Wall, Bill - NN
Florida, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8
Black is either happy with accepting only one sacrificed piece, or he is trying to throw White off of his game, by playing something "different". This latter strategy needs to be examined, as the main lines of the offbeat Jerome Gambit are often stronger for Black than the backroads.
The Database has 269 games with 5...Kf8; White scores 55%. More importantly, before the current game Bill was 15-0 against the move.
6.O-O
Bill has also played 6.Nxc6 in Wall,B - WMXW, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 31), and Wall,B - Guest709079, PlayChess.com, 2017 (1-0, 30).
He has tried the interesting 6.d4 in Wall,B - Tim93612, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 36), Wall, B. - Guest757851, PlayChess.com, 2014, (1-0, 42), and Wall,B - Guest6399506, PlayChess.com, 2015 (1-0, 24).
6...Nf6
Or 6...Nxe5 Wall,B - Mazanbaku, lichess.org, 2017, (1-0, 15); Wall,B - Guest1442, chesstempo.com, 2017, (1-0, 21); billwall - DeDrijver, Chess.com, 2012, (1-0, 20); Wall,B - Guest423598, PlayChess.com, 2017, (1-0, 19); and Wall,B - Guest5244307, PlayChess.com, 2019 (1-0, 16).
Or 6...Qf6 as in Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016, (1-0, 13); Wall,B - Computer-level 6, chess.com 2017 (by transposition), (1-0, 47); and Wall,B -Guest4658155, PlayChess.com, 2019, (1-0, 29).
Or 6... d6 as in Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess, 2016, (1-0, 26) and Wall,B - Guest399227, PlayChess.com, 2016,(1-0, 17).
7.Nd3
This is a novelty, according to The Database.
7...Bb6 8.e5 Ne8
It is not immediately clear, but 8...Ng8 was stronger. The text move gives White chances that he is not particularly interested in.
9.Qf3+ Kg8 10.Nc3
Bill refrains from repeated checks that would leade to a draw, i.e. 10.Qd5+ Kf8 11.Qf3+ Kg8 12.Qd5+, etc. Black could respond, of course, by interposing the Knight - 11...Nf6 - but after 12.exf6 Qxf6 13.Qxf6+ gxf6 he would simply be a pawn down, with no compensation.
10...a6
This move gave me a chuckle. "Objectively", it is an error, as it allows White to pursue the draw, mentioned above, when clearly Black is still better. On the other hand, perhaps Black was okay with a draw, or sensed that his opponent would not be interested in splitting the point so early in the game.
11.Qd5+ Kf8
Just checking.
12.Na4
Avoiding the draw.
12...Ba7
See the earlier comments. He could have taken the draw off of the table with 12...Qe7
13.b3
ibid.
13...d6
op. cit.
14.Ba3 Qe7
There you have it: no draw. (For now.)
White is happy to continue his focus on the enemy King.
Black is happy to continue to do "a whole lot of nothing". Note the impact of his dark square Bishop.
15.exd6 cxd6 16.Rae1 Nf6 17.Qf3 Qd8 18.Nc3 h6
19.Nf4
An interesting, if complicated, alternative was 19.Ne4!? Kg8 20.Nxd6, although both 20...Bg4 and 20...Nd4 would keep the game in flux.
Instead, Bill goes with the concrete threat, and his opponent misses the idea that giving up the exchange might well be an effective sacrifice.
19...Kg8 20.Ng6 Rh7
Saving the Rook by burying it. There was something to be said for 20...Kh7!? 21.Nxh8 Kxh8, when White would have a Rook and two pawns for a couple of pieces - and Black might still have an edge.
21.Nd5
A move with poison. Of course, not now 21...Nxd5, as 22.Qxd5+ Be6 23.Qxd6 checkmate. Ouch. In the meantime, e7 seems to beckon to the Knights.
21...Bc5
22.Bxc5
Could be time pressure, otherwise Bill might have settled for simply stoking his attack with 22.Bb2. Stockfish 10 recommends 22.b4, which seems to over-complicate things. Instead, the attack seems to lag.
22...dxc5 23.c4 Qd6 24.Qd3 Nd4
Black's Rooks are still parked in their respective garages, but the advantage in material threatens to become a factor.
25.Nxf6+
Another way was 25.Nge7+ Kh8 26.Ng6+ Kg8 27.Nge7+, etc.
25...gxf6 26.Re8+ Kf7 27.Re7+ Kg8 28.Re8+ Kf7 29.Re7+ Kg8 Draw
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