Jerome Gambit: Developing (Part 5)

You can learn a lot by playing over and analyzing your games. This is a useful practice for every chess player, from beginner to world champion.

There are ideas in the following game that will help both players in the future.

dperez22 - drewski02

3 2 blitz, Chess.com, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.f4 Nf6 

Attack that Queen! Shouldn't three pieces hold off Her Majesty?

Actually, no. This is the kind of move that can pop up in a blitz game, where the depth of analysis can suffer. The Database has 115 examples.

8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 d6 

Having recaptured sacrificed material, White is ahead by a couple of pawns.

10.Qc4+ 

There are safer places for the Queen to return to, but you could not tell this from investigating The Database, where the text move has scored 8 - 1.

10...d5

To his credit, drewski02 comes up with a novelty that is probably the strongest response. 

11.exd5 

Opening up the e-file is dangerous.

11...Nxd5 

Missing 11...Re8+ which would turn the game to Black's advantage.

12.Nc3 

Targeting the Knight, but much wiser was the discrete 12.O-O. 

12...c6 

This makes sense, but it would have been useful to fit in 12...Re8+. 

13.Nxd5 

Again: 13.0-0 was prudent.

13...cxd5 14.Qd4 

 14...Qh4+ 

Either this move or 14...Re8+ put White's King under pressure. 

15.g3 Rd8 

This has to be a mouse slip. With 15...Re8+, Black's attack would build.  

16.gxh4 

White is up a Queen and a couple of pawns. His only real danger now is the clock.

16...Re8+

Yes - but late.

17.Kf2 Bg4 18.Qxd5+ Be6 19.Qh5+ Kg8 20.Rg1 Rf8 21.Qh6 Rf7 

Instead, 21...Rxf4 would just be a flash in the pan.

22.Qxe6 Raf8 

Black is tied up. White prepares checkmate.

23.b3 b5 24.Bb2 a5 25.Rxg7+ Kh8 26.Rxf7+ Kg8 27.Rg7+ Kh8 28.Rg8 checkmate