Hunker Down

When I think of "Jerome Pawns" I think of two (or more) center pawns advancing upon Black's position, spearheading an attack, opening lines, or forcing the defender to return White's sacrificed piece. The following game, recently acquired, turns that notion on its head. Bill Wall creates a pawn wall, and hunkers down behind it.


Wall,B - MYRX
FICS, 2010

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

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

7.Qxc5

White forgoes the "nudge" 7.Qd5+.

7...Qe7 8.Qc4+ Qe6 9.Qxe6+ dxe6

White has two pawns for his Knight. By swapping Queens, he can highlight this imbalance, instead of playing for a "Bashi-Bazouk attack".

10.d3 Nf6 11.Nc3 Bd7 12.f3 Bc6 13.Kf2 Rhd8

14.b3 a5 15.a4 b6 16.Ne2 Nd7 17.h4 Ne7 18.h5 h6 19.g4 e5

White's Bishop is about as "good" as it can get.

Also, the resemblance of its pawns to the letter "W" (for "Wall") is likely a coincidence.

Now, lines begin opening.

20.Rg1 b5 21.axb5 Bxb5 22.g5 hxg5 23.Rxg5 Rh8 24.f4 Kf6

The King wants to protect the e-pawn a second time, while still keeping touch with his g-pawn, but the move does not work.

Better was 24...Bc6, using his extra piece to resist White's invasion, as Fritz8 suggests in a long variation: 25.Ba3 Rh7 26.Rag1 Rg8 27.Ke3 exf4+ 28.Nxf4 a4 29.Rf1 Ke8 30.Ne6 Nf6 31.Nxc7+ Kd7 32.Bxe7 Kxe7 33.Rxf6 Kxf6 34.Rg6+ Ke7 35.Rxc6 Kd7 36.Rc4 Rc8 37.Nb5 axb3 38.cxb3 Rxh5 39.Rxc8 Kxc8 40.Nd4 Kd7 when it is not clear that White's two pawns for the exhange is enough to win.

Alternative endings are possible, including Black expeditiously exchanging Rooks, returning his Knight for some pawns, and playing for the drawish Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame.

In any case, the game would have lasted a good bit longer than after the text.

25.fxe5+ Nxe5 26.d4 Bxe2 27.dxe5+ Ke6 28.Kxe2 Black resigned

Black has the "Jerome pawns" blockaded, but his own pawns are weak and his pieces are tied down protecting them. There is little that he can do to stall the loss of material or the invasion of White's pieces.