Lucky, Lucky, Lucky

Despite my misgivings (see "I am pond scum") I continue to play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

After the following game (a Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) had ended, my opponent, unhappy with his game at the end, had written "blind, blind, blind ". I complimented him on his play and good sportsmanship (in contrast, see "I expected better..."), as I indeed had been "lucky, lucky, lucky."

perrypawnpusher  - LeifPetersen
blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6

This is analagous to the Jerome Gambit line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6, with ...h7-h6 thrown in for Black and 0-0 thrown in for White.

I was surprised to find only 9 other game examples in the New Year's Database.

8.Qd5+

Nudge.

The earliest Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit game in the New Year's Database is RomanDurdis - ifufocop, blitz FICS, 2005, which continued: 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qd5+ Be6 10.Qxb7 Nf6 11.Qb5 Rf8 12.d3 Kg8 13.c4 Qe7 14.f4 Bd7 15.Qb3 Rab8 16.Qc3 Nh7 17.f5 Ne5 18.Qe1 Nf6 19.Qg3 Kh8 20.Nc3 Qe8 21.Nd5 Nxd5 22.cxd5 Qh5 23.Bf4 Nf7 24.b3 Bb5 25.Rac1 Rb7 26.Rf2 Nd8 27.Qf3 Qxf3 28.Rxf3 Nf7 29.Rff1 Re8 30.Rfe1 Ne5 31.Bxe5 Rxe5 32.a4 Bd7 33.Rb1 c6 34.dxc6 Bxc6 35.d4 Rxe4 36.Rxe4 Bxe4 37.Re1 d5 38.Kf2 Rxb3 39.g4 Rb4 40.Ke3 Rxa4 41.Rc1 Kh7 42.Kf4 Rxd4 43.h4 Rd2 44.Rc7 Rf2+ 45.Ke5 Ra2 46.g5 a5 47.g6+ Kg8 48.Rc8 checkmate.

8...Ke8

Or 8...Kf8 9.Qxc5+ d6 (9...N8e7 10.Nc3 b6 11.Qe3 Bb7 12.f4 d5 13.f5 d4 14.fxg6+ Kg8 15.Qf4 dxc3 16.Qf7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - sarBear, blitz FICS, 2009) 10.Qe3 N8e7 11.d4 Kg8 12.Nc3 Kh7 13.f4 Rf8 14.f5 Nh8 15.g4 Kg8 16.g5 hxg5 17.Qxg5 Nf7 18.Qg3 Nc6 19.f6 g5 20.Bxg5 Nxg5 21.Qxg5+ Kf7 22.Qg7+ Ke6 23.d5+ Ke5 24.Qg3+ Kd4 25.Qd3+ Ke5 26.Qg3+ Kd4 27.Qd3+ Ke5 28.Qg3+ Kd4 29.Qd3+ Ke5 30.Qg3+ Kd4 31.Qd3+ Ke5 32.Qg3+ Kd4 draw, perrypawnpusher - pascalwilliams, blitz FICS, 2007;

Or 8...Kf6 9.Qf5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ Ke8 11.f4 d6 12.Qe3 Qf6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qg3 Qxd4+ 16.Kh1 Kd7 17.Nc3 b6 18.Bf4 Ba6 19.Rad1 Qc5 20.Qxg7+ Ne7 21.e5 Rag8 22.e6+ Kc6 23.Qxe7 Re8 24.Qd7+ Kb7 25.b3 Nd2 26.Bxd2 Bxf1 27.Rxf1 Qd4 28.f6 Rhf8 29.Nb5 Qxd2 30.Qxc7+ Ka6 31.Qxa7+ Kxb5 32.Qd7+ Ka6 33.e7 Qe2 34.Rg1 Rxf6 35.Qxe8 Rf1 36.Qa8+ Kb5 37.e8Q+ Qxe8 38.Qxe8+ Kb4 39.Rxf1 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - episodeninetynine, blitz FICS, 2009.

9.Qxc5 d6

An alternate was 9...Qe7 10.Qe3 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 b6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Ba6 15.dxe5 Qxe5 16.Re1 Kf7 17.Qf3 Rhe8 18.Bf4 Qc5+ 19.Be3 Qb5 20.Bd4 Qxb2 21.e5 Nd5 22.e6+ Kg8 23.Qg4 Nxc3 24.Qxg7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Cibola, blitz FICS, 2009

10.Qe3 Nf6

Or 10...Qf6 11.f4 N8e7 12.Nc3 c6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qd3 b5 16.b3 Nb6 17.Bf4 Nd7 18.Rae1 Qf7 19.Bxd6 Nf6 20.Bxe7 Kxe7 21.e5 Nd5 22.f6+ Kf8 23.fxg7+ Kxg7 24.Rxf7+ Kxf7 25.Qf3+ Ke7 26.Nxd5+ Kd8 27.Qf6+ Kd7 28.Qe7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - saltos, blitz FICS, 2009;

Or 10...Ne5 11.d4 Ng4 12.Qg3 N8f6 13.Nc3 Be6 14.h3 Bc4 15.Re1 Qd7 16.hxg4 Nxg4 17.f3 Nf6 18.e5 Nh5 19.exd6+ Kf7 20.Qh2 g6 21.Re7+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka, blitz FICS, 2009.

Interestingly enough, there are 249 games in the New Year's Database with this position – if you take away the current game's ...h7-h6 from Black and 0-0 from White.

On the other hand the current game is the only example coming from the Semi-Italian move order.

(For the record, there are about twice as many Jerome Gambit games as Semi-Italian games in the Database.)

11.f4 Qe7

I have included references to my games to show that I was not a stranger to this opening variation. Still, there were many things for me to figure out.

12.d3 d5

For the next dozen or so moves, Rybka grumped after the game that LeifPetersen and I were not making the best moves. True, we traded small advantages back and forth, but, then again, we are carbon-based, not silicon-based.

13.e5 Nd7

14.Nc3 Nb6 15.Qg3 Nh4

Focusing on the f5 square, where future action will take place.

16.Bd2 Nf5 17.Qg6+ Kd8 18.Rae1 Nd4

I didn't think that the pawn on c2 was worth chasing after. Neither did my opponent.

19.f5 Bxf5 20.Rxf5 Nxf5 21.Qxf5 Rf8

By trading two pieces for a Rook and a pawn, Black has calmed the position, which is about equal. White has a pawn for the exchange, is better developed, and has a safer King. Perhaps the passed pawn will turn out to be something.

22.Qg4 c6 23.b3 Kc7 24.Bf4 Rae8

Black's development is looking threatening.

25.d4 Qe6

The offer of a pawn to open an attacking file. White can grab it safely, if he follows up correctly

26.Qxg7+ Kb8 27.Na4

Ooops...

27...Nxa4 28.bxa4 Rxf4

Down a Rook for a couple of pawns, the only chance that I have left is that my opponent might be as exhilirated as I am depressed...

29.Rb1 Rg8 30.Qxb7 Black checkmate

Okay, after his last move, my opponent was pretty depressed, too. 29...b6 would have been sufficient to cause my resignation.

Indeed, I was lucky, lucky, lucky.