Friday, September 29, 2017

BSJG: Uncharted Territory

If you are a chess player who enjoys mixing it up in unclear positions - at blitz speed - then the Jerome Gambit is just what you are looking for.

And - if your opponent tries the Blackburne Shilling Gambit? Try the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, of course!

sahistonline - PlatinumKnight
5 0 blitz, FICS, 2017

What makes this game particularly interesting is that both players have over 100 games in The Database - playing both Black and White.

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nd4

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

Of course, White has other alternatives, such as 4.Nxd4, 4.0-0, 4.c3 or 4.d3, but the text, in my opinion, is the most fun. Not recommended is 4.Nxe5?! which is bodaciously met with 4...Qg5!?

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ 



Here we see the major theme of the following play: Black is a piece up, but his King is in the center, in danger, facing White's extra pawns. Gobbling pawns will be dangerous; retreating the King to safety should be Black's plan.

7...Kxd4

Maybe just one, Black decides.

Safer was to start the journey home with 7...Ke6. As we shall see, neither player is commited to anything as boring as "safer".

8.Qa4+

There are 71 games in The Database with this move. White scores  43%. Black can be a bit comfortable if he remembers that he has faced this line before. Not too comfortable, though: he lost that game.

Instead, Stockfish 8 recommends 8.Qb3 followed by 9.Nc3. It should be noted that there are exactly 0 games in The Database with these moves. Largely uncharted territory.

8...Ke5 9.f4+ 

White has also offered the e-pawn with 9.d4+ Kxe4 10.Qc2+ Kd5 11.Nc3+ Kd6 12.O-O Nf6 13.Nb5+ Ke6 14.Nxc7+ Kf7 15.Nxa8 Bd6 16.d5 Re8 17.Bg5 Kg8 18.Bxf6 Qxf6 19.Nc7 Bxc7 20.Qxc7 d6 21.Rac1 Qg6 22.Rc3 Bf5 23.Rg3 Qe6 24.Qxb7 Qf7 25.Qb5 h6 26.a4 Kh7 27.Qc6 Bd7 28.Qxd6 Bxa4 29.Qb4 Bc2 30.d6 Bf5 31.Rc3 Bd7 32.Rc7 a6 33.Qa5 Ra8 34.Qb6 Qe6 35.Qb7 Rd8 36.Qxa6 Qd5 37.Qa7 Qxd6 38.Rc3 Bc6 39.Qa5 Qg6 40.Rg3 Qf7 41.Qxd8 Black resigned, yogasanjay - PlatinumKnight, FICS, 2014.

For a few ideas in this wilderness, playable alternatives include 9.Nc3!?9.O-O!? and 9.Qb3!?

9...Ke6 

Prudent. The pawn is poisoned: 9...Kxf4 10.d4+ Kg4 11.Qd1+ Kh4 12.Qf3 Bb4+ 13.Kd1 d6 14.g3+ Kh3 15.g4+ Kh4 16.Qg3 checkmate. 

10.f5+ Ke5 

Goading White? Surely 10...Kf7 was safer. But, see the note to Black's 7th move. We have a full-fledged battle, here.

11.Nc3

First of all, development.

Stockfish 8 recommends wilder play, starting with pawn checks: 11.d4+ Kf6 12.e5+ Kf7 (of course not 12...Kxf5, i.e. 13.O-O+ Ke6 14.d5+ Ke7 15.Qb4+ d6 16.Qh4+ Ke8 17.Rxf8+ Kxf8 18.Qxd8+ Kf7 19.e6+ Bxe6 20.dxe6+ Kxe6 21.Qxa8) 13.O-O Be7 14.Qc4+ Kf8 15.Nc3 b5 16.Qxb5 c6 17.Qd3 d5 18.Ne2 Nf6 (it is helpful, but not saving, to give a piece back)19.exf6 Bxf6 20.Nf4 Qb6 21.Ne6+ Kg8 22.Nc5 h6 23.Qe3 Kh7 24.b3 Qb4 25.Bb2 Bg5 26.Qd3 Qd2 - and White is better. 

11...d5 

Black's idea: strike back at White's pawn center.  

12.d4+

Also to be considered was the dual-purposed 12.O-O!?

12...Kf6 13.Nxd5+ Kf7 14.Qc4 g6 



Cold-bloodedly looking to make a safe square for Black's King, while trying to undermine the White pawns. The computer suggests 14...b5!? 15.Qb3 Qh4+ 16.Kf1 Qxe4 17.Nc3+ Be6 18.Nxe4 Bxb3 19.axb3 Ne7 although White would still be better.

Hardly an easy position to play with the clock ticking.

15.Nxc7+ Kg7 16.Ne6+ 

Either seeing something, or not seeing something. This settles the game down a bit, although still being better for the first player. In a slower game, 16.Bf4!?, continuing to build tension, could have been explored.

16...Bxe6 17.Qxe6 Qxd4 



Both Kings are at risk, and neither army is developed, except for the Queens!

18.f6+

This looks a lot like a time slip. Now Black can do more than cover up. The protective 18.Bd2 followed by 19.O-O-O might lead to an edge for the second player.

18...Nxf6 19.Rf1 Bb4+ 20. Ke2 Rae8



White resigned

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

BSJG: All Along the Long Diagonal

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit is a combination of two outrageous forms of play - one for Black, one for White - that can lead to odd, often outrageous, play, often along the a1-h8 diagonal. The following 15 minute game is a good example.

DVYate - borodin
FICS, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 


Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 


Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxh8 




Discussed a long time ago, blog-wise.

8...Nxc2+ 

Always a temptation, often an error - but just fine in this position.

9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.b3 Nf6 11.Bb2 



So far, so good for Black, but he has to let the Knight at a1 go. Instead, he decides to get a pawn for it, and...

11...Nxb3 12.Bxf6 Black resigned



Monday, September 25, 2017

Jerome Gambit: Luck Helps


If you can't win with the Jerome Gambit, you can always be lucky, especially in a blitz game:


lonewolfejoe - Mayte, blitz, FICS, 2017
Black lost on time

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Jerome Gambit: Made for Blitz

The attacking mayhem of the Jerome Gambit was made for blitz play. Often the defender who is unaware of best play will first slip, and then slide, and then take a fall.

ndrwgen, with White in the following miniature, is familiar with the Jerome Gambit - in fact, he has 165 games in The Database.

ndrwgn - abogatyrev
5 0 blitz, FICS, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.O-O 

A move in the Two Knights that has "more going for it than is generally realized" as I have noted elsewhere in this blog.

4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 



When Black captures the Bishop, the game will transpose into a "modern" Jerome Gambit variation, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0 Nf6.

The Database contains 1072 games with this position, with White scoring 41%.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 


ndrwgn has a good bit of experience with this move. The Database shows he has a record of 23-22-1. 

7...Nxe4

Black realizes he will lose a piece, and decides not to worry
about it - he will grab a pawn, instead. A slightly stronger move move here, 7...d5, is based on similar reasoning - let White choose what piece he wants, while Black plans to grab a pawn with a subsequent ...dxe4.

8.dxc5

Also: 8.dxe5 d6 9.Qd5+ Be6 10.Qxe4 dxe5 11.Qxe5 Bd6 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qf3+ Kg7 14.Bd2 Re8 15.Bc3+ Kg8 16.Qf6 Qxf6 17.Bxf6 Kf7 18.Bg5 h6 19.Bd2 Rad8 Black resigned, ndrwgn - Vuquoclong, FICS, 2013.

8...Qf6

ndrwgn also faced: 8...Nxc5 9.Qd5+ Kf6 10.Qxc5 d6 11.Qc3 Re8 12.f4 Bf5 13.fxe5+ dxe5 14.Nd2 Qd4+ 15.Qxd4 exd4 16.Nf3 Bxc2 17.Nxd4+ Ke5 18.Nxc2 Rad8 19.Bf4+ Kd5 20.Bxc7 Re2 21.Bxd8 Rxc2 22.Rfd1+ Ke4 23.b3 Re2 24.Re1 Kd3 25.Rxe2 Kxe2 26.a4 Ke3 27.b4 h5 28.Ra3+ Ke4 29.Be7 g6 30.Rg3 Kf5 31.Bc5 b6 32.Bd6 g5 33.Be7 g4 34.h3 a5 35.bxa5 bxa5 36.hxg4+ hxg4 37.Bd8 Ke4 38.Bxa5 Kf4 39.Rc3 Ke4 40.Rc4+ Kf5 41.g3 Kg5 Black resigned, ndrwgn - LochChessMonster, FICS, 2013.

Probably best was 8...d5.

9.Qd5+ Ke7 

White will collect the Knight at e4, with advantage. (That was quick.)

10.Qxe4 Re8 11.f4 d5 


Very often Black's last move is part of a good counter-attack for Black in the Jerome Gambit (see the note to move 8 for example) but in this case - a blitz game - the defender has overlooked something.

12.cxd6+

The capture with check makes all the difference in the world.

12...cxd6 13.fxe5 Qxe5 14.Bg5+ Kd7 15.Rf7+ Re7 


A visual (the Rook is actually attacked 3 times and only defended 2) or clock error. After 15...Ke6 16.Qxe5+ dxe5 17. Rxg7 Black would still be lost.

16.Rxe7+ Qxe7 17.Qxe7+ Kc6 18.Nc3 Black resigned


Thursday, September 21, 2017

Jerome Gambit: Knight and Queen

A couple of nice looking checkmates using Knight and Queen, by White in recent Jerome Gambit games online at FICS


cutnpaaste - microlab, blitz, FICS, 2017




marciprevi - ppd, blitz, FICS, 2017

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Jerome Gambit: Small World (2)




Further searching the internet (see the previous post) I discovered a LinkedIn  link for Arome Victor, professor at Covenant University, in Nigeria. He also has a link to a post about Cliff Hardy, presented earlier on this website.

From the US of A to Australia (where Cliff Hardy resides) to Nigeria is another very exciting journey for the Jerome Gambit!

(I wish I had discovered the link earlier, as my son Jon - who has experience with the Jerome Gambit - had been in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, earlier this year. What an interesting game of chess the two might have played!)

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Jerome Gambit: Small World (1)


Searching the internet, as I often do, I just discovered a LinkedIn  link for Kojo Bonsu, former mayor of Kumasi, in Ghana. The independent luxury goods and jewelry professional has a link to a post about Cliff Hardy on this website.

From the US of A to Australia (where Cliff Hardy resides) to Ghana is a very exciting journey for the Jerome Gambit!