I have slowly come to the conclusion that there is more to the play of the "Jerome pawns" that White gets for his sacrificed piece than simply racing them up the board, hoping to frighten my opponent into error. The game is not as wild, but it seems more solid, with more realistic winning chances.
perrypawnpusher - parlance
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
In an recent game against this opponent I faced a different defense, raced my pawns forward, and watched my game fall apart: 6...Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ng6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ Ke8 11.0-0 d6 12.Qe3 N8e7 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Ng4 15.Qg3 h5 16.h3 Nf6 17.Qxg7 Rf8 18.e5 dxe5 19.Bh6 Qxd4+ 20.Kh1 Rf7 21.Qh8+ Neg8 22.Nc3 Rh7 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.0-0 Qe7
I just saw this move a few days ago, against mikelars. Hmmm, I wonder if I have learned anything...?
11.Nc3 Kd7
Wow.
perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 50) continued with the active 11...Ne5.
Black's choice in the current game is even more provocative: apparently he plans to swing his King's Rook over to the e-file. Just the kind of move to stir me to over-reaction.
12.f4 Kd8
More psychological warfare?
This is all very interesting. White can now play 13.d4, and after 13...Re8 he can advance with 14.e5, although this is met with the too-familiar 14...Ng4 and it is not clear what the first player has accomplished.
13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Neg4
Who was it that said: I can resist anything but temptation ?
15.Qf3
This move is okay, but with Black's King on d8 I might have done better to try 15.Qd3.
15...Re8 16.h3 Nh6 17.Bg5
This has to be better than 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Qxe5 19.Re1+ Bd7 20.Qxb7 Qc5+ 21.Kh2 Ke7!? when things are unclear, but tilting Black's way.
On the other hand, an improvement probably is 17.Bxh6 gxh6 18.Rae1 Bd7 when it is almost time to advance the e-pawn, i.e. 19.Qf2 Bc6 20.e5.
17...Qf7
Black attends to two issues: the pin along the d8-h4 diagonal, and the pressure on f6. Still, he would have done better with 17...Nf7, which attacks the pinning Bishop and removes White's chance to double pawns on the h-file.
18.Nd5
I assure you, my e-pawn was screaming that it wanted to advance. Instead, I attended to the pin of the Knight at f6. I could have both prepared the advance and threatened the Knight at h6 with 18.Qf4.
18...Nhg8
Quick! He's reinforcing f6. Do something!
19.Rae1
Yawn...
19...h6 20.Bh4 g5
Just when it gets time to play e4-e5, my opponent distracts me. If he had played 20...c6 I would have calmed my "Jerome pawns" with 21.Nxf6 gxf6 22.e5 with compensation for my sacrificed piece, maybe even an edge.
With his move Black tries to break the pin along the diagonal, but by capturing en passant (maybe he overlooked this) I can add a pin along the f-file, too.
21.fxg6 Qxg6 22.Nxf6 Black resigned
It is not just that White has won back his piece. After 22...Nxf6 23.Qxf6+ Qxf6 24.Rxf6 Black will have to deal with the discovered check when White's Rook moves; 24...Kd7 25.d5 does not improve his situation.
I have had many duels with Knights that have used the e5 square for a resting place before hopping off (usually to the g4 square) to harass my Queen. This time I avoided my usual knee-jerk f2-f4 and still found a way to effectively deliver the boot.
perrypawnpusher - mikelars
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+
The "nudge". White invests a move to drive Black's King back. If the second player is going to ever develop his Rook currently sitting on h8, he will eventually have to return the move with ...Kf7 or ...Ke7.
7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
I have had this position in 24 games previously, and scored 77%.
In an earlier game my opponent had challenged me with 9...Ne5, either a provocation or a heavy-handed way of preventing e4-e5. Our game continued 10.0-0 Nf6 11.f4 Neg4 (11...Nfg4 12.Qg3 Ng6 13.f5 N6e5 14.d4 c6 15.dxe5 Qb6+ 16.Kh1 Nxe5 17.Qxg7 Rf8 18.f6 Be6 19.Qe7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka, blitz, FICS, 2010) 12.Qe2 Qe7 13.d3 Rf8 14.Nc3 Nh5 15.Nd5 Qd7 16.f5 Ngf6 17.Bg5 h6 18.Bxf6 Nxf6 19.Nf4 Qb5 20.c3 Bd7 21.Rae1 Qa5 22.a3 Bb5 23.e5 dxe5 24.Qxe5+ Kd7 25.Qe7+ Kc8 26.Qxf8+ Black forfeited on time, perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2010.
10.0-0 Qe7
I noticed in The Database that mrjoker (Louis Morin) had this position 5 times in 2009, playing 11.d3 four times (2-1-1) and 11.Nc3 once (1-0),
11.Nc3 Ne5
Again (see our earlier game, above) mikelars' Knight seems to scream "Kick me!"
12.d4 Nc4 13.Qd3 Na5
This did not look right to me: the steed must retire instead to b6. I forced myself to spend time to analyze my next move, as this was an opportunity that I did not want to miss.
14.Qb5+ Nc6 15.d5 a6 16.Qa4 b5
I had anticipated this, but less bad was 16...Bd7, i.e. 17.dxc6 Bxc6 and White is up a pawn.
I think my opponent's incomplete analysis of this tactical position may have been another example of the negative "halo effect" that the Jerome Gambit inspires – if my early moves are bad, many of my later moves must be bad, too, (and they can be defeated with little thought or effort).
17.Nxb5 Ne5
Again, Black needed to bail and concede the piece with 17...Kf7 18.dxc6 Rb8 19.Nc3 although my three extra pawns will then keep me better.
18.Nxc7+ Kf7 19.Nxa8 Bd7
White is going to come out of this up the exchange and a handful of pawns. The next few moves I focused on exchanging pieces to reduce counter-play; then I played "simple" moves to avoid throwing the game away.
20.Qxa6 Nxe4 21.Nb6 Nc5 22.Qe2 Rb8 23.Nxd7 Ncxd7 24.f4 Ng6 25.Qxe7+ Nxe7 26.c4 Nf5 27.b3 Ra8
A visual assessment is that the pawns win, but I wanted to have my time a bit more under control, too, so I continued to play simply.
28.Bb2 Ne3 29.Rf2 Nc5 30.Bd4 Nd3
My opponent believed that I had overlooked the loss of the exchange, but he was really giving up two pieces for a Rook.
31.Bxe3 Nxf2 32.Kxf2 Kf6
33.g4 h6 34.Bd4+ Kf7 35.h4 Re8 36.Re1 Ra8 37.Re2 Rf8 38.Kf3 Kg6 39.a4
The outside passed pawn wins, but so does 39.Re7 or 39.Re6+.
39...Rb8 40.Re3 h5 41.Re6+ Kh7 42.gxh5 Rf8 43.Rxd6 Rf5 44.Rd7 Rxh5 45.Rxg7+ Kh6 46.d6 Rxh4 47.d7 Rh3+ 48.Ke4 Rxb3 49.d8Q Rh3 50.Qh8 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
Since I had decided not to give up on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) despite my recent difficulties, there was nothing left to do but to keep playing – and keep pressing for the best.
perrypawnpusher - mikelars
blitz, 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 Ne5
A provocative move. Standard was 9... Nf6
10.O-O Nf6 11.f4
The alternative 11.d4 was seen in Ghandybh - Noel1942, Chess.com, 2009.
11...Neg4
Instead, 11...Nfg4 was seen in perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka, blitz, FICS, 2010. Probably 11...Nc6 was best.
12.Qe2 Qe7 13.d3 Rf8 14.Nc3 Nh5
With his 13th move Black set up to castle-by-hand, and he should have continued that with 14... Kf7. The Knights are not going to accomplish anything on the Kingside.
15.Nd5 Qd7 16.f5 Ngf6
17.Bg5 h6 18.Bxf6 Nxf6 19.Nf4 Qb5 20.c3 Bd7
21.Rae1 Qa5
While I strengthen my center, Mikelars eyes my pawns on the Queenside. This could prove risky, which is why 21... Kf7 was to be preferred.
22.a3 Bb5 23.e5
23... dxe5
This allows White to crash through, as Black's Bishop blocks his Queen from affecting the center. The best defense was 23...Qb6+, guarding the vulnerable e6 square.
24. Qxe5+ Kd7 25. Qe7+ Kc8 26. Qxf8+
Black forfeited on time, but he was due to experience the loss of serious amounts of material, followed by checkmate.
