The following game, another bizarre Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (why am I still playing this opening??), I get befuddled, as usual, and wind up taking refuge in a draw by repetition.
perrypawnpusher - FrankMCMLVII
blitz 13 0, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5
5.Bxf7+
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
7...d6
Nice move. Not the best (7...Bd6), but with some thought behind it.
8.dxc5 dxc5 9.Qe2
There was no need to panic: 9.Qh5+ Nxh5 White resigned, Alby - stoneeybridge, FICS, 2000;
There were alternatives: 9.Nd5 Nxd5 10.exd5 Re8 11.Qh5+ Ng6+ 12.Be3 Rxe3+ 13.fxe3 Qh4+ 14.Qxh4 Nxh4 15.0-0+ Ke7 16.Rad1 b6 17.e4 Ba6 18.Rf4 g5 19.Rg4 h5 20.Rxg5 Kf6 21.Rxh5 Ng6 22.Rf1+ Kg7 23.Rff5 Re8 24.d6 cxd6 25.Rd5 Nf4 26.Rhg5+ Kh6 27.Rdf5 Rxe4 28.h4 Ne2+ 29.Kh2 Rxh4 checkmate, yorgos - blore, FICS, 2009;
or 9.0-0 Be6 10.Bf4 Ng6 11.Bg3 Qe7 12.Nb5 Rhd8 13.Qf3 c6 14.Nc7 Rac8 15.Nxe6 Qxe6 16.e5 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 Qxe5 18.Rae1 Qg5 19.Qb3+ Kf8 20.Qxb7 Nh5 21.Re3 Nf4 22.g3 Nh3+ 23.Kh1 Black resigned, theboy - Montblanc, FICS, 2001.
9...Bg4
There were still plenty of alternatives: 9...Nfg4 10.Bd2 Be6 11.0-0-0 Qd4 12.f4 Nf2 13.Be3 Black resigned, Wall - Yperalilos, Chess.com, 2010;
or 9...Qd4 10.Be3 Qb4 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.0-0 Qd4 14.Qh5+ Ke6 15.Rad1 Qb4 16.Nd5 Rh7 17.Qf5+ Kd6 18.Qxh7 Qxb2 19.Nxf6+ Ke6 20.Qxh6 Qxc2 21.Ne8+ Ke7 22.Nxc7 Rb8 23.Qh7+ Kf6 24.Rd6+ Kg5 25.Qf5+ Bxf5 26.exf5 Qxf5 27.Rd5 Qe4 28.f4+ Kf5 29.Rxe5+ Qxe5 30.fxe5+ Kxe5 31.Re1+ Kd6 32.Nb5+ Kc6 33.Nxa7+ Kb6 34.h4 Kxa7 35.g4 c4 36.Rc1 Rg8 37.g5 Rh8 38.Rxc4 b5 39.Rb4 Kb6 40.Rg4 Kc5 41.Kg2 b4 42.Kg3 Kb5 43.g6 Rg8 44.h5 Ka4 45.h6 Re8 46.g7 Re3+ 47.Kf4 Rc3 48.g8R Rc4+ 49.Kf3 Ka3 50.Ra8+ Kb2 51.Rxc4 b3 52.axb3 Kxb3 53.Rca4 Kb2 54.Rc8 Kb3 55.Ra7 Kb4 56.Rb7+ Ka5 57.Ra8 checkmate, yorgos - capitainehaddock, FICS, 2009;
or 9...Rf8 10.f4 (10.Bg5 Kg8 11.Nd5 Qd6 12.0-0-0 Nxd5 13.Rxd5 Qe6 14.Rhd1 Nf7 15.Bf4 b6 16.Bxc7 Bb7 17.R5d2 Qxe4 18.Qg4 Qxg4 19.Rd8 Nxd8, White resigned, tintagel - smarlny, FICS, 2009)10...Bg4 11.Qf2 Nc6 12.0-0 Kg8 13.Qxc5 Qd4+ 14.Be3 Qxc5 15.Bxc5 Rfe8 16.e5 Nd7 17.Be3 b6 18.h3 Bf5 19.g4 Bxc2 20.Rac1 Bg6 21.f5 Ndxe5 22.fxg6 Nxg6 23.Bf2 Nce7 24.Bg3 Rac8 25.Nb5 Nd5 26.Nxa7 Ra8 27.Nb5 Rxa2 28.Nxc7 Nxc7 29.Bxc7 Rxb2 30.Rcd1 Nh4 31.Bd6 h6 32.Bc7 Ree2 33.Rd8+ Kh7 34.Kh1 Nf3 35.Rdd1 Rh2+ White resigned, stretto - Kjaran, FICS, 2008.
10.f3 Bh5
The Bishop did better to return to e6. Still, Black is still better.
11.Be3 b6 12.0-0 Rb8
I wasn't sure what my opponent was planning with this move, but I decided to get my "Jerome pawns" moving.
13.g4 Bg6 14.g5 Nh5 15.f4 Nc6 16.f5
16...Nd4
Leading to only a slight disadvantage, instead, was 16...Kg8 17.fxg6 hxg6 18.a3 Kh7 – an odd way to castle-by-hand.
17.fxg6+ Kxg6 18.Qg4
Later, Rybka preferred 18.Qd3
18...Rf8
After this move, Rybka saw Black as being more than a Rook worse. I still can't see that.
19.Bxd4
Returning the game to even. Here's Rybka's recommended line: 19.Nd5 Re8 20.Nf6 Nxf6 21.gxf6+ Kf7 22.fxg7+ Ke7 when 23.Bg5+ wins Black's Queen – for starters.
analysis diagram
Anyone who saw White's possible Knight maneuver and sacrifice – good for you!
19...cxd4
Black insists on getting into trouble – 19...Qxd4+ would have kept the game even.
20.Qe6+
White, in turn, keeps insisting on giving up his advantage, instead of playing the winning: 20.Rxf8 Qxf8 21.Nd5 – another cool Knight move that I missed.
analysis diagram
20...Kxg5 21.h4+
I figured that there had to be a checkmate here, but I was wrong: Rybka pointed out later that I could have (should have) grovelled for a draw with: 21.Rxf8 Qxf8 22.Rf1 Qd6 23.Rf5+ Kh4 24.Rxh5+ Kxh5 25.Qh3+ Kg6 26.Qf5+ repeating the position.
21...Kxh4 22.Qe5
I suddenly had the feeling that things had gone terribly wrong.
They had.
22...dxc3 23.Qh2+ Kg5 24.Qe5+ Kh4
Of course, if my opponent had found 24...Kg6 here, I'd have been ruined. He seemed caught up in my "brilliant" sacrifice of my Knight to achieve the draw, or perhaps he felt he was escaping mate...
25.Qh2+ Kg5
Here 25...Kg4 wins for Black.
27.Qh2+ Kg5 28.Qe5+ Kh4 29.Qh2+ Game drawn by repetition ½-½
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