Monday, January 27, 2025

Jerome Gambit: Staggering (Part 2)

 


[continued from the previous post]




13.Qg3 

Planning f2-f4, but this move was short-sighted, as Black immediately demonstrates.

Better was 13.Rae1, bringing a Rook to a central file and lining up with the enemy Queen.

13...Nh5 14.Qf3 Qf7 15.Qe2 Nf4 16.Qd2 Rf8 


Things look grim for the gambiteer, but at least Black's Rook is buried at h8. Of course, he could always find ...h7-h5.

At this point I looked at the Jerome Gambit and complained, "Here's another fine mess you've gotten me into."

17.Bxf4 Qxf4 18.Qxf4 Rxf4 19.Nd5 Rf7 20.Nxb6 axb6 

Even though it wasn't very Jerome-ish, going into the endgame like this didn't seem any worse than staying in the middlegame. 

I suppose that Bill Wall could make something out of this position, but with only a Queenside pawn majority and a Kingside pawn majority as "compensation" for a Bishop, I was stuck.

21.f4 

After the game, the computer recommended the uninspiring 21.a4 or 21.c4 or 21.b3. It probably couldn't make much out of my position, either.

21...h5 22.Rf3 Kh7 23.f5 g6 24.Raf1 Rhf8 25.fxg6+ Kxg6 26. Rxf7 Rxf7 27.Rxf7 Kxf7 


How does that song go? "...fool, trying hard to recreate what had yet to be created..."

28.Kf2 Kf6 29.c3 c5 30.d4 cxd4 31.cxd4 Bc6 32.Kf3 Kg5 

33.b3 h4 34.g4 b5 35.b4 Bd7 36.h3 Be6 37.d5 Bf7 38.Ke3 Be8 39.Kf3 Bd7 40.a3 b6 41.Ke3 Be8 42.Kf3 Bg6 43.Ke3 Be8 44.Kf3 Bd7 


My opponent could afford to be patient, as he had the game in the bag. 

There was no reason for me to drag out the game.

45.e5 dxe5 46.d6 Kf6 47.Ke4 Ke6 White resigned

Looks like I have a lock on 8th place in my group.


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