Here is game #8 from "Jerome Gambit: Sacrifice Theory". It is full of tactical play - until one player slips. Even so, the defender defends until he can defend no more.
NN - NN
Training Game #8
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
What should White's plan be?
Consulting The Database:
games score
10.O-O 374 58%
10.Nc3 176 64%
10.f4 33 69%
10.d4 33 73%
10.d3 32 70%
10.h4 4 88%
10.h4
White chooses the least popular, but most successful move, repeating from Game #6.
It is also Stockfish 16.1's choice (34 ply).
10...Qe8
Black had the more active 10...d5 and 10...h5 to choose from.
11.Nc3 Kf7
Hoping to be able to castle by hand.
The position is becoming complicated, but perhaps the Queen should go to f7, and the King to g8.
Alternately, there was the defensive 11...h5
12.h5 Ne7 13.h6 Rg8
The same defensive idea we saw in #6.
14.hxg7 Rxg7 15.b3 Rxg2 16.Bb2 Bg4 17.f3 Rg3
Now follow some tactical shots, but the game remains in balance.
18.Rxh7+ Nxh7 19.Qf4+ Nf5 20.Ne2 Rxf3 21.Qxg4 Ng5
22.Ng1 Rg3 23.Qxf5+ Kg8 24.Ne2 Rg2
25.Kf1
Or 25.O-O-O Qf7, also equal
25...Qh5 26.Kxg2 Qxe2+ 27.Kg3 Nxe4+ 28.Kh3 Nf2+ 29.Kh4
Black decides to take the Queens off of the board.
29...Qe4+ 30.Qxe4 Nxe4 31.Rg1+ Kf7 32.Rg7+ Ke6 33.d3 Rh8+ 34.Kg4
34...Nf2+
Black wants more.
It is hard to know if this is due to clock issues, or a difference in rating (or an unwillingness to "surrender" a half point to the Jerome Gambit) but he would do better with 34...Nc5 35.Kg3 (35.Rxc7 Rh2 36.d4 Rxc2 37.dxc5 Rxb2 38.Rxb7 Rxa2 39.cxd6 Kxd6) 35...Na6 36.Rg6+ Kf7 37.Bxh8 Kxg6 etc. Equal.
35.Kg3 Nd1
The in conjunction with the previous move, the wandering Knight courts disaster.
36.Rg6+ Kf5 37.Bxh8 Kxg6
At first glance, this looks like it will be a battle between a Bishop and a Knight, and, with pawns on the same side, possibly a draw. But, wait! Black's Knight is trapped!
38.Kf3 a6 39.Ke2 Kf5 40.Kxd1 Kf4 41.Ke2 c5 42.c4 b5
Endgame advice: When ahead in material, exchange pieces. When behind in material, exchange pawns.
Black resists, up to checkmate.
43.cxb5 axb5 44.a4 bxa4 45.bxa4 d5 46.a5 c4 47.a6 c3 48.Bxc3 Kf5 49.a7 d4 50.Bxd4 Ke6
Is Black hoping for a flag fall? Stalemate?
51.a8=Q Kd7 52.Qd5+ Kc7 53.Kd2 Kc8 54.Qc6+ Kb8 55.Qd7 Ka8 56.Qa7 checkmate
Watch White's Knights in the following game. Watch Black's Knights. The four of them are a large part of the tale.
NN - NN
Training Game #6
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
10.h4
Stockfish 16.1 evaluates 10.h4 and 10.d3 about the same, so it is not surprising to see 10.h4 in game #6, 10.d3 in game #7, and then 10.h4, again, in game #8.
10...Kf7 11.h5 Ne7 12.f3 Be6
13.h6 Rg8
This time, Black defends the g-pawn.
14.b3 Nc6 15.d4 Bd7 16.Nc3
16...Nb4
The Knight is drawn to the possibility of ...Nxc2, checking the enemy Rook, Queen and King! If this were a bullet game...
17.Qe2 c5 18.dxc5 dxc5 19.Bb2 Be6
20.Nb5 Qb8
With the opportunity to drive White's Knight away with ...a6, followed by and advance of the Queenside pawns (backed by Rook and Queen) against White's King, should he O-O-O.
A quieter plan, like 20...Qb6, was in order.
21.e5
An attack on the wing should be countered by one in the center.
21...Nfd5 22.a3 Nf4
Mixing it up, but he needs to be careful.
23.Qe4 Nbd5 24.Nd6+ Ke7 25.O-O-O
Stockfish 16.1 evaluates White as being the equivalent of a Rook ahead. I can't see it.
25...b5 26.g3 Qf8 27.c4 bxc4 28.bxc4
28...Ne2+
You know that you are in trouble when this is the computer's top choice.
29.Qxe2 Nb6 30.hxg7 Qxg7 31.Qe4 h6 32.Rh5 Qg6 33.Qh4+
33...Kf8 34.Rxh6 Qg5+ 35.Qxg5 Rxg5 36.Rxe6 Rxg3
The exchange of Queens has moved the middle game into the endgame, but White is still winning handily.
37.Rf6+ Kg8 38.e6 Na4 39.Nf5 Nxb2 40.Ne7+ Kh8 41.Rh1+ Rh3 42.Rxh3+ Kg7 43.Rf7 checkmate
Here is the seventh training game from Sacrifice Theory. The Bishop mentioned in "Jerome Gambit: Sacrifice Theory"
Readers are familiar with White attacking by advancing his f-pawn, i.e. f2-f4-f5-f6. In the following game, White shows that he can also advance his h-pawn, with strong play to follow.
NN - NN
Training Game #7
2024
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
A position as old as Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1878 (1 - 0, 28).
7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
10.d3
This move is slightly better than 10.O-O, seen in Vazquez, A - Carrington, W, Mexico, 2nd match 1876 (1-0, 34) and NN - NN, #5 Training Game, Sacrifice Theory. The Bishop, Rysbova 2024 (1-0, 27).
10...Kf7
Castling and placing your Rook on the e-file takes two moves; so does castling-by-hand with ...Kf7 and ...Re8. Oddly, the second seems to take longer - but that may be due to the fact that sometimes it is only accomplished half way.
11.Nc3 Rf8
Ryobova, in her book Gambit, gives this move a "?" although it is not clear why. Stockfish 16.1 evaluates it as only .1 of a pawn worse than its first choice.
12.h4
Further aggression by the Jerome Gambiteer, as in Training Game #6.
12...Bd7
Black is unimpressed, and continues with his development.
13.h5 Ne5
Slightly better was 13...Ne7 as in Training Game #6.
14. h6
Attacking the enemy Queen with the wrong Knight. Instead, after 14...Neg4, the stay-at-home Knight will still protect the pawn at h7.
15.Qg3 g5
Blocking the path from White's Bishop to h6, where Black would like to retreat his Knight, without having to deal with an exchange on h6, which would break up the pawns on his Kingside.
This is well motivated, but creates further problems. It turns out that after the alternative, 15...Nh6, White can play 16.Bxh6 gxh6 17.Rxh6 when 17...Rh8 can be met with 18.O-O-O, and White would have an edge.
Therefore, Black might have tried 15...Rg8 (similarly played in the previous Training Game).
16.f3 Qf6
Retreating the advanced Knight is no solution, as there will be too much pressure on f6: 16...Nf6 17.Bxg5 Rg8 18.d4 Nc4 19.Qf4 Rg6 20.e5 Nxe5 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.Qxe5 when White will be a pawn up, with a safer King.
17.fxg4 Kg6
Perhaps, but there is elswhere to play.
18.Nd5 Qd8 19.Rh5
Just now.
19...c6 20.Rxg5+
Black would prefer not to give up his Queen with 20...Qxg5, but now the King hunt is on.
21.Rg7+ Ke6 22.Nf4+
For completness sake I can mention 22.g5 cxd5 23.Qh3+ Ng4 24.Qxg4+ Ke5 25.Qg3+ Ke6 26.Qh3+ Ke5 27.d4+ Kxd4 28.Qc3+ Kxe4 29.Qd3+ Ke5 30.Qe2+ Kd4 31.Be3+ Ke5 32.Bg1+ Kf5 33.g4+ Kf4 34.Bh2# , but the text is psychologically sound as it requires Black to surrender more material.
22...Rxf4 23.Qxf4 Qf6
An exchange of Queens would not help, but Black has nothing else left.
24.Qf5+ Qxf5 25.gxf5+ Kf6 26.Bg5 checkmate
