Flounder

I have slowly been increasing the rating of the players I try the Jerome Gambit on, and this has had a marked impact on my games. While once I could play my "regular" game, and pounce on my opponent's big errors, now I have to try to make something out of much lesser errors... This will continually push me to improve my game, or more results like the following will occur.

perrypawnpusher - truuf
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

The Jerome Variation of the Jerome Gambit, played by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome against David Jaeger in correspondence, 1880.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6

Pete Banks ("blackburne") faced 8...Qe7 over-the-board in Banks -Dunne, Worcestershire vs Derbyshire, 2010, (1-0,35);


Bill Wall has seen both 8...Qf6 (Wall,B - GoldCoinCollector, Chess.com, 2010 [1-0,17]) and 8...h5 (Wall,B -Thieveyen, Chess.com, 2010 [1-0,61]).

9.Nc3

A tiny bit better might be 9.d3, although transposition is likely.

9...Kf7 10.d3 Rf8 11.0-0 Kg8

Black has castled-by-hand and is simply better. His Bishop at c5 holds back the f-pawn, causing a change in White's strategy.

12.Bg5 Nh5

Better was 12...Be6, but who can resist attacking the Queen? 

13.Qh4 Qe8 14.Nd5 Qf7

15.c3 Be6

A reasonable move, but it has a tactical hole, so better was 15...h6.

16.Ne3

Missing a chance to grab a pawn with 16.Nxc7 Qxc7 17.Qxh5 and allowing Black to correct his last move.
16...h6 17.Bxh6 gxh6 18.g4

From here on out, my moves become more and more desperate. 

18...Qg6

An inaccuracy, although giving back a piece (he has two to spare) to exchange Queens pretty much seals my fate.

19.Qxh5 Qxh5 20.gxh5 Bh3 21.Rfe1 Kh7 22.Kh1 Rxf2 23.d4 Bb6 24.Rab1 Raf8

25.a4 R8f3 26.b4 a6 27.a5 Ba7 28.Rbc1 Rd2 29.Nd1 c5 30.dxc5 dxc5 31.e5 cxb4 32.e6 Bg2 checkmate

It is worth checking out the game references, above (all are in The Database), but this outing was not one of my better ones.