Jerome Gambit: Slipping Away

Sometimes a game goes quickly, sometimes it seems to just slip away...

Wall, Bill - Jergens

internet, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

A quick look at The Database shows 6...Ng6 to be the most popular of the three main responses for Black. There are 3,690 games. White scores 57%.

Next in popularity is 6...Ke6, with 3,129 games. White scores 55%.

Then comes 6...g6, with 1,700 games. White scores 52%.

(Of course, if you look only at Bill Wall's games, he scores 99%, 85% and 97%, respectively. Might I recommend 1...e6 ?)

7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qd5+ Be6 

This pawn offer was most recently discussed in "Jerome Gambit: He Who Takes the Queen's Knight's Pawn". 

9.Qxb7 

Stockfish 15, at 30 ply, prefers 8.Qb5 by less than a half pawn. That's not much in human vs human play.

9...Nf6 

Bill has also faced 

9...Nh4 in Wall,B - CheckMe, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23); 

9...N8e7 in Wall,B - Guest1352598, PlayChess.com, 2021 (1-0, 21) and Wall,B - Gilex, 2022 (1-0, 21); and

9...Ne5 in Wall,B - Guest249301, PlayChess.com, 2013, (1-0, 30) 

10.Nc3 Re8 11.O-O Kg8 

Black is okay.

White needs to do something with his extra pawns.

12.f4 Bc4 

This provocation does not gain much (temporarily preventing d2-d4) and does not lose much (only time).

13.d3 Bf7 14.Qa6 d5 

15.e5 Nd7

Black would have gotten more out of the move 15...d4. The game is about even now.

16.d4 Re6 

It is tempting to chase the enemy Queen away, but hitting the center with 16...c5 was more to the point. The pieces on the Kingside seem to call out to White's pawns.

17.Qd3 Ne7 

A retreat is in order, but this move hobbles the Rook and does nothing about the coming e5-e6 fork. Probably 17...Re8 with the idea of meeting 18.f5 with 18...Ngxe5 19.dxe5 Nxe5, returning some of the sacrificed material, was the way to go. 

18.f5 Rb6 19.g4 

Or advancing the e-pawn forthwith.

19...Nc6 20.e6 Bxe6 21.fxe6 Ndb8 

Black's pieces have shifted toward the Queenside, leaving his King in great danger.

22.Rf7 Qh4 23.Qf5 Black resigned