Zombie Walk

If you want to take the fun out of someone playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against you, you can always count on... The Zombie Walk. That's not the official name of any of the Jerome variations, it's just a way of making the game a boring win. For White. 

perrypawnpusher - Mences
blitz, FICS, 1011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

In our earlier two games, my opponent had played 6...Ng6: perrypawnpusher - Mences, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 38) and perrypawnpusher - Mences, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 19).

Now we have the exciting possibilities of 7.Qxe5 d6, the Blackburne Defense, and 7.Qxe5 Qe7, the Whistler Defense. Which will it be??

7.Qxe5 Bxf2+8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6

Braaaiiinnnnssss...

As I pointed out as recently as last month (see "Short and Unbecoming")
Hmm...

At the cost of exchanging a won game for one in which he is a pawn down, Black has reached a Queenless middlegame that is not what every Jerome Gambiteer wishes for.

I have previously described such a game with the perky title "Nothing Happened".


So, here we go as I zombie-walk through almost another 40 moves.


I guess, if I use my imagination, I can pretend that I am Capablanca or Rubinstein exercising my "technique".


10.Nc3 d6 11.d4 Rf8 12.Rf1 Kg7 13.Kg1 Bd7

14.Bg5 Ng4 15.h3 Nf6 16.Bxf6+

Silly, but it moves things along.

16...Rxf6 17.Rxf6 Kxf6 18.Rf1+ Kg7 19.Nd5 Rc8 20.c4 c6 21.Nc3 Re8

22.b3 g5 23.Kh2 h5 24.g3 h4 25.g4 b5 26.Re1 bxc4 27.bxc4 Rf8 28.Kg2 Rb8 29.Rb1 Re8

For excitement, you can decide after 29...Rxb1 30.Nxb1 c5 if White should play 31.dxc5 or 31.e5.

30.Rb7 Re7 31.Rxa7 Kf6 32.Ra8 Kg7 33.a4 Be6 34.d5 cxd5 35. cxd5 Bf7

36.Rc8 Rb7 37.Nb5 Rb6 38.Rc6 Rxc6

After this, one of the zombies, er, pawns, has to promote.

39.dxc6 d5 40.c7 Be6 41.Nd6 dxe4 42.c8=Q Bxc8 43.Nxc8 Kf6 44.a5 Ke5 45.a6 e3 46. a7 e2 47. Kf2 e1=Q+ 48. Kxe1 Black resigned