perrypawnpusher - 4xel
Chess.com, 2017
My opponent in the following game challenged me to a Jerome Gambit, wondering what new tricks I had in store. It turns out that I was not the one who brought new ideas to the board. I was fortunate to find a drawing line.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4
I think that this is the first and only time that I have played this move, as opposed to over 280 games with 6.Qh5+. Bill Wall has had a lot of success with the line. On the other hand, Bill has had a lot of success with all Jerome Gambit lines.
6...Qh4
Uh-oh. This is what I have called the Pie-in-the-Face Variation. It is at least as old as Sorensen - X, Denmark, 1888 (see below). It is probably Black's strongest response.
Figures. At one point in the game my opponent took some "vacation" time away from the board to complete exams. Just my luck to be playing a hard-working student.
7.O-O Qxe4
The alternative, 7...Ng4, was seen in a number of games, including: 8.h3 Bb6 (8...Bd6 9.e5 Bxe5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Qd5+ Kf6 12.f4 Ng6 13.Nc3 d6 14.Be3 Ke7 15.Rae1 Kd8 16.Nb5 Nf6 17.Qc4 Ne8 18.Bf2 Qf6 19.Bd4 Qh4 20.Rxe8+ Kxe8 21.Nxc7+ Kf8 22.f5 Ne5 23.f6 gxf6 24.Qd5 Kg7 25.Qxd6 Rg8 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 27.Bxe5 and won, Sorensen,S - X, Denmark, 1888) 9.hxg4 (9.Qf3+ N4f6 10.e5 Bxd4 11.exf6 Nxf6 12.c3 Bb6 13.Nd2 Rf8 14.Ne4 Qxe4 15.Qd1 d5 16.Re1 Qf5 17.Be3 Bxe3 18.Rxe3 Bd7 19.Rf3 Qe5 20.Qd2 Rae8 21.Re3 Qd6 22.Rxe8 Rxe8 23.b3 Qe5 24.Rf1 Bc6 25.Kh1 Qe2 26.Qc1 d4 27.cxd4 Qe4 28.d5 Qxd5 29.f3 Kg8 30.Rd1 Qe6 31.Qf4 Nd5 32.Qd4 Ne3 33.Rc1 Bxf3 34.Kg1 Nxg2 35.Rxc7 Qe3+ 36.Qxe3 Nxe3 37.Kf2 Bc6 38.b4 Nd5 White resigned, Sir Osis of the Liver - perrypawnpusher, JG3 thematic, ChessWorld.net 2008) 9...d6 10.f3 Be6 11.Be3 Bc4 12.Re1 Ne7 13.f4 Rhe8 14.Nd2 Ba6 15.Nf3 Qg3 16.a4 Ba5 17.c3 Kf8 18.b4 Ng6 19.f5 Nf4 20.Bxf4 Qxf4 21.Qc2 c5 22.bxa5 Qxg4 23.Rad1 cxd4 24.Rxd4 Qg3 25.Qb3 Qf4 26.Qb1 Qg3 27.e5 g6 28.Rxd6 Re7 29.f6 Ree8 30.Qb4 Bb5 31.Rd8+ Kf7 32.e6+ Kxf6 33.Qd4+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Rajiv, Chess.com, 2010.
8.dxc5 Nf6 9.Nc3 Qc6
The placement of Black's Queen looks okay, although it has gone elsewhere: 9...Qc4 10.Be3 Re8 11.Bd4 d6 12.b3 Qa6 13.cxd6 Qxd6 14.Nb5 Qc6 15.Nxa7 Rxa7 16.Bxa7 b6 17.Qd4 Ba6 18.c4 Nf3+ 19.gxf3 Qxf3 20.Qd1 Re2 21.Qd8 Qg4+ 22.Kh1 Bb7+ White resigned, Wall,B - Guest6296711, PlayChess.com 2014
10.Bg5
I figured there was no sense worrying about the pawn at c5, and went right ahead with development.
Two Bill Wall games:
10.Re1 d6 11.cxd6 Qxd6 12.Bf4 Nf3+ 13.Qxf3 Qb6 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Bxc7+ Qf6 16.Qxd5+ Be6 17.Qxb7 Rhe8 18.Bd8+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Gorodetsky,D, Chess.com, 2010.
10.Qd4 Ng6 11.f3 Re8 12.Be3 b6 13.b4 bxc5 14.bxc5 Nf8 15.a4 Ne6 16.Qc4 d6 17.Rfd1 dxc5 18.Bg5 Black forfeited by disconnection, Wall,B - felineMMXI, blitz. FICS, 2011.
10...b5
Wow. This is a novelty, and a good one. My "safer" castled King is about to experience some heat.
11.Bxf6 Bb7
Of course. Makes you wonder who is the Jerome Gambit "expert".
12.Qh5+
Wishing I had played this 6 moves earlier.
12...Kxf6 13.f3 Qxc5+ 14.Kh1 g6 15.Qh3 Bc6
I reminded myself that I had seen better Jerome Gambit players get out of worse positions than this. I told myself to develop and keep my eyes wide open.
16.Rae1 Rae8 17.Ne4+
If we were playing blitz, I would have tried 17.Re4. I wasn't happy giving up the Knight, but I needed the tempo and the enemy Bishop had been a pain.
17...Bxe4 18.Rxe4 Re7
Black only has to swap off the heavy pieces and his Knight will then guarantee victory.
Still, this move whispered to me "possible swindle" so I kept my hopes up.
19.Rfe1 Rhe8 20.Qg3 Qxc2 21.f4 Nc6
And here we go.
22.Qh4+ g5
It's no use. Instead, 22...Kf7 is met by 23.Qxh7+ and 22...Kg7 is met by 23.Rxe7+ Rxe7 24.Rxe7+ Nxe7 25.Qxe7+, in both cases leading to a draw by repetition.
23.Qxg5+ Kf7 24.Qf5+ Kg8 25.Qg5+ Kh8 26.Qf6+ Kg8 27.Qg5+ Kf8 28.Qf6+ Kg8 29.Qg5+ Drawn
