In the following game my opponent out-played me, encouraging me to extend a shell of "Jerome pawns" which he then cracked like an egg. I'd like to look at a couple of interesting positions from the game, neither of which I "solved" correctly.
perrypawnpusher - mconst
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Ne5
This is the first position. Black is clearly being provocative, asking for the d-pawn or the f-pawn to kick the Knight to g4. I've not seen it before.
Instead, I've seen 9...Nf6 in perrypawnpusher - hogmaster, JG3 thematic, ChessWorld, 2008 (1-0, 37); perrypawnpusher - joejox, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1/2- 1/2, 27); perrypawnpusher - DysonLin, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 23); perrypawnpusher - Mences, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 38); perrypawnpusher - andrecoenen, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 25); perrypawnpusher - SkypeFro, blitz, FICS 2010 (1-0, 39); perrypawnpusher - BishopChris, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 22);
I've also faced 9...Be6 in perrypawnpusher - jamtaylo, blitz, ChessWorld Welcome JG, 2009 (1-0, 27).
10.0-0 Nf6 11.f4
Likely better is 11.d4, which would cause me to re-think my understanding of how to play this position. The attraction of the move is obvious: kicking the Knight on e5 and opening the c1-h6 diagonal for White's dark squared Bishop. It also means that White should then answer 11...Neg4 (not the best response) with 12.Qd3, giving up, at least for the moment, the idea of pinning Black's Knight along the f-file with either the Rook or Queen and then attacking it with e4-e5.
11...Neg4
This is probably not as solid as 11...Nc6 but it is much more annoying.
12.Qf3 Nh6
13.h3 Kf7 14.e5 Ne8 15.g4 Rf8 16.Qd5+ Be6 17.Qxb7 Qh4
Here's the second position of interest. The question is: Is Black bluffing?
He had the choice of the ordinary 17...dxe5 18.fxe5+ Kg8 19.Rxf8+ Kxf8 20.Qe4 Nf7 which is about equal.
Instead, he offers a Rook.
18.Qg2
I played this too quickly, but it is worth looking at 18.Qxa8 d5, locking the Queen out. The alternatives to the pawn move, 18...Qxh3, 18...Nf6 and 18...Nxg4, are all well met by 19.Qg2.
When White then covers his h-pawn with 19.Kg2, Black has 19...Nd6, exposing an attack on the Queen.
As Her Majesty runs back home, Black breaks through: 20.Qxa7 Ne4 21.Qa3, however I have not been able to find anything better for Black than either 21...Bxg4 or 21...Nxg4 each which yield nothing more than a draw through perpetual check after 22.hxg4.
18...Rb8 19.f5 Bc8 20.d4 Bb7
The game is complicated, and my play from here on out is not good.
21.Qh2
White needed to shield himself from that Bishop with 21.d5 dxe5 22.c4, when Black might have a slight edge.
21...Kg8
Prudent, but there were good attacking chances with 21...Nxg4.
22.Nd2
White needed to get rid of that Knight with 22.Bxh6
22...Nxf5
Even more deadly was 22...Nxg4, but my game was collapsing fast.
23.gxf5 Qxd4+ 24.Rf2 Rxf5 25.Nb3 Qd1+ White resigned
The following game shows how often the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) can lead to tactical opportunites in club and blitz play. Truth be told, I missed many of them, and the resulting draw is a bit of an embarassment, but I can't blame that on the opening.
perrypawnpusher - SkypeFro
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
We have a standard Jerome Gambit position, with Black up a piece, and White having two pawns as compensation. The second player will have to invest a few moves to castle his King by hand.
10.f4 Kf7 11.f5
Sloppy and dangerous.
Rule #1 for White in this kind of position is to postpose f2-f4 until Black has played Ng8-f6 and is thus unable to play Qd8-h4+.
Rule #2 is for White to always be on the lookout for danger along the e-file: White Queen in front of White King, Black Rook on e8.
Here Black's 10...Kf7 suggested strong attention to Rule #2. (White should have castled instead.)
11...Ne5
A wasted opportunity. Better was 11...Bxf5 12.exf5 Re8 when 13.fxg6+ Kxg6 14.0-0 Rxe3 15.dxe3 gives White only a Bishop and a Rook for his Queen. Plus, Black's King is safe.
analysis diagram
12.d4 Neg4
This attack on the Queen can feel irresistible, but 12...Nc6 was better. With the right response, White can now reach an even game.
13.Qf3
The right idea was 13.Qb3+ d5 14.e5 Re8 15.0-0 when Black does best to return his extra piece and grab a handful of pawns in return with 15...Nxe5 16.dxe5 Rxe5 17.Bf4 Rxf5. Rybka says the game is even, despite the second player being a pawn up.
analysis diagram
13...Re8 14.Nc3
14...Bxf5
This looks like a visual slip. The straight-forward 14...Nxe4 15.Nxe4 Nf6 works well for Black. He tries a similar idea, but the text gives up a piece in the process.
15.Qxf5 g6 16.Qf4 Kg7 17.h3 Nxe4 18.Nxe4 Nf6
19.0-0 Rxe4 20.Qh6+ Kg8
The King needed to go to h8. It looks like a small slip, but Black would then be able to answer White's next move with 21...Ng8.
21.Bg5 Re6 22.Qh4
Stronger and more direct was the kick 22.d5.
22...Kf7
23.Bxf6
This is good, but 23.Qxh7+ was immediately crushing.
23...Rxf6 24.Qxh7+ Ke6
25.Rae1+
Again, this is okay, but 25.c4, setting up a mating net, was a much sharper tactic. The problem with second-best moves is that they can eventually lead to a second-best outcome.
25...Kd5
26.Qg7
Pedestrian. White should have played 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 27.Qxc7 with serious threats.
26...Rxf1+ 27.Rxf1 Qg5
Black is still in trouble. The text leaves the pawn on c7 unprotected, but 27...Kc6 would allow, among other moves, the simple 28.Qxg6.
28.Qf7+ Kxd4
This should be the end of things.
29.Rf4+
Much more to the point were 29.Rd1+ or 29.c3+.
29...Kc5 30.Qc4+
Instead 30.Qxc7+ leads to checkmate.
30...Kb6
I could not believe that there wasn't a checkmate here, but I had squandered those possibilities earlier.
31.Qb3+ Kc6 32.Rc4+ Kd7 33.Qxb7
This looks like progress, but Black has a simple repetition of position now, for the draw. Ouch!
33...Qe3+ 34.Kh2 Qe5+ 35.Kh1 Qe1+ 36.Kh2 Qe5+ 37.Kh1 Qe1+ 38.Kh2 Qe5+ 39.Kh1 Game drawn by repetition
