Bringing the Heat

Philidor 1792 returns with a topical Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit game, in which White keeps the heat on the enemy King - until the enemy Queen falls!

Philidor1792 - u_prolazu
Chess.com 3 d/move, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Nf3 h6 5.O-O 

Also: 5.Qe2 Nf6 6.c3 d6 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Bg4 9.Qc4+ Ke7 10.Nc3 Na5 11.Qa4 b6 12.Be3 Bd7 13.Qc2 Nc4 14.O-O-O Nxe3 15.fxe3 g5 16.e5 Ng4 17.Nd5+ Kf7 18.Rhf1 Kg7 19.h3 c6 20.Nf6 Nxf6 21.exf6+ Kxf6 22.Ne5+ Ke7 23.Qg6 Be8 24.Qf6 checkmate, Philidor 1792 - guest278, www.bereg.ru 2014.

5... Bc5 

Starting off with a Bishop's Opening, the game has transposed to a Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit!

6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ke6 8. Qf5+ Kd6 9. Na3

"TN". Houdini sees this as slightly better than the much more popular 9.d4.

Philidor 1792 has investigated Na3 in similar situations - see"An Intriguing Letter" Part 1, 2 and 3; "A Fan of the Jerome Gambit"; "If It's A Good One"; and "It Is Easier to Attack Than Defend."


9...Qf6 10.Nc4+ Nxc4 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qxc5+ Qd6

It is understandable that Black wants to ease his King's stress by exchanging Queens, but a better defense was to be found in 12...Nd6.

13.Qxc4 b6 14.d4 Bb7 15.f3 Re8 16.Bd2 Kd8 

Black castles-by-hand, and White quickly moves to make the enemy unsafe again.

17.a4 a5 18.b4 Qc6 19.Qd3 axb4 20.a5 bxa5 21.Rxa5 d6 22.Rb1 Kd7 

The Black King, uneasy, makes room to allow his Rook to contest the a-file. Little does he realize the danger in this! Better was the developing 22...Ne7.

23.Rxb4 Ra8 24.d5

The Queen is trapped. 

24...Qb6+ 25.Rxb6 cxb6 26.Rxa8 Bxa8 27.Qb5+ Ke7 28.Qxb6 Nf6 29.Qc7+ Nd7 30.Bf4 Rd8 31.Qxd6+ Kf7 32.Qe6+ Black resigned