Showing posts with label kdosch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kdosch. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Why I Still Play the Jerome Gambit




Let's face it. When it comes to chess playing "strength", I compare to other club players the way the Jerome Gambit compares to other chess openings. 

Still, the "worst chess opening in the world" continues to provide me with interesting positions and creative opportunities (even if I often miss them) - and, by studying my games, I hope to learn more and more about what I should already know...


perrypawnpusher - fogab
blitz, FICS, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 




4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 


The Database says that I have reached this position 47 times, scoring 80%.


10.0-0 Rf8 11.f4 Qe7 12.Nc3 b6 




Black seems to be multi-tasking here. He prepares to castle-by-hand, puts his Queen on the useful e7 square, and looks to fianchetto his Bishop.

I might as well add two more ideas: harassing White's Queen with 12...Ng4 as in perrypawnpusher - obturator, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 31); and protecting the d5 square with 12...c6 as in perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 20). 


13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qf4



This is not an improvement on the straight forward 15.Qd3 which would give White an advantage.


Interestingly enough, the one other game in The Database with this position after 14 moves now saw 15.Qg5 which ended well for White in 32 moves in holofernes - kdosch, FICS, 2001.


15...Nh5


A mistake which should allow White to correct his Queen placement - and more. This is what I meant in my introductory remarks: when I falter, sometimes the Jerome Gambit (admittedly, with the help of my opponent) gives me a hand.


By the way, one way for Black to take advantage of White's uncertainty about Queen placement was to continue to put pressure on the center with 15...c5, although after the tactical tap dance 16.b3 cxd4 17.Nb5 a6 18.Nxd4 Ne5 not a lot has been decided; Black's King is still in the center, and White can try 19.Ba3!?.


16.Qg4 


Why is it that Bill Wall can run his Queen all over the board, and it always looks like he is doing the right thing, while my monarch always seems to look like she's scattered and losing her marbles...?


Instead of the text, 16.Qf3 was correct, with the direct threat to Black's Knight on h5 and the upcoming exposed threat to his Rook on a8, after e4-e5


Black can then defend with  16...Qf7 17.e5 Rb8, but White's annoying "Jerome pawn" will advance with 18.e6, creating an interesting tactical situation. If then 18...Bxe6,White can simply capture the Bishop, but he can also try 19.Bg5!? taking advantage of Black's weakness along the e-file, and White's available Rook at a1. This is shown most clearly in the line 19...Bxf5 20.Rae1+ Kd7 21.Re7+ Qxe7 22.Bxe7 Nd2 23.Qxh5 Nxf1 24.Bxf8 Rxf8.


Instead, Black can try to further distract things (after 19.Bg5!?) with 19...Nd2 but the same themes come into effect, to a smaller degree, after 20.Qc6+ Qd7 21.Qxd7+ Bxd7 22.Rfe1+ Kf7 23.Re7+ Kg8 24.Rxd7 Nc4 25.g4 Nf6 26.Rxc7 Rbc8 27.Rxc8 Rxc8 28.Bxf6 gxf6 29.Nd5.


I admit that I looked at these lines with Houdini after the game, but how hard would it have been for a regular, ordinary club chess player to come up with most of this?


At this point I imagine that the ghost of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome was tapping his foot in disappointment. 


16...Nf6 17.Qh4 


Nope. The Queen needed to go to e2, and from there support e4-e5 with a slight edge. 


Now Black can even the game out with the deflating 17...Nxe4 18.Qxe4 Qxe4 19.Nxe4 Bxf5. White would not be losing, but he would not be winning, either.


17...Bb7 18.b3 Na5 19.Bg5 h6 20.Bxf6 Qxf6 21.Qh5+ Rf7 22.e5 dxe5 23.dxe5 Qg5 


24.Qxg5 hxg5 25.Rae1 


Despite White's menacing "Jerome pawns" and Black's broken Kingside structure, the second player has the advantage. His plan to improve his worst-placed piece, however, is not best.


25...Nc6 26.e6 Rf6 27.Nd5 Black resigned




A puzzling outcome, all around. Quite possibly my opponent was simply tired of the game, and surrendering the exchange was the last straw.


Yet, after 27...Rd8 28.Nxf6+ gxf6 Black's Knight and Bishop look  a lot more frisky than White's Rook and two pawns. I would have swapped Rooks with 29.Rd1 Rxd1 30.Rxd1, but then, as long as Black keeps White's Rook off of d7, what is there to worry about?


Friday, February 24, 2012

Almost


Sometimes the person playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) gets just enough assistance from the defender that the opening can almost look like it really does lead to a powerful attack...

perrypawnpusher - obturator
blitz, FICS, 2012


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


4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6



7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6


10.0-0 Rf8 11.f4

Equally strong was 11.d4, as in fehim - cybernoid, FICS, 2006: 11...Be6 12.e5 dxe5 13.dxe5 Ne7 14.exf6 Rxf6 15.b3 Nd5 16.Qe4 Qd6 17.Bb2 Rh6 18.g3 Kd7 19.Rd1 Re8 20.c4 Bg4 21.Qxg4+ Black resigned.

Instead, 11.f3 was the introduction to an ultimate "Jerome pawn" game, mrjoker - PhlebasP, ICC, 2009 (1-0, 35).

11...Qe7

I have also faced 11...Rf7 in perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 30) as has Louis Marin, in mrjoker - Mandragora, ICC, 2008 (1-0, 49);

as well as 11...Ng4 in perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 24), perrypawnpusher - lorecai, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 47), and perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½, 58).

12.Nc3

Also possible was 12.f5 Ne5 13.Nc3 b6 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qg5 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 Qxe4 17.Qxg7 Bxf5 18.Bh6 Rf7 19.Qg5 Kd7 20.Rae1 Qxd4+ 21.Kh1 Nd2 22.Rxf5 Rxf5 23.Qxf5+ Kc6 24.Bxd2 Qxd2 25.Rf1 Re8 26.Qf3+ Kc5 27.Qa3+ Kc6 28.Qa4+ b5 29.Qa6+ Kd7 30.Qxb5+ c6 31.Rf7+ Re7 32.Qb7+ Kd8 Black resigned, holofernes - kdosch, FICS, 2001.

12...Ng4

Also seen is 12...c6 as in perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 20), although 12...Kf7 with plans to continuing castling-by-hand may be best.

13.Qg3 Bd7 14.f5 N6e5 15.d4 d5

Black returns a piece and undermines White's pawn at f5, but this might be less painfully accomplished (at least the first step) by 15...Nf6 16.dxe5 dxe5.

Now White's game takes a step forward.

16.Nxd5 Qd6 17.dxe5 Nxe5 18.Bf4 Qc5+ 19.Kh1 Nf7 20.Nxc7+ Ke7


21.Nxa8

I was pleased to be the exchange and a few pawns ahead, but 21.Qh4+, continuing the attack on the King, was stronger.

21...Rxa8 22.Bg5+

This was a nervous, short-of-time move. Better was the straight-forward 22.Qxg7.

22...Ke8 23.c3 Bc6 24.Rae1 h6 25.Be3 Qc4 26.Qxg7 Bxe4 27.Qg8+ Kd7 28.Qxa8

I had my clock back under control, and needed only avoid a serious blunder to bring home the point.

28...Qc6 29.Rd1+ Kc7 30.Bf4+ Kb6 31.Qg8 Black resigned