Pulling A Rabbit Out of A Hat

My latest Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) – by transposition the game became one of the "modern" variations (see "Jerome Gambit: Chapter IV" and "Jerome Gambit: A Closer Look (Part III)") – was pretty routine, although I was pleased to have missed an "opportunity" to lose dramatically. It's better to learn the wrinkles after the game.


perrypawnpusher - islanderchess
FICS blitz game, 2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

That's okay. I can wait a move or two. See "Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit"

4.0-0 Bc5

That's better.

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7

It's like we started out 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0 h6.

6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ g6

A novelty – and a good one.

8.Qxe5 Nf6

The right move was the retrograde 8...Bf8, since then 9.Qxh8 Bg7 would lead to the win of the White Queen. Moving quickly, I might have fallen for that. Ouch!

Now we have a typical Jerome-Gambit-gone-right, where White is up a couple of pawns.

9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qe3 Ng4 11.Qf4+ Kg7 12.d4 Rf8 13.Qg3 g5

14.Nc3 c5 15.f4 cxd4 16.Ne2 Ne3 17.Bxe3 dxe3 18.Qxe3 gxf4 19.Nxf4 Qg5

Not much has changed. White is still ahead by 2 pawns.

My opponent does not heed the advice: when you are ahead, exchange pieces; when you are behind, exchange pawns.

20.Nd5 Qxe3+ 21.Nxe3 Be6 22.Nf5+ Bxf5 23.exf5 Rae8 24.Rae1 Rxe1 25.Rxe1 Rxf5 26.Re7+ Kf6 27.Rxb7 Rc5

My endgame technique is rusty, but not enough to change the outcome of the game.

28.Rxa7 Rxc2 29.Rb7 Rc1+ 30.Kf2 Ke5 31.Rb3 Rc2+ 32.Kf3 d5 33.Re3+ Kf5 34.Re2 Rc4 35.g3 h5 36.b3 Rc5 37.Ke3 Rc3+


This loses another pawn.

38.Kd4 Rf3 39.Kxd5 Kg4 40.b4 h4 41.gxh4 Kxh4 42.b5 Rd3+ 43.Kc4 Rd7 44.b6 Rb7 45.Kc5 Rxb6 46.Kxb6 Black resigns

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws"