It is a bit of tricky timing, but sometimes right after I analyze and post a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game I soon run into that particular line of play.
perrypawnpusher - GabrielChime
blitz 12 0, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
My opponent and I have played a few Jeromes. An earlier one continued: 6...Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ng6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qe3 Bd7 12.0-0 Qf8 13.e5 Kd8 14.exd6 Qxd6 15.Nc3 Nf6 16.d3 Re8 17.Qf2 Rf8 18.Be3 b6 19.Rae1 Nd5 20.Nxd5 Qxd5 21.Bd2 Qxa2 22.Bc3 Qd5 23.Bxg7 Re8 24.Rxe8+ Kxe8 25.f5 Ne7 26.f6 Ng6 27.f7+ Kd8 28.f8Q+ Nxf8 29.Qxf8+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - GabrielChime, blitz FICS, 2009.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Be6
Earlier I had faced 9...Ne5 10.f4 Ng4 11.Qg3 g6 12.d4 Qe7 13.Nc3 Bd7 14.0-0 N4f6 15.e5 Nh5 16.Qf2 Bf5 17.exd6 Qxd6 18.Be3 Kd7 19.Rae1 Rd8 20.h3 Ngf6 21.g4 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - GabrielChime, blitz FICS, 2009.
10.f4
Previously, I had castled, which is a better idea: 10.0-0 Nf6 11.f4 Kd7 12.f5 Bxf5 13.exf5 Re8 14.Qg5 Ne7 15.Qxg7 c6 16.Qxf6 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - dirceu, blitz FICS, 2010.
After the game Rybka preferred 10.Nc3, suggesting that after 10...Qh4 11.0-0 Nf6 12.f4 Bd7 13.f5 Ne7 14.d3 Kf7 Black had an edge.
10...N6e7
This move is okay, but as the previous note hints at, Black could have made more mischief with 10...Qh4+, e.g. 11.g3 Qh3 12.Nc3 Bg4 and White will find it difficult to castle.
11.0-0 Nc6
The game is roughly even.
An alternative was seen in mrjoker - Melbourne, ICC 2 12 blitz, 2008: 11...Nf6 12.f5 Bf7 13.d3 c6 14.h3 Qb6 15.g4 Qxe3+ 16.Bxe3 Kd7 17.Nd2 b6 18.Kg2 g6 19.g5 Nh5 20.f6 Nc8 21.d4 b5 22.b3 Nb6 23.Rac1 a5 24.c4 bxc4 25.Nxc4 Rhb8 26.Kf3 Nxc4 27.bxc4 Rb2 28.Rf2 Rab8 29.d5 c5 30.Rcc2 Rxc2 31.Rxc2 a4 32.Rc3 Kc7 33.Ra3 Be8 34.e5 dxe5 35.Bxc5 Rb2 36.Ke4 Re2+ 37.Be3 Bd7 38.f7 Black resigned
12.d4 Bf7 13.Nc3 Qd7
14.e5
Probably advancing the wrong pawn. With a little patience, White would do well with 14.d5 Nce7 15.Qg3 Kf8 16.Be3 Nf6 17.Bd4 – although the position would still be level.
analysis diagram
14...dxe5 15.dxe5 Qe6
My opponent has grasped the weakness of my pawn advance: the "Jerome pawns" can be frozen and blockaded, making the extra Black piece more valuable. Placing the Queen at f5 was necessary, however.
16.f5
16...Qxe5 17.Qxe5+ Nxe5 18.Re1 Rd8
19.Bf4 Kd7 20.Bxe5 Nf6
White is a pawn up, but as I learned not long ago in my game against KaZC, that may not be enough for me to win.
21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Ne4 Kc8
Black did not want to protect the f-pawn by moving his King to e7 and into the line of a possible discovered check. Yet the checks would prove harmless, while giving White a second pawn increases the first player's opportunities.
In all fairness, GabrielChime's time was getting short.
23.Nxf6 Rd6 24.Ne4 Rdd8 25.Rad1 Rxd1 26.Rxd1 Re8 27.Nc3
There is nothing really exciting going on: White plans to grind out the win.
27...Bc4 28.Kf2 Rf8 29.g4 c6
30.b3 Bf7 31.Ne4 Bd5 32.Nc5 Rf6 33.c4
Here, my opponent's flag fell.
They say that there is no fool like an old fool, and I'm pretty sure that if I keep fooling around with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) in its Four Knights Opening form, it will only be a matter of time before I receive a just punishment for such impertinence.
Still, the opening has its attractions.
perrypawnpusher - KaZC
blitz FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6
The Petroff. I usually play the Boden-Kiezeritzky Gambit here (i.e. 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3, etc.) but I have been learning about the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, and couldn't resist trying that again.
3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5
So far, so boring.
5.Bxf7+
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
White has achieved an interesting position... at the cost of a losing game, critics would say. Certainly this is true in master-level play, but among club players, the outcome is not as clear.
7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.0-0 Re8
Here I had a pawn for my sacrificed piece – plus some attacking ideas and a plan to chase after the Black King.
10.f4
Next time (if there is a next time) I think I'll try 10.Bg5 first.
10...Nc6 11.Qd3 Kg8
Black has castled-by-hand, and his development matches White's.
12.Bd2
Other games in this position have seen 12.Nd5 and 12.b3
12...a6 13.Rae1 Kh8
Black is taking precautions. He knows that if White breaks in the center with e4-e5, then after ...d6xe5 the Queens can be exchanged, taking an important piece out of White's attack.
14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Rxe1 16.Rxe1
16...Na7
One precaution too many. The alternative 16...Ne7 kept Black's advantage. Now White has a chance to even the game.
17.Qe4
Boring and uninspired.
Consider the alternative, 17.f5, which limits the movements of Black's Bishop, and therefore his Rook as well.
analysis diagram
Now Black can play 17...Bd7 and answer White's 18.Rf1 with the active 18...Qh4 – all reasonable moves. There follows the advance 19.f6.
analysis diagram
Should Black reply 19...Re8 (If 19...gxf6 20.Rxf6 Qxf6 21.Bc3 etc.) White can offer his Queen with 20.Qe3, as 20...Rxe3 21.f7 h6 22.f8Q+ Kh7 23.Bxe3 wins.
analysis diagram
After 20...Nc8 21.Bc3 gxf6 ( the Queen is still safe: 21...Rxe3 22.fxg7+ Kg8 23.Rf8#) White liquidates to a roughly equal end game with 22.Qxe8+ Bxe8 23.Bxf6+ Qxf6 24.Rxf6
analysis diagram
Back to the game.
17...Bg4
18.h3 Bh5 19.g4 Bf7 20.Bc3 Qe8
Exchanging Queens and Rooks would move Black closer to the win.
21.Qf5
Here I missed a chance to grab a pawn with 21.Bxg7+ since 21...Kxg7 would be followed by 22.Qd4+ Kg8 23.Rxe8+ Rxe8 24.Qxa7.
21...Qf8 22.Qd7
Preparing to double heavy pieces on the 7th rank, but this is a plan that should not work.
22...Nb5 23.Re7 Nxc3
Defending the Bishop with 23...Kg8 would have put an end to my plans.
24.Rxf7 Qe8 25.Qxe8+ Rxe8 26.bxc3 Kg8
The smoke has cleared. White has a small advantage in a drawish endgame.
27.Rxc7 b5 28.Kf2 Re4 29.f5
29...Ra4
KaZC's plan is clear: exchanging off the center and Queenside pawns will give him a draw.
30.Rd7 Rxa2 31.Rxd6 Rxc2+ 32.Ke3 Rxc3+ 33.Kd4 Rc4+
Black's Queenside pawns look scary, but they can be kept under control.
34.Kd3
Advancing the King was stronger.
34...Rc5 35.Rxa6 Rxd5+ 36.Ke3 Rd1
I think that at this point we could have fairly split the point, but I wanted to see what I could squeeze out of the position.
37.Rb6 Rb1 38.Kd4 Kf7 39.g5 Kg8 40.g6
Threatening mate!
40...Rd1+ 41.Ke5 Re1+ 42.Kf4 Re8 43.Rxb5 hxg6 44.fxg6
KaZC has everything under control.
44...Rf8+ 45.Rf5 Rxf5+ 46.Kxf5
Black's King is in his fortress, and no amount of wandering or maneuvering is going to allow a breakthrough.
At the time I still thought that I could come up with something.
46...Kf8 47.Ke6 Kg8 48.Ke7 Kh8 49.h4 Kg8 50.h5 Kh8
Now 51.Kf7 is stalemate.
51.Ke6 Kg8 52.Kf5 Kh8 53.Kg5 Kg8 54.Kf5 Kh8 55.Ke5 Kg8 56.Ke6 Kh8 57.Kd7 Kg8 58.Ke7 Kh8
Looking over this game, I am amazed at my opponent's patience and good humor. I am trying to get blood out of a stone, the game is hopelessly drawn.
Okay, there is one swindle in the position: try it, and then accept the draw...
59.h6
59...Kg8
By this time I was actually glad that my opponent did not fall for 59...gxh6 60.Kf8 h5 61.g7+ Kh7 62.g8Q+ Kh6 63.Qg7 checkmate.
60.h7+ Kh8 61.Kf8 Game drawn by stalemate
