Pleasant

Some games are just pleasant.

In the following game my opponent faces the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) with sangfroid, using a relatively unusual defensive idea (castle-queenside-by-hand) and topping it off with a blockading piece sacrifice.

The developing storm clouds over the center and Kingside convinced me that it was a good time to split the point.
perrypawnpusher - steelrfan44
GameKnot.com, 2009

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

Steelrfan44 agreed beforehand to allow the Jerome.

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 Nf6 9.d3 d6 10.Qe3 Bd7
White has his two central pawns vs Black's piece and centralized King – but Steelrfan44 has his own plans.

11.f4 Qe7 12.Nc3 Bc6 13.0-0 Kd7

14.b4

I considered this almost a positional move. A center pawn break did not look promising, and I was not ready to compromise my Kingside, as a counter-attack could come there with little risk to Black's King. There was some space to be grabbed on the Queenside, however; and perhaps my Bishop belonged on b2.

An alternative from a game by Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Louis Morin: 14.Qh3+ Kd8 15.Bd2 Bd7 16.Qf3 c6 17.Rae1 Kc7 18.e5 dxe5 19.fxe5 Ng4 20.Qg3 Be6 21.d4 Rad8 22.Re4 Kb8 23.Rxg4 Bxg4 24.Qxg4 Qe8 25.Be3 Ka8 26.Ne4 h5 27.Qe2 h4 28.Nd6 Qe6 29.Bg5 Rdf8 30.Rxf8+ Rxf8 31.c4 h3 32.g3 Qf7 33.Nxf7 Rxf7 34.Qg4 Kb8 35.Qe6 Rf3 36.Qe8+ Kc7 37.Qd8 checkmate, guest1989 - guest883, ICC 2002

14...a6 15.a4 b6 16.Bb2 Rae8

17.Qd4 Kc8

In retrospect, 17...Bb7 18.b5 a5 – which anticipates Steelrfan44's defensive plan – would have been safer.

18.b5 Bxb5 19.axb5 a5

I had a difficult time figuring out what was going to happen next – proof of the effectiveness of my opponent's idea.
In the meantime, I noticed that the e-, f-, g- and h-files were full of Black's pieces, and few of mine – except my King and Rook.
20.Nd5 Nxd5 21.Qxd5 Rhf8

Definitely time to sue for peace.

22.Qa8+ Kd7 23.Qc6+ Kd8

I was later dumbfounded to see that Rybka assessed White as being almost 2 1/2 pawns better, but I could hardly have expected to have analyzed as it had: 24.g3 Qf7 25.Bd4 Ne7 26.Qb7 Nc8 27.f5 Qd7 28.c4 Qe7 29.Ra2 g6 30.f6 Qe6

24.Qa8+ Kd7 25.Qc6+ draw