Jerome Gambit: On the Way to Victory

Here is another fine win from the top player in the recent RedHotPawn.com Jerome Gambit tournament.

SeinfeldFan91 - junnujannu
Jerome Gambit Tournament, RedHotPawn.com, 2016

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

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O Qe7 

11.Nc3 c6 12.d4

Also seen in this position:

12.d3 Ng4 13.Qe2 Qh4 14.h3 N4e5 15.f4 Nf7 16.Bd2 Qe7 17.Rae1 Kd8 18.Qh5 Qh4 19.Qa5+ b6 20.Qb4 Kc7 21.d4 a5 22.Qc4 Qe7 23.Nd5+ Kd7 24.Nxe7 Kxe7 25.Qxc6 Bd7 26.Qxb6 Rab8 27.Qxa5 Rxb2 28.f5 Nh4 29.e5 dxe5 30.Qc5+ Kf6 31.dxe5+ Black resigned, shugart - volki, FICS, 2013; and

12.f4 Kd8 13.d4 Kc7 14.f5 Nf8 15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Ng4 17.Qd4 Nh6 18.f6 gxf6 19.Bf4 Black resigned, Wall,B - HeHe, Chess.com, 2010.

12...Be6

Development (with a subtle flaw).

Black has also attacked the Queen, as a prelude to a push on the Kingside: 12...Ng4 13.Qg3 h5 14.h3 h4 15.Qd3 Nh6 16.f4 Kd8 17.Bd2 Bd7 18.Rae1 Kc7 19.f5 Nf8 20.Qc4 Kb8 21.Bf4 b5 22.Qc5 Nf7 23.a4 Kb7 24.Qa3 a5 25.axb5 cxb5 26.Nd5 Qd8 27.Bxd6 b4 28.Bxb4 axb4 29.Qxb4+ Kc8 30.Nb6+ Kc7 31.Nxa8+ Qxa8 32.Rf3 Rh6 33.Rc3+ Rc6 34.Rxc6+ Bxc6 35.Qe7+ Nd7 36.Qxf7 Qa5 37.c3 Qa2 38.Qxg7 Qxb2 39.d5 Qxc3 Black resigned, mrjoker - Mandragora, Internet Chess Club, 2009.

13.b3

To deny c4 to the Black Bishop. Also possible was 10.f4. 

13...b6 14.f4 Nf8 

Black has to do something about the threatened fork of his two pieces. Probably he should return the piece with 14...Bf5 15.exf5 Qxe3+ 16. Bxe3 Ne7 getting the Queens off of the board.

15.Qg3

White's threat is e4-e5, and he should probably enforce it directly with 15.Ba3!? and 16.Rae1. He eventually does this, but first he has to address Black harassing his Queen.

15...Nh5 16.Qf3 Nf6 17.e5 Nd5 18.Ba3

The text is okay, although White could have worked to blow things up right away with 18.f5!? Again, he finds the move later.

18...Nxc3 19.Qxc6+ Qd7 20.Qxa8+ Kf7 

White has 3 pawns and a Rook for 2 pieces (one of which he will recover immediately) - as well as an attack on the enemy King. 

21.f5 Ne2+ 22.Kh1 Bxf5 23.Qe4 Ng3+

One of the pieces has to go. Black returns the Knight with a spite check.

24. hxg3 Kg6 25.Qa8

Black resigned

Black's position is a mess, and the closer you look, the worse it appears. The Knight is pinned to the Rook, for example, and the Bishop is pinned to the Knight. The Queen's best move is 25...Qc8, to exchange Queens and get some air, but 26.Qxc8 Bxc8 27.Bxd6 has all the appeal of a root canal.