two about the Jerome.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+

Oh, yeah! Black heads right toward one of the more complicated – if not well-known – refutations, the "Nibs" line.

The Database has 7, 664 Jerome Gambit games with 4...Bxf7+, 3,103 games with 5.Nxe5, and 263 games with 7.Qf5+. Only 43 games have the position in the diagram, and White has scored 52%.

This is about where I begin to get nervous in my games against the Nibs. (After a bad start of losing 3 out of 4 games, I've won the next dozen.) Somehow, I don't think that axykk was worrying yet.

9.g3 Nf3+

As the kids say in their game, "Getting warmer..."

10.Kf1 Nxh2+

Tempting, but not completely thought out. The move delivers a check, but the Knight pins itself to the Queen. Black can escape to an even game (see the note to the next move), but that's hardly the win that he had a move ago.

Like I said, the refutation is tricky.

11.Kg2 Qh6

Black resigned

Whoa, that was fast. (My opponent JTIV took more than 20 more moves to resign from the same position. On the other hand, intssed tried 11...Qe7 which received 12.Qd5#)

It is clear that in this position White will play 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Qxc5+ winning one piece back; and he still has Rxh2, winning the other piece back, in reserve. For example, 13...Qd6 14.Qxd6+ Kxd6 15.Rxh2 and White is a pawn up, with the better center (it is not clear if Black's King is "insecure" or "developed).

Black's escape hatch was 11...Qg4, unpinning his Queen and offering his Knight escape in case White wants to exchange Queens. Best play would seem to be 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Qxc5 d6 14.Qf2 (not 14.Qxc7+ Bd7 15.Rxh2 Qd2+) Nf6 15.Rxh2 Nxe4 when 16.Qe3 Qe6 looks even.