Jerome Gambit: Yet Another Smother

Here is a final game ending in a "smothered mate". That it was played at lightning speed makes it a bit special. Once again, Black counter-sacrifices a Bishop, without proper compensation.

arggy - elJake
lightning, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ 

The so-called Abrahams Jerome Gambit.

3...Kxf7 4.Nf3 Bxf2+

Returning the sacrificed piece in this way is more of a psychological move than anything else. It is not counted among the refutations of the opening.

The Database has 210 games with this position. White scores 64%

5.Kxf2 Nf6 6.Rf1 Nxe4+ 7.Kg1 Rf8 8.c3 Kg8

Move, move, move. Kings are safe. Great. Move, move, move.

9.Qb3+ d5 10.d3 Nf6 11.Nxe5 c6 12.c4 Qc7 13.Bf4 Ng4 14.d4 b5

15.cxd5 Nd7 

Oops.

16.d6+ Kh8 17.dxc7 Nb6 18.Nf7+ Kg8 19.Ng5+ 

Missing it the first time (19.Nh6+) but White has just won a Queen, so maybe he was thinking more prosaicly. He figures it out a moment later, though, and when Black doesn't snap off the Knight at f7...

19...Kh8 20.Nf7+ Kg8 21.Nh6+ Kh8 22.Qg8+ Rxg8 23.Nf7 checkmate

There we go.