Not Quite the Jerome Gambit

As mentionied in the earlier posts "Busy!" and "*Poof!*", I almost had a chance to play in another Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Thematic Tournament, but wound up, instead, getting in only one Jerome Gambit game – see "Sole Survivor".

Two other players in the tourney gave it a go, with some feelings of uncertainty, except that what they played was not quite the Jerome Gambit.

Namecheck - leif41no
ChessWorld Welcome Tournament, 2009

The players swapped notes as the game started:

leif41no: Welcome Namecheck from Netherlands
namecheck: Hello Leif41no... Enjoy the games.
namecheck: I gather this Jerome Gambit has a very bad reputation... :)
leif41no: hehe, he tricks us

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5


Here we already have an unusual position, coming out of the Petroff Defense – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4!? Bc5?! – or the Bishop's Opening – 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3!? Bc5?!

I suppose that if you get this far (and from what I could find, few have) thinking "Jerome Gambit" is not too much further a step.
4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+


An alternative was: 5.Ng5+ Ke8 6.0-0 h6 7.Nh3 d6 8.d3 Nc6 9.Nc3 Bxh3 10.Nd5 Be6 11.Nxf6+ Qxf6 12.Qh5+ Qf7 13.Qh4 g5 14.Bxg5 Qg7 15.Bf6 Qh7 16.Qg3 Nd4 17.Rae1 Rg8 18.Qh4 Nxc2 19.Bg5 Rxg5 20.Qxg5 hxg5 21.Rc1 Nd4 22.a3 Ne2+ 23.Kh1 Nxc1 24.Rxc1 Bxf2 25.h3 Bxh3 26.Kh2 Bc8 checkmate, Metko,T - Modrzejewski,D, Tamm Wuert, 2000

5...Ke8

Also seen: 5...Kg8 6.d4 Bd6 ( 6...Be7 7.Qf3 d6 8.Qb3+ d5 9.Nc3 c6 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.exd5 cxd5 13.Nxd5 Be6 14.Nxf6+ Qxf6 15.Qxb7 Nd7 16.Qxa8+ Kh7 17.Qf3 Black resigned, nisar33 - bvduizendpoot, Gameknot, 2008; 6...Bb6 7.Bg5 Qe7 8.Nc3 d6 9.Nd5 Qe6 10.Nf4 Qe8 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.Nd5 Kg7 13.Ng4 Rf8 14.Nxb6 axb6 15.f3 Nc6 16.0-0 h5 17.Ne3 Rg8 18.Nf5+ Kf8 19.Nh4 Ra5 20.d5 Ne5 21.f4 Ng4 22.Qd4 c5 23.dxc6 Qxc6 24.h3 Qc5 25.Qxc5 Rxc5 26.hxg4 Rxg4 27.Nf5 Bxf5 28.exf5 Rxc2 29.Rf2 Rxf2 30.Kxf2 Rxf4+ 31.Kg3 Rxf5 32.b3 Ke7 33.Rc1 Kd7 34.Kh4 b5 35.Rc2 b6 36.g4 hxg4 37.Kxg4 Rc5 38.Rf2 Rg5+ 39.Kf4 d5 40.Ke3 Re5+ 41.Kd4 Ke6 42.a4 bxa4 43.bxa4 Re4+ 44.Kd3 Rxa4 45.Rb2 Ra3+ 46.Kd4 Ra6 47.Rb3 f5 48.Ra3 Rxa3 Drawn, skywings - ttooch123, Gameknot, 2008; 6...Qe7 7.Bg5 d6 8.dxc5 Qxe5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nc3 dxc5 11.Qd5+ Qxd5 12.Nxd5 Na6 13.Nxf6+ Kf7 14.Nd5 Re8 15.f3 Be6 16.0-0-0 Rad8 17.c4 c6 18.Nf4 Bxc4 19.Rxd8 Rxd8 20.a3 Nc7 21.h4 Ne6 22.Nh3 h6 23.Rd1 Rxd1+ 24.Kxd1 Bf1 25.Ng1 Bxg2 26.Ke1 Bh1 27.Kf2 Nd4 28.Kg3 Kf6 29.Kf4 b6 30.e5+ Ke6 31.Ke4 a5 32.Kf4 Nf5 33.h5 Ng7 34.Kg3 Kxe5 35.Kh2 Bxf3 36.Nxf3+ Ke4 37.Ng5+ Kd3 38.Nf7 Nxh5 39.Nxh6 Kc2 40.Nf5 Kxb2 41.a4 c4 42.Kg1 c3 43.Ne3 c2 44.Nc4+ Kc3 45.Nxb6 c1Q+ White resigned, dwabro22 - teluguman48, Gameknot, 2005) 7.Qf3 Bxe5 8.dxe5 Ne8 9.Qb3+ d5 10.Nc3 Be6 11.Nxd5 Nd7 12.Bf4 c6 13.0-0-0 cxd5 14.exd5 Bf5 15.d6+ Kf8 16.e6 Bxe6 17.Qxe6 Nef6 18.Rhe1 Rc8 19.Qf5 Rc5 20.Qh3 Qc8 21.Rd2 Nb6 22.d7 Nbxd7 23.Bd6+ Kf7 24.Re7+ Kg6 25.Bxc5 Qxc5 26.Qg3+ Qg5 27.Rxg7+ Kxg7 28.Qxg5+ Kf7 29.Qf5 Rd8 30.g4 h6 31.h4 Ke7 32.g5 hxg5 33.hxg5 Ne8 34.g6 Black resigned, jcekota - tomy, net-chess.com, 2005

6.d4

Or: 6.Qf3 Qe7 7.Qf4 Rf8 Black claimed a win on time, leif41no - Namecheck, ChessWorld Welcome Tournament, 2009;

or 6.0-0 d6 7.Nc4 Nxe4 8.d4 Bb6 9.Qf3 d5 10.Ne5 Be6 11.Qh5+ g6 12.Nxg6 Nf6 13.Qh4 Nbd7 14.Re1 Kf7 15.Ne5+ Ke7 16.Bg5 Qf8 17.Ng4 h5 18.Bxf6+ Nxf6 19.c3 hxg4 20.Qg3 Ne4 21.Rxe4 dxe4 22.Nd2 Bd5 23.Qxg4 Qh6 White resigned, viejoasquerosos - Devinator3000, redhotpawn, 2004;

or 6.d3 d6 7.Nc4 Nc6 8.0-0 Ng4 9.Be3 Nxe3 10.Nxe3 Be6 11.Re1 Qf6 12.Qf3 Rf8 13.Qxf6 Rxf6 14.c3 Bxe3 15.fxe3 Ne5 16.d4 Nd3 17.Rf1 Nxb2 18.Rxf6 gxf6 19.e5 fxe5 20.dxe5 dxe5 21.Nd2 Rd8 22.Rb1 Rxd2 23.Kf1 Rd1+ 24.Rxd1 Nxd1 25.Ke1 Nxc3 26.a4 Nxa4 27.Kd2 c5 28.h4 h5 White resigned, gpirath - fredcwn, net-chess.com 2004.

6...Bb6 7.Bg5 d6


Also seen: 7...Rf8 8.0-0 d6 9.Nc4 Bg4 10.f3 Bh5 11.Nxb6 axb6 12.Qe2 Qd7 13.e5 dxe5 14.Qxe5+ Qe7 15.Bxf6 Qxe5 16.Bxe5 Black resigned, Schreiner,H - Arnold,J, Wattens, 2000.

8.Nc4 h6 9.Bh4

The Bishop retreat may not be the most accurate. Fritz 8 looked at 9.Nxb6 axb6 10.Bxf6 Qxf6 11.Nc3 Nc6 12.Nd5 Qf7 13.0-0 Be6 with the game eventually reaching equality.

9...Be6

Instead, 9...g5 10.Bg3 Nxe4 gave Black the better game.

10.d5 Bxf2+



An oversight or a miscalculation.

11.Bxf2 Bg4 12.Qd4 Kf7 13.Bh4 g5 14.Bg3 Nbd7 15.0-0 Be2 16.Rf2 Bxc4 17.Qxc4 Kg6+

White has the better game.

18.Nc3 Ng4 19.Rf5



White sets a very interesting trap.


19...Ne3 20.Qd4 Nxf5

Black might as well take this Rook, as going after the other one with 20...Nxc2 21.Qd3 Nxa1 does not lead to advantage for him after 22.e5 Kg7 23.e6 Rf8 ( 23...Nf6 24.Bf2 and White is winning) 24.exd7 Qxd7 25.Rf1 Rxf1+ 26.Qxf1 Nc2 27.Qd3 Na1 28.Bf2 Qf7 29.Qd1 Qg6 30.Qxa1 Qd3 31.Qe1 Rf8 with an edge to White.
21.exf5+ Kxf5


Black errs. He needed to leave the pawn alone: 21...Kh7 22.Re1 Rf8 23.Nb5 Rf7 (not 23...Rxf5 24.Qd3 Qf6 25.Nd4 and White is winning) and White has an edge.

22.Qg7



White now has a forced checkmate.