The following game goes mildly along its way, featuring an arcane transposition from a "modern" Jerome Gambit to a Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit. Then, suddenly, the game lurches into deadly waters. And out, again.
Of course, Bill Wall is playing the Jerome.
Wall, Bill - Guest1507051
PlayChess.com, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.d3
Bill plays a "modern" variation of the Jerome Gambit - one without 5.Nxe5. He decides that sacrificing one piece is enough - for now.
5...h6
Black wants to keep a White piece out of g5. The move is playable, but probably not best.
Bill has faced the stronger 5...Nf6 three times: Wall,B - Richard123, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 10); Wall,B - Hovo,D, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23); and Wall,B - Bandera,M, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 28).
The move in the game, 5...h6, creates a transposition to the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit - in this case, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 - and White decides to capture on e5, after all.
6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ke6
Bill has also faced 7...g6, as in Wall,B - Riichmarj, Chess.com, 2010, (1-0, 29); and 7...Ng6 8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qc3 Qf6 11.Qxc7 N8e7 12.O-O Kf7 13.Nc3 Be6 14.Qxd6 Rhd8 15.Qg3 Rac8 16.f4 Bd7 17.f5 Nh8 18.e5 Qb6+ 19.Be3 Qxb2 20.Bd4 Nxf5 21.e6+ Bxe6 22.Rxf5+ Bxf5 23.Qxg7+ Ke6 24.Re1+ Kd6 25.Qe7+ Kc6 26.Qc5+ Kd7 27.Re7 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest396164, PlayChess.com, 2017.
8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.f4 Qh4+ 10.g3 Nf3+
Quite a shot! Without d2-d3 for White, and ...h7-h6 for Black, as in the current game, this move leads to a complicated and deadly (for White) variation - see "Repairing A Variation" Part 1, 2, 3 and 4 for a more complete assessment. I recall getting an email from my friend, "Mad Dog", about a Jerome Gambit correspondence game that he figured he was winning, as he had just won his opponent's Queen - alas, it was a Queen sacrifice, and he was ultimately thrashed.
What difference do the "extra" moves make in this case?
11.Kd1 Qd8
Uh, er, never mind.
The real test of the line goes something like this: 11...Ne7!? 12.e5+ (White must force the issue) Kc6 13.Qe4+ d5 (the only move to keep Black in the game) 14.exd6+ Nd5 15.gxh4 (there goes the Black Queen, White's only chance) Bg4 16.h3 (in the original line, "Mad Dog" tried Qa4; in a series of games against the computer program Crafty in 2012, Philidor1792 tried d4, and Crafty tried f5; all to no avail) Bh5 17.c4!? (The White Queen does not have to retreat, as she is protected in this line) Ng5+ (best) 18.Kc2 Nxe4 19.cxd5+ Kxd5 20.dxe4+ Kxd6 21.Nc3 and the game is balanced, as Black's two Bishops counter White's extra, doubled pawn.
analysis diagram
In the current game, Black is temporarily up a couple of pieces, but that situation does not last.
12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Qxc5+ d6 14.Qf2 Bg4
Black cannot save his Knight, and so falls behind by a pawn or two.
15.h3 Nd4+
Better was 15...Nh2+ 16.hxg4 Nxg4.
16.hxg4 c5
17.g5 Kd7 18.Be3 Qb6 19.Kc1 Ne7
The game remains complicated, but White is clearly better.
20.gxh6 gxh6 21.Nd2 Raf8 22.Nc4 Qc6 23.Bxd4 cxd4 24.Qxd4 Kc8
Things begin to slip away.
25.Nxd6+ Kc7 26.Nc4 b6 27.Qe5+ Kd8 28.Qb8+ Nc8 29.Ne5 Qc7 30.Qxc7+ Kxc7 31.Ng6 Black resigned
The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is an opening with many refutations. That said, it is still necessary for the opponent to play out the line to a win. After all, it is not likely that White will see one strong move, and then resign...
In the following game, the "refutation" leads to a win in 13 moves - for White.
Wall, Bill - Guest15060744
PlayChess.com, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4
This is Black's strongest response to 6.d4. Bill has faced it 39 time, scoring 83%.
7.O-O Ng4
The Database has 280 games with this move (White scores 67%), starting with Sorensen - X, Denmark, 1888 (1-0, 27).
8.h3 Nxf2
Black sacrifices to break up White's King's shelter - but he overlooks his own King's safety.
9.Rxf2+ Nf6 10.dxc5 Kg8
The monarch ducks out of the Rook's pin on his Knight. Alas, the Knight can not move, anyhow, as it would lead toward Qd5 checkmate.
11.e5 d5 12.cxd6 Ne4 13.Qd5+ Black resigned
If the "best" line of play - according to computer analysis - takes too much time to figure out, or is too messy to follow easily, or if it is not as clear as a "good" line of play; then perhaps there are reasons to avoid the "best", especially if you can win without it.
The following game is a good example.
Wall, Bill - Guest14935422
PlayChess.com, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qe7
8.O-O
Bill has also played 8.Bf4, and castled Queenside, in Wall,B - Guest433702, PlayChess.com 2017 (1-0, 22).
8...Nf6
An improvement over 8...c5 9.Qd5+ Qe610.Qxc5 Ne7 11.f4 d6 12.fxe5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016.
9.Nc3 d6
Or:
9...Nc6 as in Wall,B-Bojovic,D, PlayChess.com, 2017 (1-0, 23); or
9...c6 as in Wall,B-Guest2327120, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 20)
10.Bg5
Thematic.
Last year, Bill tried another thematic line: 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qc4+ Be6 12.Qd3 Rhf8 13.f5 Bd7 14.Bg5 Kg8 15.Nd5 Qd8 16.Nxf6+ gxf6 17.Bh6 Rf7 18.Rf3 Ne5 19.Rg3+ Kh8 20.Qb3 Qe8 21.c4 Bc6 22.Qc2 Qe7 23.b4 b6 24.a4 a5 25.b5 Bb7 26.Rf1 Rg8 27.Rxg8+ Kxg8 28.Rf4 Kh8 29.Qe2 Qe8 30.Qh5 Qg8 31.Qh4 Rg7 32.Qxf6 Nd7 33.Bxg7+ Qxg7 34.Qd8+ Nf8 35.Qb8 c6 36.Qxd6 cxb5 37.cxb5 h5 38.Qxb6 Qe5 39.Qh6+ Nh7 40.f6 Bxe4 41.Qg7 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest2010250/, PlayChess.com, 2018.
10...Rf8
White continues to play "normal" Jerome Gambit moves.
Black continues with his piece-for-pawn advantage.
11.Nd5 Nc6 12.Qd2
White offers a pawn to be able to break up Black's Kingside, and to open a door to complications.
12...Qxe4
Stockfish 10 says Black is still better after this move, but it must be thinking about its silicon siblings. The human being handling the defense is showing his skepticism about White's attack, and fairly well drools at the prospect of simultaneously grabbing a pawn, unpinning the Knight from his Queen, and threatening the enemy Knight on d5. What could possibly go wrong?
13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Rae1 Qd4
Black offers to swap Queens, which would take much energy out of the position, even at the cost of a pawn, e.g. 15.Qxd4 Nxd4 16.Re7+ Kg6 17.Rxc7 Ne6. However, the move is a mistake.
I suspect that Bill looked at the following line, later suggested by Stockfish 10, and then rejected it as somewhat fishy... Or, more suited for correspondence play.
"Best" was the wild 15.Re7+!?. Black's King has to dodge with 15...Kg6, when 16.Nf4+!? forces the defender to give up his Queen, eventually winding up with a Knight, Bishop and Rook for a Queen and a pawn - but with a difficult position after 16...Qxf4 17.Qxf4 Nxe7 18.Qe4+ Kf7 19.Qxh7+ Ke8. After some Queen dancing by White - 20.Re1 Rf7 21.Qg8+ Rf8 22.Qg6+ Rf7 - Black is tied up, and 23.h4!? shows White's winning path.
Analysis Diagram
But - why bother? That kind of calculation takes time, and, instead, White can simply continue to put pressure on the enemy King.
Let Black do all the figuring out.
15.Qh6 Bf5
Of course not 15...Qxd5 16.Qxh7#.
16.Nxc7 Rac8
Indeed, what to do about White's threat to win the exchange?
There was also 16...Bxc2, but after 17.Re3 Rg8 18.Nxa8 Rxa8, Black has a Bishop and Knight for a Rook, but White remains with the initiative.
17.Ne6
More thinking to do! White threatens to win the exchange, again, and Black should let him, with 17...Qg4 18.Nxf8 Rxf8.
17...Bxe6 18.Qxh7+ Ke8 19.Rxe6+ Kd8 20.Qxb7
20...Qb6
Black finally cracks. In offering to exchange Queens to reduce the pressure on his King, he unprotects the vulnerable d-pawn.
21.Rxd6+ Ke8 22.Qd7 checkmate
Giving defenders of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) can always benefit from advice about bad habits. First and foremost, they could refrain from harassing the White Queen, unless they are certain what the results will be - other than wasting time or weakening their own position. Probably the hardest bit of advice is to find the right time to return the sacrificed material to reach an even game.
See the following game.
Wall, Bill - Guest15061828
PlayChess.com, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6
Familiar ground: The Database points out that Bill has reached this position (as White and as Black) over six dozen times, scoring over 90%.
8.Nc3 Be6 9.O-O Bh3
Going for the tactical trick 10.gxh3? Nf3+ winning the Queen.
Had Black tried 9...Nf6, the game would have transposed: 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Nb4 12.Qe2 Re8 13.f5 Nxc2 14.fxe6+ Rxe6 15.Qxc2 Kg8 16.Qb3 Qe7 17.Qxb7 Re8 18.Qxa7 Nxe4 19.Nxe4 Rxe4 20.Bd2 h6 21.a4 Qe5 22.Bc3 Qg5 23.Qxc7 Re2 24.Qf7+ Kh8 25.Rf2 R2e7 26.Qf3 d5 27.a5 Re3 28.Qf4 Qe7 29.Qxh6+ Kg8 30.Qh5 d4 31.Bxd4 Re1+ 32.Rxe1 Qxe1+ 33.Rf1 Qe4 34.Qf7+ Kh7 35.Qxg7 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest3746555, PlayChess.com, 2015
10.Qd5+ Be6 11.Qd4
Bill avoids 11.Qxb7, no doubt because after 11...Qb8 he would not be able to avoid exchanging Queens (e.g. 12.Qa6 Bc4)
11...c6
Black wants to keep White's Knight out of d5, but from here on his game sinks, quickly. A few years ago Bill faced 11...Nf6, and the game continued 12.b3 Rf8 13.f4 Nc6 14.Qd3 Kg8 15.Bb2 Bg4 16.Rae1 Kh8 17.Nd5 Nxd5 18.exd5 Bf5 19.Qg3 Qd7 20.dxc6 bxc6 21.Qg5 Bxc2 22.Re7 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016
12.f4 c5
The urge to punish the White Queen is often too much for the defender. Instead, Stockfish 10 shows that by giving the extra piece back, an even position can be negotiated: 12...Ng4 13.h3 N4f6 14.f5 Bc8 15.Bf4 d5 16.e5 Qb6 17.Be3 Qxd4 18.Bxd4 Ne7 19.exf6 gxf6 20.g4 h5 21.g5 Nxf5 22.Bxf6 Re8
13.fxe5+ Ke7
Less painful, but still losing, although more slowly, would have been 13...Nf6, as in the interesting line Stockfish 10 gives: 14.Qxd6 Qxd6 15.exd6 Ke8 16.Bh6 (echo of Black's 9th move) Ng4 17.Bxg7 Rg8 18.Bf6 Kd7 19.e5 Raf8 20.Ne4 Bd5 21.Rae1 b6 22.h3 Bxe4 23.Rxe4 Nxf6 24.exf6 Rg6 25.Re7+ Kxd6 26.Rd1+ Kc6 27.f7 Rd6 28.Rxd6+ Kxd6 29.Rxa7
14.exd6+ Qxd6 15.Qxg7+ Black resigned
