Watch that last step...

I was logged onto FICS, waiting to challenge "metheny" to a game – a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), I hoped – when "AreWeThereYet" got to him first. I hung around and watched the first few moves – and then settled in to enjoy the whole game: a fun battle, with a lesson at the end.

AreWeThereYet  - metheny

blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5

Ooooooh. He's asking for it. I was saying to myself: sac the Bishop, sac the Bishop, sac the Bishop...

4.Bxf7+

Yes! I decided to stick around and watch the game.

I have 85 games with this move in my database: 55 wins, 28 losses, 2 draws – scoring 66%. Not bad, but I thought it would be higher.

I've sprinkled in a few short games along with my notes.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

Rybka and others have preferred 5...Ke7: 6.Nc3 (6.Qf3 Nf6 7.Qa3+ d6 8.Qxa5 dxe5 9.Qxe5+ Kf7 10.0-0 Bd6 11.Qc3 Re8 White resigned, M,T-Lothar, remoteschach.de, 2006) 6...Qe8 7.d4 Kd8 8.0-0 d6 9.Nf3 Qg6 10.Qd3 equal game ;

Also 5...Ke6 6.d4 d6 (6...Bd6 7.Qg4+ Ke7 8.Bg5+ Nf6 9.Bxf6+ gxf6 10.Qg7+ Ke8 11.Qf7 checkmate, tih - Shatranje, FICS, 2000) 7.Nd3 d5 8.exd5+ Kxd5 9.Qh5+ Kxd4 10.Be3+ Ke4 11.Nd2 checkmate Sims - Collins, Detroit, 1999;

Or 5...Kf6 6.d4 d6 (6...g5 7.Qf3+ Ke7 8.Bxg5+ Nf6 9.Qxf6+ Ke8 10.Qf7 checkmate, thefrench - bouffant, net-chess, 2002) 7.Qf3+ Bf5 8.Qxf5+ Ke7 9.Qf7 checkmate, Karlsson - Parkes, IECC 2001.

6.Qh5+

Not so successful was 6.c3 Qg5 7.Qf3 Qxe5 8.d4 White resigned, majorminor - chilepine, FICS, 2005.

6...Ke7

Again, Rybka and others preferred 6...g6:
a) 7.Nxg6 Qf6 8.Nxh8+ Black resigned, UNPREDICTABLE - Umbertino, FICS, 2009 ;
b) 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qe5+ (8.Qxa5 b6 9.Qe5+ Be7 10.Nxh8 d6 11.Qg5 Nxe4 12.Qg8+ Bf8 13.Qf7 checkmate, jdgalba - lukkaz,FICS, 2008) 8...Qe7 9.Nxe7 Black resigned, fmarius - drwinstonoboogie, FICS 2009;
c) 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.d4 Bh6 10.Bg5+ Bxg5 11.Qxg5+ Ke8 12.Qxa5 Qe7 13.Nc3 b6 14.Qe5 Qxe5 15.dxe5 Bb7 16.0-0-0 Nh6 slight advantage to White 

7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Qd5+

It is clear from this move that White has at least a draw, as he can repeat positions with continued checks. What if he wants more than a draw?

For starters, he can play as in the game, and pick up the wayward Black Knight at a5.

He can also play 8.d4, threatening to weave a mating net. Black's strongest response is 8...Qf6, but White's surprise shot 9.Nc4+ will allow a win of the Black Queen with 10.Bf4+. Something to remember the next time the line pops up!

8...Ke7 9.Qxa5

Of course, 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.d4 transposes into the previous note.

It is not as good to jump into a typical Jerome Gambit endgame (Queenless middlegame): 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Qxg8 Rxg8 11.Nf7+ Ke7 12.Nxd8 Kxd8 13.d3 b6 14.0-0 Nc6 15.f4 Ba6 16.Nc3 Bc5+ 17.Be3 Bxe3+ 18.Kh1 Nd4 19.Rf3 Nxf3 White resigned, paaras - worpe, FICS, 2004

9...d6 10.Nf3 Bg4

White has a comfortable two-pawn-plus position, and develops his game.

11.d3 Nf6 12.Bg5 Bxf3 13.gxf3 c6 14.Qxd8+ Rxd8

15.Rg1 h6 16.Bxf6+ gxf6 17.Nc3 b5

The endgame may take a while, but the game should be White's. He can infiltrate along the g-file, use f5 as a post for his Knight, and even look to open up another file with a2-a4. 

18.Kd2 a6 19.Ne2 h5 20.Nf4

Working against Black's possible ...d6-d5. I prefer Ne2-d4-f5.

20...Bh6 21.Ke3 Rhg8 22.Rg3 Rxg3

This seems a bit too cooperative, as it allows White to straighten out his pawns. Probably 22...d5 was best, now that the White Knight was pinned. 

23.fxg3 Rg8 24.b4 d5 25.exd5 cxd5

White's play has left his opponent with 4 pawn islands, to his own two. He might now have considered 26.a4 to open a line for his Rook.

26.Kd4 Kd6

If sacrificing a Bishop on move 4 always led to engames like this, we might see masters playing the Jerome Gambit...

27.Nxd5

Surprisingly, a weak move, as Black's next move reveals. In fact, it is hard to say if the move loses the game, or merely leaves White with a difficult draw to find. Amazing!

It looks like 27.Nxh5 was the correct move.

27...f5

The threat of an x-ray attack along the a1-h8 diagonal will win the White Knight: 28.Re1 Bg7+ 29.Ke3 Re8+ 30.Kd2 Rxe1 31.Kxe1 Kxd5, when White has three pawns against Black's Bishop. Fritz8 says Black wins, but not every club player plays like a computer, especially in blitz.

28.Ne3 Bg7 checkmate

Wow. An excting game: interesting opening play, a business-like middle, and a surprising resource that turns the table in the end.

My thanks to both metheny and AreWeThereYet.