Still Further Off The Beaten Path; And Not So Familiar

Here's another Jerome Gambit game from shugart, playing at the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS). Unlike the play in the last post (see"A Familiar Line Off The Beaten Path"), this features a novel line that is truly new to White, and quite rare in The Database (it is one of three games).

shugart - bobbybo
FICS, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qh5 

9...Nf6

Black's move is an improvement over the less-challenging 9...N8e7, e.g. 10.O-O Be6 11.f4 Ke8 12.f5 Bf7 13.fxg6 Bxg6 14.Qf3 Qd7 15.Nc3 Kd8 16.d3 Qe6 17.Bg5 Kd7 18.Qe2 Rad8 19.d4 c6 20.d5 cxd5 21.exd5 Qxe2 22.Nxe2 Bxc2 23.Nd4 Bg6 24.Bxe7 Kxe7 25.Rae1+ Kd7 26.Nf5 Bxf5 27.Rxf5 g6 28.Rf7+ Kc8 29.Ree7 a6 30.Rxb7 Rde8 31.Rxh7 Rxh7 32.Rxh7 Re1+ 33.Kf2 Rd1 34.Rh6 Rxd5 35.Rxg6 Kc7 36.h4 Rh5 37.g3 d5 38.Ke3 Re5+ 39.Kd4 Re1 40.g4 Rd1+ 41.Ke3 d4+ 42.Ke2 Rb1 43.b3 Rb2+ 44.Kd3 Rxa2 45.Kxd4 Rd2+ 46.Kc3 Rh2 47.h5 Rh3+ White forfeited on time, Siggus - MetaMidi, FICS, 2006.

10.Qe2

Also improving on the previous 10.Qf3, e.g. Kf7 11.O-O Rf8 12.Qb3+ d5 13.exd5 Qxd5 14.Qxd5+ Nxd5 15.Nc3 Nb4 16.Rb1 Nxc2 17.b3 Bf5 18.Rb2 Nb4 19.a3 Nd3 20.Ra2 c6 21.a4 Rfe8 22.f3 Nxc1 23.Rxc1 Bd3 24.Raa1 Nf4 25.Kf2 Ne2 26.Nxe2 Rxe2+ 27.Kg3 Rae8 28.b4 Rxd2 29.b5 Ree2 30.bxc6 Rxg2+ 31.Kf4 g5+ 32.Ke3 Rge2+ 33.Kd4 bxc6 34.Kc5 Rc2+ 35.Rxc2 Rxc2+ 36.Kb4 c5+ 37.Ka5 Rb2 38.Rc1 c4 39.h3 Rc2 40.Re1 c3 41.Re5 Rb2 42.Rc5 c2 43.Rc7+ Kg6 44.Rc6+ Kh5 45.Rc3 Rb1 46.Rxd3 c1=Q 47.Rd5 Qc7+ 48.Ka6 Qb6 checkmate, indoeinstein - adlkaslad, FICS, 2014 

10...Kf7 11.O-O Re8 12.Nc3 

Curiously, the game has reached a position from the game featured in the previous post, with Black's Queen on d8 (here) instead of e6 (there).

Black's faulty combination now hands the advantage over to White. (He probably overlooked that the capture at move 14 comes with check.) When you are playing against a bad opening, it is easy to see its many faults, real and imagined.

12...Bg4 13.f3 Nxe4 14.fxe4+ Kg8 15.Qxg4 c6

White now settles things down with some exchanges, magnifying his extra piece and pawn.

16.d3 Qb6+ 17.Kh1 Rad8 18.b3 Ne5 19.Qg3 Re6 20.Bf4 Rg6 21.Qf2 Rf8 22.Qxb6 axb6 23.Bxe5 dxe5 24.Rxf8+ Kxf8 25.Rf1+ Ke7

The endgame plays out as expected.

26.g3 Ke6 27.Kg2 b5 28.Nd1 c5 29.Ne3 h5 30.h4 Rh6 31.Rf5 Rh7 32.Rg5 b6 33.Rg6+ Kf7 34.Rxb6 g6 35.Rb7+ Kg8 36.Rxh7 Kxh7 37.Kf3 Kg7 38.g4 Kf6 39.gxh5 gxh5 40.Nf5 Ke6 41.a4 bxa4 42.bxa4 Black resigned