Jerome Gambit: Casual and Safe, Not Enough

My opponent in the following game does not do anything traumatic to his game. Instead, he just kind of drifts into trouble.

Jerome Gambit players do not necessarily win by force, but they often can take advantage of positions that appear quiet and un-exciting on the surface. Then, force helps a lot.

perrypawnpusher - poorplayer63

Italian Game tournament, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc3 

I thought that I would give this move (instead of 9.Qe3) a try.

Bill Wall is 7 - 0 with 9.Qc3; but Bill wins with a lot of interesting moves in the Jerome Gambit.

According to The Database, Littleplayerparis has scored 70% with 9.Qc3 in 121 games.

9...Nf6 10.O-O 

For historical purposes: 10.d3 c6 11.O-O Kd7 12.f4 Qb6+ 13.Kh1 Kc7 14.Qe1 Re8 15.b3 Nd5 16.Qg3 Nb4 17.Na3 Bd7 18.c3 Nxa2 19.f5 Ne5 20.d4 Qxb3 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.Rb1 Qxc3 23.Be3 a6 24.Qxg7 b5 25.Rf3 Kc8 26.Rd1 Rd8 27.Bb6 Kb7 28.Bxd8 and wins Jerome - Brownson, Iowa 1875.

10...Be6 

A casual move. Instead, after the game Stockfish 16 recommended the following, odd line, leading to what it evaluated as Black's 2 1/2 pawn advantage: 10...Nf4 11.Kh1 Rf8 12.f3 N6h5 13.d3 Ne2 14.Qe1 Nxc1 15.Qxc1 Qh4 16.Kg1 Rf7 17.Nc3 Kf8 18.Qd2 Bd7 19.a4 Kg8 20.Ne2 h6 21.Qb4 Bc6 22.a5 Nf4 23.Nxf4 Qxf4 24.Qc3 d5 25.a6 dxe4 26.fxe4.

Sometimes I have complained that Stockfish does not "understand" the Jerome Gambit, and this is a good example.

11.d4 

Equally un-dynamic. I am always debating, "f2-f4 or d2-d4?" and it is remarkable how often I choose the opposite of the computer, as is again the case here.

11...Nxe4 

I admit that I was hoping for this move, but it hardly can be considered falling into a trap. Instead, there was 11...d5, and whether White meets that with 12.e5 or 12.f3, Black would still be better.

12.Qe3 d5 13.f3 Qd7 14.fxe4 dxe4 15.Qxe4 c6 

This "safe" move later got a thumbs down from the computer, which suggestsed that the position should be reduced to one in which White simply has an edge: 15...Rf8 16.Nd2 Rxf1+ 17.Nxf1 Kf7 18.Bd2 c6 19.Qd3 Rd8 20.Be3 Kg8 21.Re1 c5 22.Bf2 cxd4 23.Qxd4 Qxd4 24.Bxd4 Bxa2 25.Bxa7 Bf7 26.g3 h6 

16.Nc3 Kd8 17.Bg5+ Kc8 18.Rae1 Re8

At this point I was pretty sure that I had something... 

19.d5 cxd5 20.Nxd5 Bf7 

21.Ne7+Nxe7 22.Rxf7 Kc7 23.Rxe7 Rxe7 24.Qxe7 Qxe7 25.Rxe7+

I can always be "tricked" out of my attack on the King by being given enough material; I routinely head for the endgame. Rightly or wrongly, I attribute this to a very early chess book of mine, Reuben Fine's Chess the Easy Way.

25...Kc6 26.Rxg7 Re8 27.Rxh7 Re1+ 28.Kf2 Rc1 

A slip in a lost position.

29.Bxc1 

Black resigned