Jerome Gambit: Winning in the End

The well-rounded Jerome Gambit player knows his opening, but he also knows how to play the middle games that could arise, and he is ready to carry the fight into the endgame.

The following game shows the "1-0" arising from the threat to promote a passed pawn in a Rook and pawns endgame.

bgl001 - Kelv60.
5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 

9.Qd4 

The Queen often retreats to e3, in the process preventing 9...Qg5. Here, she eyes the dark squares.

9...Nf6 

Recently played: 9...Qe7 10.Nc3 c6 11.d3 h6 12.O-O Nf6 13.Re1 Qe5 14.Qe3 Ng4 15.Qg3 Rf8 16.Qxe5+ N6xe5 17.f3 Nf6 18.Bf4 g5 19.Bg3 h5 20.d4 Ng6 21.Bxd6 Rf7 22.e5 Nd5 23.Nxd5 cxd5 24.e6 Rh7 25.Re2 Nf4 26.Bxf4 gxf4 27.Rae1 Ke7 28.Re5 b6 29.Rxd5 Bb7 30.Rd7+ Black resigned, DropBearMKJ-brianthehammer, Chess.com, 2020.

10.d3 Kf7 11.Bg5 Be6 

Black is happy to further his development, but this Bishop placement, along with the Knight at g6, encourages White's next move.

12.f4 h6 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Qxf6+ Kxf6 

Black captures with his King to keep his Kingside pawns intact.

15.f5 Nf4 16.fxe6 Nxg2+ 17.Kf2 Nf4 18.Ke3 Nxe6 

The game is balanced. White is going to have to out-play his opponent. This is a 5 minute game, and the surprise and strangeness of the Jerome Gambit may have given him a lead on the clock.

19.Rf1+ Ke7 20.Nc3 Raf8 21.Nd5+ Kd7 22.a4 c6 23.Nf4 Nxf4 24.Rxf4 Rxf4 25.Kxf4 Rf8+ 26.Ke3 Ke6 27.Rg1 g5 28.h4 gxh4 29.Rh1 Rh8 30.Rxh4 h5 

Black's h-pawn has no future. The game is still even, and it is hard to know if White is disappointed because he doesn't have a checkmating attack, or relieved that he is no longer down two pieces. In any event, he presses on.

31.Kf4  Kf6 32.d4 a5 33.e5+ dxe5+ 34.dxe5+ Kg6 

35.e6 

Premature, but he gets away with it.

35...Rf8+ 

Forcing White's King to go where he wants to go. Black would have all the chances after 35...Kf6.

36.Ke5 Rf5+ 37.Kd6 Rf6 38.Kd7 c5 39.e7 Rf7 40.Kd8 Black resigned