Two Wrongs Making A Right

Well, despite my better efforts, I guess that I'm back playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) again. So it's probably a good idea to share a recent game, and then do a little philosophising – or rambling, if you will – along with it.

perrypawnpusher - avgur
blitz FICS, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+

A quick glance at the updated New Year's Database shows 1,844 games with this Queen check, with White scoring 52%. The most popular response is 6...Ng6 (847 games, White scores 48%), followed by 6...Ke6 (499 games, White scores 53%), 6...g6 (245 games, White scores 69%) and 6...Kf8 (239 games, White scores 44%).

6...Ng6

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3

This is a familiar position – I've been here a dozen times before (9 wins, one loss, two draws).

9...Nf6 10.0-0 Kf7

Played at least as early as the first game of the second Vazquez - Carrington match in Mexico in 1876.

I was surprised to learn after the game that avgur and I had played before. perrypawnpusher - avgur, blitz FICS, 2009 had continued 10...Be6 11.f4 Bc4 12.d3 Bb5 13.c4 Bc6 14.f5 Ne5 15.Nc3 Qd7 16.b3 Qf7 17.d4 Neg4 18.Qe2 Qe7 19.Bg5 h6 20.Bxf6 Nxf6 21.Rae1 h5 22.e5 dxe5 23.dxe5 Ng4 24.h3 Nh6 25.Qf2 Kd7  26.Qd4+ Ke8 27.f6 Qe6 28.fxg7 Rg8 29.Rf6 Qd7 30.Qxd7+ Kxd7 31.e6+ Kd6 32.e7+ Kc5 33.Rxh6 Rxg7 34.Rxh5+ Kd4 35.Nb5+ Kd3 36.g4 Rag8 37.Rhe5 Rh7 38.e8Q Bxe8 39.Rxe8 Rgg7 40.Rd8+ Kc2 41.Re2+ Kc1 42.Na3 Rxh3 43.Rc2 checkmate

11.f4 Re8 12.Nc3 Kg8

Black has developed three pieces to White's three, and has castled-by-hand to bring his King to safety. He has the advantage.

13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Neg4

A while back, I tried to explain the Jerome Gambit and this blog to a friend of mine – a fellow clinican who does not play chess. She could not understand why I was so fascinated by a line that was clearly wrong.

I wasn't able to get across the idea that part of me appreciated the myriad wrong reactions to the Jerome by Black that helped make the opening right. 

The text move is a case in point. It seems obvious to the second player that White has made mistakes – sacrificing unsoundly, moving his Queen around too many times, moving pawns instead of developing pieces – and White can, therefore, be punished for it.

If someone had told my opponent that he (or she) was facing the latest analysis from, say, Magnus Carlsen – that there was nothing to "correct" – the sensible move that kept Black's advantage, 14...Nf7, would have easily been found.

15.Qf3 c6 16.h3 Nh6 17.g4

Of course, this looks to Black like more noodling around. And dallying on the wing needs to be countered with direct action in the center.

17...d5 18.e5 Nd7

White's game should be near collapse. Perhaps all that it needs to tumble its house of cards is ...c6-c5.

19.Bxh6 gxh6 20.f6 Rf8 

21.Qf4

Revealing some of the same kind of impatience seen in perrypawnpusher - taman, blitz FICS, 2010. White has a technical advantage in this game that he can exploit, even against Black's counter-plan of returning material, but it's not something that's going to happen quickly.

After 21.Rae1 (part of the reason for playing 19.Bxh6) Nb6 22.e6 Bxe6 23.Rxe6 the Kingside pawn match-up favors White, but he is going to have to re-deploy his pieces to make progress, e.g. 23...Rf7 24.Nd1 (headed to f5) Kh8 25.Qf4 Qf8 26.Ne3 Rd8 27.Re1 Nd7 28.Nf5 Rxf6 29.Re7 and White will wrestle control of the 7th rank, and with it the game.

analysis diagram






21...c5

22.Qxh6 cxd4

A slip. After 22...Nxf6 23.exf6 White has an improved version of the technical endgame we just looked at, starting with 23...Rf7 24.Rae1. 

23.Qg7 checkmate