Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (2)

Now it's the computer's turn to play the Jerome Gambit, and it shows a preference for 6.Nxe5+. We will not see 6.d4 again.





Crafty 19.19 - RevvedUp
blitz 2 12, 2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qd5+

Seen as early as Wall - Guest4389, Internet 2001 (1/2-1/2, 17). Black's best is to give back a pawn with 8...Be6, although he still maintains the advantage after the text.

8...Ke7 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Qd4 Re8 11.Nc3 Kf8 12.d3 Kg8

Black has castled by hand and is doing just fine.

13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.Qxd5+ Kh8 15.Bg5

White strives to stir up trouble.

15...Qd7 16.f4 Qe6 17.Qxe6 Bxe6 18.f5 Bf7 19.fxg6 Bxg6

Black has swapped Queens and is aiming for a drawish Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame which may be beyond Crafty's positional understanding.

20.Rf3 Kg8 21.Raf1 Rf8 22.Bf4 Rf7 23.g4 Raf8 24.h3 Rf6 25.Kh2 Be8 26.Kg3 Bd7 27.g5 R6f7 28.h4 g6 29.c4 a6 30.b3 b5 31.c5 dxc5 32.Rc1 c6 33.Rxc5 Be8

Black plans to hold onto this position and challenge White to find a way to improve his game.

34.b4 Bd7 35.d4 Be8 36.Rcc3 Bd7 37.Rc2 Be8 38.Rcc3 Bd7 39.Rc2 Be8 40.Rf1 Bd7 41.a3 Be8 42.Rf3 Bd7 43.Rc5 Be8 44.Rc2 Bd7 45.Rcc3 Be8 46.Rc5 Bd7 47.Rcc3 Be8 48.Rc5 Bd7 49.Rc1 Be8

Black would be happy to settle for a draw by repetition – something White refuses to allow. I suspect a human being might be less stubborn here and split the point.

50.Rd1

White is forced to try something different.

50...Bd7 51.Rc1 Be8 52.Rd1 Bd7 53.Rd2 Be8 54.Rf1 Bd7 55.Rc2 Be8 56.Rff2 Bd7 57.Rc3 Be8 58.Rcc2 Bd7 59.Rc3 Be8

It is still not clear that White has accomplished anything – so it tries something else.

60.d5 cxd5 61.exd5 Bd7 62.d6 Be6

An understandable change in tactics, after a wearing defense. It could be time for the Bishop to settle in at d7 as the blockader of the advanced passed pawn, and for the Rooks to begin shuffling aroung. The text alternative opens up the c6 square, changing things: Black will need a whole new set-up to keep the draw.

63.Rc6 Bc8 64.Rf1 Bb7 65.Rc5 Bc8 66.Rc2 Bf5 67.Rc5 Bc8 68.Rc2 Bf5 69.Rc6 Bc8 70.Rf2 Bb7 71.Rc1 Bc8 72.Re2 Rxf4 73.Rxc8 Rf3+ 74.Kg2

The Bishops-of-opposite-colors are gone, but the Rooks-and-pawns endgame still seems drawish.

74...R3f7

The defense seems to hold after 74...Rd3.

75.Rc7 Rxc7 76.dxc7 Rc8 77.Re7 Black resigns

White plans 78.Rd7 and 79.Rd8+.