Jerome Gambit: I Am Not As Smart As Bill Wall (Part 2)

[continued from previous post]

perrypawnpusher - LttlePrince

Italian Game Classic tournament, Chess.com, 2020

I was ready to answer 19...Nf2 with 20.Qxf5+ Kg7 21.Qf6+ Kg8 22.Qe6+ Kf8 23.Qf6+ etc. and split the point with a draw by repetition.

19...Raf8

My opponent was not amused. I could have now captured a pawn with 20.Qxf5+, but, after 20...Ke7 21.Qg4 he probably would have gone for the Knight fork with 21...Nf2, and there would be no draw for me to find for the loss of the exchange.

20.Rhf1 Ke7 21.Rf3 

The Rook was going - somewhere?

The irony was that while I was considering making moves against the enemy King on both the Kingside and Queenside, Black's Knight stood like a tower of strength in the middle of my position.

21...Qc5 22.Rb3 b5 

At the time, this looked like a consession by my opponent.

23.a4 a6 

Of course. It was a bit too much to hope for 23...bxa4 24.Rb7+.

24.Qh6 

This was the high point of my optimism about our game. It was mostly downhill, thereafter.

24...Rfg8 25.g3 Rg6 26.Qh5 Ke6 

What to do?

After the game, the computer suggested 27.Kb1, but I chose a different kind of piece shuffling. I wanted to leave my Queen where she was, as she seemed to be keeping the enemy Rooks busy. So - a Rook?

27.Re1 Qc4 

More salt in the wounds. I had the impression that opening a line would now be against my King, but I wasn't ready to give the a-pawn away for free.

28.axb5 axb5 29.Ra3 b4   Black resigned

Black's b-pawn is headed toward b3, and, in the meantime, where is my Rook to go? In the meantime, my Queen isn't holding his Rooks, the Rooks are holding my Queen. His extra Knight still sits there, smiling.

This is what it's like to be decisively defeated by a stronger opponent, one more proof that I am not as smart as Bill Wall.