Jerome Gambit: I Hate RoboCalls

I hate robocalls - those annoying phone calls that provide an endless supply of scams and sales pitches. My home town has one of the largest collections of call centers in any city, and it is not unsual for me to receive 10 bogus calls a day. I let the calls go to my voice recorder, unless I recognize the name given by Caller ID (my favorite is "Illegal Scam" - for real), so that I do not waste time with fool things.

Except, sometimes the phone rings when I am playing a blitz game, online...

perrypawnpusher - pepxbcn
10 0 blitz, FICS, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.O-O Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Qxd4 Re8 

Black has a decent position. I have lost once from here - perrypawnpusher - kholthaus, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 45) - and won once - perrypawnpusher - Odeon, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 15). Over all, The Database has 5 previous games, with White scoring 40%.

10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 d6 12.b3 Bd7 13.Bb2 Ne7

Eyeing the f5 square, but 13...Be6 was just fine.

14.e5 Nh5 15.exd6 

My original plan was to play 15.Rae1, and I should have stuck with that. Sometimes I think my handle should be "perrypawngrabber".

15...cxd6 16.Qxd6 Qb6+ 

White has two pawns for the sacrificed piece, but Black remains better. And, now -

Ring! Ring! Ring! Blast, that stupid phone! Another call! So distracting! So annoying!*

17.Kh1? Qxd6 White resigned

Sigh.

Sadly, that's not the first time that I have hung my Queen in a Jerome Gambit game.

(*It is also a generational thing. When my kids' phones ring, they figure a friend is trying to reach them. When my phone rings, I ask myself, "Who died?" In this case, the White Queen.)

I'll take care of it later...

It is time to take a break from "Return of Jerome Gambit for Dummies" to take a look at a recent blitz game from FICS. Black seems to be settling into his chair, becoming comfortable with his position (after all, it's only the Jerome Gambit), when things "suddenly" go wrong.

perrypawnpusher - Odeon
blitz, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 h6 5.0-0 Bc5

 6.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Qxd4 Re8

10.f4 Nc6

I have had a habit of playing 11.Qd3 (most recently perrypawnpusher - kholthaus, blitz, FICS, 2011) in this and in similar positions, naively hoping for ...Nb4, which would drop the Knight to Qc4+.

My choice in this game was based on the idea that Black would be less likely to make that slip than to choose the move that he actually does make.

11.Qc4+ Kf8

This move is not an error (although 11...d5 is a bit stronger) but it does allow White to get a tighter grip on the center.

12.e5 Ng4

This looks like a "That's okay, I'll take care of it later" kind of play, in that Black sees no problem with moving his piece to a more aggressive position.  Retreating to g8 or h7 was the prudent choice.

13.h3 Ngxe5

Played relatively quickly, as if "Hey, no problem, I'll return the piece for two pawns and active play." White would have an edge after 13...d6 14.hxg4 Bxg4

14.fxe5+

The check makes a big difference.

14...Ke7 15.Qf7 checkmate