The Muddle Game

There are many posts on this blog concerning the opening stages of the game, and more than a few on the endgame (especially the Bishops-of-opposite-colors ending, with and without drawing chances).

If the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) does its job, however (and more and more these days it seems to be doing so: see "Don't Blame the Jerome Gambit" Part 1 and Part 2 for a couple of examples), the focus of this blog's content should be shifting to the middle game.

Or, as in the case of examples of my play, the "muddle" game.

perrypawnpusher - FiNLiP
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

10.0-0 Ng4 11.Qg3 Qh4 12.Qxh4 Nxh4

Black has derailed any attacking thoughts White might have by exchanging Queens. Still, with two pawns for the sacrificed piece, at the club level the first player can hope for a draw (as I achieved in 54 moves this year, against pitrisko).

13.d4 Rf8 14.f4 Bd7 15.h3 Nh6 16.Nc3 b5 17.Bd2 c5

Lately, I have been using Houdini to help me analyze my games post mortem. I trust Rybka 3's positional sense a bit more, but Houdini is a very fast program, and in positions where there are tactics to uncover, it often gets there faster (and looks deeper).

Still, the kind of advice that Houdini occasionally offers is as far over my head as Rybka's can be. In the above position, for example, during the game, I was trying to figure out how to develop my "Jerome pawns": should I play 18.dxc5 and after 18...dxc5 have the e4 & f4 duo; or advance the d-pawn, followed by advancing and exchanging the e-pawn, giving me the d5 and e5 duo?

In "blunder check" mode, with 5 minutes allocated per move, Houdini suggested 18.dxc5 dxc5 19.f5 Bc6 20.a4 b4 21.Nb5 Rd8 22.Nc7+ Kf7 23.Bg5 Nxg2 24.Ne6 Rd4 25.Nxf8 Kxf8 26.Kxg2 Bxe4+ 27.Kh2 Bxc2 28.Rf2 b3 29.Be3 Rd5 30.f6 Nf5 31.fxg7+ Kxg7 32.Bd2 Bd3 33.Bc3+ Kf7 when White has an edge.

analysis diagram





Wow. If you say so...

The fact is, it will be a very long time before I can play chess like that.

In the game, I made the mistake of advancing the d-pawn.

18.d5 b4 19.Ne2 Bb5 20.Rae1 Kd7 21.Rf2 Rae8

22.Ng3 Ng6 23.f5 Ne5 24.Bxh6 gxh6 25.Nh5 Re7 26.Nf4 a5 27.Ne6 Rff7

Sometimes, when analyzing different Jerome Gambit games, the computers like White's pawn formation (d5-e4-f5) topped by his Knight, and I am sure that such a thing gets evaluation points for being positionally strong. Yet, in the game I wasn't sure what to do with the thing.

Worse, actually, it gave me an idea for a killer combination...

28.Re3

This is not best, but look what Houdini recommended: 28.Rf4 Re8 29.Kh2 Rf6 30.Rh4 Rc8 31.Re3 Rg8 32.b3 Ke7 33.Rg3 Rxg3 34.Kxg3 Be2 35.Rf4 Ba6 36.Kf2 Bc8 37.Rh4 Bd7 38.Ke3 a4 39.Rh5 a3 40.Rh4 Be8 41.Rf4 Bb5 42.g4 Kf7.

analysis diagram





If that's the line of play you chose, you're reading the wrong blog. (p.s. According to Houdini, Black has an edge.)

28...Nc4 29.Rg3 Nxb2 30.Rg8

I was not worried about what Black was doing on the Queenside, as I had a plan!

30...Re8 31.Rxe8 Kxe8

And here I was about to play 32.Nc7+, forking Black's King and Bishop, winning a piece... when I noticed that the c7 square was guarded by Black's remaining Rook. Somehow in my analysis at move 28 the pesky thing had disappeared.

Instead, White can win one of the worthless extra Black h-pawns, but the damage done, and to come, on the Queenside, gives Black the game.

32.Rf4 Be2 33.Rh4 h5 34.Nf4 Bd1 35.Nxh5 Bxh5 36.Rxh5

Given enough time, White can make something of his Kingside pawn majority; but he will not have the time to do so.

36...Nd1 37.g4 Nc3 38.g5 Nxa2 39.g6 hxg6 40.fxg6 Rg7 41.Rg5

Instead, White could go after Black's Queenside with 41.Rh8+ Ke7 42.Ra8 but his pawns would continue to fall, e.g. 42...Rxg6+ 43.Kf2 Nc3 44.Rxa5 Nxe4+ and Black's Knight proves his worth.

41...Nc3 42.h4 Nxe4 43.Rg2 Nf6 44.Rg5 a4 45.h5

The pawn race has only one outcome.

45...Nxh5 46.Rxh5 Rxg6+ 47.Kf2 a3 48.Ke2

Not best, indicated Houdini after the game, as it allows a mate in 54... I played on, hoping that my opponent would err, but he had a winning plan that actually won.

48...Rg1 49.Rh8+ Ke7 50.Ra8 Ra1 51.Kd3 Kf6 52.Kc4 Ra2 53.Rf8+ Ke5 54.Rf2 Rb2 55.Re2+ Kf5 56.Rf2+ Kg4 57.Rf6 a2 58.Rxd6 a1Q 59.Kxc5 Rxc2+ White resigned

I felt like ground meat after this game.

My congratulations to FiNLiP for some serious schooling.