Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Jerome Gambit to the Rescue!


With one game left in the Italian Game Tournament at Chess.com (see "Swan Song") I relied on my trusty Jerome Gambit, and it did not fail me. Thus, I am likely to finish 3rd (out of 19 players) with a score of 13-6-5 (5-3-0 with the Jerome Gambit).


perrypawnpusher - MarkHundleby1
Italian Game Tournament, Chess.com, 2013

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




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


I was comfortable entering this line, as I have played it over 100 times, scoring 81%.

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6




I have been here, too, in 44 games, also scoring 81%


10.O-O Qe7 11.Nc3 b6 12.f4 Bb7 





13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Ned7


A bit of an improvement over 14... Neg4, from perrypawnpusher - Navarrra, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 24) - which I still have to post here, one of these days.

15. Re1 Kd8 16. e5 dxe5 17. dxe5 Nd5



Bill Wall pointed out after the game that this was an error - one both my opponent and I overlooked. He suggested, instead, 17... Ng4!?

18.Qg3


Instead, 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Rd1, followed by e6, as pointed out by Bill, would give White the advantage.


18...h6 19.Be3 


Again: 19.Nxd5 Bxd5 20.Rd1


19...Nxe3 20.Rxe3 Qg5 21.Qxg5+ 


Bill preferred keeping the Queens on the board with 21.Qf2


21... hxg5 22.Rd1 Ke8 




I remember analyzing this position, and then seeing my opponent's move, thinking I didn't think he could play that move...  After 22...Kc8, instead, I agree with Bill that Black is a little bit cramped but still ok.


23.Nb5


I remember thinking that after having played 19.Be3 and 21.Qxg5+, that the text would look like another "just making moves" kind of piece-shifting. I could imagine my opponent thinking: Now we just exchange c-pawns with 23...Ke7 24.Nxc7 25.Rac8 Nb5 26.Rxc2 and then Black has deadly pressure on g2...


23...Ke7 


Better 23...Rc8 24.Nxa7 Rd8 25.Nb5 Nc5 26.Nxc7+ Ke7 with an even game. 


24.Nxc7 Rac8  


25.f6+ 


The "Jerome pawns," instead, mix things up. They blow up the center, and suddenly Black's King is in great danger.


25...gxf6 26.exf6+ Kf8 27.Rxd7 Black resigned




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