Jerome Gambit: A Trip Down Memory Lane (Part 2)

 [continued from previous post]

Gamophobe - shatrunj646

15 10 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

9...Nd4 

Black threatens the brutal Knight fork of King, Queen and Rook, forcing White's Knight to go to a3, instead of being able to support his e-pawn with Nc3. As we will see, there are some tactical tricks involved, but probably 9...Nf6 was better in the long run.

10.Na3 Re8 

Pressuring the e-pawn. The problem with 10...Qxa3, removing the defender and planning to fork the Queen and King, is that White's recapture is with check, 11.Qxa3+ (stronger than 11.Qxd4).

11.d3 Nf6 

Now White could answer 11...Qxa3 with 12.Qf4+ (again, stronger than 12.Qxd4), disrupting the planned fork.

12.f3 

Some times in the Jerome Gambit White's pawns race forward to spearhead an attack. Other times, they patiently build a fortress, and challenge Black: You are better developed, why don't you attack?

There is not a lot of attack available for the second player right now, however. He might as well try 12...Qxa3 13.Qxd4 Qd6 where each player has let go of an ineffective piece.

12...b5 

Targeting the wayward Knight, but the plan does not work.

13.O-O b4 14.Nc4 Nxc2 

This is the fork that he has been threatening, but it involves a miscalculation.

15.Nxd6 Nxe3 16.Nxe8 Nxf1 17.Nxf6 gxf6 18.Kxf1 

White has a 2 pawn advantage. The Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame - once the Rooks leave the board - would be a challenge to draw.

18...Bb5 19.Ke2 Kf7 20.a4 Ba6 21.Be3 Rd8 22.Rd1 Rd7 23.Bxa7 c6 24.Bc5 b3 25.Ke3 Ke6 26.d4 f5 

Black has to keep playing; perhaps the clock will be his friend?

27.g4 fxg4 28.fxg4 Rg7 29.d5+ cxd5 30.exd5+ Kd7 31.h3 h5 

Following the advice: When you are ahead, exchange pieces; when you are behind, exchange pawns - but White will soon have 3 passed pawns, and winning slowly is still winning.

32.Rg1 Bc4 33.Kd4 Be2 34.g5 Rg6 35.h4 Ra6 

Black can grab both Rook pawns, but it would not stop a third pawn from promoting.

36.g6 Rxa4+ 37.Ke5 Bg4 

Shielding the g-pawn from the protection of its Rook.

38.g7 Ra8 39.Bf8 

Cute: the Bishop shields the pawn from the enemy Rook's attack, allowing it to Queen.

39...Re8+ 40.Kf4 Black resigned 

Nice, solid work bringing home the full point.