Simple Jerome Gambit: Recognize (Part 3)

 

What happens when your opponent gets it wrong - and you get it wrong, too?

The game goes on.

The following game features a line of defense that has been covered here a number of times - for example, "Jerome Gambit: Developing (Part 5)", "Jerome Gambit: Nightmares" and "Jerome Gambit: Quo Vadis?" - and White's response is not best.

Black misses his chance, however, and White wins a miniature.

It is worth looking at the details.

Nicogambit - riese00

30 0 classical, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nf6 

8.Qf5+ 

This move is played in a number of different lines against 6...Ke6. However, it is not best here. (I suppose there is even a chance that it was a mouse slip.)

A recent example of the proper line of play, regaining two pieces and being a couple of pawns ahead: 8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qc4+ Be6 11.Qe2 Bg4 12.Qc4+ Be6 13.Qd4 c5 14.Qe3 Ng4 15.Qf3 Rf8 16.f5 Kg8 17.Qxg4 Bc4 18.d3 Ba6 19.O-O d5 20.e5 Qb6 21.Kh1 Rae8 22.f6 g6 23.Bh6 Rf7 24.e6 Rxe6 25.Nc3 Qc6 26.Rae1 Rexf6 27.Rxf6 Rxf6 28.Nxd5 Qxd5 29.Qc8+ Kf7 30.Qf8, checkmate, MiguelTal94 - waqas9980, lichess.org, 2021

8...Kd6 

It does not feel right to retreat the King with 8...Kf7, since it sets up a pin on Black's Knight on f6, and a pawn capture of a piece on e5 puts that piece at risk. Yet 8...Kf7 was best. 

A recent example: 8...Kf7 9.fxe5 d6 (this is the key, attacking the Queen, as is 9...d6) 10.Qf3 dxe5 11.Nc3 c6 12.d3 Bg4 13.Qg3 h5 14.Rf1 h4 15.Qxg4 Qe7 16.Bg5 Rag8 17.O-O-O a5 18.h3 b5 19.Rf5 Qe6 20.Rxf6+ gxf6 21.Qxe6+ Kxe6 22.Bd2 Rxg2 23.a3 Rh2 24.b4 axb4 25.axb4 Bxb4 26.Rf1 Rxh3 27.Rf5 Rg3 28.Kb2 h3 29.Be1 Rg1 30.Bf2 Rg2 31.Bb6 h2 White resigned, batoutofhell - elidede, FICS, 2021.

9.fxe5+

The check is helpful for White's attack. This would be compounded if Black now retreated his King the wrong way - 9...Ke7 10.exf6+.

9...Kc6 10.exf6 d6 

Black attacks the enemy Queen, but if she can get out of the way, White should be better.

11.Qd5+ Kb6 12.fxg7 Qh4+ 13.g3 Qf6 Black resigned

The resignation might be a bit early (the clock might be a factor) but in this complicated position White should be able to combine attacking the enemy King with his Queen with developing his pieces and have the advantage - Stockfish 14.1 assesses the first player as being over 2 pieces better.

White can take a simplifying approach, instead, with 14.Rf1 Qxg7 15.Rf7, when 15...Qd4 16.Qxd4 Bxd4 17.c3 would be good enough to maintain his advantage.

White needs to be careful, however. For example, 14.gxh8/Q would be terrible, as 14...Qf2+ 15.Kd1 Bg4 would be checkmate.