Do As I Say...

Readers are encouraged to enjoy the following quickie game, while recalling the charge: Do as I say, not as I do...

perrypawnpusher - schachix
blitz, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 

When declining the Knight, usually Black's King retires to f8.

6.Qh5+

The Queen check was irresistible, but not best. I had been trying to get a Jerome Gambit all week, and this was my first opportunity.

The proper way to play this, as I should have remembered, is 6.Nxc6 when after 6...Qh4 (no examples in The Database) 7.d4 Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 10.Nb4 Bxd4 11.Nd5 Kd8 the game would be equal.

For the record, 6.Nxc6 bxc6 was seen in Wall,B - Qwerty, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9) and Wall,B - LFTN, FICS 2012 (1-0, 20) while 6...dxc6 was dispatched in Wall,B - Gebba, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 11).

6...g6

I had already pulled off 6...Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Nxc6+ Kf6 10.Qf5 checkmate, Kennedy - WeakDelphi, blitz 2 12, 2008 and 6...Kf8 7.Qf7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - platel, blitz, FICS, 2011 (which probably influenced my choice of 6.Qh5+). 

7.Nxg6 

7...Qf6 

Here is where my opponent lost his chance. Houdini recommends 7...Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Nf6 9.Qh4 Rg8 10.Rf1 Rxg6 11.Kg1 Qe7 with advantage to Black.

Only 5 games in The Database have Black's counter-sacrifice of the Bishop, and 4 of them are wins for White, for example 7...Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ (8...Nf6 was correct) 9.Nf4+ Kd8 10.d3 d6 11.Rf1 Qd4+ 12.Be3 Qf6 13.c3 Black resigned, Hultgren,R - Harrow, Campbell, CA 1960.

8.Nxh8+ Kd8 9.Qxc5 Qxh8 10.Qf8 checkmate