Jerome Gambit: Not Enough Time

Taking or not taking White's e-pawn is the theme of the following Jerome Gambit bullet game. The problem for the defender is that there just isn't enough time to work things through.

angelcamina - Angoolir

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Nf6 

There are different ways for Black to give back material. He might have tried 7...d6 or 7...Qf6, which give back only one piece. In a 1-minute game, these snap decisions can be difficult.

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 d6 

A mistake is 9...Nxe4, quickly shown 10.Qd5+ Kg6 11.Qxe4+ Kh5 12.g4+ Kxg4 13.Rg1+ Kh3 14.Qf3+ Kxh2 15.Qh1 checkmate, spidershadow33 - spinatkaaim, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020.

A little more adventurous is 9...Re8, when Black can then take the e-pawn, but, recently, he decided to castle-by-hand instead: 10.O-O Kg8 11.d3 d6 12.Qg5 h6 13.Qg3 b5 14.f5 Bb7 15.Bxh6 Re7 16.Bg5 Rf7 17.Nc3 a6 18.Ne2 c5 19.Nf4 Qe8 20.Ng6 Nh7 21.Qh4 Qd7 22.Rf3 c4 23.Qxh7+ Kxh7 24.Rh3+ Kg8 25.Rh8 checkmate, Wall,B - Harnza,S, FICS, 2020. 

10.Qe3 Re8 

10...Nxe4 worked, too, because White cannot recapture 11.Qxe4 Re8, winning the Queen.

11.d3 Ng4 

Black changes the focus of his attack to the Kingside.

12.Qf3 Qh4+ 13.g3 Qh3 14.Nc3 Nf6 15.Bd2 

15...Bg4 16.Qe3 

White hopes for more than 16.Qf1 and an exchange of Queens.

16...Rad8 17.Ne2 d5 

Surprisingly, it was possible to take the e-pawn: 17...Nxe4 18.dxe4 Qg2 19.0-0-0 Bxe2 is even.

18.e5 

18...d4 19.Nxd4 

Black was probably wondering, I thought he couldn't do that... He would be right - now 19...Rxd4 is fine, because 20.Qxd4 Qg2!? would be bad for White.

19...Nd5 20.Qf2 c5 21.Nf3 c4 

A slip.

22.Ng5+ Kg8 23.Nxh3 Bxh3 24.O-O-O cxd3 25.cxd3 Rc8+ 26.Kb1 Bf5 27.Bc3 Nxc3+ 28.bxc3 Rxc3 29.Qd4 Rec8 30.e6 White won on time.

The clock decides. On top of that, White has a material advantage, and his oft-threatened e-pawn is advancing as well.