Wing, Center, Wing

While the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) has its refutations, if White isn't put out of his misery quickly, he can develop a very interesting game, even if "objectively" he is "worse". Play can develop all over the board, and in the resulting mayhem, anything might happpen...

gwyn1 - Sir Osis of the Liver
JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.c3
One of the "modern" variations of the Jerome Gambit – including 5.0-0, 5.Nc3 and 5.d3 – where White avoids the "classical" 5.Nxe5. About 80% of the games in this tournament favored "modern" variations.

5...d5

Black decides to strike back in the center.

6.b4 Bb6

White's plan is clear: knock out the support of the pawn on e5. Black's alternate response was 6...dxe4, responding to an attack on the wing with an attack in the center.

7.b5 Nce7

Again, ...exe4 was possible.

8.Nxe5+ Ke8 9.Ba3


A Queenside Jerome Gambit attack is interesting and unusual. An indication of the fun the opening provides is that there was also a Kingside feint with 9.Qh5+ g6 10.Qf3 Be6 11.d3.
9...Nf6 10.0-0 Nxe4 11.Qf3 Nf5

Black probably needed one more piece in play to be scary, i.e. 11...Be6. Now White hits the Kingside.

12.Qh5+ g6 13.Nxg6


Here we have a complicated, dangerous, and unclear position. Fritz 8 says things will be equal after 13...Kf7 14.Nxh8+ Kg7, even though White would be up the exchange and two pawns. A few more moves give light to the computer's thinking: 15.Nf7 Qf6 16.d3 Nfg3.









analysis diagram




Messy, messy, messy – but fun!
13...Nf6 This move, instead, allows White to attack in the center: 14.Re1+ Be3 15.Rxe3+ Nxe3 16.Qe5+ Kd7 17.Nxh8 Nc4.

14.Ne5+

An oversight.

14...Nxh5 15.Re1 Bxf2+ 16.Kxf2 Qh4+ 17.Kg1 Qxe1 White resigned