I was logged onto FICS, waiting to challenge "metheny" to a game – a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), I hoped – when "AreWeThereYet" got to him first. I hung around and watched the first few moves – and then settled in to enjoy the whole game: a fun battle, with a lesson at the end.AreWeThereYet - metheny
blitz 10 0, FICS, 20091.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5
4.Bxf7+
Yes! I decided to stick around and watch the game.
I have 85 games with this move in my database: 55 wins, 28 losses, 2 draws – scoring 66%. Not bad, but I thought it would be higher.
I've sprinkled in a few short games along with my notes.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8
Rybka and others have preferred 5...Ke7: 6.Nc3 (6.Qf3 Nf6 7.Qa3+ d6 8.Qxa5 dxe5 9.Qxe5+ Kf7 10.0-0 Bd6 11.Qc3 Re8 White resigned, M,T-Lothar, remoteschach.de, 2006) 6...Qe8 7.d4 Kd8 8.0-0 d6 9.Nf3 Qg6 10.Qd3 equal game ;
Also 5...Ke6 6.d4 d6 (6...Bd6 7.Qg4+ Ke7 8.Bg5+ Nf6 9.Bxf6+ gxf6 10.Qg7+ Ke8 11.Qf7 checkmate, tih - Shatranje, FICS, 2000) 7.Nd3 d5 8.exd5+ Kxd5 9.Qh5+ Kxd4 10.Be3+ Ke4 11.Nd2 checkmate Sims - Collins, Detroit, 1999;
Or 5...Kf6 6.d4 d6 (6...g5 7.Qf3+ Ke7 8.Bxg5+ Nf6 9.Qxf6+ Ke8 10.Qf7 checkmate, thefrench - bouffant, net-chess, 2002) 7.Qf3+ Bf5 8.Qxf5+ Ke7 9.Qf7 checkmate, Karlsson - Parkes, IECC 2001.
6.Qh5+
Not so successful was 6.c3 Qg5 7.Qf3 Qxe5 8.d4 White resigned, majorminor - chilepine, FICS, 2005.
6...Ke7
Again, Rybka and others preferred 6...g6:
a) 7.Nxg6 Qf6 8.Nxh8+ Black resigned, UNPREDICTABLE - Umbertino, FICS, 2009 ;
b) 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qe5+ (8.Qxa5 b6 9.Qe5+ Be7 10.Nxh8 d6 11.Qg5 Nxe4 12.Qg8+ Bf8 13.Qf7 checkmate, jdgalba - lukkaz,FICS, 2008) 8...Qe7 9.Nxe7 Black resigned, fmarius - drwinstonoboogie, FICS 2009;
c) 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.d4 Bh6 10.Bg5+ Bxg5 11.Qxg5+ Ke8 12.Qxa5 Qe7 13.Nc3 b6 14.Qe5 Qxe5 15.dxe5 Bb7 16.0-0-0 Nh6 slight advantage to White
7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Qd5+
It is clear from this move that White has at least a draw, as he can repeat positions with continued checks. What if he wants more than a draw?
For starters, he can play as in the game, and pick up the wayward Black Knight at a5.
He can also play 8.d4, threatening to weave a mating net. Black's strongest response is 8...Qf6, but White's surprise shot 9.Nc4+ will allow a win of the Black Queen with 10.Bf4+. Something to remember the next time the line pops up!
8...Ke7 9.Qxa5
Of course, 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.d4 transposes into the previous note.
It is not as good to jump into a typical Jerome Gambit endgame (Queenless middlegame): 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Qxg8 Rxg8 11.Nf7+ Ke7 12.Nxd8 Kxd8 13.d3 b6 14.0-0 Nc6 15.f4 Ba6 16.Nc3 Bc5+ 17.Be3 Bxe3+ 18.Kh1 Nd4 19.Rf3 Nxf3 White resigned, paaras - worpe, FICS, 2004
9...d6 10.Nf3 Bg4
White has a comfortable two-pawn-plus position, and develops his game.
11.d3 Nf6 12.Bg5 Bxf3 13.gxf3 c6 14.Qxd8+ Rxd8
15.Rg1 h6 16.Bxf6+ gxf6 17.Nc3 b5
The endgame may take a while, but the game should be White's. He can infiltrate along the g-file, use f5 as a post for his Knight, and even look to open up another file with a2-a4.
18.Kd2 a6 19.Ne2 h5 20.Nf4
Working against Black's possible ...d6-d5. I prefer Ne2-d4-f5.
20...Bh6 21.Ke3 Rhg8 22.Rg3 Rxg3
23.fxg3 Rg8 24.b4 d5 25.exd5 cxd5
White's play has left his opponent with 4 pawn islands, to his own two. He might now have considered 26.a4 to open a line for his Rook.
26.Kd4 Kd6
If sacrificing a Bishop on move 4 always led to engames like this, we might see masters playing the Jerome Gambit...
27.Nxd5
Surprisingly, a weak move, as Black's next move reveals. In fact, it is hard to say if the move loses the game, or merely leaves White with a difficult draw to find. Amazing!
It looks like 27.Nxh5 was the correct move.
It looks like 27.Nxh5 was the correct move.
27...f5
The threat of an x-ray attack along the a1-h8 diagonal will win the White Knight: 28.Re1 Bg7+ 29.Ke3 Re8+ 30.Kd2 Rxe1 31.Kxe1 Kxd5, when White has three pawns against Black's Bishop. Fritz8 says Black wins, but not every club player plays like a computer, especially in blitz.
28.Ne3 Bg7 checkmate
My thanks to both metheny and AreWeThereYet.
