Jerome Gambit: Something Stupid (Part 2)

[continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - Wander007

Giuoco Fun, Chess.com, 2024

The position is double-edged. White's pawn center is impressive. Black's King has castled-by-hand on the Queenside and he has attacking chances on the Kingside.

Evaluations and notes based upon computer assessments after the game make me wonder why I consult silicon assistants.

19...Qg4 20.Ng5 

After the game Stockfish 16.1 suggested a wild line of play: 20.Ne1 Raf8 21.Bg5 c5 22.b5 Bc8 23.a4 Rf7 24.a5 Rgf8 25.h3 Qxg5!? 26.fxg5 Rxf1+ 27.Kh2 Ne5 28.d4 cxd4 29.Qxd4 Bb7 30.Rd1 Rd8 31.Nc2 Rxd1 32.Qxd1 Bxe4 33.Ne3 Rf8 34.Qd4 Bg6 - the computer gives White less than a pawn's worth advantage here. 

This was all beyond my imagination, of course.

20...h6 21.h3 Qd7 22.f5 hxg5 23.fxg6 

23...Rxg6 

The computer much preferred 23...Nxg6, because now White has 24.e5 Ng8 25.Qe4 Rh6 26.exd6+ Kb7 27.Be5 Re8 28.b5 Rxd6 29.a4 Nh6 30.a5 Nf7 31.d4 Nxe5 32.bxa6+ Ka8 33.dxe5 Rde6 34.Rf5 Qc7 35.Rxg5 Rxe5 36.Qxe5 Rxe5 37.Rg8+ Qb8 38.Rxb8+ Kxb8 39.axb6 axb6 and it sees White as clearly better.

Of course, if I could have seen that line of play, I wouldn't need Stockfish to help me.

24.Bxg5 Rag8 25.h4 Qe6 26.Rf2 

My tendancy to grab pawns has given Black chances.

26...d5 

Risky, although neither of us understood why.

27.cxd5 

The magic move was 27.b5!? followed by 28.cxd5 cxd5 29.Qf4+, but - seriously. 

27...cxd5 28.Rc1+ Kb7 

Getting in the way of the Bishop. 28...Kb8 kept things balanced. 

29.Rfc2 

29...Rc8 30.a4 Rxc2 

What could be more natural than exchanging off an attacking piece? Still, Stockfish 16.1 pointed out that we had missed Black's chance to transition into a Queen + pawns vs Queen + pawns endgame: 30...Ka8 31.Rxc8+ Nxc8 32.e5 Rg8 33.Rf1 Ne7 34.Rf6 Qg4 35.e6 Qxb4 36.Rf4 Qd6 37.Rf7 Re8 38.h5 Bc8 39.h6 Bxe6 40.Rxe7 Rxe7 41.Bxe7 Qxe7 42.h7 Qxh7 43.Qxe6 Kb8 44.Qxd5 Qc7 45.Qg8+ Kb7 46.Qc4 where White has an edge (I think).

31.Rxc2 Kb8 

I was pleased to reach this position with White, but was flabbergasted, when things were all over, that the computer saw my position as almost a Rook better. It had to do with Black's pieces being awkwardly placed, although I still can not see it.

[to be continued]