Ionman vs the Bots

The early Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games by ionman at  FICS seem to have all been played against computer bots, providing not only a bit of a historical perspective but also some interesting analytical off-shoots. They are well worth playing through.

I have messaged ionman at FICS, and hope to learn more about his explorations.

ionman - GriffyJr

blitz, FICS, 2005

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

Heading for the Blackburne Defense.

As we have seen in "Sailing off the Edge of the World", ionman also faced 6...Ke6: 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ The choice of the mscp bot.

Instead, 8...Bd4 was the choice of the Fleurybot and FleurybotJr bots 9.c3 (After the stronger 9.fxe5+ Black has to find 9...Kc6 which is the only move that keeps his edge 10.c3 d5 11.Qf4 Bb6 12.exd5+ Qxd5) 9...Nd3+ 10.Ke2 Ne7 (10...Nh6 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qxd4 Nxc1+ 13.Rxc1 Qf8 14.Qe5+ Kd8 15.f5 Ng4 16.Qg3 h5 17.c4 d6 18.d4 Bd7 19.Nc3 Bc6 20.d5 Bd7 21.Rf1 Rh6 22.h3 Ne5 23.Rf2 Nxc4 24.Raf1 Nxb2 25.e5 Nc4 26.Ne4 Nxe5 27.f6 Bb5+ 28.Ke3 Bxf1 29.Rxf1 gxf6 30.Qh4 Kc8 31.Rxf6 Qe7 32.Qg5 Rh7 33.Qg8+ Kd7 34.Qg6 Nxg6 35.Rxd6+ cxd6 36.Kd4 Qe5+ 37.Kc4 Qxe4+ 38.Kb5 Qxd5+ 39.Kb4 Qxa2 40.g4 Qb1+ 41.Kc4 Ne5+ 42.Kd4 Qd3 checkmate, ionman - FleurybotJr, blitz, FICS, 2005) 11.e5+ Nxe5 12.fxe5+ Bxe5 13.Qd3+ Kc6 14.Qe4+ Kd6 15.d4 Bxh2 16.c4 c6 17.c5+ Kc7 18.Rxh2 d6 19.cxd6+ Qxd6 20.Bf4 Nf5 21.Bxd6+ Nxd6 22.Qe5 Re8 23.Qxe8 Bg4+ 24.Kd3 Bf5+ 25.Kd2 Rxe8 26.Nc3 Nc4+ 27.Kd1 Nxb2+ 28.Kc1 Nd3+ 29.Kd2 Kb6 30.Rhh1 h6 31.Rhb1+ Kc7 32.a4 Re7 33.a5 Kd6 34.a6 b6 35.Ne2 Re8 36.Nc1 Nf4 37.Rb3 Re4 38.Re3 Rxd4+ 39.Ke1 Nxg2+ 40.Kf2 Nxe3 41.Kxe3 Re4+ 42.Kf3 g5 43.Ne2 g4+ 44.Kf2 Be6 45.Rd1+ Bd5 46.Nc3 Rf4+ 47.Ke1 g3 48.Ne2 g2 49.Ng1 Rf1+ 50.Kd2 Bc4 51.Kc1+ Ke5 52.Nf3+ Rxf3 53.Rg1 Rf1+ 54.Rxf1 gxf1Q+ 55.Kd2 Qd3+ 56.Kc1 Bd5 57.Kb2 Qd2+ 58.Ka3 Qc3+ 59.Ka4 Qb3 checkmate, ionman - Fleurybot, blitz, FICS 2005; 

Returning to the mscp bot: 9.g3 Nf3+ 10.Kd1 (10.Ke2 Nd4+ 11.Kd1 Nxf5 12.gxh4 Nxh4 13.e5+ Kc6 14.c3 d5 15.d4 Bg4+ 16.Kc2 Bf5+ 17.Kb3 Bf8 18.Be3 Re8 19.Nd2 Ng2 20.Bf2 Nxf4 21.Bg3 Nd3 22.a3 a5 23.Ka2 g6 24.b3 Bh6 25.Nf3 Rf8 26.Nh4 a4 27.b4 Bh3 28.Rhd1 Nf2 29.Bxf2 Rxf2+ 30.Kb1 Rf4 31.b5+ Kxb5 32.Kc2 Rxh4 33.Rab1+ Kc6 34.Kd3 Bf5+ 35.Ke2 Bg4+ 36.Kf2 Bxd1 37.Rxd1 Rxh2+ 38.Kg3 Ra2 39.Re1 Rxa3 40.Kg4 Rxc3 41.e6 Nf6+ 42.Kh4 g5 checkmate, ionman - mscp, blitz, FICS, 2005) 10...Ne7 11.e5+ (11.Qe5+ Nxe5 12.fxe5+ Kxe5 13.gxh4 Kxe4 14.d4 Kxd4 15.Nd2 Rf8 16.Nb3+ Kd5 17.c4+ Kxc4 18.Bg5 Bd6 19.Rc1+ Kd5 20.Re1 Nf5 21.Rc3 Bb4 22.Rd3+ Kc4 23.Re4+ Kxd3 24.Rxb4 Ne3+ 25.Bxe3 Rf1 checkmate, ionman - mscp, blitz, FICS,  2005) 11...Kc6 12.Qe4+ d5 13.exd6+ Kxd6 14.gxh4 Bg4 15.Qa4 Ng1+ 16.Ke1 Bf3 17.d4 Bxh1 18.dxc5+ Ke6 19.Nc3 Rhd8 20.Be3 Nh3 21.Kf1 Nf5 22.Re1 Bc6 23.Qc4+ Kf6 24.Ne4+ Bxe4 25.Qxe4 Re8 26.Bd4+ Nxd4 27.Qxd4+ Kg6 28.Qd3+ Kf6 29.Qxh3 Rxe1+ 30.Kxe1 Re8+ 31.Kf2 Re4 32.Kf3 Rc4 33.c3 Rxc5 34.Qg4 Rb5 35.b4 Rf5 36.Qg1 c5 37.bxc5 a5 38.Qd4+ Kf7 39.Qd7+ Kf6 40.Qxb7 g6 41.c6 Rc5 42.c7 Rxc3+ 43.Ke2 Kf5 44.c8Q+ Rxc8 45.Qxc8+ Kxf4 46.Qe6 a4 47.a3 h5 48.h3 Kg3 49.Ke3 Kxh4 50.Qf6+ g5 51.Kf3 Kxh3 52.Qxg5 h4 53.Qg2 checkmate, ionman - mscp, blitz, FICS, 2005. 

(Relax, all of the games can be found in The Database. Just ask for it.)

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Qd8 

A day after the text game, ionman tried 10.e5 less successfully: 10...dxe5 (instead 10...Ng4 is strong) 11.Qd8 (better is the thematic 11.d4) 11...Bd6 12.Nc3 (12.g3 Qc4 13.Nc3 Qxf1+ 14.Kxf1 Bh3+ 15.Kg1 Rxd8 16.d3 Rd7 17.Ne2 Bg4 18.Kf1 Bf3 19.Ke1 Ng4 20.h3 Nh2 21.Ng1 Bg2 22.h4 Ng4 23.Be3 Ke6 24.Ke2 a5 25.Nf3 Nxe3 26.fxe3 Bc5 27.e4 h6 28.c3 Bxf3+ 29.Kxf3 Rxd3+ 30.Ke2 Rxg3 White resigned, ionman - GriffyJr, blitz, FICS, 2005) 12...e4 13.g3 Qh3 14.f3 Qxf1+ 15.Kxf1 Bh3+ 16.Kf2 Rxd8 17.b3 Bc5+ 18.Ke2 exf3+ 19.Kxf3 Rf8 20.Bb2 Bf5 21.d3 Ng4 22.h3 Ne5+ 23.Kg2 Nc6 24.g4 Be6 25.Rf1+ Ke8 26.Rxf8+ Kxf8 27.Ne4 Bd4 28.Ba3+ Kg7 29.c3 Be5 30.d4 Bf4 31.Bb2 Kf7 32.c4 Nb4 33.d5 Bc8 34.Kf3 g5 35.h4 gxh4 36.Kxf4 Nd3+ 37.Kg5 Nxb2 38.Kxh4 Ke7 39.Kg5 Nd3 40.Kh6 Bxg4 41.Kxh7 Bf5+ 42.Kg7 Bxe4 White resigned, ionman - GriffyJr, blitz, FICS, 2005. 

10...Qxe4 11.Qxc7+ 

The next day 11.Nc3 was played, which is a good move, but not as good as the text 11...Qxc2 (better is 11...Qc6) 12.Qxc7+ (12.d4 is better) 12...Nd7 13.Nd5 (13.d4 is better) 13...Qe4 14.Nc3 (14.Ne3) 14...Qe5 (14...Qc2) 15.d3 Qd4 16.Re1 A losing blunder 16...Qxf2+ White resigned, ionman - GriffyJr, blitz, FICS, 2005. 

11...Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 

White is up the exchange and two pawns. Black's only compensation is better development.

13.c3 Be6 14.d4 Bb6 15.Bg5

Or 15.Nd2 Re8 16.Nf3 h5 17.Ng5 Bc4 18.Re1+ Kd8 19.Rxe8+ Kxe8 20.f3 Nd5 21.Ne4 Kd7 22.Kf2 Bd3 23.Bd2 Bc4 24.Re1 Bxa2 25.Bg5 a5 26.Nf6+ Kc6 27.Nxd5 Bxd5 28.Re8 Kb5 29.Bd8 Bc6 30.Rh8 Bxd8 31.Rxd8 Kc4 32.Rxd6 Be8 33.Rb6 Bc6 34.Ke3 g5 35.Kd2 Kd5 36.Kd3 Ke6 37.c4 Kd6 38.d5 Kc5 39.Rb3 a4 40.Ra3 Bd7 41.b4+ Kxb4 42.Rc3 a3 43.Kd4 Bf5 44.c5 Possibly a time error 44...a2 45.Rc1 Bb1 46.Rc4+ Kb5 White resigned,  ionman - GriffyJr, blitz, FICS, 2005. 

15...Re8 16.Nd2 d5 17.Nf3 h5 

White now continues to reduce the game to a simpler and simpler won endgame.

18.Rae1 a5 19.Bh4 a4 20.Ng5 Kd7 21.Nxe6 Rxe6 22.Rxe6 Kxe6 23.Bxf6 Kxf6 24.Re1 Bc7 25.Kf1 a3 26.b3 Ba5 27.Rc1 Kf5 28.c4 Bc7 29.Re1 b5 30.Rc1 Bf4 31.Rc2 dxc4 32.bxc4 bxc4 33.Rxc4 Bd6 34.Ke2 Bxh2 35.g3 h4 36.Rc3 hxg3 37.fxg3 Bg1 38.Rxa3 Bxd4 39.Kf3 Ke5 40.Ra6 g5 41.a4 Bc5 42.a5 Bb4 43.Ra8 Kf6 44.a6 Bc5 45.a7 Bb4 46.Rh8 Bc5 47.a8Q Ke5 48.Re8+ Kf6 49.Qc6+ Kg7 50.Qxc5 g4+ Black resigned