Another Jerome Gambit Practice Tournament (Part 4)

 

Once again we see an interesting Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), decided, this time, in a Queenless middlegame.

It is risky to offer Jerome Gambit odds to a player who outranks you by 235 points, but this game was in a practice turnament, after all.

Chioborra - KevinOSh

Jerome Gambit Practice Tournament, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7 

This is Whistler's Defense, seen in the correspondence game between Alonzo Wheeler Jerome and Lt. G.N. Whistler, USA, Secretary, Lexington Kentucky Chess Club, found in the December 1876 issue of the American Chess Journal.

8.Qd5+ Kg7 

See Yury V. Bukayev's "Anatoly Karpov & Jerome Gambit (Parts 7 & 8)"   

9.d4 

For 9.b4!? see Yury V. Bukayev's "JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 15)"

9...Bb6 10.Bg5 Nf6 11.Bxf6+ Qxf6 

White exchanged at f6 in order to keep his Queen centralized. He will trade only if he can get something out of the deal.

12.e5 Qc6 13.Qxc6 bxc6 14.c3 Ba6 

Black's pawns have been disrupted, but his Bishops look quite deadly. 

15.Nd2 d5 

Better 15...c5.

16.O-O-O 

Instead, 16.a4 would have embarassed (and later, won) Black's Bishop at b6. 

16...c5 17.Nb3 c4 18.Nd2 c5 19.f4 cxd4 20.cxd4 Bxd4 

Black's Bishops are no longer stifled.

21.Nf3 Be3+ 22.Kb1 Bb7 23.g3 d4 

Black's advanced pawns, in addition, look dangerous.

24.Rhf1 Be4+ 25.Ka1 Rhd8 26.Ng5 Bf5 27.h3 h6 28.g4 Bxg4 29.hxg4 hxg5 30.fxg5 Bxg5 

Black's passed pawn is protected, White is not.

31.e6 Rf8 32. Rfe1 d3 33.Re5 Be7 34.Re4 d2 35.Rxc4 Rf2 36.Rd4 Rd8 

Just in time.

37.Rxd8 Bxd8 38.a4 Re2 White resigned

White can threaten the enemy pawn at d2 with 39.Kc3, but after 39...Bg5 Black has a checkmate in 17 moves.