Jerome Gambit: vs WGM!?

 

The following game is a rematch - see "Jerome Gambit: vs WGM?!"

Playing White is a Jerome Gambiteer who specializes in bullet - 1 minute, no increment - play.

Playing Black is a Women's Grandmaster - who has serious chess skills, and who is not going to be surprised by a "refuted" opening this time. 

The thing is, though, that it is still the Jerome Gambit.

Anonymous - Anonymous,

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qe7 9.Qe3 Nf6 

So far, the same as the previous game. Now White opts to defend his e-pawn, so his opponent immediately attacks it.

I think being allowed to exchange Queens may have come as a surprise to Black, but we have seen many examples where the extra pawns are easier to play than the extra piece. 

10.d3 d5 11.exd5 Qxe3+ 12.fxe3 Nxd5 13.O-O+ Ke7 14.e4 Nf6 15.Nc3 Rf8 16.Bg5 

Target: f6, a standard Jerome Gambit theme.

16...h6 17.Nd5+ Ke6 

Okay, quick: This is an error. If you were playing the game, you would have a few seconds to find and punish it. Go!

18.Nxf6 

White settles for winning a pawn, a concrete gain. 

The right path was 18.Bxf6 c6 19.Nc7+ Kd6 20.Nxa8 although extracting the Knight at a8 would be difficult, if not impossible: 20...Bg4 21.Rae1 Be6 (21...Rxa8 22.Rxf6+) 22.d4 Kd7 (22...Rxa8 23.Rxf6 Rg8 d5 24.d5 Kd7 25.dxe6+) 23.b3 Rxa8 24.Rxf6 Rg8 25.d5 Bg4 26.e5 and White's advanced passed "Jerome pawns" outweigh Black's extra piece.

18...gxf6 19.Bxh6 Rh8 

There's got to be a tactic somewhere, thinks Black. There is, for White - which is why 19...Rf7 was probably better.

20.Bg7 Rh7 21.Rxf6+ Ke7 22.Rxg6 Kf7 23.Rg3 Rxg7 24.Rf1+ Kg8 25.Rxg7+ Kxg7 

White has 4 pawns for the Bishop. I believe that in club games, the pawns should be easier to play with and easier to win. Against a very strong player, perhaps the odds shift toward the Bishop - although the short time control may work against it.

26.h3 Be6 27.Rf4 Bxa2 28.g4 a5 29.Kf2 b5 30.Ke3 b4 

31.Rf5 Be6 32.Rc5 Ra7 33.b3 a4 34.bxa4 b3 35.cxb3 Bxb3 36.a5 Be6 

Black has been playing with energy, but White's three pawn islands will prove too much.

37.d4 Kf7 38.d5 Bd7 39.e5 Ke7 40.Kd4 Kd8 

41.e6 Be8 42. Ke5 Ra6 43. h4 Ra8 44. h5 Rb8 45. h6 Rb1 46.Kf6 Rf1+ 47. Kg7 Rg1 48.Rc4 Bh5  49.h7 Bxg4 Black resigned

White will promote his pawn to a Queen and then checkmate the next move.