The Jerome Gambit: Just Make Good Moves

The following blitz game, sent to me by SUPREMEAPAP, is wild.

I remember, years ago, reading that a Master shared that he doesn't bother with deep analysis when playing against a much weaker opponent, he just makes good moves and waits for the mistakes to come.

SUPREMEAPAP - NN

3 2 blitz, Chess.com, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Bxf7+

Most recently seen in the post "Keep Things Complicated"

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Nxe4

With aggression in mind. Milder was 6...Ng6.

7.dxe5 Qh4

Black's Queen move looks scary, especially in a 3-minute game. Still, 7...d5 was for choice.

8.Qf3+

Is this move good? Is it bad? Does it matter?

Sometimes, when you get an idea in your head, you play it.

An alternative is 8.g3 Qe7 9.Qd5+ Qe6 10.Qxe4 d5.

8...Kg8

See what I mean? Play something scary, and your opponent might jump. The King is in danger? Seek shelter! It is not readily apparent - and in 3-minute games, players seek out the readily apparent - that 8...Kg6 is best, and keeps Black better.

9.g3

White kicks the Queen, driving her back, maintaining White's advantage. Good idea, but missing 9.Qb3+ d5 10.Qxd5+ Be6 11.Qxe6 checkmate.

Again: After this move, White is still better, but...

9...Ng5

The old maxim, If your opponent attacks your piece, you may not need to move it, if you can, instead, attack one of your opponent's important pieces, is often helpful, especially in quick games, but following it can be risky if it misses concrete threats.

10.Qxf8+

If the Queen goes, she will take a piece with her; and then White can capture Black's Queen.

If she were not playing at breakneck speed, she would have seen to move her Queen with check, 10.Qb3+ d5 11.gxh4.

10...Kxf8 11.gxh4

After Black collects the e-pawn, he will have an edge, due to pawn structure.

11...Nf3+ 12.Ke2 Nxe5 13.Bf4 d6 14.Bxe5

Simple positions can be easier to play, and here, the stronger player expects to outplay the weaker player.

14...dxe5 15.Nc3 Ke7 16.Rad1 Ke6 17.Rhg1 g6 18.Nb5

18...Bd7

Ouch. Clock? Nerves?

19.Nxc7+ Kf5 20.Nxa8 Bb5+ 21.Ke3 Rxa8

White is up the exchange and a pawn, and "only" needs to find a plan and execute it - ahead of the clock.

22.Rd5 Bc6 23.Rc5 Rd8 24.Rg5+ Kf6 25.Rgxe5 h5 26.Rg5 Rd1

27.Rc4 Re1+ 28.Kd2 Re8 29.Rf4+ Kg7 30.c3 a6 31.a3 Bb5 32.a4 Bc6

I don't know for sure, but I suspect that White played the last 10 moves very rapidly, to accumulate some of the 2-second increments per move, to ease time pressure.

33.b3 Be4 34.Ke3

Allowing a discovered check, but it really doesn't matter.

34...Bc2+ 35.Kd4 Bxb3 36.a5 Bd1