Final Nail in the Coffin

Here we finish up burying the 3...h6 and 4...Na5 defense to the Jerome Gambit by taking a look at 4.Nc3  - instead of 4.0-0 ("Too Much of A Bad Thing") or 4.c3 ("Still A Mess").

freerunner - gGgeorgGg
blitz, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.Nc3 Na5 

While the Semi-Italian Opening is playable for Black, and the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+) has its risks, the introduction of ...Na5 pushes the whole defense over the cliff.

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8 

6...Ke6 would get the same response. 

7.Qh5+ Ke7 

Or 7...g6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Nd5#, GriffySr - mackadee, standard, FICS, 2002. 

8.Ng6+ Kd6 

Let's face it, Black's King is already toast:

8...Kf7 9.Nxh8+ Ke6 (9...Ke7 10.Qxa5 Nf6 11.Qe5# shipwrecked - LScope, blitz, FICS 2011) 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qe5#; or

8...Ke8 9.Nxh8+ g6 10.Qxg6+ Ke7 11.Nd5#; or

8...Ke6 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.Qd5#; or

8...Kf6 9.Qf5# moskvabr - amama, blitz, FICS, 2005. 

9.Nxh8

This wins, as does 9.Qd5#, JakartaGuy - Kiloz, blitz, FICS, 2007 and (to use White's Knight) 9.Nb5+ Kc6 10.Nd4+ Kb6 11.Qb5#.

9...Nf6 

Or 9...Qe7 10.Ng6 Qe6 11.Nxf8 Black resigned, xerthil - Tiur, blitz, FICS, 2005. 

10.Qxa5 

Picking up material while deleting a defender. Houdini gives a fun line using White's Queen Knight: 10.Nb5+ Kc6 11.Nd4+ Kd6 12.Nf7+ Ke7 13.Nf5+ Ke6 14.Nxd8+ Ke5 15.d4+ Kxe4 16.Qf3 checkmate 

10...Qe7 

11.e5+ 

Again, a line that shows the advantage of White's Knight being in play is 11.Nb5+ Ke6 12.Nd4+ Kd6 13.Nf5+ winning Black's Queen. 

11...Qxe5+ 12.Qxe5+ Kxe5 13.Ng6+ Ke6 14.Nxf8+ Kf7 15.Nxd7 Bxd7 

White has deftly exchanged a handful of pieces, leaving him simply a Rook and two pawns up. The rest of the game does not change this.

16.0-0 Re8 17.d3 g5 18.Be3 Bc6 19.Bxa7 h5 20.Bd4 Ng4 21.f3 Ne3 22.Bxe3 Rxe3 23.Rae1 Rxe1 24.Rxe1 b5 25.Ne4 Kg6 26.g3 Bd7 27.Nc5 Bc8 28.Re5 c6 29.b3 g4 30.f4 b4 31.Re4 Bf5 32.Rxb4 h4 33.Ne4 h3 34.Rb6 Bd7 35.Nc5

Fighting to the end, Black forfeited on time

Chess Marches On (Again)

I was wandering through The Database again, enjoying how the theory of the Jerome Gambit and its relatives has developed over the years, when I ran into the following position from dusanmunja  - valud, blitz, FICS, 2013

It had again been reached through a nameless opening variation that had been Jerome-ized: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+ (or 4.Nxe5) Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ Ke7 7.Ng6+ Kf6

A search of The Database showed that this position had been reached twice before, both leading to wins for White.

First was JakartaGuy - SwoopingCrane, standard, FICS, 2005 which continued 8.Nxh8 g5 9.d4 h6 10.Qf3+ Kg7 11.Ng6 d5 12.Ne5 Nf6 13.Nc3 Bb4 14.0-0 Bxc3 15.bxc3 dxe4 16.Qe3 Qd6 17.f3 c5 18.fxe4 cxd4 19.cxd4 Nc6 20.Nxc6 bxc6 21.e5 Qd5 22.exf6+ Kf7 23.Qe7+ Kg8 24.Qg7 checkmate

The second was chessforce - bbrom, blitz, FICS, 2010, which concluded more swiftly 8.Nxh8 g6 9.Qxa5  Black resigned

Of course, dusanmunja, in this year's game, was able to improve upon the play of both of his predecessors (Chess marches on!) by playing 8.Qf5 checkmate.

8.Qf5# 1-0