Jerome Gambit: Training Game #4

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

It is a sad tale of how an un-coordinated attack, led by a too-far-ahead-Knight, brings the aggressor only sorrow.

Training Game #4

NN - NN

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 Qe7 

9.Qxe7+ 

This exchange is not often White's idea, because the Queen can help attack the enemy King; but Stockfish 16.1 actually assesses the position after the exchange of Queens, here, as only 1/5th of a pawn better for Black than the Queen retreat to e3.

9...N8xe7 10.Nc3 Nf4 11.O-O d5

Black's pawn advance is thematic in the Jerome Gambit, but seems a bit loosening, here - yet, the second player maintains his advantage of piece-for-pawns.

12.d3 Rf8 13.Be3 Be6 14.g3 Nh3+

The Knight doesn't accomplish much except to get stuck here. That is no way to attack a King.

15.Kg2 c6 16.Ne2 Kd7 

Linking his Rooks - but stifling his Bishop, as White quickly notices. Better was 16...Rd8.

17.Nd4 

Threatenening the Bishop which supports the Knight - and the Bishop has nowhere safe to go.

17...Bg4 18.f3 c5 19.Nb3 d4 20.Bd2 Bxf3+ 

Oh, well.

21.Rxf3 Rxf3 22.Kxf3 

White has emerged from the excitement with an extra (passed, protected) pawn.

22...c4 

I am not sure what the idea is behind this move, but Stockfish likes it.

23.dxc4 Rf8+ 24.Kg2 Rc8 25.c5 b6 26.cxb6 axb6 27.Nxd4 Rc4 28.c3 Rc5 29.Kxh3 

Things are settled here. The game continued, perhaps, because of clock issues? I will give the moves for the sake of completeness, but the game is really over.

29...Re5 30.Re1 Nc6 31.b4 Rh5+ 32.Kg2 Ne5 33.h3 g6 34.g4 Rh4 35.Kg3 g5 36.Bxg5 Nd3 37.Rf1 Rxh3+ 38.Kxh3 Ne5 39.Rf5 Ng6 40.Rf7+ Kd6 41.Bf4+ Nxf4+ 42.Rxf4 h6 43.Rf6+ Ke5 44.Rxb6 Kxe4 45.Rxh6 Kd3 46.Rc6 Ke3 47.a4 Kd3 48.a5 Ke3 49.a6 Kd2 50.a7 Kd3 51.a8=Q Ke3 52.Qe8+ Kf4 53.Rf6+ Kg5 54.Qe5 checkmate