Jerome Gambit: Clobbering Time

Here is another Cliff Hardy game, a bit of magic in a minute (with no increment).

Wow.

Notes are by Cliff.

Cliff Hardy - NN

1 0, lichess.org, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qe7 9.Qe3

Another interesing juncture. I have a feeling Vlahov likes 9.Qxe7+ here (why not have 6 White checks in a row instead of just 5?) and the 2 moves are fairly close to each other in how strong they are. But I think I prefer to keep the queens on, partly as Black's pieces restrict him and can tend to get in each other's way.

9...d6

Black has a slight advantage with this move but Stockfish claims that 9...d5! gives Black a winning advantage.

10.0-0 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 Bd7?

A bit innocuous - 12...d5! 13.d3 would have kept a slight advantage for Black.

13.f5?!

Pushing the Jerome pawns too early can be a mistake as it can make Black's defensive task easier if he blockades them correctly. 13.d4! would have kept a comfortable advantage for White and if then 13...Re8, White ignores the attack on the e-pawn with 14.f5! Nh4 15.Qf4, when the White attack continues to roll along nicely.

13...Ne5 14.d4 Nc4?

Surprisingly a big error. After this, White was building up a big initiative but after 14...Nf7!, Black would have retained a slight advantage as he would have then been well placed to hold up the Jerome pawns from advancing.

15.Qd3 Nb6

The knight on c4 retards White from playing e5, so Black must strive to not retreat from there. After 15...b5 16.b3 though, White is still poised to blast through the centre.

16.Bg5 Re8 17.Rae1 

White is ready to start clobbering.

17...Qf7 18.e5 dxe5?!

Makes things worse but Black is losing anyway.

19.dxe5 Nfd5 20.e6 Black resigned.

Stockfish surprisingly rates this as highly as +8.4 for White and I must admit I don't really quite understand it, though White has a clear development advantage and will have a material advantage as well after he captures on d7.