Pawn's Struggle

Much of this game revolves around the struggle of a "Jerome pawn" to fulfill its destiny and advance to the 8th rank for promotion.

Congratulations, persistent pawn!



perrypawnpusher - jaymen
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 h6 5.0-0 Bc5

Transposing into the Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.

6.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. (This game helped drag my score in this line up to 63%.)

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4

 8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 Qe7 10.f4

Or 10.Bf4 c5 11.Qxe5 Qxe5 12.Bxe5 Ng4 13.Bg3 d6 14.Rad1 Rd8 15.h3 Nf6 16.Bxd6 Be6 17.Bxc5 Rac8 18.Rxd8 Rxd8 19.Bxa7 Bc4 20.Re1 Ra8 21.Bd4 Bxa2 22.Nxa2 Rxa2 23.Bxf6 Kxf6 24.Rb1 b5 25.f3 Kg5 26.Kf2 Kf4 27.g3+ Kg5 28.f4+ Black disconnected and forfeited, perrypawnpusher - philippemuurmans, blitz, FICS, 2010.

10...c5

Illustrating the principle: when your piece is attacked, don't immediately withdraw it, look for a greater threat against your opponent.

Unfortunately, that doesn't hold in this case, and 10...Nc6 was necessary to preserve Black's advantage.

11.Qxe5 Re8

One benefit to White of playing 10.f4 instead of 10.Bf4 is that if Black had exchanged Queens here, White would have a pawn on e5 attacking Black's pinned Knight on f6. Therefore Black acquiesces to losing a piece.

12.Qxe7+ Rxe7 13.e5 Ne8 14.Bd2

On this and the next move for White, Rybka prefers Nd5.

14...b6 15.Rae1 Kg8

Black has castled-by-hand, but is down a pawn and, more importantly, remains cramped and behind in development

16.f5 Ba6 17.Rf2 Rd8

18.f6

After the game Rybka suggested a more positional approach: 18.Nd5 Rf7 19.g4 Bb7 20.Nf4 Nc7 21.c4 Rc8 22.Ng6 Re8 23.h3 Ba6 24.b3 Bb7

analysis diagram







18...Rf7 19.Ne4 d5

Black lashes out, and gets a defensible game if White captures the d-pawn en passant, but probably better was to exchange pawns on f6.

20.e6 Rxf6 21.Nxf6+ Nxf6 22.e7 Re8

23.Bxh6 gxh6

Too cooperative. Instead 23...Ne4 24.Rf8+ Rxf8 25.exf8Q+ Kxf8 26.Bf4 eliminates White's passer in what amounts to an exchange of pawns.   

24.Rxf6 Bc8

25.Rxh6

Next time I'll see 25.Rf8+ Rxf8 26.e8Q.

25...Kf7 26.Rh7+ Kf6 27.Rh6+ Kg7 28.Rh4 d4

The pawn at e7 has survived so far, but it will need help to promote.

29.Rf4 a6 30.h4 Kg6 31.Rf8 Bd7 32.Rxe8 Bxe8

33.Rf1 Bf7 34.g4

Here come the distractions. 

34...c4 35.h5+ Kg7 36.h6+ Kxh6 37.Rxf7 Kg6 38.e8Q

38...d3 39.Qg8+ Kh6 40.Rh7 checkmate