Saturday, July 16, 2011

Too Clever (or not clever enough) for My Own Good

The following game is mostly the result of preparation and my understanding of a particular line in the Jerome Gambit: my opponent dismissed my chances and fell into a tactical shot that put me a piece ahead. Then I refused to allow him a paltry pawn in return (temporarily) – and I got clobbered! The final position is a wonderful tribute to mconst's creativity and counter-punching!

perrypawnpusher - mconst
blitz, FICS, 2011

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


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


Last year our game continued 6...Kf6, perrypawnpusher - mconst, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 42 ).

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6


Earlier this year my opponent was successful with the provocative 9...Ne5 in perrypawnpusher - mconst, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 25).

10.0-0 Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.f5 Rxe4


The same oversight that bnxr made against me earlier this year. 

13.fxg6+ Kxg6

It was better to retreat with 13...Kg8, when White will only be slightly better.

14.Rxf6+ Qxf6 15.Qxe4+


I was hammering out my moves, and, except for all those Queenside pieces still parked in the garage, I was feeling fine.

15...Bf5

Now all that is necessary is for me to see that after 16.Qe3 Bxc2 White can regain the pawn with 17.Na3 Bf5 18.Nb5 and "the rest is a matter of technique".

Some piece development would help, too.

16.Qc4 Rf8

Here 16...Re8 would have been crushing. 

17.Qf1 Qd4+ 18.Qf2

Clueless as to what is coming.

18...Bd3

White resigned

Really nice. Which I could think of such stuff.

Reminds me of a cartoon I used to watch as a kid, when Quickdraw McGraw would say to his sidekick, "I'll do the thin'in' around here, BabaLouie, and don't you forget it!"

Friday, July 15, 2011

Transplant

It can sometimes be helpful to take an idea from opening and apply it to another. This kind of "transplant" must be done carefully, however, and only upon prior examination. In the following game, both Black and White were unaware that they should have rejected the transplant.

Rijndael - krispykurtis
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6


The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+


The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6


Black transplants an idea from the "fork trick".

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ (the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit) Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 the idea of 7...Bd6 is playable. In the current game, though, with ...h7-h6 replacing ...Nf8-g6, the idea is trouble.

8.dxe5 Bxe5

This puts the Bishop in danger, as White can follow up with 9.Qh5+ and win it. Black would do best to let the White pawn at e5 go with 8...Bb4.

9.f4

Aha! White also recognizes the transplanted "fork trick" and plays a thematic move for that line of play. The game yorgos - hartingu, FICS, 2009, continued more appropriately, 9.Qh5+ Kf8 10.Qxe5 with advantage to White (1-0, 30).

9...Bxc3+ 10.bxc3

White's compensation for his piece is a pawn, better center control, and open lines against an uneasy enemy King. It is not enough. 

Fortunately, Black continues with ordinary moves, in this case preparing to castle-by-hand.

10...Ne7 11.0-0 Re8 12.f5 Kg8


13.f6

This move appears premature at first glance, as White has only one pieced developed (his Rook) to Black's two. However, the opportunity to break open Black's King's haven should not be missed, and the unfortunate arrangement of Black's King and Rook (available to a pawn fork from f7) is encouraging. With luck, White's open lines will help in the attack.

13...gxf6

Collapsing. After the game Rybka 3 suggested 13...Ng6 14.f7+ Kh7 15.fxe8Q Qxe8 with the edge to White. Fritz 8 suggested, instead, 13...Rf8, but this is met roughly by 14.Bxh6 Rf7 (14...gxh6 15.Qg4+ and mate follows) 15.Bxg7 and then, for example, 15...Ng6 16.Qd5 and White's attack will win material.

14.Qg4+ Kh7 15.Rxf6 Rg8 16.Rxh6 checkmate

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Another Day in the Life of the Jerome Gambit


Like the first "Day in the Life of the Jerome Gambit", here is a game "that readily illustrates the highs and lows, attractions and pitfalls of that offbeat opening."


perrypawnpusher - jgknight
blitz, FICS, 2011

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


10.0-0 Ng4

This move has more behind it than just being annoying. It's been played against me by Riversider, lorecai and pitrisko, but jgknight's follow-up has more potential poison.

11.Qg3 Rf8

The assessment of the position here is that Black is a bit better, but White should read his daily horoscope: As long as White guards the squares e2 and f4 and leaves the square h3 open, he should be okay.

Cryptic? Follow along.

12.h3

Uh-oh...

White should have tried 12.d3, 12.d4, 12.f4 or 12.Nc3.

12...N4e5

Instead, Black had 12...Nf4, protecting the Knight at g4 because of the awakward threatened fork at e2. After 13.Nc3, though, the follow-up 13...Nh5 shows just how bad things have gotten for White. Rybka 3 now recommends giving up the Queen with 14.Qxg4 as "best", as even the more hopeful-looking 14.Qd3 collapses after 14...Ne5, when 15.Qe3 is met by 15...Nf3+ 16.gxf3 Nf4 and White's King is in dire straits.

Oh, if only White's Queen could have escaped to h3 in respnse to 13...Nh5!

Let's continue a bit further in this "Day in the Life". Black does not take advantage of his opportunity, and soon the Jerome Gambiteer is looking pretty good.

13.f4 Nc6 14.f5 Qh4 15.Qe3 Nge5 16.d4 Nc4 17.Qd3 b5


I've seen similar c4-Knights in my games against saltos, VGxdys, parlance and pitrisko. The game is about even.

18.a4 Ba6

Tempting tactical fate.
After the game Rybka 3 suggested 18...Bxf5 19.axb5 N4e5 20.dxe5 Nxe5 21.Qe3 Qxe4 with the game still about even.

19.b3

This made the most sense to me, but Rybka much preferred 19.axb5 Bxb5 20.Nc3 Nb4 21.Qe2 c6 22.Nxb5 cxb5 23.b3 Nxc2 (23...Nb6 24.Qxb5+) 24.Qxc2 Nb6. If you saw that line of play and realized at the end that White is not merely up a pawn, but has great attacking chances (starting with 25.Qc6+), good for you!

19...N4a5 20.axb5 Nb4


Black's Knights are tripping all over each other, but my tactical sense of what is going on fails me even faster than my opponent's does.

21.Qe2 Bb7 22.Rxa5 Bxe4 23.Re1

More direct, and stronger, was 23.Rf4.

23...d5 24.Ba3 Nxc2 25.Bxf8


At first glance it looks like White is a Rook up. But, of course, Black can capture the Rook at e1. Oh, well, that still means that when the Black Knight and White Bishop come off the board, things will still be even, right? Well, not exactly...

25...Nxe1 26.Nd2 Kxf8 27.Nxe4 Qxe4 28.Qxe4 dxe4


What we have here is a messy game that computers analyze as won for Black. In other words, simply another day in the life of the Jerome Gambit...

29.Kf2 Nd3+ 30.Ke3 Re8 31.Rxa7 Nc1 32.Rxc7 Nxb3 33.b6 Na5


And, just like that (almost) White is winning (again).

Well, at least according to Rybka 3.


34.Rc5

I was looking for a draw here, and so I was paying more attention to capturing Black's pawn on e4 than I was to promoting my b-pawn.

The trick to understanding the position is to realize that Black's pieces are all tied down. His King is confined to the 8th rank. His Rook has to stay on the e-file and protect the pawn at e4. His Knight dare not wander, as White can try b6-b7 and Rc7-c8 as soon as possible.

Black can play with his pawns on the Kingside, but when those moves run out, he will be faced with trouble. In the meantime, White's d-pawn can advance as well...

So, White's best was 34.b7 simply adding to Black's misery. Rybka 3 suggests 34...Nxb7, but after 35.Rxb7 the Rook-and-pawns endgame is strongly in White's favor: extra pawn, passed d-pawn, Black's weak e-pawn.

34...Nb7 35.Re5 Rxe5


My opponent pretty much acknowledged with his play here that I would like to escape into a drawn end game, and he goes along with my play. Little did he (or I) realize that this move again gives me winning chances.

36.dxe5 Nc5

37.b7

Going along with the same plan that my opponent was going along with which was my plan... which was wrong. 

It was late in this day in the life of the Jerome Gambit, and I missed the simple 37.Kd4, nudging away Black's protecting Knight and finally allowing me to play 38.Kxe4.
37...Nxb7 38.Kxe4 Ke7


Here the "Jerome pawns" offset Black's extra Knight, and we go through the motions of exchanging everything off.

39.g4 Nc5+ 40.Kd4 Nd7 41.g5 Nf8 42.h4 g6 43.Ke4 gxf5+ 44.Kxf5 Ng6 45.h5 Nf8 46.g6 hxg6+ 47.hxg6 Nxg6 48.Kxg6 Ke6 49.Kg7 Kxe5 Neither player has mating material, Drawn



Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Theoretical Vision

Apparently guided by a vision of one of the more striking refutations of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) my opponent hammered out his strong 8th and 9th moves. He seemed a bit unsure about his 10th move, however, and with his 11th the position was quite complicated he sealed the game. 

perrypawnpusher - mikelars
blitz, FICS, 2011

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


4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6


perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, 2010 (1-0, 26) and perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, 2011 (1-0, 50) continued 6...Ng6.

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Nf3+


It is hard to imagine that my opponent got to this position from the His Nibs Defense without some knowledge beforehand – it is a lot to figure out in a blitz game. Perhaps he saw my post on the line from a month earlier?

10.Kf1 Nxh2+ 11.Kg2 Nf6

Forgetting something...

12.gxh4 Black resigned


Care to bet that next time he will get it right and grab the full point? I'm thinking: YES.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Twice A Year

A couple of years ago I noticed an odd Jerome Gambit variation that appeared only about "Once A Year", which was a good thing, as it included a slip by White that led to a quick checkmate of White. "Quick" as in "a handful of moves" and as in "very little time elapsed" as the games were played at lightning speed.

In January I realized that "It must be a new year..." Now I have to admit that sometimes lightning "strikes twice". Pay attention, and don't let this happen to you!

Teterow - tepes
lightning game, FICS, 2011

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


4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qf6


7.dxe5 Qxf2 checkmate

Monday, July 11, 2011

On the Road Again

"Kennedy Kid" Jon is on the road again, home from Haiti briefly, now off to Guatemala for a month to improve his Spanish language skills.

As I did with his stay in Uganda, as well as Haiti, I have begun to learn about chess in Guatemala.

For example, I learned that Silvia Carolina Mazariegos was Guatemalan Women's Chess Champion for the years 1981 - 1994. She returned as champion 2001, 2002 and 2004. During the same span of time the Men's title was dominated by Carlos Armando Juárez Flores, who was champion in 1980, 1983-88, 1991, 1993-1995, and 1998-2007. 

The Guatemalan Defense, 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Ba6, was covered in The Myers Openings Bulletin (New MOB No. 1, 3, and 4) in 1992 and 1993. Myers presented three games from the 1930s played by Hans Cohn, from his 1947 book Ajedrez en Guatemala, which had a chapter on "Defensa Guatemalteca". The MOB also gave the first part of a 1939 game by Georges Koltanowski (vs Cohn) and the first part of 1943 game by Reuben Fine, from a blindfold simultaneous exhibition.

Wrote Myers
It [the chapter on Defensa Guatemalteca] starts with a long quote from a 1913 magazine article by emanuel Lasker, expressing Cohn's opening philosophy. Summing up, it says that the ideas lefense will stop any attack, lead to counterattack, and enable Black to play for a win "si el blanco desconoce sus posibilidades o las sobreestima" [if White doesn't know about its possibilities or overestimates them]; I haven't seen Lasker's original German, but I found two of those Spanish words to be interesting: "desconoce" means doesn't know about, but it can have a sense of deliberately ignoring. As for "sobreestima", one might expect White to have problems when he underestimates an unfamiliar defense, but the Spanish word, which also means having too much respect for something, makes sense. Fear of the unknown affects judgement. When faced by a surprising opening a player may imagine dangers which are not really there. There or not, he'll spend time looking for them and trying to defend against them.

Hmmm, sounds like an opening I know...

If Jon gets around to playing any more Jerome Gambits (see "Artificial Ignorance" parts 1 and 2), I'll let you know.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sunday Book Review: The Alterman Gambit Guide White Gambits


The Alterman Gambit Guide
White Gambits
GM Boris Alterman
Quality Chess (2010)
softcover, 448 pages
 http://chesslessons.wordpress.com/


 I think that beginning chess players should not concern themselves greatly about learning chess openings.

If pressured on the point, I usually suggest something like Tartakower and du Mont's 500 Master Games of Chess, which is available, affordable, and gives the reader a lot of interesting games (organized by opening) with sprightly notes. There is a lot of chess to learn in going over the games; and opening knowledge can be acquired by osmosis.

If someone persists, either out of stubbornness or because of making consistent gains in chess skill and ability, I am likely, these days, to recommend The Alterman Gambit Guide, at least for play with the White pieces.

The author presents 7 double-e-pawn openings, and lines of attack against the Caro Kann, Sicilian and French Defenses. The focus is on gambit play, including the Danish Gambit, the Urusov Gambit, the Cochrane Gambit (vs the Petroff), the Evans Gambit, and even the Morra Gambit (vs the Sicilian).

The Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments, Bibliography & Key to symbols used
Foreword by the Author
The Danish Gambit
The Urusov Gambit
The Philidor
The Cochrane Gambit
The Morphy Attack
The Max Lange Attack
The Evans Gambit
The Panov Attack
The Morra Gambit
The Milner-Barry Gambit
Games Index
Variations Index

GM Alterman makes a good case for learning about dynamic chess play through the use of gambits, and his presentation – the choice of short, thematic games; followed by longer, more analyzed battles; followed by theory of the opening – is very effective.

At almost 450 pages, The Alterman Gambit Guide White Gambits covers each opening deep enough that the player can feel confident that he or she has enough "book" knowledge to set the pace of the game. Furthermore, learning each opening in this way maximizes the understanding of attacking themes and strategies that are the "meat" of most club matches – the middle game.

Even if the reader eventually moves on to the more "grandmasterly" Spanish Game, with all its subtleties and nuances, it will be with a tactical knowledge that will always come in handy.

The author is preparing a Gambit Guide of Black Gambits, soon to be released. I have had it on pre-order for weeks.



 
(Take a look at a sample of The Alterman Gambit Guide White Gambits.)