Jerome Gambit: Be Skeptical

Not too long ago, I posted "Jerome Gambit: Why Would He Play That?", as a reminder that chess players often need to examine what might be behind an opponent's move, before responding to it, in order to avoid certain dangers.

The following game, from a 2020 Jerome Gambit thematic tournament, revolves around that question, and the defender's lack of skepticism at the offer of a "free" pawn.

Huber, Karl - Koenig, Wolfhart

Jerome Gambit thematic, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8

Also seen in the tournament: 7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qd4 (9.Qe3 Qe7 10.d4 Nf6 11.Nc3 Bd7 12.O-O Kf7 13.Qd3 Rhf8 14.Bg5 Kg8 15.Rae1 Qf7 16.h3 Rae8 17.f4 a6 18.e5 Nh5 19.f5 Nxe5 20.dxe5 Bxf5 21.Qd2 Rxe5 22.Rxe5 dxe5 23.Ne2 Nf4 24.Bxf4 exf4 25.Rxf4 Qxa2 26.c3 Qb1+ 27.Kh2 Qd3 28.Qxd3 Bxd3 29.Rxf8+ Kxf8 30.Nf4 Be4 31.g3 Ke7 32.Kg1 Kf6 33.Kf2 Ke5 34.Ke3 Bd5 35.Nd3+ Kd6 36.h4 h6 37.Nf4 c5 38.Nh5 g5 39.hxg5 hxg5 40.Nf6 b5 41.Nh7 b4 42.cxb4 cxb4 43.Nxg5 a5 44.Ne4+ Bxe4 45.Kxe4 a4 46.Kd4 a3 47.bxa3 bxa3 48.Kc3 Ke5 49.Kb3 Kf5 drawn, Hof,A - Robers,F, Jerome Gambit thematic, 2020) 9...Nf6 10.Nc3 Be6 11.d3 Rf8 12.Bg5 Qd7 13.O-O-O Kf7 14.f4 Kg8 15.Bxf6 Rxf6 16.e5 dxe5 17.Qxd7 Bxd7 18.fxe5 Rf2 19.Rde1 Re8 20.d4 a6 21.g3 Bf5 22.Re2 Rxe2 23.Nxe2 Be4 24.Rf1 Rf8 25.Nf4 Nxf4 26.gxf4 g5 27.Rg1 Rxf4 28.Rxg5+ Kf7 White resigned, Koenig,W - Robers,F, Jerome Gambit thematic, 2020 

8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O Kf7 11.d4

 

White often has the choice: advance the d-pawn or the f-pawn? In this case, it might have been a bit better to advance the f-pawn.

11...Re8 12.Qb3+ Kf8 

Also playable was 12...Be6, as capturing the b-pawn would lead the White Queen astray. This is another reocurring question in different lines in the Jerome. 

13.Nc3 

White could also have protected his e-pawn with 13.f3. Why didn't he? Both moves are about equal. Maybe White wanted to focus on piece development.

13...Nxe4

Stockfish 14.1 suggests that Black relieve the pressure on his b-pawn by playing 13...c6 14.Bg5 Qb6 with an exchange of Queens.

The defender should have been skeptical about the offered pawn. 

14.Nxe4 Rxe4 15.Qf3+ Black resigned

White's Queen comes back into play to fork the enemy King and Rook.