Timing

It is a bit of tricky timing, but sometimes right after I analyze and post a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game I soon run into that particular line of play.

perrypawnpusher - GabrielChime
blitz 12 0, FICS, 2010

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

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

My opponent and I have played a few Jeromes. An earlier one continued: 6...Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ng6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qe3 Bd7 12.0-0 Qf8 13.e5 Kd8 14.exd6 Qxd6 15.Nc3 Nf6 16.d3 Re8 17.Qf2 Rf8 18.Be3 b6 19.Rae1 Nd5 20.Nxd5 Qxd5 21.Bd2 Qxa2 22.Bc3 Qd5 23.Bxg7 Re8 24.Rxe8+ Kxe8 25.f5 Ne7 26.f6 Ng6 27.f7+ Kd8 28.f8Q+ Nxf8 29.Qxf8+ Black resigned,  perrypawnpusher - GabrielChime, blitz FICS, 2009.

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Be6

Earlier I had faced 9...Ne5 10.f4 Ng4 11.Qg3 g6 12.d4 Qe7 13.Nc3 Bd7 14.0-0 N4f6 15.e5 Nh5 16.Qf2 Bf5 17.exd6 Qxd6 18.Be3 Kd7 19.Rae1 Rd8 20.h3 Ngf6 21.g4 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - GabrielChime, blitz FICS, 2009.

10.f4

Previously, I had castled, which is a better idea: 10.0-0 Nf6 11.f4 Kd7 12.f5 Bxf5 13.exf5 Re8 14.Qg5 Ne7 15.Qxg7 c6 16.Qxf6 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - dirceu, blitz FICS, 2010. 

After the game Rybka preferred 10.Nc3, suggesting that after 10...Qh4 11.0-0 Nf6 12.f4 Bd7 13.f5 Ne7 14.d3 Kf7 Black had an edge.

10...N6e7

This move is okay, but as the previous note hints at, Black could have made more mischief with 10...Qh4+, e.g. 11.g3 Qh3 12.Nc3 Bg4 and White will find it difficult to castle.

11.0-0 Nc6

The game is roughly even.

An alternative was seen in mrjoker - Melbourne, ICC 2 12 blitz, 2008: 11...Nf6 12.f5 Bf7 13.d3 c6 14.h3 Qb6 15.g4 Qxe3+ 16.Bxe3 Kd7 17.Nd2 b6 18.Kg2 g6 19.g5 Nh5 20.f6 Nc8 21.d4 b5 22.b3 Nb6 23.Rac1 a5 24.c4 bxc4 25.Nxc4 Rhb8 26.Kf3 Nxc4 27.bxc4 Rb2 28.Rf2 Rab8 29.d5 c5 30.Rcc2 Rxc2 31.Rxc2 a4 32.Rc3 Kc7 33.Ra3 Be8 34.e5 dxe5 35.Bxc5 Rb2 36.Ke4 Re2+ 37.Be3 Bd7 38.f7 Black resigned 

12.d4 Bf7 13.Nc3 Qd7

14.e5

Probably advancing the wrong pawn. With a little patience, White would do well with 14.d5 Nce7 15.Qg3 Kf8 16.Be3 Nf6 17.Bd4 – although the position would still be level.

analysis diagram







14...dxe5 15.dxe5 Qe6

My opponent has grasped the weakness of  my pawn advance: the "Jerome pawns" can be frozen and blockaded, making the extra Black piece more valuable. Placing the Queen at f5 was necessary, however. 

16.f5

16...Qxe5 17.Qxe5+ Nxe5 18.Re1 Rd8

19.Bf4 Kd7 20.Bxe5 Nf6

White is a pawn up, but as I learned not long ago in my game against KaZC, that may not be enough for me to win.

21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Ne4 Kc8

Black did not want to protect the f-pawn by moving his King to e7 and into the line of a possible discovered check. Yet the checks would prove harmless, while giving White a second pawn increases the first player's opportunities.

In all fairness, GabrielChime's time was getting short.

23.Nxf6 Rd6 24.Ne4 Rdd8 25.Rad1 Rxd1 26.Rxd1 Re8 27.Nc3

There is nothing really exciting going on: White plans to grind out the win.

27...Bc4 28.Kf2 Rf8 29.g4 c6

30.b3 Bf7 31.Ne4 Bd5 32.Nc5 Rf6 33.c4

Here, my opponent's flag fell.