Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter XVI

Here is my favorite game of the tournament.


I had White, playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).


I lost.

Hats off to Temmo for a fascinating game!


perrypawnpusher - Temmo
JG3 thematic http://www.chessworld.net/ 2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+



As played against me by drewbear ("Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter II") and Kevin the fruitbat ("Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter XIII") in this tournament, and James042665 ("Fools walk in...") more recently.

The line has lots of confusion for White, and a possible Black Queen sacrifice (i.e. abhailey - peonconorejas, net-chess.com, 2008, "Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter II") to keep things lively.

9.g3

No more innovations like 9.Kd1, perrypawnpusher - drewbear, JG3 thematic, http://www.chessworld.net/, 2008 (0-1, 10)

9...Nf3+ 10.Kf1 Qh6


If you happen to have the quirky tome Unorthodox Chess, by the pseudonymous Some Loser, you would find the alternative 10...Nxh2+ in one of his games: 11.Kg2 Qd8 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Qxc5+ d6 14.Qg5+ Ke8 15.Qxd8+ Kxd8 16.Rxh2 Nf6 17.d3 Ng4? 18.Rh4 Nf6 19.Be3 Bg4?! 20.Bd4 Bd1? 21.Na3 Be2 22.Kf2 Bxd3 23.cxd3 c5 24.Bxf6+ gxf6 25.Nc4 Ke7 26.Ne3 Kf7 27.Rah1 Kg6 28.Rh6+ Kg7 29.Nf5+ Kg8 30.Rxf6 d5 31.Nh6+ Kg7 32.Rf7+ Kg6 33.e5 Rhg8 34.Rf6+ Kg7 35.Nf5+ Kh8 36.Rxh7+ Kxh7 37.Rh6 checkmate Some Loser - NN.

11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qxc5+ Qd6 It's probably better to leave the Queens on the board with 12...d6. It doesn't look like a big deal, but if the analysis given below of a 14th move alternative for White is accurate, then it is here that Black loses his advantage.

13.Qxd6+ cxd6

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

Is the Knight at f3 vulnerable? If so, then White probably will find an even – if unclear – game.

Is the Knight Black's only source of worry? What about the a1-h8 diagonal?

After the hammering White took in the game perrypawnpusher - James042665, Chess.com 2008, we will probably see 10...Qf6 far more often than this game's 10...Qh6, so there may not be other games to address these (and other) questions.

Pity.

14.c3

Played to keep the Knight from running away, but Rybka gives an interesting alternative in 14.b4!? -- when best play has the piece staying a moment, as 14...Nd4 15.Bb2 Ne6 16.f5 seems to require the answer 16...Nf6, when 17.Bxf6 (better than the pawn capture) gxf6 18.fxe6 dxe6 gives White a small advantage.

After 14.b4!? b6 15.Kf2 Nd4 it's still an unclear game: 16.Bb2 Nxc2 17.Bxg7 Nf6 18.Bxh8 Nxe4+ (better than the immediate capture of the Rook with 18...Nxa1) 19.Kf3 Nc5 (an amazing move; Black also has 19...Bb7 20.Rc1 Nc5 21.Ke2 Ba6+ leading to a draw by repetition) 20.Ke2 Bb7 21.Rc1 Ba6+ 22.Kd1 Nxb4 23.Bd4 Ncd3 where Rybka suggests as best that Black can force a draw.

14...g5

On a rescue mission!

15.Kf2

The King is probably better-placed after 15.Kg2, after which the battle over the knight would continue with 15...g4 16.h3 d5 17.exd5 d6 18.hxg4 Bxg4 although Black would have an edge after 19.Rf1 h5 20.Rxf3 Bxf3 21.Kxf3 h4 22.gxh4 Rxh4 – White has three pawns for the exchange, but Black's development would more than compensate.

15...g4 16.h3 d5 17.hxg4

Capturing the d-pawn first was better.

17...dxe4 18.d3 d5 19.g5

Giving up on the "undermining" mission, and seeking to delay the development of the other Knight, which would in turn delay the development of a Rook.

19...h6

Black understood what I was getting at, and worked to counter it; but the more straight-forward 19...Bf5 would have helped his development

20.dxe4

If first 20.c4 Bg4 21.dxe4 dxe4 22.Nc3 Re8 23.Nxe4 the pawn center would have been destroyed, and White would have crept closer to equality.

20...dxe4 21.Nd2 Nxd2 22.Bxd2 Bg4 23.Be3

White had the interesting 23.Rh4 instead, although after 23...h5 24.Rah1 Bf3 25.R1h2 Ke6 26.g4 Bxg4 27.Rxg4 Nf6! Black wins the exchange and retains the better game.

23...Ke6 24.Rh4 Kf5

Here Rybka comes up with another interesting idea for White: sacrificing the exchange! 25.Rxg4 Kxg4 26.Rh1 Kf5 27.Rh4 Rd8 27.g4 Kg6 28.g4 Kg6 29.Ke2 a6 30.f5 Kg7 31.gxh6 Nxh6 32.Bd4 Rxd4!? 33.cxd4 Rc8 and too many of White's pawns look like targets.

25.Bd4 Rh7 26.Rah1 h5 27.Ke3

Rybka suggests the exchange sacrifice again, 27.Rxg4 etc. to reduce Black's advantage. Once Black gets his pieces untangled, the game more and more favors him. His King easily handles the White pawns.

27...Ne7 28.R4h2 Nd5+ 29.Kd2 b6 30.Re1 Re8 31.Be3 Rd8 32.Kc2 Rc7 33.a3 Rcd7 34.Bd4 b5 35.Be5 Rc8 36.Kb1 a5 37.g6


A frail whisp of hope. A mirage.

37...b4 38.axb4 axb4 39.g7 b3 40.Bd4 Kg6 41.Kc1 Kf5 42.Rhh1 Nb4 43.Kd2 Rxd4+
White resigns.


What a game!