Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (30)

In the last game in this "human vs computers" Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) match, Yace Paderborn seems headed for the draw that Crafty 19.19 and Hiarcs 8 had found before it, when RevvedUp decides to vary – after all, his position is better.


Unfortunately, that gives the silicon beast the opportunity to lengthen the game and eventually outplay its human opponent.

Yace Paderborn - RevvedUp
blitz 2 12, 2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6
7.f4 d6 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+

Kd6 10.Qd3+

10...Ke7 11.Qg3 Kf7

The draw comes with 11...Kd6, when Yace Paderborn likely would repeat with 12.Qd3+, etc. Perhaps RevvedUp was aware of a couple of previous examples of this line of play – where Black won.
12.Qxe5 Bd4

Colossus - Rybka v1.0 Beta.w32, Jerome Forced Computer Chess Match USA, 2006, transposed to this line, but saw ...Qh4+ here instead: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.Qg3 Kf7 11.Qxe5 Qh4+ 12.g3 Qe7 13.Rf1+ Kg6 14.Qxe7 Nxe7 15.c3 Bh3 16.Rf4 Bd6 17.Rh4 Bd7 18.d4 Rae8 19.e5 Nd5 20.a3 Be7 21.Re4 Bf5 22.Re2 Bd3 23.Rg2 Rhf8 24.Bf4 c5 25.Nd2 Kh5 26.Rc1 Nxf4 27.gxf4 Rxf4 28.Kd1 Rg4 29.Rxg4 Kxg4 30.b4 Rf8 31.bxc5 Rf2 32.h3+ Kxh3 33.Rb1 Bxb1 34.Nxb1 Rf1+ 35.Kc2 Rxb1 36.Kxb1 h5 37.d5 Bxc5 38.d6 Kg4 39.Kc2 h4 40.Kd3 h3 41.Kc4 b6 42.d7 Be7 White resigns

13.Rf1+ Nf6 14.Qh5+ Ke7

Junior 7 preferred ...Kg8: Fritz 5.32 - Junior 7, Jerome Gambit The Jeroen Experience (1.1), 2003: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.Qg3 Kf7 11.Qxe5 Bd4 12.Rf1+ Nf6 13.Qh5+ Kg8 14.Qg5 h6 15.Qf4 Qe7 16.d3 Bg4 17.Nd2 Rf8 18.h3 Bh5 19.c3 g5 20.Qg3 Be5 21.Qe3 Bf4 22.Rxf4 gxf4 23.Qxa7 Qg7 24.Qf2 Nd7 25.d4 Kh7 26.e5 Rhg8 27.Kf1 Qg6 28.Kg1 f3 29.g3 Qxg3+ 30.Qxg3 Rxg3+ 31.Kf2 Rg2+ 32.Kf1 Bg6 White resigned

15.Qg5 Rg8

"Objectively" stronger (i.e. a computer thought of it) was 15...Re8 16.Qxg7+ Kd6, but it is not hard to see why RevvedUp preferred the text, even at the cost of an even game.


16.e5 h6 17.Qf4 Re8 18.exf6+ Kf7+
Black's development and relative King safety easily compensates for the lost pawn. But, give White a few more moves to get his position together, and...

19.Kd1 Bxf6 20.Nc3 Kg8

Black has castled-by-hand and retains an edge.

21.Ne4 Rf8
22.Rf3 Bd7 23.Nc5 Bc6 24.Ne6 Bxf3+ 25.gxf3 Qd6 26.Qxd6 cxd6 27.Nxf8 Rxf8

28.f4 g6 29.d3 h5 30.a4 a6 31.Ra3 Rf7 32.c4 Rd7 33.b3 d5 34.Kc2 Kf7

Again, the dynamic aspects of Black's position compensate for the pawn down. Yace Paderborn, however, nibbles away, move-by move.

35.Be3 dxc4

This gives Yace Paderborn a passer, and may not be best.

36.bxc4 Ke6 37.Rb3 Bd4

This exchange opens the floodgates, and White's game improves rapidly. Perhaps something neutral like 37...Bg7 was better.

38.Bxd4 Rxd4 39.Rb6+ Kf5 40.Rxb7 Rd6 41.Rf7+ Kg4 42.Kc3 Kh3 43.f5 gxf5 44.Rxf5 Rh6 45.Rf2 h4 46.d4 Kg4 47.c5 h3 48.d5

Black resigns