Fighting Chess

If you play the Jerome Gambit, some day you will be faced with one of its many refutations. The only thing you can do is gather up your resources, look at the defense or counter-attack, and start "Staring It Down"...

Yopsoe turns in a great game of fighting chess.

Yopsoe (2047) - lucylucy (1736)
standard, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4 

Black's sharpest response, which I have referred to as "a pie-in-the-face variation".

7.0-0 Ng4

Black is going for the kill, but this is probably not his strongest move.

8.h3 Bb6 

Instead, 8...Bd6 was seen in Sorensen,S - X, Denmark, 1888 (1-0, 27), the earliest example of 6...Qh4 in The Database. 

9.hxg4 

Not 9.Qf3+ as in Sir Osis of the Liver - perrypawnpusher, Jerome Gambit thematic, ChessWorld, 2008 (0-1, 38)

9...d6 10.f3 h5 

Sheer aggression. 

Development with 10...Be6 was seen in Wall,B - Rajiv, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 33).

11.g5 Ne7 12.Be3 Rf8 13.Nc3 Kg8 

With the h-file closed to Black's Rook, he decides to castle-by-hand. Houdini gives Black a slight edge, but it must be annoying to the second player to have his counter-attack blunted.

14.Ne2 c5 15.c3 cxd4 16.cxd4 Bd8 17.Qc1 

Black would like to target the White pawn on g5, while White wants to move the action to another part of the board.

17...Ng6 18.Qc4+ Rf7 19.Rac1 a5 20.Qd5 Nf8 21.Rf2 Be6 22.Qxd6 Be7 

The game remains sharp, and Houdini gives White a slight edge, despite Black's active pieces.

23.Qb6 Bd8 24.Qb5 Bc8 

A puzzling defensive idea: to kick out White's Queen, Black un-develops.

25.g3 Qh3 26.g6 Nxg6 27.Rh2 Qe6 28.Qxh5 

Now White has the initiative, and his advantage grows, even as Black defends by exchanging pieces.

28...Rc7 29.Rxc7 Bxc7 30.Nf4 Nxf4 31.gxf4 Bd6 32.d5 Qe7

The "Jerome pawns" are going to show their worth.

33.e5 Bc5 34.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 35.Kg2 Bd7 36.Qh8+ Kf7 37.e6+ Bxe6 38.dxe6+ Kxe6 39.Qxg7 

Taking Black's Rook at move 37 or 39 would have allowed a perpetual starting with ...Qc2+.

39...Qe7 40.Rh6+ Kd7 41.Qd4+ Kc8 42.Rh8+ Black forfeited on time