Jerome Gambit: Educational (Part 1)

Here is the first of the two Jerome Gambit (1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games by Canadian Grandmaster Aman Hambleton mentioned in the earlier post "Jerome Gambit: Unbeatable Gambit!?"

It is well worth playing over, from the opening through the middlegame to an interesting endgame. Grandmaster play is educational at any speed.

Grandmaster Hambleton's opponent is a FIDE Master. I do not know how many Jeromes that Praschess has played or defended against, but he gives a good account of himself.

KNVB - Praschess

3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2022 

1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

10.Nc3 Kf7 

Or 10...h6 11.O-O Kg8 12.f4 Qe7 13.d3 Kh7 14.Qg3 Rf8 15.f5 Ne5 16.Be3 Nh5 17.Qh3 Qf7 18.g4 Nf6 19.g5 Ne8 20.d4 Qc4 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.gxh6 gxh6 23.Qxh6+ Kg8 24.Qg6+ Ng7 25.Nd5 Qxe4 26.Ne7+ Kh8 27.Qh6 checkmate, KNVB - irish_frank, 3 0 blitz, Chess.com, 2022

11.d3 Re8 12.O-O Kg8 13.Qg3 c6 14.f4 Qe7 15.f5 Ne5 16.Bg5 

The Database has 22 Jerome Gambits played by KNVB - 20 wins.

16...Nf7 17.Bd2 Qe5 18.Qh4 Bd7 19.Rae1 Qe7

20.h3 b5 21.a3 a5 22.Ne2 d5 23.Ng3 dxe4 24.dxe4 Ne5 25.Kh1 Qf7 26.Bg5 c5 

27.Rd1 b4 28.Rd6 Bb5 29.Rfd1 Nc4 

Tempting, to evict the enemy Rook, but it's stay was temporary, anyhow.

30.Rxf6 gxf6 31.Bxf6 Ra6 32.Qg5+ Kf8 33.Qh6+ Kg8 34.Qg5+ Kf8 35.Qh6+ Kg8 

White has a draw if he wants it, and with only 3 pawns for a Rook it would be understandable if he took it - but Black's offside pieces suggest that there might be more for White in this position than just 1/2 a point.

Stockfish 15.1 evaluates White as about a pawn better.

36.Nh5 Ne5 

Rushing reinforcements to the front, but this is a mistake. Better was to threaten an exchange of Queens with 36...Qf8. But, of course, I am sitting at my desk with all the time in the world.

37.Qg5+ Ng6 38.e5 Be2 

Things have gotten quite wild.

39.Nf4 

The computer recommends 39.e6 Raxe6 40.fxe6 Rxe6 41.Rd8+ Re8 42.Ng3 Rxd8 43.Bxd8 Bb5 44.Bxa5 Bc6 45.Qxc5 bxa3 46.bxa3 Qd5 47.Qxd5+ Bxd5 but that is a lot to see when the clock is ticking. White does not want a pawns-up endgame, he wants to attack.

39...Bxd1 40.fxg6 hxg6 41.Nxg6 Rxf6 42.exf6 Re1+ 43.Kh2 

43...Qc7+

Black is feeling aggrssive, too. He probably should have looked for calmer waters with 43...Kh7 44.Ne5 Rxe5 45.Qxe5 Bxc2 46.axb4 cxb4 47.Qxa5

The rest of the game was played at breakneck speed, as both clocks ticked off their last seconds.

44.Nf4+ Kf8 45.g3 Re2+ 46.Nxe2 Bxe2 47.Qh6+ Ke8 48.Qe3+ Kf7 49.Qxe2 Kxf6 50.Qf2+ Kg6 51.axb4 cxb4 52.c3 White won on time

The position is about even, but the clock has the final say.