Jerome Gambit: Stumbling Over Familiar Ground (Part 1)

Checking the notes in the game below, you can see that I was playing on familiar territory.

Still, I managed to lose: complicated play, topped by simply dropping a piece.

Oh, and I was out-played. Take a look.

perrypawnpusher - moisesah

Jerome Gambit Classic #1, Chess.com, 2024

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.Qe3 N8e7 

I have also seen the Knight go elsewhere, 9...Nf6, in perrypawnpusher - ZlikoM, "Piano Piano" tournament, Chess.com, 2020 (0-1, 37). 

10.O-O Rf8 11.f4 

Or 11.d4, as in perrypawnpusher - louarn, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 44).

11...c6 

Also possible was 11...Nc6 as in perrypawnpusher - taman, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 35).

There was the reasonable 11...Kf7 as in perrypawnpusher - bnxr, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1/2-1/2, 32); perrypawnpusher - wbrandl, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 28); and perrypawnpusher - mconto, Jerome Gambit Classic #1 2024 (0-1, 38). 

Stockfish 16.1 prefers 11...d5 (with an edge) even though that is the second move of the d-pawn.

12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc4 14.Qe2 b5 

15.b3 Nb6 16.f6 

This pawn break is premature; White is not developed enough.

Better 16.Bg5 Kf7 17.f6 gxf6 18.Rxf6+ Kg8 19.Nd2 Rxf6 20.Bxf6 Qe8 21.Rf1 Nd7 22.e5 and White would be a bit better.

16...gxf6 17.Qh5+ 

This was my idea, but Black's King can move to safety.

17...Kd7 18.Qxh7 Kc7 19.Nc3 Bd7 20.Bh6 

Forcing, but 20.Bf4 (edge to Black) was more to the point. 

20...Rh8 21.Qg7 Rg8 22.Qf7 

It would have been worth investigating if my opponent was looking for a draw by repetition, i.e. 22.Qh7.

I am also not sure why I didn't just grab the pawn at f6 with my Queen.

In any event, Stockfish 16.1, after the game, evaluated this position as about 2 1/2 pawns better for Black.

[to be continued]