Saturday, October 21, 2017

Jerome Gambit Anomaly

The following game is a bit of an anomaly, for a number of reasons.

First, it is a draw in the Jerome Gambit, and a quick look at The Database shows that less than 3% of those 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ games end up as "1/2-1/2".

Second, it is a Jerome Gambit game that Bill Wall doesn't win. Quite rare.

Finally, it is a game where Black's King remains stuck in the middle files, but survives.

Wall, Bill - Guest584771
PlayChess.com, 2017

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



4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.Qd5+



White poses the question: do you want to offer the b-pawn with 8...Be6? Answering with certainty would take a little time for Black. Also, he would have to be comfortable returning material.

8...Ke8

8...Be6 is playable, and Bill has two wins and a loss against it: Wall,B - Guest774156, PlayChess.com, 2016 (0-1, 26); Wall,B - Javier, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 36); and Wall,B - Guest3335651, PlayChess.com, 2017 (1-0, 13).

Black also has 8..Ke7, as in Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016 (1-0, 20).

And there is 8...Kf8, as in Wall,B - Guest344942, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0, 20).

9.f4

Going after Black's Knight directly. Bill has also played:

9.Nc3 Nf6 10.Qb3 c6 11.f4 Nh5 12.O-O Ng4 13.h3 Ngf6 14.e5 Nd7 15.Be3 d5 16.g4 Ng3 17.Rf3 Ne4 18.Nxe4 dxe4 19.Rf2 Qh4 20.Kh2 Nb6 21.e6 Nd5 22.f5 Nxe3 23.Qxe3 Ke7 24.g5 Rf8 25.Rg1 Bxe6 26.Rf4 Qh5 27.Qxe4 g6 28.Qxe6+ Kd8 29.Qd6+ Kc8 30.Qxf8+ Kc7 31.Qe7+ Kb6 32.Rb4+ Ka6 33.Qxb7+ Ka5 34.Ra4+ Kxa4 35.Qxc6+ Ka5 36.b4+ Kxb4 37.Rb1+ Ka3 38.Qa6 checkmate, Wall,B - Guest3467690, PlayChess.com, 2017; and

9.O-O Nf6 10.Qb3 Qd7 11.Nc3 Qe6 12.Qb5+ Ned7 13.Be3 a6 14.Qa4 Kf7 15.Rad1 Re8 16.Rfe1 Kg8 17.f4 b5 18.Nxb5 axb5 19.Qxa8 Qxe4 20.Qxe4 Rxe4 21.Rd4 Rxd4 22.Bxd4 Kf7 23.a4 bxa4 24.Ra1 Nd5 25.Rxa4 c5 26.Bf2 Ke7 27.Bh4+ Ke6 28.g4 g6 29.Kf2 Nb4 30.Ra8 Nb6 31.Rb8 N4d5 32.Bd8 Kd7 33.Bxb6 Nxf4 34.Kf3 Nd5 35.Ba5 Ne7 36.Rb3 Kc6 37.Bd8 Nd5 38.c4 Nb4 39.Ba5 Nc2 40.Kf4 Nd4 41.Rb8 Black resigned, Wall,B -Tankins, PlayChess.com, 2016.

9...Nf6 10.Qb3 Ned7

11.e5 dxe5 12.O-O e4 


Black's center pawn is annoying.

13.Nc3 Nb6 14.Be3 Qe7 15.f5 


Two can play the annoying-advanced-pawn game.

15...Qe5

Black figures he can win the f-pawn. In his plotting and planning he loses sight of the (lack of) safety of his King.

16.Rad1 Ng4 17. Bf4 Qc5+ 18. Kh1 Bxf5 19. Nxe4


Both pawns fall. Black's King is suddenly looking quite vulnerable. But - is he?

19... Bxe4 20.Qe6+ Qe7

If 20...Kf8 then 21.Bd6 is a jaunty checkmate.

21.Qxg4 Nd5

The Knight is supported by the Bishop, which shields the Queen from a pin against the King. That gives White tactical opportunities - but are they more than a piece's worth?

22.Bg5 Nf6

The Knight protects, but also becomes a target.

23.Qh4 Kf7 24.Rd4 Rhe8 25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.Rxe4 


White wins back his piece - or is he sacrificing a Rook? What does he get for it?

26...Qxe4 27.Qxf6+ Kg8 28.Qf7+ Kh8 29.Qf6+ Kg8 30.Qf7+ Kh8 drawn


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