Oh my! The way my opponent treated my recent Jerome Gambit (see"A Challenge!") you would have thought that it was a refuted opening. Oh, wait a minute - it is!
Black disposed of me in short order. Well done!
perrypawnpusher - izscha2014
GameKnot.com, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6
We reached this position quickly, through a series of conditional moves that my opponent set up. Humorously, it is from perrypawnpusher - Buddy_Thompson, Italian Game Thematic Tournament, Chess.com, 2014 (0-1, 27). In that game my opponent was 300 rating points higher than me, not izscha2014's "mere" +200 points.
10.Qh5
An idea of Bill Wall's, from Wall,B - Marani,G, Chess.com, 2011, (1-0, 28).
10...c6
Bill's opponent tried 10...g6. The text is an improvement.
11.fxe5+ Qxe5 12.Qe2 Nf6 13.d3 Ke7 14.c3 Qh5 15.e5
It might have been better to have played 15.Qxh5 followed by 16.d4, but, of course, Black would still have the advantage.
15...Qxe2+ 16.Kxe2 Nd5 17.Bg5+ Ke8 18.Nd2
At this point I was pleased to see my pieces developing quickly, and I even anticipated the upcoming piece exchange. My evaluation of the position that occurred was faulty, however.
18...h6 19.Ne4 hxg5 20.Nxc5 d6!
Wisely offering a pawn (which can easily be recovered) to also improve his development. As long as Black's Queenside remains undeveloped, White will have time to protect his exposed h-pawn and possibly double Rooks on the f-file.
21.exd6 b6 22.Ne4
After the game Houdini suggested returning the pawn to exchange off Black's Bishop, 22.d7+ Bxd7 23.Nxd7 Kxd7 24.Raf1
22...Bg4+ 23.Kd2 Bf3 White resigned
Like sand running through an hourglass, White's game promises to slip away, move-by-move: i.e. 24.Rhf1 Rxh2+ 25.Rf2 Rxf2 26.Nxf2 Kd7 27.Ne4 Bxe4 28.dxe4 Nf6 29.e5 - alas, the "Jerome pawns" have no future - 29...Ng4 30.Re1 Re8. After the e5/d6 pair disappear, Black would simply be a piece ahead in a relatively uncomplicated position.
Excellent game, izscha2014!
In the following game, Bill Wall's opponent plays one of the I-don't-know-how-many refutations of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Then, it is as if he looked up in surprise, wondering What? Are you still here?
Wall,B - Marani,G
Chess.com, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+
This check is the start of a rather nasty refutation of the Jerome, involving a Queen sacrifice and all sorts of tactics. Luckily for the Gemeinde, it is largely unknown outside of this blog.
The earliest example I have seen was in a humorously annotated game of "telephone chess" in the American Chess Magazine of June, 1899.
It should be noted that ...Qf6, without the check on White's King, was suggested by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in his first article on the gambit, "New Chess Opening" in the April 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal.
9.g3 Qf6
Continuing in the funny vein, the first example I have seen of this Queen retreat was in a game played by a computer against Jack Young (of "Bozo's Chess Emporium" fame), mentioned in his "Meet Jerome" article in Randspringer #6, 1990 - 1991. It "defused the attack."
10.Qh5 g6
I can imagine Black looking up and saying, to White and his Queen, "Are you still here? Begone!"
11.Qe2
The Queen retreats, properly admonished.
It turns out that Black must lose a piece, anyhow. He decides to do so by tip-toeing his King away.
11...Ke7 12.fxe5 Qxe5 13.c3 Qe6 14.d4 Bb6
White has only a pawn for his sacrificed piece, but he has some compensation in Black's unsafe King and lagging development, as well as in White's pawn center.
If Black is feeling annoyed, that would be compensation, too.
15.Bg5+ Ke8 16.0-0 h6 17.Qf2
Here is another indication that things are not going as Black has planned. The Bishop does not have to retreat, as White is threatening 18.Qf8 mate.
17...Ne7 18.Bxh6 d5
The Bishop can not be captured for the same reason.
19.Nd2 dxe4
Of course, 19...Rxh6 loses the Rook to 20.Qf8+ Kd7 21.Qxh6.
It turns out that Black's only chance to hold onto his edge in the game was 19...Qg8, not the easiest move to find.
20.Nxe4!
It is great to be able to play this kind of move.
20.Qxe4?? 21.Qf7+ Kd7 22.Rae1 Qd5 23.Rxe7+ Kc6 24.Rf6+ Kb5 25.Qxd5+ Ka6 26.Qc4+ Ka5 27.Qb4+ Ka6 28.Qa4 checkmate
