Sunday, June 6, 2010

Learning from the Jerome


I like to think that playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4Bxf7+) will improve my tactics, or at least point me in that general direction. I think it did in the following game.

perrypawnpusher  - Banassi
blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7


The Hungarian Defense. No Jerome Gambit this time. (I know that some Jerome Gambit Gemeinde members – DragonTail and sTpny come to mind – fire off 4.Bxf7+ here, anyhow.)

4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.Nc3 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Bf5


9.Re1 Bf6 10.Ba3 Na5


Courting danger.

11.Bxf7+

There is something funny about this Jerome-style move, which I will get to later.

11...Kxf7 12.Nxe5+ Bxe5


This capture only helps White's attack. 12...Kg8 led to an even game.

13.Rxe5 g6 14.Rxa5 c6


15.Rxf5+

Of course.

15...gxf5 16.Qh5+ Ke6


Black's best move was 16...Kg7, but after the powerful 17.Bc5!? (intending to move to d4) he is in trouble whether or not he returns the exchange.

17.Re1+ Kd7 18.Qxf5+ Kc7 19.Re7+ Kb8


Moving in front of the pawns was no cure: 19...Kb6 20.Qc5+ Ka6 21.Qc4+ b5 22.Qxc6+ Qb6 23.Qe4 and White has too many threats.




analysis diagram







20.Qe5+ Kc8 21.Qe6+ Kb8 22.Bd6+ Black resigned


A Bishop sacrifice at f7... A Knight capture at e5... A King-hunt started with Qh5+... The game ended up Jerome-ish, after all.

And the funny thing about 11.Bxf7+ – it wasn't the strongest move on the board.

White's best was to take the e5 pawn for free with 11.Nxe5 and offer to sacrifice the Bishop a different way: if Black played 11...Nxc4, White's best would be 12.Nc6+!? winning Black's Queen.

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