The Search Continues... With Some Success

As part of my investigations looking into "A GM Plays the Jerome Gambit ??" I signed up for a free week's membership at the Internet Chess Club (ICC) and began searching the games database for Jerome Gambit games. Frankly, it was quite tedious, and often my effort seemed for naught, but I did come upon the following game. At least at the 2200 level, at least for this game, two pawns did not counterbalance an extra piece.

Rututu (2271) - AWayOut (2241)
blitz, 3 0 ICC, 2010

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

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

7.Qd5+

Well, what do you know? He plays "the nudge"!

7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 Nf6

9.0-0 d6 10.Qe3 Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.Nc3

Rybka 3 prefers a different line of play, which it says leaves White only a half-point behind (18 ply) but its recommendation is the kind of positional wood-shifting the computer gets into when it doesn't see anything specific and so tries a tweak here and a tweak there: 12.Qb3+ Kf8 13.d3 c6 14.a4 Qa5 15.Qa3 Qb6+ 16.Kh1 c5 17.a5 Qa6 18.f5 Ne5 19.Nc3 b5 20.b4 c4 21.Ne2 Bd7.

12...Kg8

Black has safeguarded his King by castling-by-hand.

13.f5 Ne5 14.Qg3

Possibly 14.d4, as in perrypawnpusher - avgur, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 23) and perrypawnpusher - CorH, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 24), was a bit better.

14...c5 15.d3 Bd7 16.Bg5 Bc6 17.Kh1 Qe7 18.Ne2 Qf7 19.Nf4 Nh5 20.Nxh5 Qxh5

Here Rybka 3 rates Black only about 2/3 pawn ahead, but it is clear that he is getting more mileage from his two pieces than White is getting from his piece and two pawns.

21.f6

Opening a line to the enemy King, but it does not achieve much here, even in blitz, as Black's deft reponse shows.

21...Re6 22.fxg7 Rg6 23.Rf8+ Rxf8 24.gxf8Q+ Kxf8

25.Qf4+

Imagining a Q + R battery on the f-file and plenty of pressure if Black's King moves to the Kingside.

25...Ke8 26.Bf6 Qg4

Offering an exchange of Queens to slow the tactics and preserve his advantage. Even stronger was 26...Ng4, keeping the Queens on the board, winning a pawn, and continuing his own pressure.

27.Qxg4 Nxg4 28.Bc3 d5

Wrapping things up.

29.Re1 dxe4 30.dxe4 Nf2+ 31.Kg1 Nh3+ 32.Kf1 Bb5+ White resigned