Waiting

I enjoy playing over the games of axykk (see "La la la la la...", "Say, what...?" and "Making It"), a player at FICS apparently new to the Jerome Gambit. He shows a lot of cool patience while playing down material, waiting for an opportunity for success to come his way. (With a little more endgame knowledge, his opponent could have foiled his plans.)

axykk - ElFuriozo
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qxe7+

Confidently going into the Queenless middlegame.

8...Nxe7 9.d3 d6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.fxe3 g6

Black really hasn't done anything wrong yet, and still holds the extra piece for White's two (doubled) "Jerome pawns".

As far as White is concerned, the game is barely started.

12.0-0+ Kg7 13.Nd2 Be6 14.Nf3 Rhf8 15.Nd4 Rxf1+ 16.Rxf1 Bd7

17.Rf4 a6 18.c4 Nc6 19.Nxc6 bxc6 20.Kf1 Rb8 21.b3 a5

The game continues. White simply "plays chess" and waits for the "time bomb" (inevitiable blunder) to go off in his opponent's camp.

22.Rf2 Be6 23.Ke2 d5 24.exd5 cxd5 25.cxd5 Bxd5 26.e4 Be6

White's pawns are looking healthier, and one of them is protected and passed.

27.d4 c6 28.Kd3 a4 29.bxa4 Ra8 30.Rc2 Rxa4 31.Rxc6 Ra3+ 32.Ke2 Bg4+ 33.Kf2 Rxa2+ 34.Kg3 h5

The game is beginning to look even, with White's "Jerome pawn" passers balancing out Black's Bishop; but, as the game shows, the first player has practical winning chances.

35.h3 Ra3+ 36.Kf4 Be2 37.Rc7+ Kf6 38.h4 Ra6 39.e5+ Ke6 40.Ke4 Ra4 41.Rg7 Bg4 42.Rxg6+ Kf7 43.Rf6+ Ke7 44.Rh6 Ra2

45.Rh7+ Kf8 46.g3 Rg2 47.d5 Rxg3 48.e6

Now it is time for Black to return the Bishop and secure the draw with 48...Bxe6 49.dxe6 Rg4+ 50.Kf5 Rxh4. White will be unable to deal both with the checks to his King and Black's h-pawn at the same time; he will need to split the point.

48...Rf3 49.d6

All is not lost yet for Black. If he exchanges Rooks now, he can still sacrifice his Bishop and then take advantage of the unique defensive chance given to those who fight against a Rook pawn.

Thus, 49...Bf5+ 50.Kxf3 Bxh7 would accomplish the first step, and after 51.Kf4, then 51...Bg8 52.Ke5 Bxe6 53.Kxe6 Ke8 would accomplish the second.

White would then discover, to his dismay, that, abandoning his d-pawn to use as a distraction while he goes to free up his h-pawn, is not enough: 54.Kf6 Kd7 55.Kg5 Kxd6 56.Kxh5 Ke7 57.Kg6 Kf8 58.h5 Kg8 and Black's King will get to h8 to stop the pawn. 

If, instead, White decides to hold onto his d-pawn with 55.Ke5 (instead of 55.Kg5) and not run to the Kingside, Black can cooly play 55...Kd8, staying in front of the passer. It looks then like White has gained something, as his King can now beat the enemy King to the defensive square h8, but this, still, is not enough to win, as there is another oddity related to the h-pawn. Thus: 56.Kf6 Kd7 57.Kg6 Kxd6 58.Kxh5 Ke7 59.Kg6 Kf8 60.Kh7 ("Ha!") Kf7 ("Ha! Ha!") and White's King, himself, is in the way of his advancing pawn. If it moves out of the way, Black's King moves in to defend. If White only moves his pawn, Black will tempo his King back and forth from f7 to f8, and stalemate will be reached.

49... Rf6

Alas, this will not do.

50.e7+ Ke8 and Black resigned.