Tactical Sloppiness

Here we have a second straight loss for me, the kind better blamed on my tactical sloppiness than on the Jerome Gambit itself, which certainly gave me chances for success.


perrypawnpusher  - wbrandl
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

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

7.Qd5+ Kf6 8.Qxc5

What difference, if any, does it make that Black's King is on f6?

Before I played 8.Qxc5, I toyed with playing 8.d4, with the threat of 9.B (or Q) g5+ winning Black's Queen. I had obviously forgotten that I had played the move successfully several years ago in perrypawnpusher - whitepandora, blitz, FICS, 2008, (1-0, 41). For the same reason, 8.f4 was also playable, and also better than the text.

8...d6 9.Qe3 N8e7 10.d4 Kf7

Black tried the center/Queenside attack 10...c5 11.dxc5 Qa5+ 12.Nc3 Qxc5 in perrypawnpusher - useche, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 22)

11.0-0 Rf8 12.f4 Kg8 13.f5 Nh8 14.Nc3 c6

Some of White's compensation for his sacrificed piece is Black's crowded position.

15.Qg3 d5 16.f6 Neg6 17.fxg7 Kxg7 18.Be3

A bit better was 18.Bg5

18...Rxf1+ 19.Rxf1 Nf7 20.Qf3 Ng5 21.Bxg5 Qxg5 22.Qf7+ Kh6 23.exd5 cxd5

After the game Rybka concluded that White had equalized.

24.Nxd5 Bg4 25.Nf4

The Knight needed to go to f6 with the possibility of continuing on to g8. The position would be complicated, but White at worst can expect to draw by repetition.

My move was made with little analysis other than thinking "this looks like a good square" and it allowed Black to bring his Rook into play, winning quickly.

25...Rf8

26.Qxb7 Rxf4 27.Qxa7 Rxf1+ 28.Kxf1 Qf4+ White resigned