When a player's position becomes difficult, he might seek complications, hoping that his opponent will lose his way, and then the game. In the following fight, however, the alternative strategy of not getting "too fancy" would have brought better results for my opponent.
perrypawnpusher - Eferio
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+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6
8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qe3 Ne5
An "in your face" kind of move. In this or similar positions I have faced it twice against Kotimatka (see "Diagnosis: Misplaced Knight" and "Echoes"), twice against mikelars (see "Rumors of My Death" and "Kick Me"), and once against Irhall (see "One Little Pawn").
11.d4 Nc4
Of course 11...Nc4 is not the only way to attack White's Queen. There is 11...Ng4 as in perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 21)
12.Qd3 Be6
Black weaves a complicated defense for his Knight, avoiding the "simple" 12...Nb6.
13.d5 Ne5
Back again.
14.Qg3 Bd7 15.f4 Bb5
More complications. It was time to give material back and keep the loss to a pawn: 15...Ng4 16.h3 N4f6 17.e5 Kf8 18.exf6 Qxf6.
16.fxe5
Instead, 16.Re1 was good enough for advantage, as in 16...Nf7 17.e5, but I was perfectly happy to fall into Black's combination.
16...Bxf1 17.Qxg7 Qh4
If it were not for the White "Jerome pawn" at e5, Black could have defended with 17....Qf6, etc. Now he has to scare up some kind of counter-play, with the accent upon "scare".
18.Qxh8 Kf8 19.Kxf1 Qxe4
"Best" for Black was probably 19...Qxh2 but it held no promise for long-term survival.
20.Bxh6+ Kf7 21.Qg7+ Ke8 22.Qxg8+ Kd7 23.Qf7+ Kc8 24.Qe8 checkmate
The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is one of those attack-or-die kind of openings (which too often becomes an attack-and-die affair). If the attack is countered, White may not have much left for his effort and valor.
perrypawnpusher - irhall
blitz 4 10, FICS, 2010
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
I've seen this position 20 times, scoring 75% (14-4-2). That's not bad, but it's about 10% below my total Jerome and Jerome-ish score.
10.0-0 Ne5
Transferring the Knight closer to my Kingside, where it will annoy my Queen. It was better to castle-by-hand with 10...Kf7, ...Re8 and ...Kf8.
11.d4
Probably better than 11.f4 as in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 26), and perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 19).
11...Neg4 12.Qf3
White had an even game and went on to win with the slightly better 12.Qb3 b6 13.h3 Nh6 14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5 Nfg8 16.Qf3 Be6 17.Rd1 Qc8 18.Nc3 Ne7 19.Nb5 Rf8 20.Qxa8 Kf7 21.Qxc8 Rxc8 22.Bxh6 gxh6 23.Nxa7 Rg8 24.Kh2 Nf5 25.g4 Ne7 26.Nb5 h5 27.Nxc7 hxg4 28.Rd6 Bf5 29.Rf6+ Kg7 30.hxg4 Bg6 31.Rd1 Bxc2 32.Rd7 Black resigned, Ghandybh - Noel1942, Chess.com, 2009.
12...Bd7
13.h3 Nh6 14.Bxh6 gxh6
The Knight's adventures are at an end.
15.Nc3 Qe7
White has an even game, but no more than that. It was important for Black to get something going before the first player can take advantage of Black's open Kingside. Both 15...Rg8 and 15...Bc6 come to mind.
16.e5 dxe5 17.dxe5 Bc6
Black protects his Queenside, gives his Bishop better development, and returns the gambit piece.
18.Qxf6 Qxf6 19.exf6 Rg8
It seems that for all his attacking efforts, White has achieved only one little pawn on f6, something that Black can blockade with his King and then capture. He does have a winning endgame advantage on the Kingside, but he faces a coordinated defense from Black's Bishop and Rook.
20.Rfe1+ Kd8
Suddenly, the future looked brighter for me.
After 20...Kf7 21.Ne4 Rae8 22.Ng3 Kxf6 Black can fight on.
21.g3
It turns out that this defensive move is not necessary: White can play instead 21.Rad1+ Kc8 22.Nd5
21...Rg6
Picking on the poor defenseless little pawn. After the game Rybka suggested, instead, 21...Rf8, although White still has the familiar 22.Rad1+ Kc8 23.Nd5 with advantage.
22.Rad1+ Kc8 23.f7
23...Rf6
Capitulating, but 23...b6 can be met by either 24.Rd8+, 24.Re8+ or 24.f8/Q+.
24.Re8+ Bxe8 25.fxe8Q checkmate
