Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Another RHP Jerome Gambit Tournament - Game 3



The following game is in some ways the opposite of the previous one. The game slides down the slippery slope from move 4, toward a Black win. White misses a chance to complicate the game, and perhaps take the advantage, at move 21. The game then continues to slide slowly toward the "inevitable" "0-1".

deriver69 (1401) - musirapha (1874)
Giuoco Piano Jerome Gambit tournament, RedHotPawn, 2014

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


4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qe3 Nf6


Over 300 games in The Database reach this position, with White scoring 46%.

9.O-O Re8 10.d3 Kg8 11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 Qb6 13.Qxb6 axb6


The game has gone its own way, with Black wisely castling-by-hand and White delaying the advance of his "Jerome pawns" until after the Queens have been exchanged.

14.Be3 Bd7 15.f5 Ne5 16.Bxb6 Ra6 17.Bf2 c5 18.Be3 Neg4 19.Bf4 b5 20.Ne2 Bxf5


The position is a bit more complicated than either player appreciates.

White realizes that 21.exf5 Rxe2 would be clearly to Black's advantage, so he moves his Knight to a safer square; but in doing so he misses a chance to mix it up.

Challenging is 21.h3!? as now Black's Bishop is in an uncomfortable position, e.g. 21...Ne5 22.Bxe5 or 21... Nh6 22. Bxh6 in each case followed (if Black recaptures) by 23.Rxf5 with an edge for White.

It looks like after 21. h3!? White has an edge after 21...d5 (or 21...Bxe4 22. dxe4 Ne5) 22.hxg4 Bxg4

21.Ng3 Bg6 22.h3 Ne5 

23.Bg5 Nh5 24.Nxh5 Bxh5 25.Rf5 Rf8 26.Rxf8+ Kxf8 27.Rf1+ Ke8 28.a3 Ra7 29.g4 Bg6 30.Kg2 Rf7 31.Ra1 h5 32.gxh5 Bxh5 33.a4 b4 

34.a5 Ra7 35.a6 Nc6 36.h4 Nb8 37.Bf4 Kd7 38.e5 Rxa6 39.Rxa6 Nxa6 40.exd6 Nb8 41.Kf2 Nc6 42.Ke3 Bg6 43.Kf3 Nd4+ White resigned


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