No Need To Get A Big Head

Although I have been able to play a number of Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) lately at FICS, I have also noticed opponents pausing before choosing their 3rd move, and then selecting ...d6 or ...Be7, clearly side-stepping my intentions. Avoiding my Jerome Gambit?? Oh, my goodness...


The following game seemed to come as a logical extension of this.


perrypawnpusher  - Greystroke
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ne7

The Database has only 4 previous examples of this spirited, if misguided, counter-attack. Three of those games were played by perrypawnpusher.


9.Qxe5+ Kc6


I did some thinking here, but before I could play 10.Qc3, Black resigned


I appreciate the respect involved in my opponent's decision – Black's best response seems to be to castle-by-hand with 10...b6 11.b4 Kb7 12.bxc5 leaving the second player's position a bit of a mess, and the first player up a couple of pawns – and I promise it will not give me a big (conceited) head.