Out of sight, out of mind

When I was putting together yesterday's Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) post – a long game with analysis and diagrams can take a couple of hours – I noticed that I had referenced a game that was in my database, but had not yet shown up on this blog. Playing through the game, I could understand the oversight: it's another bad game.

I suppose that I can take some comfort in the fact that I scored 2.5 point in those 3 bad games – that almost makes up for the poor play.


perrypawnpusher - episodeninetynine
blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 The Semi-Italian opening.


4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6
Some of my games have goen otherwise: 7...Ke6 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.d4 Bxd4 ( 9...Qf6 10.dxe5+ Qxe5 11.Rd1+ ( 11.Bf4 Qxf4 12.Qxf4+ Kc6 13.e5 d5 14.b4 Nf6 15.bxc5 Ne4 16.Qf7 Nxc5 17.Qxg7 Be6; 11.Bf4 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - joejox, FICS 2009) 11...Bd4 12.Qf8+ Ke6 13.Qe8+ Kf6 14.Qf8+ Ke6 15.Qe8+ Kf6 drawn, perrypawnpusher - Joyus, FICS, 2007) 10.Rd1 c5 11.c3 Ne7 12.Qh5 Kc7 13.cxd4 cxd4 14.Qxe5+ d6 15.Qxd4 Nc6 16.Qxg7+ Bd7 17.Bf4 Rg8 18.Qxh6 Qe7 19.Bxd6+ Qxd6 20.Qxd6+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Lakritzl, FICS 2009;

And 7...Kf6 8.Qf5+ Ke7 9.Qxe5+ Kf7 10.Qd5+ Kf6 11.e5+ Kg6 12.Qxc5 d6 13.exd6 Qxd6 14.Qxd6+ cxd6 15.Nc3 Bf5 16.d3 Rc8 17.Be3 a6 18.Bd4 Nf6 19.Rae1 Rhe8 20.f3 Kh7 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Rxe8 Rxe8 23.Kf2 Kg6 24.Re1 Rc8 25.Re7 Rb8 26.Ne4 Bxe4 27.fxe4 b5 28.Rd7 Rb6 29.c3 b4 30.c4 b3 31.a3 f5 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - bergeruw, FICS 2007

8.Qd5+

As I've said (see "Ugly"), I continue to play this nudge; few others do. For example: 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc4+ Be6 10.Qe2 Nf6 11.f4 Re8 12.f5 Bxf5 13.Rxf5 d5 14.e5 Qd7 15.Qh5 c6 16.Nc3 Qc7 17.d4 c5 18.Nxd5 Qd8 19.exf6 gxf6 20.Rxf6+ Qxf6 21.Nxf6 Black resigned, abhailey - cumelen, net-chess, 2008

8...Kf6

Or 8...Kf8 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qe3 N8e7 11.d4 Kg8 12.Nc3 Kh7 13.f4 Rf8 14.f5 Nh8 15.g4 Kg8 16.g5 hxg5 17.Qxg5 Nf7 18.Qg3 Nc6 19.f6 g5 20.Bxg5 Nxg5 21.Qxg5+ Kf7 22.Qg7+ Ke6 23.d5+ Ke5 24.Qg3+ Kd4 25.Qd3+ Ke5 26.Qg3+ Kd4 27.Qd3+ Ke5 28.Qg3+ Kd4 29.Qd3+ Ke5 30.Qg3+ Kd4 31.Qd3+ Ke5 32.Qg3+ Kd4 drawn, perrypawnpusher - pascalwilliams, blitz, FICS, 2007;

Or 8...Ke8 9.Qxc5 Qe7 10.Qe3 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 b6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Ba6 15.dxe5 Qxe5 16.Re1 Kf7 17.Qf3 Rhe8 18.Bf4 Qc5+ 19.Be3 Qb5 20.Bd4 Qxb2 21.e5 Nd5 22.e6+ Kg8 23.Qg4 Nxc3 24.Qxg7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Cibola, blitz, FICS, 2009

9.Qf5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ Ke8 11.f4 d6 12.Qe3

Too much of a reflex action. One subtle difference between the regular Jerome Gambit and the Jerome Gambit coming out of the Semi-Italian opening is that here I had the option of 12.Qh5, pinning and eventually winning the Knight on g6.

That's worth remembering for next time.

12...Qf6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4

Now, where should the Queen go?

15.Qg3

What made sense was 15.Qd3, not this move which drops a pawn.

15...Qxd4+ 16.Kh1 Kd7 17.Nc3 b6

As long as Black is behind in development, White has hope.

18.Bf4 Ba6


This move is consistent, but turns out not to be good. I wish I had realized how not-good it was.

19.Rad1 Qc5


Sometimes there are things going on in a game that neither player recognizes. I was totally unaware that the Black Queen had to go to f6 to stay out of trouble.

20.Qxg7+ Ne7 21.e5

This seemed consistent and good to me, but Rybka later saw it as a blunder, preferring 21.b4 Rag8 22.Qxg8 Nxg8 23.bxc5 bxc5.

21...Rag8 22.e6+ Kc6


On the other hand, Rybka didn't like this move one bit, either, preferring 22...Kd8.

Offsetting blunders, and White is now better.

23.Qxe7 Re8 24Qd7+Kb7 24.b3

Ah, the irony: Rybka shows how "simple" the position actually was – 25.Rd5 Qc6 26.b4 Na3 ( 26...Qxd7 27.exd7 Rd8 28.b5) 27.b5 Nxb5 28.Nxb5 Qxd7 29.exd7 Re7 30.f6 Rxd7 31.Bxh6 Rf7 32.Bg7... I think I'll leave the computer out of the discussion for a while.

25...Nd2 26.Bxd2 Bxf1 27.Rxf1 Qd4

28.f6 Rhf8

In the face of the advancing pawns, Black's play is deteriorating.

29.Nb5 Qxd2 30.Qxc7+ Ka6 31.Qxa7+ Kxb5 32.Qd7+


Overlooking the mate (that I paid two good pieces for!) with 32.Qa4+ Kc5 33.Qc4.

Well, I'm down a Rook now, but those advanced pawns have to count for something.

32...Ka6 33.e7 Qe2 34.Rg1

34...Rxf6 35.Qxe8 Rf1

Threatening mate-in-2, but it is Black's last hurrah...

36.Qa8+ Kb5 37.e8Q+ Qxe8 38.Qxe8+ Kb4 39.Rxf1 Black resigned