Cutting It Close

I usually play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) with attacking play in mind, but sometimes I switch to trying to squeeze out a win from a pawn-up game – which surely must frustrate my chess pieces...


perrypawnpusher - jonathankochems
blitz 2 12, FICS, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

A game we played earlier this year continued: 6...Kf8 7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.Nc3 d6 10.0-0 Kf7 11.d3 Rf8 12.Nd5 Qe5 13.Nxc7 Qxf4 14.Bxf4 Rb8 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Bf5 17.Rae1 Bb4 18.Re2 Rbc8 19.a3 Bc5 20.b4 Bd4 21.Bxd6 Rfe8 22.Rfe1 Bc3 23.Rxe8 Rxe8 24.Rxe8 Kxe8 25.Bc5 a6 26.Kf1 Bb2 27.a4 Bd7 28.a5 Ba4 29.c4 Bc2 30.Ke2 Bc3 31.Ke3 Kd7 32.Ke4 Be1 33.f4 Bc3 34.Bd4 Bxb4 35.Bb6 Kd6 36.f5 Bc3 37.g4 Bf6 38.Ke3 Ke5 39.Bc7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - jonathankochems, blitz FICS, 2010

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Be6

10.f4

Playing 10.0-0 was more accurate. I almost never get this right.

10...Bf7

This leads to about an equal game. Black could have stirred up more mischief with 10...Qh4+ 11.g3 Qh3.

Alternatively: 10...N6e7 11.f5:
11.0-0 d5 (11...Nf6 12.f5 Bf7 13.b3 Nc6 14.Bb2 Ke7 15.d4 Re8 16.e5 dxe5 17.dxe5 Nd5 18.Qc5+ Kd7 19.e6+ Bxe6 20.fxe6+ Kxe6 21.Nc3 Nxc3 22.Bxc3 Qh4 23.Qf5+ Ke7 24.Rfe1+ Kd6 25.Rad1+ Nd4 26.Bb4+ Kc6 27.Qc5+ Kd7 28.Rxd4+ Black resigned, Hiarcs 8 - RevvedUp, 2006) 12.d3 dxe4 13.dxe4 Nf6 14.Nc3 Ng4 15.Qd3 Qxd3 16.cxd3 Rd8 17.Rd1 c5 18.h3 Nf6 19.Be3 b6 20.g4 Nc6 21.Rac1 Ke7 22.a3 Bb3 23.Rd2 Rhf8 24.Kf2 Rd7 25.e5 Nxe5 26.fxe5 Ne4+ 27.Ke2 Ng3+ 28.Ke1 Rf1 checkmate, RevvedUp - Hiarcs, 2006; and

11.0-0 Bf7 12.d4 Nc6 13.0-0 Nge7 14.Nc3 Ke8 15.Bd2 Kd7 16.Rad1 Kc8 17.e5 Nd5 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.b3 Re8 20.c4 Bg8 21.Bc3 Qe7 22.e6 b6 23.d5 Nd8 24.f6 gxf6 25.Bxf6 Qf8 26.Bxd8 Qxf1+ 27.Rxf1 Kxd8 28.Qg5+ Kc8 29.Rf6 Kb7 30.Qg7 a5 31.a4 Rac8 32.g4 Ka6 33.g5 b5 34.cxb5+ Kb6 35.Qd7 Ka7 36.h4 Red8 37.Qc6 Re8 38.Qa6+ Kb8 39.Qxa5 Black resigned, guest673 - guest767, ICC, 2003.

11.0-0

Or 11.f5 Ne5 12.d4 Nc6 13.0-0 Bc4 14.Rd1 Nf6 15.Nc3 Ng4 16.Qg3 h5 17.b3 Ba6 18.h3 Nf6 19.e5 dxe5 20.dxe5 Qxd1+ 21.Nxd1 Ne4 22.Ba3+ Kg8 23.Qe3 Nd2 24.Qxd2 Rd8 25.Qg5 Rh6 26.f6 Rd7 27.e6 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - jamtaylo, ChessWorld Welcome JG, 2009.

11...Nf6 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Ned7

The retreat to c6 was probably stronger.

14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5 Nd5 16.Qa3+ Qe7 17.e6 Qxa3 18.Nxa3 Bxe6

19.fxe6+ N7f6 20.Bg5 Ke7 21.Rae1 Rae8

This Queenless middle game or piece-full endgame is slightly in White's favor. It is not the kind of position that gambiteers always aim for, but it is a rather healthy state for one who plays the Jerome Gambit.

22.c3 a6 23.Nc2 c5 24.b3

24...Kd6 25.Bxf6

I should have played 25.c4 first, chasing one of the protectors of the f6 Knight.

25...Nxf6 26.Rf5

This looks awkward.

After the game Rybka recommended 26.Ne3 Rxe6 27.Nf5+ Kd7 28.Rd1+ Kc8 29.Nxg7, but the resulting position has a similar problem: it is going to take White a lot of work to make his extra pawn pay off.

26...b6 27.Rfe5 Re7 28.Na3 b5 29.c4 b4 30.Nc2 Rhe8

Black's well-placed King makes White's extra pawn almost meaningless.

31.Rg5 g6 32.Ree5

Cute – but wrong. Now 32...h6 wins the exchange and then a pawn for Black.

32...Rxe6 33.Rxc5 Ne4

This looks like a winning move, and my opponent played it as if it were.

Best play, however, as Rybka showed after the game, was more complicated: 33...Re2 34.Nxb4 Re1+ 35.Kf2 Ne4+ (the right time to check with the Knight) 36.Kf3 Rf8+ (or 36...Nxg5 37.Rxg5)37.Kg4 Nxc5 38.Rd5+ Ke6 39.Rxc5 Re2 40.Kg3 Rff2 41.h3 Rxg2+ 42.Kf3 Rh2 43.Ra5 Kf6 44.Rxa6+ Kg5. White has two pawns for the exchange, and the game is in balance.

analysis diagram






34.Rcd5+

White would pick up another pawn if he checked with the other Rook: 34.Rgd5+ Ke7 35.Rc7+ Kf6 36.Rxh7

34...Kc6

This allows a fork at d4 which would be good for White. Black's best was another exchange-for-Knight-and-pawns ending with 34...Kc7 35.Nxb4 Nxg5 36.Rxg5 Rd8

35.Rg4 Nc3 36.Nd4+

Finally.

36...Kb6 37.Nxe6 Nxd5 38.cxd5 Black resigned

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws.