Battle Fatigue (3)

Slam-bang chess battles can be exhausting, especially when they involve off-beat openings like the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Picking a good move, time after time, builds pressure, and sometimes the result is picking a not-so-good move, simply out of battle fatigue. See "Battle Fatigue (1)" and "Battle Fatigue (2)".

Here is another example. White had his Jerome Gambit mojo working in this game, from the Chessworld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, and reached a very strong position – only to have the lights go out in his game.

DREWBEAR 63 - Luke Warm
JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 d6

8.Qc4+ Be6 9.Qd3 Nf6 10.0-0 Rf8 11.f4

11...Nd7 12.f5 Nge5 13.fxe6+ Ke7 14.Qh3 Rxf1+ 15.Kxf1 Qf8+ 16.Kg1 Nc5 17.d4 Nxe4

White, with some help (oh, those Knights!) has the better game, despite his lack of development.

18.Qh4+ Qf6 19.Qxe4 Rf8 20.Qe1 Ng4

21.h4

Guarding against the back-rank mate, but ushering in trouble. Taking time out from the rough-and-tumb.e for the simple 21.c3 was essential.

21...Qxd4+ 22.Kh1 Nf2+ 23.Kh2 Qxh4+ 24.Kg1 Qh1 checkmate