Behind the following game is a lot of experience that each player has had in the Jerome Gambit and similar lines. My opponent shows that he has learned his lessons well. Only a couple of late slips deprive him of the benefits of this knowledge.
perrypawnpusher - JohnGHughes
blitz, FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
Twice last year my opponent played 3...Na5 and was stung hard by 4.Bxf7+ - in Bholashankar - JohnGHughes, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 9) and dentistkbz - JohnGHughes, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 10).
On the other hand, two years ago he won a regular Jerome Gambit - JohnGHughes - CAPNATDO, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 10) - and split a couple of Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambits - JohnGHughes - ShinyLeprechaun, FICS, 2012 (0-1, 28) and JohnGHughes - grewal, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 19); so perhaps this is why he tacks to the Semi-Italian.
4.0-0
I discovered after our game that my opponent had stumbled twice in the past against 4.Bxf7+ - codh - JohnGHughes, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 19) and PapaDessalines - JohnGHughes, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 35) - but that line is too wild for me (says the Jerome Gambit player...).
4...Bc5
Again, Black sidesteps 4...Na5 5.Bxf7+, having learned his lesson in ipadnov - JohnGHughes, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 16).
5.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Kf8
I have had more experience with 7...Ke6.
8.Qxe5 d6
Again, my experience is greater with 8...Bd6. I am being led away from my preparation.
9.Qg3 Nf6 10.d3 Be6 11.Be3 Kf7 12.f4
This is not the only pawn move available, as I could have tried 12.d4!? Bb6 13.Nc3 Kg8. I have a habit of choosing the f-pawn over the d-pawn.
12...Bxe3+ 13.Qxe3 Re8
A move away from completing castling-by-hand, with better development, Black maintains his advantage.
White has to mobilize his "Jerome pawns" and press his attack against the King.
14.f5 Bd7 15.Nc3
An alternative plan was 15.Nd2 Kg8 16.Rae1.
15...Kg8 16.h3
At this point Black focuses on White's pinned e-pawn. He sees that 16...Bxf5 would be answered by 16...Rxf5, but why not attack the e-pawn again, as it will be unable to capture anything itself?
16...d5 17.e5
Because of the pin on the e-pawn, Black can answer this advance with 17...c6, protecting his d-pawn, before repositioning his Knight. Instead, he forgets that advancing the pawn will leave it without protection.
17...d4 18.Qxd4
Now, after 18...Nh7, White has probably equalized, with three healthy pawns for the sacrificed piece. Instead, Black moves his Knight to h5, where, in some lines, it will be vulnerable.
18...Nh5 19.f6 gxf6
A tougher defense follows 19...Be6, since the Bishop can go to f7 in some lines to protect the Knight, for example 20.Qf2 Rf8 21.Qh4 Bf7, when 22.g4 will be answered by 22...g5!? Instead, White would regain the piece and maintain an edge with 22.e6.
If White takes his Queen to h4 directly after 19...Be6, then Black answers 20.Qh4 with 20...Bf7, when 21.Rae1 is answered by 21...g5!?
Of course, all of this is easier to figure out when the clock is not ticking in a blitz game!
20.exf6 Rf8 21.Qd5+ Black resigned
After capturing the Knight and surrendering the f-pawn, White will be two pawns up, with continued pressure on the enemy King.
Both players in the following game engage in creative play. As is fitting, the one who adds a little "Jerome" to his efforts is the one who wins.
AndrejRussia - casaralta
blitz, FICS, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening. White has a number of moves - e.g. 4.0-0, 4.Nc3, 4.c3, 4.d3, 4.d4 - that can advance his game. Most allow Black to play 4...Bc5, opening up the opportunity to transpose to the Jerome Gambit with 5.Bxf7+.
4.b4
Reminiscent of some ideas of Philidor1792. See "Essence of Evans / Jerome / Halloween", for example. It is interesting that Houdini 3, at 22 ply, gives only one response - 4...Bxb4 - that leads to an advantage for Black, and only by about 1/3 of a pawn.
4...Nd4
Couriouser and curiouser. Black transposes to a Blackburne Shilling Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4), where his extra ...h7-h6 may or may not be more helpful than White's extra b2-b4.
Here are a few relevant games:
4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Qb3+ Kf8 8.O-O d6 9.d4 Qe7 10.d5 Nb8 11.Qb5 Bb6 12.Be3 Bd7 13.Qb3 Na6 14.Nbd2 Rb8 15.Nc4 Nc5 16.Bxc5 Bxc5 17.a4 Nf6 18.Ncd2 Kf7 19.Nh4 Rhf8 20.c4 Kg8 21.Qg3 Nh5 22.Ng6 Qf6 23.Qf3 Qxf3 24.Nxf3 Rf7 25.Ngh4 Nf4 26.Nf5 Bxf5 27.exf5 Rxf5 28.Nh4 Rf6 White resigned, wardcleophus - Kiera, blitz, FICS, 2013;
4...Nxb4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Kf6 (6...Ke8 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Nc4+ Kc6 11.Ne5+ Kb6 12.Nc3 Nxc2+ 13.Ke2 Nxa1 14.Na4+ Ka6 15.Nc5+ Kb5 16.Qc4+ Kb6 17.Qb4# karapetov - goterpaws, FICS, 2009; 6...Ke6 7.Bb2 Nf6 8.Qf3 Nc6 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.Nf7+ Black resigned, karapetov - drissE, FICS, 2009) 7.c3 (7.d4 d6 8.Qf3+ Bf5 9.Qxf5+ Ke7 10.Qf7# karapetov - hicoyoke, FICS, 2009) Nc6 8.Ng4+ Kf7 9.O-O Bd6 10.d4 Be7 11.d5 Nb8 12.Ne5+ Kf6 13.Ng4+ Kg6 14.Be3 d6 15.e5 Bg5 16.Nd2 Bxg4 17.Qxg4 Nd7 18.h4 Nxe5 19.Qg3 Nf6 20.hxg5 Nfg4 21.gxh6 Rxh6 22.Bxh6 Kxh6 23.f4 Black resigned, BJCAS - codh, FICS, 2013;
4...Nf6 5.b5 Nd4 (5...Na5 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Ke6 (7...Ke8 8.Ng6 Rg8 9.O-O Nc4 10.d3 Nd6 11.e5 Nxb5 12.exf6 Qxf6 Black resigned, BJCAS - teddydog, FICS, 2009) 8.d4 d6 9.Ng6 Rg8 10.O-O Kf7 11.Nxf8 Rxf8 12.f4 Kg8 13.Qf3 Bg4 14.Qg3 Qd7 15.a4 Nxe4 16.Qh4 Nc4 17.h3 Bf5 18.g4 Bh7 19.f5 Qd8 20.Qe1 d5 21.Na3 Ncd6 22.c4 dxc4 23.Nxc4 Nxc4 24.Qxe4 Re8 25.Qd3 Ne5 26.Qb3+ Kh8 27.dxe5 Qd4+ 28.Be3 Qxe5 29.Rae1 Qg3+ 30.Kh1 Qxh3+ 31.Kg1 Qxg4+ 32.Kf2 Qxf5+ 33.Ke2 Qg4+ 34.Kd2 Rad8+ 35.Kc1 Rxe3 36.Rxe3 Qg6 37.Rfe1 Qg5 38.Kb2 Rd2+ 39.Kc1 Rd5 40.Kb2 Rd2+ 41.Ka1 Bg8 42.Re8 Qf6+ 43.R1e5 Qxe5+ White resigned, xivarmy - walls, FICS, 2009) 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Bb2 Nxf3+ 8.Qxf3 Bd6 9.Nc3 Rf8 10.Nd5 Kg8 11.Nxf6+ Rxf6 12.Qb3+ Kh8 13.O-O Be7 14.Bxe5 Re6 15.f4 d6 16.b6 axb6 17.Bd4 Rxe4 18.Qc3 Bf6 19.Bxf6 Qxf6 20.Qxc7 Qf8 21.Qxb6 Ra6 22.Qb2 d5 23.d3 Rxf4 24.Rxf4 Qxf4 25.Rf1 Qd6 26.Qb5 Bd7 27.Qxb7 Rb6 28.Qa8+ Rb8 29.Qa5 Qb6+ 30.Qxb6 Rxb6 31.Rf8+ Kh7 32.h4 Rb1+ 33.Rf1 Rxf1+ 34.Kxf1 Ba4 35.c3 Bc2 36.d4 Bb1 37.a4 Bd3+ 38.Kf2 Kg6 39.Ke3 Bc2 40.a5 Ba4 41.a6 Kf6 42.Kf4 Ke6 43.g4 Kd6 44.g5 h5 45.Kf5 Bc2+46.Kf4 Black forfeited on time, umeshajm - lsatlow, FICS, 2013.
5. Bxf7+
The Jerome Gambit treatment.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke6
7. Ng6 Bxb4
Instead, 7...Qg5 8.Nxf8+ (not 8.Nxh8, Qxg2 winning) Kf7 9.O-O Kxf8 would be about equal.
8.Qg4+ Kd6 9.e5+ Kd5 10.c4+
Even stronger is 10.c3 c5 11.cxd4, but White is thinking about Black's King.
10...Kxc4
A bit better was 10...Kc5, but Black's King would remain at risk.
11.Na3+ Bxa3 12.Bxa3 c5
This move is to protect the Knight, but it hems the King in.
13.Rc1+ Kb5 14.Rxc5+ Kb6 15.Qxd4 d6 16.Rxc8+ Ka6 17.Rxd8 Black resigned
Following up on the previous post ("Too Much of A Bad Thing"), here is another "public service announcement" about the difficulty of surviving 3...h6 and 4...Na5 when facing the Jerome Gambit - this time, the 4.c3 version.
Earlier warnings include "Still Worth Knowing", "Getting Creative," and "I'm Just Sayin'...".
hendrikgosse - codh
blitz, FICS, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.c3 Na5
Asking for the "Jerome treatment." White obliges.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8
The comparatively better 6...Ke6 is well met by 7.Qh5 with a clear advantage to White.
7.Qh5+ Ke7
Or 7...g6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Ng6 and Black will be down material, with an unsafe King.
8.Ng6+ Kf6 9.Nxh8 Nc6 10.Qh4+ Ke6 11.Qxd8 Black resigned
After 11...Nxd8 12.Ng6 White will be up the exchange and a couple of pawns.
