Jerome Gambit: Not the Way to Attack (Part 2)

 

[continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - auswebby

3d/move, Giuoco Piano Game, Chess.com, 2023

White is starting his attack.

11.g4 

Whatever the proper continuation of the attack should be - this is not it.

This kind of "corrupted head" Bashi-Bazouk attack might work in 1-minute bullet chess, but it is totally out of place in a game where the time limit is 3 days per move.

I can only quote Steve McQueen from the movie "The Magnificent Seven" - It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Awkward.

The only other example from The Database does not provide much guidance: 11.Bxf6+ Qxf6 12.c3 Bd6 13.d4 c6 14.Qc4 Re8 15.Qd3 Qf4 16.f3 Bc7 17.Nd2 d5 18.e5 Bxe5 19.dxe5 Rxe5+ 20.Kf2 Bf5 21.Qf1 Qxd2+ 22.Kg3 Qg5+ 23.Kf2 Qe3+ 24.Kg3 Rae8 25.Qf2 Qxf2+ 26.Kxf2 Re2+ 27.Kg3 Rc2 28.Rhe1 Rxe1 29.Rxe1 Rxa2 30.Re7+ Kh6 31.Rxb7 Ra3 32.c4 dxc4 33.Rc7 c3 34.Rxc6 c2 35.Kf4 Ra1 36.g4 c1=Q+ 37.Rxc1 Rxc1 38.gxf5 gxf5 39.Kxf5 Rh1 40.f4 Rxh2 41.Ke5 Rf2 42.f5 Rxf5+ 43.Kxf5 a5 44.Ke5 a4 45.Kd4 Kg5 46.Kc3 h5 47.Kb2 h4 48.Ka3 h3 49.Kxa4 h2 50.Kb3 h1=Q 51.Kc4 Qf3 52.Kb5 Qc3 53.Kb6 Kf5 54.Kb5 Ke5 55.Ka4 Kd5 56.Kb5 Qc5+ 57.Ka4 Qb6 58.Ka3 Kc4 59.Ka2 Kc3 60.Ka1 Qb2 checkmate, BK57_JingleBells - pjkon_1_2_3, lichess.org, 2020

11...h6 12.h4 

Consistent.

12...Kh7 13.Qe5 

What else? But, there goes the ghost of the attack.

13...Qxe5 14.Bxe5 Rf8 

Black has castled-by-hand, is better developed, and has an extra piece for a pawn.

15.c3 Ba5 

This move is fine, although there was also 15...Nxg4 16.Bxc7 (16.cxb4 Nxe5) Be7.

16.f3 d6 17.Bd4 Nd7 18.O-O Bb6 

19.Na3 Ne5 20.Kg2 Bxd4 21.cxd4 Nd3 

The "Jerome pawns" look wonderful, but they are not enough.

22.Nc2 Bd7 23.Rab1 b6 24.Rb3 Nf4+ 25.Kg3 

Not looking ahead. Better was the awkward looking 25.Kf2.

25...Ba4 26.Rb2 Nd3 

Attacking the Rook that protects the Knight that is attacked by the Bishop.

White resigned

Like the hapless New York Mets baseball team of my youth, who had a fan at the first game of the season with a sign proclaiming "Wait 'til Next Year!" I want to say about the Jerome Gambit "Wait 'til Next Game!" - but the next game shows that my favorite opening took it on the chin again in this Chess.com tournament.