Jerome Gambit: In the End, A Win

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game is a hard-fought battle, as both players work to make something out of a relatively balanced position. At first, White makes progress, but the clock seems to undo that. Then, Black's chances slip by. Finally, in a drawn position, the defender makes one last play - and then must surrender the full point. 

yeetcannon8 - bvkat1

5 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+ 

Along with several Readers, I have begun to think of this line as a "double Jerome Gambit". It is often used as a psychological counter gambit by Black, with a return of material leading to a forced exchange of Queens, blunting White's attack.

In this game, however, Black prefers to keep the Queens on the board, so perhaps his move choice was based on "You sacrificed a Bishop to keep me from castling, so I will do the same to you".

8.Kxf2 Nf6 

Seen recently: 8...Qf6+ 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.Rf1 Nxe4+ (10...Kg7 11.e5 Ne4+ 12.Kg1 Nc5 13.d4 Ne6 14.d5 Nd4 15.Na3 Re8 16.Bg5 h6 17.Bf6+ Kh7 18.e6 dxe6 19.Bxd4 exd5 20.Rae1 Bd7 21.Rxe8 Rxe8 22.Rf7+ Black resigned, lorro96 - SlimyJellyFish, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020) 11.Ke3+ Nf6 12.Nc3 (12.d3 Re8+ 13.Kd4 Kg7 14.Bg5 Rf8 15.Nd2 h6 16.Bxf6+ Rxf6 17.Ne4 Rxf1 18.Rxf1 b6 19.c4 Bb7 20.b4 Rd8 21.a4 d6 22.g3 c5+ 23.bxc5 dxc5+ 24.Ke3 Bc6 25.Ra1 a5 26.h3 Re8 27.g4 g5 28.Rb1 Rb8 29.Ra1 Kg6 30.Nd6 Bg2 31.Kd2 Bxh3 32.Rg1 Rf8 33.Rg3 Bf1 34.Ne4 h5 35.gxh5+ Kxh5 36.Rxg5+ Kh4 37.Rg7 Kh3 38.Rg3+ Kh2 39.Rg6 Bg2 40.Rxb6 Bxe4 41.dxe4 Kg2 42.Rc6 Rd8+ 43.Ke3 Rf8 44.Rxc5 Rf3+ 45.Kd4 Kf2 46.Rxa5 Ke2 47.Rf5 Rd3+ 48.Ke5 Ke3 49.c5 Rd4 50.Rf4 Rxa4 51.Kd5 Kxf4 52.c6 Rxe4 53.c7 Re8 54.Kd6 Kf5 55.Kd7 Rh8 56.c8=Q Rxc8 57.Kxc8 draw, soraneptune - vikronik100m, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020) 12...Kg7 13.d4 c6 14.Kd3 d5 15.Bg5 Bf5+ 16.Ke3 Ng4+ 17.Kd2 Nxh2 18.Rf2 Rhf8 19.g4 Nxg4 20.Rf4 Rae8 21.Re1 Rxe1 22.Kxe1 Bxc2 23.Rxf8 Kxf8 24.Kd2 Bf5 25.Ne2 a5 26.Ng3 a4 27.Nxf5 gxf5 28.a3 Kf7 29.Ke2 Kg6 30.Be7 f4 31.Kf3 Kf5 32.Bd6 Nf6 33.Bxf4 Ne4 34.Bc7 h5 35.Kg2 Kg4 36.Kg1 h4 37.Kh1 h3 38.Kh2 Ng5 39.Kg1 Nf3+ 40.Kh1 Ne1 41.Kh2 Nd3 42.Bd6 Nxb2 43.Bb4 Nd1 44.Be1 b5 45.Kh1 Ne3 46.Bf2 Nc2 47.Bg1 Nxa3 48.Bh2 Nc4 49.Kg1 a3 50.Kf2 a2 51.Ke2 a1=Q 52.Kd3 Nb2+ 53.Ke3 Nd1+ 54.Kd2 Nf2 55.Ke3 Qe1 checkmate, Joxty-Fabiao5, 10 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2020. 

9.Rf1 d6 10.Qd4 c5 11.Qc3 Kg7 12.Kg1 Rf8 

The position is not an exciting one, but White has an extra pawn to work with.

13.d3 b5 14.Bg5 b4 15.Qd2 Nxe4 

A tactical slip.

16.Bxd8 Nxd2 17.Rxf8 Kxf8 18.Nxd2 Bf5 19.Bc7 d5 20.Bd6+ Kf7 21.Bxc5 Rc8 22.Nb3 Ke6 23.Re1+ Kf6 

White is a piece and a pawn ahead. He just has to find a plan to make it all work.

24.h3 Kg5 25.g4 Bd7 26.Re5+ Kh4 27.Re7 Bc6  28.Rxh7+ Kg3 29.Bd6+ Kf3 30.Nd4+ 

Missing 30.Re7, and then 31.Nd4#.

30...Ke3 31.Nxc6 Rxc6 32.Bxb4 Rxc2

Black now manages a bit of counter play, but it is nothing that White can not handle.

33.Rxa7 Rxb2 34.Bc5+ Kxd3 35.Rd7 Ke4 36.Bf8 Rxa2 37.Rg7 Ra1+ 38.Kf2 d4 

39.Rxg6 d3 40.Rd6 Ra2+ 41.Ke1 Ra1+ 42.Kd2 Ra2+ 43.Ke1 Rh2 

Black adds threatening the enemy pawns to his plan to advance his passed pawn. White's Bishop should help hold things together, however.

44.Rh6 Kf3 45.g5 d2+ 46.Kd1 Ke3 47.Bc5+ Kd3 48.Rd6+ Kc3 49.Rxd2  

This looks like a time error. Instead, 49.Bd4+ Kb4 50.g6 Rxh3 51.g7 Rg3 52.Kxd2 is how to use his advantages and advance to the win.

49...Rxd2+ 50.Kc1 Rg2 51.Be7 Kd4 

Black pursues the draw, instead of the win with 51...Rg1#. This has got to be due to a shortage of time.

52.h4 Ke5 53.h5 Ke6 54.Bf6 Kf7 55.h6 Kg6 56.Kd1 Ra2 57.Kc1 Rh2 58.Kd1 Rh3 59.Ke2 Rh5 60.Kf3 Rh4 61.Kg3 Ra4 62.Kf3 Kh7 

Black has effectively blockaded the pawns and kept the enemy King at bay. A draw would be an honorable result.

63.Ke3 Rc4 64.Kd3 Rh4 65.Ke3 Rg4 66.Kf3 Ra4 67.Ke3 Ra6 68.Kf4 Rxf6+ 

A miscalculation. White's King is one step too close to the pawns.

69.gxf6 Kg6 70.Ke5 Kxh6 71.Ke6 Kg6 72.Ke7 Kh7 73.f7 Black resigned