Jerome Gambit: Oh, My, Another Recovered Game

While putting together the earlier post "Jerome Gambit: Stumble" I realized that I had not presented the following game.

Since I have committed to presenting all of my Jerome Gambit games - win, lose, or draw - here we go.

perrypawnpusher - atastypawn

"Italian Game" Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

7.Qxe5 Qe7 

Whistler's defense. (BTW, my favorite as Black)

8.Qf4+ 

For the record, there was first, the too risky, 8.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 9.Kd1 Qg4+ 10.f3 Qxg2 11.Qxh7+ Kf8 12.Re1 d5 13.Qh4 Qxf3+ 14.Re2 Bg4 15.Nc3 Bf2 White resigned, Jerome,A - Whistler,G, correspondence 1876.

Also 8.Qd5+ - explored by Yury V. Bukayev in "Anatoly Karpov & Jerome Gambit (Parts 7 & 8) and "JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 16)" - 8...Ke8 9.d4 Bb6 10.Qe5 Qxe5 11.dxe5 Ne7 12.f4 d6 13.exd6 cxd6 14.Nc3 Ba5 15.Bd2 a6 16.O-O Bd7 17.Rad1 Nc6 18.Nd5 Bd8 19.Bc3 Rf8 20.g3 Be6 21.Rfe1 Ne7 22.Nf6+ Kf7 23.Nxh7 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - moush54, Chess.com 2021.

8...Qf6 

Or 8...Kg7 as in perrypawnpusher - tmarkst, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 43) 

9.Qg3 

I have scored 4 -2 - 2, with White, from this position, despite being "objectively" worse. 

9...Ne7 

Or 9...d6 as in perrypawnpusher - alvarzr, blitz, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 49);

Or 9...d5 as in perrypawnpusher - MeisterBob, Chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 32);

Or 9...Qe6 as in perrypawnpusher - IndeedPerhapsYes, Chess.com 2021 (1-0, 32) 

10.Nc3 

Or 10.O-O as in perrypawnpusher - Yaku, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1/2 - 1/2, 26) 

10...d6 

Or 10...Rf8 as in perrypawnpusher-joro_videv, Chess.com 2022(0 - 1, 34) 

11.d3 Bb4 12.Bd2 Be6 

If there's a win here for me, it's still a long way off. 

Of course, a win for my opponent is a lot closer.

13.a3 Ba5 14.O-O Raf8 

Black envisions a do-it-yourself Queenside castling.

15.f4 Ke8 16.Rae1 Kd8 

I am improving my position, but Stockfish 17.1 still sees Black as about a pawn and a half better.

17.e5 

Possibly premature.

17...dxe5 18.fxe5 Bb6+ 19.Be3 Qg7 

20.d4 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Rf8 22.Rd1 

Still hoping to somehow break in the center, but Black immediately blockades.

22...Nd5 

Stockfish really does not like this move, preferring to see the Knight at f5. Yet, it still gives the second player an edge.

23.Ne4 

Missing a chance to get the "Jerome pawns" rolling with 23.Nxd5 Bxd5 24.b3 Qd7 25.c4 Bg8 26.d5 when the center pawns would balance out Black's extra piece (and two Bishops), an even game.

23...Nxe3 24.Qxe3 Kc8 25.Nc5 Bxc5 26.dxc5 c6 

Allowing an outpost at d5, but nothing comes of it.

27.Rf1 Rxf1+ 28.Kxf1 Qf7+ 29.Kg1 Bc4 30.Qf2 Kd7 

Here, I gave the position a long look, and resigned. 

(You couldn't have guessed that my opponent is rated about 340 points above me, could you?)

Black's King can find safety at c7 or c8, while his Queen and Bishop partnership can begin snipping off my pawns.

My passed e-pawn is not protected and not long for the world, either.

Hélas.