It is a good idea to play over your games, win or lose. You can pick up tactical tricks that you missed during the contest. You can learn more about your openings and prepare for the next time they show up on the board.
The following game is a good example. Bill's experience with the Jerome Gambit is significant, and his experience with the particular defense that his opponent constructed means that the number of moves that were "new" was quite small.
Wall, Bill - MYGZ
FICS, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+
This is a reasonable way to deal with White's pawn fork: Black will move one piece and return the other for a pawn. The Database has 314 game examples; White scores 57%. (Since there are 2,018 games with the position after 6.d4, where White scores 55%, Black's choice in this game - from a practical point of view - is, if anything, better than average.)
7.c3 Bxc3+
Bill has already seen 7...Be7 8.dxe5 Nh6 9.Qf3+ Ke6 10.Bxh6 gxh6 11.Qf5 checkmate, Wall, Bill - ChrSav, FICS, 2010.
8.Nxc3 Ng6
Instead, 8...Nc6 was seen in Wall, Bill - Caynaboos, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 26) and Wall, Bill - ChessFlower, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 27).
9.O-O Nf6
Black tried 9...N8e7 in Wall, Bill - NN, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 18) and Wall, Bill - Jamato, lichess.org, 2017 (1-0, 55).
10.e5
An improvement over 10.Bg5, as in Wall, Bill - Shatskov, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 16).
10...Ne8
No more effective was 10...Ng8, seen in Wall, Bill - Guest2372880, lichess.org, 2018: 11.f4 d6 12.e6+ Bxe6 13.f5 Bxf5 14.Rxf5+ Nf6 15.Qb3+ Ke8 16.Bg5 Rf8 17.Re1+ Ne7 18.Bxf6 Rxf6 19.Rxf6 gxf6 20.Nd5 f5 21.Nxe7 Qxe7 22.Qg8+ Kd7 23.Rxe7+ Kxe7 24.Qxa8 Black resigned
11.f4
Stronger than 11.Qf3+, seen in Wall, Bill - Boris, SparkChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 31).
11...Rf8
12.f5 Ne7
This loses quickly, but the "best" move, 12...Kg8, just tosses a piece.
13.Qb3+ d5 14.exd6+
Here, Black resigned in Wall, Bill - FJBS, FICS, 2015.
14...Kf6 15.Ne4 checkmate
The following Jerome Gambit game was played at a time control of one minute, no increment. Yet, it plays like one conducted at a much slower pace - absent the wild flying and dropped pieces. It appears to be a serious Jerome - if there is such a thing.
angelcamina - Skulmar
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Qf6
Sometimes the Queen belongs here, sometimes it doesn't. Black builds a do-it-yourself defense.
10.O-O N8e7 11.f4 Kg8
12.d4 h6 13.f5 Nf8 14.Nc3 Kh7 15.Bd2 Rg8
Interesting. When the "Jerome pawns" start rolling, the game will become a fine battle.
16.Rae1 b6 17.Ne2 Ba6 18.b3 Re8 19.c4 Nd7
20.Bc3 Qg5 21.Qd2 Qxd2 22.Bxd2 Nf6 23.Ng3 c5 24.e5 dxe5 25.dxe5 Ng4 26.h3 Nxe5 27.Rxe5 Bb7
Black has returned the sacrificed piece, and does not appear concerned about being a pawn down - his King is well-placed for defense, and the Bishops-of-opposite-colors suggest a draw is possible.
Unfortunately, he has overlooked something, as White immediately shows. After recovering the piece, angelcamina shows that opposite colors Bishop middle games are often not drawn.
28.Rfe1 Bc6 29.Rxe7 Rxe7 30.Rxe7 Rf8 31.Bf4 Rf6 32.Be5 Rf8 33.Rxg7+ Kh8 34.Rxa7+ Kg8 35.Rg7+ Kh8 36.Rc7+ Kg8 37.Rxc6 Kf7 38.Rg6 Black resigned
The following game is a good example of the excitement of the Jerome Gambit, played at top speed - 1 minute, no increment, time control.
angelcamina - shabba96jnr
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5
angelcamina has reached this position previously, winning all 7 games.
8...Qe7 9.Qe3
Stockfish 10 recommends, instead, 9.Qxe7+, although that is not angelcamina's style. The Database indicates the move was played in 9 games, and White was 8-0-1.
9...Nf6 10.Nc3 Rf8
According to The Database, this is a novelty, but the game will ranspose to earlier lines after 11...d6.
11.O-O d6
12.f4 Ng4 13.Qf3 Nf6 14.d4 Bg4
When in doubt, attack White's Queen. It is surprising how often this advice fails in the Jerome Gambit.
15.Qd3 Bd7 16.b3 Bc6 17.d5 Bd7 18.Ba3 Ng8
Anticipating the advance of the "Jerome pawns".
19.Rae1 Kd8 20.e5 Kc8 21.e6
21...Nf6 22.exd7+ Qxd7 23.f5 Ne5
Allowing a nice, tactical finish.
24.Rxe5 dxe5 25.Bxf8
Black resigned
Black is down a piece and a pawn; he is behind in development; and his King is less safe.
In the following game, Black puts together a defense against the Jerome Gambit that appears, at first glance, to be quite reasonable. That is one of the problems in facing the Jerome - it appears to be so reckless that any "reasonable" response will be effective. Not so.
angelcamina - Otbn
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bd6
It seems reasonable to grab a pawn after returning one of the two gambitted pieces. The problem is the plan squanders most of Black's advantage.
7.dxe5 Bxe5 8.Qd5+ Kf8
9.Qxe5 Qe7
The exchange of Queens may cut down on White's attacking chances, but it gives the first player a simple game, a solid pawn up. We have seen a number of games where this strategy has failed against angelcamina.
10.Qxe7+ Kxe7 11.O-O Nf6 12.Nc3 d6 13.Bg5 Rf8
14.f3 Kf7 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.Nd5 c6 17.Nf4 Rg8 18.Rad1 d5
All things being equal, going down a second pawn is not a good idea, even in bullet chess. It might only work if the player is moving faster than his opponent, and is ahead on the clock.
19.exd5 cxd5 20.Rxd5 b6 21.Rfd1 Bb7
A mistake that ends the game.
22.Rd7+ Black resigned
