In light of the earlier "The Pawns! The Pawns!", alternate titles for this post easily came to mind, such as "Nothing Succeeds Like Excess" or "Too Much is Not Enough" - but whatever you call it, today we see more bad dreams for Black, thanks to the "Jerome pawns."
Wall, Bill - Atacan
PlayChess.com, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3
9...Be6
Also seen is 9...N8e7, from perrypawnpusher - rsiemon, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0,23).
10.f4
Or 10.O-O, as in Wall,B - Parsom, Chess.com, 2010, (1-0, 25).
10...Bd7
The Bishop can also go the other way, 10...Bf7, as in perrypawnpusher - Kingsmeal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 25) and perrypawnpusher - GabrielChime, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 33).
A more spirited reply is 10...Qh4+, as in perrypawnpusher - udofink, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 29).
11.O-O N8e7 12.d4
Or 12.f5 as in perrypawnpusher - nmuffjgp, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 23).
12...h5
Black looks like he wants to join in the pawn fun, but he soon is out-played.
13.c4 h4 14.b4 h3 15.g3 Bg4 16.f5 Nf8 17.d5
The "Jerome pawns" in all their (initial) glory.
A humorous alternative, pointed out by Bill, is 17.Rf4 Bh5 18.Rh4 winning Black's advanced pawn.
17...c6 18.a4 cxd5 19.exd5 Qc7 20.Rf4 Bd1
Humorous, but Black cannot really afford this levity.
21.Nc3 Bc2 22.f6 gxf6 23.Nb5 Qb6 24.c5 dxc5 25.bxc5 Qa5
Now comes the finish, and the "Jerome pawns" do their part.
26.Rxf6 Qd8 27.Nd6+ Kd7 28.Nxb7 Qe8 29.c6+ Kc7 30.d6+ Kxc6 31.Qc5+ Kxb7 32.Qc7+ Ka6 33.d7+ Black resigned
My opponent's play was bold enough to give me trouble, and even if he did not solve all of the mysteries of the Jerome Gambit, he played a game which left me feeling constantly as if I were one step behind.
perrypawnpusher - magza
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Be6
This move provokes f2-f4 by White, but it is only the beginning of Black's sharp play.
10.0-0
Or 10.f4 as in mrjoker - Melbourne, blitz, ICC, 2008 (1-0, 38), mrjoker - tomnoah, ICC, 2009 (0-1, 42), perrypawnpusher - GabrielChime, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 33); perrypawnpusher - udofink, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 29), and perrypawnpusher - Kingsmeal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 25).
10...Kd7
My opponent practically screams "Come and get me!"
Alternatives include 10...Qf6, as in perrypawnpusher - OverwiseMan, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 24); 10...Nf6, as in perrypawnpusher - dirceu, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 16) and perrypawnpusher - nmuffjgp, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 22); and 10...h6 as in MrJoker - pds1, ICC, 2011 (1-0, 28).
(All of the games referred to can be found in The Database.)
11.f4 N6e7 12.f5 Bf7 13.d4 Bc4 14.Rd1 Nf6
Black's pieces keep close watch on White's "Jerome pawns."
"Just a couple more moves," I told myself, "and I'll have an even game."
15.b3
Either 15.e5 or 15.Na3 might have been a tiny bit better.
15...Ba6 16.Nc3
A curious move.
I know that I did not play 16.e5 because I was worried about 16...Nxf5, but that was just poor "analysis", as 17.Qf3 wins back the sacrificed piece with advantage to White. Black does better to answer 16.e5 with 16...Ng4, and after 17.Qg5 he holds his own (or better) in the tactics on the Kingside.
Consistent was 16.c4 followed by 17.Nc3.
16...Re8
This move was my "opportunity", the one that usually comes knocking in the Jerome Gambit. Black's best was 16...Qf8 working against the line given concerning 15.e5. In fact, White's next move should be 17.e5.
17.Qg5 Rg8 18.e5 Nfd5
19.Bb2
Developing the Bishop, protecting the Knight, uniting the Rooks: and it all still feels too slow.
After the game, Houdini suggested 19.Nxd5 Nxd5 20.Qg4 (coming soon: c2-c4) with an edge for White.
19...h6 20.Qd2 Nxc3 21.Bxc3 Nxf5
Bleh. A score-and-one moves, and White has little to say about his position, while Black's pieces are beginning to glow again.
22.d5 Qe7
Possible, and better, was 22...dxe5
23.e6+ Kc8 24.Bb2 b6 25.c4 Kb7
Black has castled-by-hand on the Queenside, and his light-squared Bishop looks a little bit odd. White has his dark-squared Bishop on a strong diagonal, and a protected, passed pawn at e6.
Houdini gives Black only a slight edge, but the question is: Where will White get his play? Black's pieces are well-placed to defend against the one plan that suggests itself, infiltrating along the f-file to f7: 26.Rf1 Raf8 27.Rf2 g6 28.Raf1 h5.
26.b4
Opting to stir things up on the Queenside.
26...Bxc4 27.Rdc1
Making the same kind of mistake referred to in the notes to White's 16th move, concerning 16.e5. Here the right move was 27.Qf4, although after 27...Bxd5 28.Rxd5 g6 Black has returned his extra piece for some pawns, and is a pawn ahead.
White's e-pawn would be weak, not strong, and that would give Black the advantage in the long run.
White's game now just flows from bad to worse.
27...b5 28.a4 a6 29.a5 g6 30.Rxc4 bxc4 31.Rc1 Qg5 32.Qxg5 hxg5 33.Rxc4 Ne3
White's sacrifice of the exchange only means that he is now a Rook behind.
34.Re4 Nxd5 35.Rg4 Rae8 36.Rxg5 Nxb4 37.Rg4 Nd3 38.Bc3 Rxe6 39.Rd4 Nc5 40.Rb4+ Kc6 White resigned
After I was crushed in this game, I looked it over: both my opening and my opponent had given me chances for play. The Jerome Gambit did not let me down – I let it down.
perrypawnpusher - Kingsmeal
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Be6
Black's last move encourages White's next.
10.f4
Or 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.
10...Bf7
The problem with White's 10th move is that Black can play, instead, 10...Qh4+ 11.g3 Qh3, causing problems on the light squares for White. Better, as in my play against dirceau, was 10.0-0.
11.0-0 Qh4
12.Nc3
Here my play could have been guided by a little logic. Does Black's Queen pose a threat? No. What would make it dangerous? If a Knight got to g4. Can I stop ...Ng8-f6-g4? No, but you can take the sting out of it with 12.d4 Nf6 13.Qd3 Ng4 14.h3. What else? Don't chase the other Black Knight to g4. How to I do that? Start with 12.d4, so that after 13.f5 the Knight can't find its way to g4.
12...N8e7
13.f5 Ne5 14.d4
Driving the Knight to where I don't want it to go. Thus: 14.h3 is better. My play was too stereotyped.
14...Ng4 15.Qg3
Completing the farce, but Rybka's recommendation after the game – 15.Qh3 Qxh3 16.gxh3 Nf6 17.e5 – leaves Black better, as well.
15...Qxg3 16.hxg3 Kd7
The Knight on g4 is a serious pain in my position.
17.Bf4 Bc4 18.Rfe1 Raf8 19.b3 Ba6 20.Ne2
It is difficult getting my pieces to cooperate. Black, on the other hand, is ready to tear things apart.
20...g6 21.fxg6 Nxg6
Even stronger was 21...hxg6, adding the other Rook to the attack.
22.c4 b5 23.c5 b4 24.cxd6 cxd6
25.Bd2
It is hard to believe Rybka's post mortem suggestion, although perhaps White's best is to eliminate almost all of the pawns: 25.a3 Bxe2 26.Rxe2 Nxf4 27.gxf4 Rxf4 28.axb4 Ra8 29.Ra6 d5 30.exd5 Rxd4 31.g3 Rd3 32.Kg2 Ne3+ 33.Kh3 Nxd5 34.Rf2 Ke7 35.Rh6 Nxb4 36.Rxh7+ Kd6 37.Rff7 Rxb3 38.Rxa7
analysis diagram
25...Rf2 White resigned
