Overlooked For A Reason

Here's that "overlooked" Jerome Gambit game that I mentioned in my last post, "Another Error, Another Win". It's a painful one to play over, as my opponent offered me an escape from a difficult situation, and I missed it.

perrypawnpusher - alvarzr
blitz, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8

8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qe3 Nf6 

Or 9...d5 as in Wall,B - Guest497592, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 23). 

10.Nc3 d6 

Or 10...Kf7 11.0-0 Rf8  as in perrypawnpusher - frencheng, 20 5 blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½, 34). 

11.0-0 b6 

Instead, Black got more aggressive with 11...Be6 12.f4 Ng4 13.Qg3 Qh4 in Wall,B - Hirami,Z, Chess.com, 2011 (1-0, 20) and with 
11...Ng4 in Wall,B - CKSP, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 15); but more careful (castling-by-hand) with 11...Rf8 12.f4 Kf7  in  perrypawnpusher - chingching, blitz, FICS, 2011 (½-½, 36). 

12.f4 Bb7 13.d3 

The more forward 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 followed in perrypawnpusher-Navarrra, blitz, FICS, 2011 (24) and perrypawnpusher - MarkHundleby1, Chess.com, 2013 (1-0, 27).

13...Kd7 

Or 13...a6 14.b3 Kd7 15.Ba3 Rae8 as in perrypawnpusher -MRBarupal, blitz, 2010 (0-1, 22) 

14.Bd2 

A bit better was 14.Qh3+ Ke8 15.b3. 

14...Rae8 15.Rae1 Rhf8 

One of the reasons that I have shared a lot of links above is to show how many ideas grow out of these Jerome Gambit positions. In the current game, however, as things went on, I began to think less and push pieces more, and this is never a good thing.

16.Qd4 Kc8 17.Qa4 Nd7 18.Qxa7 Nc5 19.Qa3 

Pawn grabbing with the Queen is not such a deep idea. Instead, it was time to be more dynamic with play like 19.b4 Na6 20.b5 Nc5 21.f5 Nh8 22.Nd5. 

19...Qh4 20.Nd5 Bxd5 21.exd5 Rxe1 

22.Rxe1

After the game, Houdini suggested that I should have started looking for a draw here with 22.Qa8+ Kd7 23.Qc6+ Kd8 24.Rxe1 Ne7 25.Qa8+ Nc8 26.g3 Qg4 27.Kg2 Re8 28.Rxe8+ Kxe8 29.b4 Qe2+ 30.Kh3 Qh5+ 31.Kg2 Qe2+ 32.Kh3 Qh5+

22...Kb7 23.g3 Qg4 24.Qc3

Overlooking danger: 24.d4 was necessary.

24...Nxf4

Even stronger: 24...Nh4.

25.Bxf4 Rxf4 26.b4

One last gasp. Where's a good swindle when you need one?

26...Nd7

That should do it. Of course, 26...Rxb4 keeps Black on top.

27.Qc6+

Now White can answer  27...Ka7 with 28.Qxc7+ Ka6 29.b5+ Ka5 30.Qc3+ Ka4 31.Qb3+ Ka5 32.c4 Rxc4 33.dxc4 Qd4+ 34.Re3 and advantage - if he sees it.

27...Kc8 28.Qa8+

Yipes! Instead, my opponent walks into a mate-in-one (28.Re8#) - and I miss it.

We both deserve to lose. I deserved it more.

28...Nb8 29.Re8+ Kd7 30.Re1 

Alas, capturing Black's Knight allows him to checkmate me.

30...Rf8 31.Qa4+ Kc8 32.c4 Qd4+ 33.Kh1 Qf2 34.Re8+ Rxe8 35.Qxe8+ Kb7 36.h4 Qxg3 37.Qe4 Qf2 38.Qg2 Qxg2+ 39.Kxg2 Nd7 

The endgame is fairly won for Black.

40.d4 b5 41.c5 Nf6 42.cxd6 cxd6 43.Kf3 Nxd5 44.a3 Nc3 45.Kf4 Nb1 46.Kf5 Nxa3 47.Ke6 Kc7 48.Kf7 g6 49.Kg7 Nc2 50.Kxh7 Nxb4 51.Kxg6 Nd5 

White's King has gotten his exercise, but it doesn't save the game.

52.Kf5 Nc3 53.h5 b4 54.h6 b3 55.h7 b2 56.h8Q b1Q+ 57.Ke6 Qe4+ 58.Kf7 Qf5+ 59.Ke7 Nd5+ White resigned