What Hole?

Ah! Another unsound attack with the Jerome Gambit by Yours Truly! At first glance, it looks powerful - but, there is a hole in it. (Or maybe more than one...) Lucky for me, my opponent missed his escape, and perished in rolling thunder.

perrypawnpusher - kenkenaitya
blitz, FICS, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

The Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

I like facing this defense, as it allows White to get rid of the annoying Black dark-squared Bishop and to get his "Jerome pawns" rolling.

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

10.0-0 Rf8 11.f4

Or 11.f3 as in mrjoker - PhlebasP, ICC, 2009 (1-0,35).

11...Kf7

Alternatives:

11...Qe7 was seen in perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 20),  perrypawnpusher - obturator, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 31) and perrypawnpusher - fogab, blitz, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 27);

11...Ng4 was seen in perrypawnpusher - lorecai, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 47), perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2-1/2, 58) and perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS, 2011 (24); and

11...Rf7 was seen in mrjoker - Mandragora, ICC, 2008 (1-0, 49) and perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 30).

12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Neg4 14.Qd3 Kg8 

Black has castled-by-hand, but White already has a small edge.

15.h3 Nh6 16.Bxh6 gxh6 17.Nc3 a6 18.Qe3 Kg7

Rybka 3 gives a very complicated defense starting with 18...Ne8, and including ...Qe7 and ...Qf6 to exchange (or drive) off White's Queen.

19.Qg3+

Here, and for the next few moves, Rybka 3 prefers e4-e5. Then, when I finally play the move, it prefers something different. The reason? See the note to Black's 23nd move.

19...Kf7 20.Qh4 Rg8 21.Qxh6 Rg7

22.e5?

First White should play 22.Rae1.

22...dxe5 23.dxe5 Ng8

Instead, 23...Qd4+ 24.Rf2 Qxe5 gives Black the edge. White must always be wary of the Black Queen check and capture, if he plays the e4-e5 break.

24.e6+ Kf8 25.Qf4 b5

Here Rybka 3 suggests that Black try his luck in a Rooks and pawns endgame (where he is still worse): 25...Nf6 26.Rad1 Qe7 27.Nd5 Qc5+ 28.Ne3 Qe7 29.Ng4 Nxg4 30.hxg4 Bxe6 31.fxe6+ Kg8 32.Qc4 Rg6 33.Rfe1 b5 34.Rd7 bxc4 35.Rxe7 Rg7 36.Rd7 c3 37.bxc3 Re8 38.Rxg7+ Kxg7 39.e7 Kf6.

Now White finishes off the game in sparkling style.

26.Rad1 Qe8 27.f6 Rg6 28.f7 Qe7 29.fxg8Q+ Kxg8 30.Qf7+ Qxf7 31.exf7+ Kf8 32.Rd8+ Ke7 33.f8Q+ Ke6 
Black resigned as I played 34.Re1

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Why I Still Play the Jerome Gambit

Let's face it. When it comes to chess playing "strength", I compare to other club players the way the Jerome Gambit compares to other chess openings. 

Still, the "worst chess opening in the world" continues to provide me with interesting positions and creative opportunities (even if I often miss them) - and, by studying my games, I hope to learn more and more about what I should already know...

perrypawnpusher - fogab
blitz, FICS, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

The Database says that I have reached this position 47 times, scoring 80%.

10.0-0 Rf8 11.f4 Qe7 12.Nc3 b6 

Black seems to be multi-tasking here. He prepares to castle-by-hand, puts his Queen on the useful e7 square, and looks to fianchetto his Bishop.

I might as well add two more ideas: harassing White's Queen with 12...Ng4 as in perrypawnpusher - obturator, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 31); and protecting the d5 square with 12...c6 as in perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 20). 

13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qf4

This is not an improvement on the straight forward 15.Qd3 which would give White an advantage.

Interestingly enough, the one other game in The Database with this position after 14 moves now saw 15.Qg5 which ended well for White in 32 moves in holofernes - kdosch, FICS, 2001.

15...Nh5

A mistake which should allow White to correct his Queen placement - and more. This is what I meant in my introductory remarks: when I falter, sometimes the Jerome Gambit (admittedly, with the help of my opponent) gives me a hand.

By the way, one way for Black to take advantage of White's uncertainty about Queen placement was to continue to put pressure on the center with 15...c5, although after the tactical tap dance 16.b3 cxd4 17.Nb5 a6 18.Nxd4 Ne5 not a lot has been decided; Black's King is still in the center, and White can try 19.Ba3!?.

16.Qg4 

Why is it that Bill Wall can run his Queen all over the board, and it always looks like he is doing the right thing, while my monarch always seems to look like she's scattered and losing her marbles...?

Instead of the text, 16.Qf3 was correct, with the direct threat to Black's Knight on h5 and the upcoming exposed threat to his Rook on a8, after e4-e5. 

Black can then defend with  16...Qf7 17.e5 Rb8, but White's annoying "Jerome pawn" will advance with 18.e6, creating an interesting tactical situation. If then 18...Bxe6,White can simply capture the Bishop, but he can also try 19.Bg5!? taking advantage of Black's weakness along the e-file, and White's available Rook at a1. This is shown most clearly in the line 19...Bxf5 20.Rae1+ Kd7 21.Re7+ Qxe7 22.Bxe7 Nd2 23.Qxh5 Nxf1 24.Bxf8 Rxf8.

Instead, Black can try to further distract things (after 19.Bg5!?) with 19...Nd2 but the same themes come into effect, to a smaller degree, after 20.Qc6+ Qd7 21.Qxd7+ Bxd7 22.Rfe1+ Kf7 23.Re7+ Kg8 24.Rxd7 Nc4 25.g4 Nf6 26.Rxc7 Rbc8 27.Rxc8 Rxc8 28.Bxf6 gxf6 29.Nd5.

I admit that I looked at these lines with Houdini after the game, but how hard would it have been for a regular, ordinary club chess player to come up with most of this?

At this point I imagine that the ghost of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome was tapping his foot in disappointment. 

16...Nf6 17.Qh4 

Nope. The Queen needed to go to e2, and from there support e4-e5 with a slight edge. 

Now Black can even the game out with the deflating 17...Nxe4 18.Qxe4 Qxe4 19.Nxe4 Bxf5. White would not be losing, but he would not be winning, either.

17...Bb7 18.b3 Na5 19.Bg5 h6 20.Bxf6 Qxf6 21.Qh5+ Rf7 22.e5 dxe5 23.dxe5 Qg5 

24.Qxg5 hxg5 25.Rae1 

Despite White's menacing "Jerome pawns" and Black's broken Kingside structure, the second player has the advantage. His plan to improve his worst-placed piece, however, is not best.

25...Nc6 26.e6 Rf6 27.Nd5 Black resigned

A puzzling outcome, all around. Quite possibly my opponent was simply tired of the game, and surrendering the exchange was the last straw.

Yet, after 27...Rd8 28.Nxf6+ gxf6 Black's Knight and Bishop look  a lot more frisky than White's Rook and two pawns. I would have swapped Rooks with 29.Rd1 Rxd1 30.Rxd1, but then, as long as Black keeps White's Rook off of d7, what is there to worry about?