Jerome Gambit: What Can We Learn? (Part 2)

 

[continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - auswebby

3 days/move, "Giuoco Piano Game", Chess.com, 2022

13.Be3 

I think it was Alexander Kotov, in his Think Like A Grandmaster, who described an imaginary, but common, situation: in a complicated position, a player looks at one line, then a second one, analyzing both but being unable to choose between one or the other - so he finally, quickly, plays a third move without much consideration.

The move in the game was the result of me not being sure which move was better, 13.Nd2 or 13.f4.

13...Qg6 

Taking advantage of the fact that White's Queen cannot safely escape exchange. The rogue Queen is part of Jerome Gambit strategy and tactics, and seeing her leave the board was not encouraging to me.

14.Nd2 Qxg3 15.hxg3 Be6 

With the option of playing either c3-c4 or f2-f4, White should feel comfortable with his central pawn preponderance, but exchanging pawns would open lines for the enemy pieces, so I decided to sit still, instead.

16.f3 

After the game Stockfish 15 suggested 16.a4 c6 17.a5 Bc7 18.f3 h5 19.b4 Rc8 20.Bf4 Kf7 21.Kf2 Rhg8 22.Bg5 Rge8 23.Rh1 Kg6 24.Bf4 d5 25.Bxc7 Rxc7 26.e5 Rf8, leaving Black two pawn's worth better. Of course, that was well beyond my understanding of the position.

In subsequent play I accidentally achieved part of that recommendation. 

16...Kd7 17.Kf2 Rac8 

One more "lockdown" variation suggested by the computer: 17...a5 18.d5 Bxe3+ 19.Kxe3 Bf7 20.a4 h5 21.c4 c6 22.Rh1 Rhe8 23.Kd4 Ra6 24.Ra3 Rb6 25.Rb3 Rb4 26.Rxb4 axb4 27.b3 Rc8 28.Rb1 Ra8 29.Ra1 Kc7 30.a5 c4+ 31.Kd3

Analysis diagram

Clearly White is worse here, but can he hold on in his fortress?

Back to the game.

18.d5 Bf7 19.Nc4 Bxe3+ 20.Nxe3 

My King is not as brave as Stockfish 15's and does not choose to advance by capturing the Bishop.

20...c6 

Black, for his part, would like to open lines.

21.dxc6+ 

Too obliging, but I somehow thought that opening lines would benefit me. (Perhaps it was the location of Black's King.) Consistent with keeping things close would have been 21.c4.

21...bxc6 22.c4 Kc7 

23.Rad1 Rhd8 24.Rc1 

Wavering. Doubling Rooks on the d-file made more sense, again with the idea that pressure on the pawn at d6 would keep things static.

24...Kb7 25.b3 d5 26.exd5 cxd5 27.cxd5 Nxd5 

Allowing Black to play ...d5 was not wise.

White now has a position where his pawn majorities on both sides might lead to something in a game played at blitz speed, but with the time control in this game being 3 days per move, that would be a slim hope - especially considering Black's extra Bishop.

It is interesting that Komodo 13.02, which is a bit more "human like" in its move choices, evaluates the position as about 1 3/4 pawns better for Black, while the stronger Stockfish 15 sees Black as 3 1/2 pawns better. 

[to be continued]