Saturday, January 12, 2013

CYWAT?



The Jerome Gambit is full with psychological ploys. With 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+  the first player announces "Welcome to the Jerome Gambit". Black, for his part, can immediately (if not strongly) respond "No thank you" with 4...Kf8.

Typical is Black's plan with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 when 7...Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ forces the exchange of Queens. Black abandons his material advantage - actually, going down a pawn - to take the excitement out of the position and ask his opponent "Can you win against this?"

We have also recently seen how annoying "The Annoying Defense" - curiously, quite popular among computer programs which are supposedly bereft of "psychology" - can be.

Below, Bill Wall's opponent returns some of his material advantage,  remaining with a Rook against a Knight and a pawn, and posing the question "Can you win against this?"

Wall,B - Filipmihov 
FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 


4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 




7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.d3 

Bill has also played 9.Nc3, in Wall,B - Ahmadi,S, Chess.com, 2010,(0-1, 59)

9...Ng4

Also seen: 9...Kf7 as in Wall,B - Badbeat994, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 48); and 9...Be6 as in Wall,B - Milsrilion, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 50).

Black has a specific idea in mind.

10.0-0 Qf6 11.c3 Bxf2+ 12.Rxf2 Qxf2+ 13.Qxf2+ Nxf2 14.Kxf2 Be6 

Can you win against this?

15.Nd2 Ke7 16.Nf3 Rhf8 17.h3 Rf7 18.Bg5+ Kd7 19.Kg3 h6 20.Bd2 g5 21.Rf1 Raf8 

22.c4 c6 23.b4 b6 24.c5 g4?!

He probably should have grabbed the a-pawn.

25.hxg4 Rg8 26.g5 hxg5 27.Rh1 g4 28.Ng5 Re7 29.cxd6 Kxd6 30.Rh6 Kd7 31.a4 Bf7 

Black's aggression on the Kingside has not yielded anything. In the meantime, White's pieces have become more active, and he has a protected passed pawn at e4. White is for choice here.

Now Black's attention slips.

32.a5 b5?! 33.Bf4 Rg6??

Rybka 3 recommends 33...Bg6 34.Kxg4 Reg7, with White better.

34.Nxf7 Rxh6 35.Nxh6 c5 36.bxc5 Kc6 



37.Nf5 Re8 38.Bd6 Rd8 39.Nd4+ Black resigned



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