Members of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Gemeinde do not play their opening "with a draw in hand," but to win madly, or expire trying. Still, there can come a time when the wisest course just might be to split the point, and leave conquest for the next encounter...
The following game is a lot of fun to play over, from start to finish (use the chess publisher application at the end of this post, if you wish), but I want to focus on some positions in the middle game, where choosing "the better part of valor" might have a good choice for White. 
Here we have a "typical" Jerome Gambit middlegame: a real mess.
Black-to-move has a choice of two captures, one which will leave him a piece ahead and one which (apparently) will leave him a Rook ahead.
A simple choice? Nothing is simple in the Jerome Gambit!
16...Bxe1
The wrong choice.
White's opening 4.Bxf7+ and Black's superfluous ...h6 and later exchange of his light-squared Bishop left some clear light-squared weaknesses around his King.
White now has 17.Qf5+ and after 17...Kg8 18.Qe6+ he can produce a draw by repetition. If Black should try 17...Ke8 instead, then 18.Qg6+ either again leads to a draw by repetition – or a calamity for Black.
This can be seen after 17.Qf5+ Ke7, when 18.Rxe1 leads either to checkmate or a pile of material after 18...Ne5 19.Nc5 Kd6 20.Nxb7+, etc. Any member of the Gemeinde would be proud of such a "swindle." Of course, after the correct 16...dxd4 17.Rxe4 White will have to keep up the pressure and look elsewhere for his salvation. 17.Rxe1 Nb4
A perplexing move, not only allowing 18.Qf5+ drawing as above, but also allowing the flashy 18.Bd6+ which also draws.
White's response in the game, however, allows the routine capture of his Knight, and the magic is again gone.
18.Qg6 dxe4
The light-square weaknesses are still around the Black King, but White no longer has his Knight to keep check-blockers off of f6.
19.Rxe4 Nxc2
Well, yes, this was Black's idea, although there was certainly nothing wrong with 19...Nc6.
However, now White has 20.Be5 when 20...Qe7 21.Rf4 Kg8 22.Bxg7 Qxg7 again allows White to repeat positions with 23.Qe6+ Kh7 24.Qe5+ for the draw. Black can try the alternative, 20...Qg5 but after 21.Qe6 White has the better game.
20.Qf5+
Right idea, wrong time.
20...Kg8
Instead of interposing the Queen with 20...Qf6, allowing 21.Qc5+ and 22.Qxc2, reducing his advantage, Black again allows the light-square repetitions and the draw: 21.Qe6+ Kh7 22.Qf5+ Kg8 23.Qe6+ etc.
White, in turn, chooses to fight on – from a worse position.
21.Be5 d3
Black's advancing pawn will soon star in a whole collection of dramas itself, but for now the second player needed to first defend with 21...Qf8.
22.Bxg7
White is beginning to grasp the situation. The text move, indeed, allows a draw after 22...Qg5 23.Qe6+ Kxg7 24.h4 Qc1+ 25.Kh2 Rhg8 26.Rg4+ etc.
However, White had more in the position: 22.Qe6+ Kh7 23.Rg4 Qf8 24.Qg6+ Kg8 25.Bxg7 Qf7 26.Qxd3. Black is temporarily a Rook up, but he will shortly need to surrender his Queen.
22...d2
This move should seriously scare White into going for a draw. For a moment, it looks like it does.
23.Qe6+
Okay: Now, after 23...Kxg7 24.Rg4+ Qg5 25.Qd7+ Kf6 26.Rxg5+ hxg5 27.Qxd2 White will have a Queen and a pawn to balance out Black's two Rooks. A complicated, but roughly even, game.
Instead, Black distrusts the passive Bishop sacrifice, and immediately falls into a doomed situation.
23...Kh7 24.Qxh6+ Kg8 25.Qxh8+
There is no need for 25.Qe6+ now.
25...Kf7 26.Rf4+
26...Ke6 27.Qh6+ Kd7
Now 28.Qh5, guarding against the passed pawn Queening (if 28...Kc8, 29.Rf8) and preparing to finish up the King, looks like the proper reward for White's fighting spirit.
Unfortunately, he has a worried eye on Black's passer, and decides that "more checks to the King" is the answer. It is not – but the excitement is hardly over.
Black can afford to allow his Queen to be pinned to his King: he plans on getting another one.
29.Qe6+ Kb8 30.Kh2 d1Q
Black has travelled far from his "doomed situation" mentioned in the note to White's 23rd move. He figures from here on out, it's just a matter of technique.
It is – but it has to be proper technique.
31.Rf8 a6
What was called for was something that ends the clutter, something like 31...Qxf8 32.Bxf8 Qd8.
Black's move, however, lets loose the chaos again.
White now has the remarkable 32.Qe7, after which, despite being a Queen down, he can enforce the draw, obtain a better position, or checkmate Black: 32...Ka7 ( 32...Qc8 33.Rxc8+ Kxc8 34.Qf8+ Qd8 35.Qf5+ Qd7 ( 35...Kb8 36.Qxc2 +-) 36.Qf8+ Qd8 37.Qf5+ draw) 33.Qc5+ b6 34.Rxd8 Rxd8 35.Qxc7+ Ka8 36.Qc6+ Ka7 37.Qc7+ draw
Amazing!
32.Rxd8+
Aquiescing to the loss. Well, not exactly: White still has a handful of "Jerome pawns" and decides to put them to use. Still, thirty moves later White resigned.
Is there any wonder why the Jerome Gambit still fascinates me??
No comments:
Post a Comment