Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Another Example of the Vitzthum Attack


Earlier on this blog, I have looked at the Sarratt or Vitzthum Attack as a possible fore-runner to the Jerome Gambit. (See "A Bridge To... Somewhere?", "Another Distant Relative?", "The Sarratt Attack" and "Another look at the Sarratt Attack").

Recently I discovered a game published in the "Chess" column of the April 23, 1876 issue of  the St. Louis Globe - Democrat. I have changed the notation from descriptive to algebraic and added some diagrams. The comments remain those of the newpaper's chess editor.


Chess in St. Louis
A Rapid Skirmish, Recently Played At St. Louis Chess Club

Mr. H - Mr. M 
St. Louis Chess Club, 1876

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4



This was long the accepted move at this point, but now 4.Nxd4 is now more common.

4...Bc5 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5



All "book" so far.

9...Rf8

9...d5 is the only correct move here, giving black the better game.

10.Bh6 Re8 11.Nd2 Kg8 12.Qd5+ Kh8 13.Qf7



White now wins by force, let black play as he will.

13...Rg8 14.Nf3 Qe8 15.Ng5 and wins 



Monday, December 28, 2015

A Long Day In The Life of the Jerome Gambit

Sometimes Jerome Gambit games are easy, sometimes not. Sometimes they are pretty, sometimes pretty ordinary. Always they are complicated. Always they are exciting. Enjoy the following game, high notes and low.


Laaber - Ausxh,
blitz, FICS, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 



4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+



The text is thematic, but 6.Nxc6 is probably better: 6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.Qh5+ g6 (7...Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qd6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.e5 Ng4 11.Qf4+ 1-0 Wall,B - Gebba, Chess.com, 2010) 8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qc3 Qxe4+ 10.Kf1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest1609773, PlayChess.com, 2013;

Not 6.Nxc6 bxc6? 7.Qh5+ as seen in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25); perrypawnpusher - zsilber, blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½, 42);  Wall,B - Qwerty, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9); and Wall,B - LFTN, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 20), for example.

Interestingly, Stockfish 6 prefers 6.Nxc6 Qh4!?

6...g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+

Best!?

8.Kd1 

8.Kxf2 is playable: Blackstone,J - Dommeyer,C, Campbell, CA 1960 (1-0, 13); Philidor 1792 - Guest834593, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 16); ZahariSokolov - naijachampion, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 34).

The alternative, 8.Kf1, doesn't work if Black follows up with 8...Nf6!?, but that hasn't shown up in The Database yet, only 8...hxg6?! in jecree - lhoffman, FICS, 2008. 

8...Nf6 9.Nxh8+

White is overlooking something.

9.Qf3 was seen in Petasluk  - Klonkku, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 57). 

9...Kf8 

Black, too: 9...Nxh5.

And some thing else.

10.Qf5

Missing: 10.Qf7 checkmate. 

10...d6 11.Qxf2 

White will be up the exchange and a couple of pawns once he gives back the Knight at h8.

11...Bg4+ 12.Ke1 Qe8

Trying to mix it up again.

13.d3 

There was nothing wrong with 13.Qxf6+.

13...Kg7 14.Bg5 Nxe4 15.dxe4 Qxe4+ 16.Be3 Nd4 



White is winning, but it may not feel that way to him.

17.Nc3 Nxc2+ 18.Kf1 Nxe3+ 



19.Kg1 Qe5 20.Re1 Rxh8 21.Rxe3 Qd4


The extra Rook will help White, once it gets free. But first White will take advantage of Black's last move and win the Queen.

22.Re7+ Kg6 23.Qxd4 Rf8 24.Qxg4+ Kf6 25.Qe6+ Kg5 26.h4+ Kf4 27.Nd5+ Kg3 28.Qh3 checkmate