perrypawnpusher - acwizard
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Kf8
In the Sorensen Variation (see "Battle Again") of the Jerome Gambit, this King move is playable, even laudible. However, in the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit...
7.Nxc6
Of course 7.Ng6+ would win at least the exchange, depending on if the Knight can extract itself.
I think I was patting the dog and telling her I was busy when I made this move... (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)
7...dxc6 8.d3 Ne7
By transposition 8...Nf6 led to perrypawnpusher - vladchess, blitz, FICS, 2011 (½-½, 46) with the relevant continuation 9.Be3 Qe7 10.d4 Bb6 11.f3 Kg8 12.Nc3 Kh7 13.Qd3 g6
9.Be3
Rybka 3 prefers to preserve the Bishop with 9.c3 Bb6 10.d4 and a roughly equal game.
9...Bb6
Black does not want to open the f-file with 9...Bxe3 10.fxe3+ but his King could have safely gone to g8 (and even on to h7) maintaining an edge.
10.Nc3
Instead, 10.d4 kept White's dark-squared Bishop and kept the game balanced. Exchanging the Bishop with 10.Bxb6 cxb6 was seen in stretto - TommyN, FICS, 2008.
10...Kg8 11.Bxb6
Impatience. Again, the way to keep things level was with 11.d4, but the choice of one strategy over another is always easier to see after the game is over.
11...cxb6 12.f4 Kh7 13.d4 Bd7
Here we have a confrontation between the "Jerome pawns" and Black's extra piece. The game is about equal.
14.f5 Rf8
Black has neatly castled-by-hand.
15.Qd3 Rf6 16.g4 g5
This pawn move upsets the balance of the game. It would have been more prudent to simply return the Rook with 16...Rf8.
17.e5 Rf7
This move creates unnecessary grief. Again, after the Rook retired with 17...Rf8, White can try 18.Rae1 Be8 19.Ne4 Kh8 but he still has to be careful with his pawns, lest Black liquidate them by returning his piece.
18.e6 Black resigned
Not only does White's e-pawn fork a couple of pieces, his f-pawn threatens to advance with a discovered check.
