Jerome Gambit: Training Game #5

Here is the fifth training game from Sacrifice Theory. The Bishop mentioned in "Jerome Gambit: Sacrifice Theory".

Black adopts a dithering defense, and pays the price.

NN - NN

Training Game #5

2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

This position should look familiar. It appears in The Database 660 times, with White scoring 61%.

10.O-O Qe8 

Instead, 10...Kf7 followed by 11...Re8 was seen in the early Vazquez,A - Carrington,W, Mexico, 2nd match 1876 (1-0, 34) 

11.Nc3 Kf7 12.f4 Bd7

This move is given a "?" but I think the position is more complicated than that.

It is true that a pawn storm by White is imminent, while Black's King is not safely tucked away - so spending an extra tempo here (with the intention of ...Bc6) could be a problem.

However, the bigger issue is the Knight(s) demonstration coming up, that accomplishes little beyond self-inflicted wounds.

13.d4 Ng4 14.Qd3 Nh4

It is so much fun to harass the enemy Queen, but an attack has to have more than that.  

15.f5 Qe7

Another lost tempo. Now the dominoes start to fall.

16.Nd5 Qd8 17.Qb3 Kf8 18.Qg3 h5 19.f6 

There is too much going on for the defender to counter it all.

19...Bb5 20.Bg5 gxf6 21.Nxf6 Bxf1 

Winning the exchange, but it doesn't matter.

22.Rxf1 Kg7 23.Bxh4 Qc8

White can now pick up another piece with 24.h3, but he goes for mate, instead.

 24.Qf4 Nxf6 

Capitulation.

25.Qxf6+ Kh7 26.Qf7+ Kh6 27.Rf6 checkmate