If A Tree Falls...

If a tree falls in the forest, and there is no one around to notice, does it make a sound? 

Is a bad move in chess a blunder, if it never is punished?



 perrypawnpusher - tuffnut
blitz, FICS, 2012

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

Before this game tuffnut had 7 wins, 6 losses, and a draw against the Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

An exciting alternative was seen in workingdead - tuffnut, FICS, 2011 5.b4 Bxb4 6.c3 Be7 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 d6 9.0-0 Bg4 10.Qb3+ Ke8  although Black prevailed in 72 moves.

On the other hand, the specious 5.Ng5+ earned a split decision against my opponent in three games: carlbecker - tuffnut, FICS, 2005 (½-½, 69); neni - tuffnut, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 7); and Lommel -tuffnut, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 15).

Like the above, I would hardly have known until my research, after our game was over, that my opponent had also dispatched 5.d4 (Handlangari - tuffnut, FICS, 2005, 0-1, 22) and 5.d3 (pettypete - tuffnut, FICS, 2004, 0-1, 21).

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+

It turned out afterward that my opponent was only 1-3 against 6.d4, but that is a move that I do not play.

6...Ng6

A number of years ago, perrypawnpusher - tuffnut, blitz, FICS 2007 saw 6...g6 (1-0, 33).

7.Qd5+

The "nudge".

Later, I chuckled to note that my opponent was 2-0 against the "pure" 7.Qxc5.

7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qe7

10.0-0 Nf6 11.Nc3

Or 11.d3 as in perrypawnpusher - Edvardinho, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 57). (Hmmmm, it looks like I have never posted this game - Rick.)

11...Be6

Not overlooking the possible pawn fork, but planning to put pressure on White's center and his Rook at f1.

Either 11...Rf8 (e.g. perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010, 0-1, 31) or 11...Kf7, looking to castle-by-hand, could be a bit stronger.

12.f4 Bc4 13.d3 Ba6 14.Bd2 b6

15.Rae1 Kd7 16.Qh3+ Kd8 17.g4

Searching for an improvement over 17.Nd5 of perrypawnpusher - ZhekaR, blitz, FICS 2011 (0-1, 36), but this is not it.

After the game Rybka preferred 17.e5 dxe5 18.fxe5 Nd7 but I don't think that I would have seen the followup 19.Ne4, leading to an edge for White.

17...Bc8 18.f5 Ne5 19.g5 Ne8 20.Qg2 Qd7 21.f6

With Black's King and pieces huddled in the middle of the board, it looks like the ideal time to open things up, but White ignores the dangers to his King and Queen along the g-file. 20.d4, with the idea of e4-e5 was a better way.

21...gxf6 22.gxf6 Qf7 23.Bg5

Instead of this move (and for the next few moves) Rybka's post-game analysis focuses on 23.Re3, so that White will have some kind of an answer to Black's ...Rg8.

23...Be6

24.b3 c6 25.Kh1 Kc7 26.d4 Ng6 27.e5 dxe5 28.dxe5 Bd5

In blitz, you can sometimes not see something that is there (like the threats along the g-file), and then see something that is not there.

I don't know if tuffnut thought that he was pinning and winning my Queen with this move, or if he decided that his extra piece would give him the advantage with Queens off of the board; but, suddenly, my "Jerome pawns" can spring to life. 

29.Nxd5+ Qxd5 30.Qxd5 cxd5 31.h4

More straight-forward was 31.f7.

31...h6 32.Bf4 Nxf4 33.Rxf4 Kc6

Better was 33...Rf8 right away, with plans to include the Rook in a blockade of the pawns.

34.e6 Nd6 35.f7 Rhf8

36.e7 Rxf7 37.Rxf7 Nxf7 38.e8Q+ Rxe8 39.Rxe8 Nd6

White's "Jerome pawns" have disappeared, by they have taken their toll: White is up the exchange. Further, his h-pawn will cost Black his Knight.

Can Black's King advance and cause problems on the Queenside?

40.Re6 h5 41.Rh6 Kc5 42.Rxh5 Ne4 43.Rh7 a5 44.h5 Kb4 45.Rb7 b5 46.h6 Ng5 47.h7 Nxh7 48.Rxh7 Kc3

49.Rc7+ Kb2 50.a4 bxa4 51.bxa4 Ka3 52.Kg2 Kxa4 53.Kf3 Kb4 54.Ke3 a4 55.c3+ Kb3 56.Kd4 a3

57.Rb7+ Kc2 58.Ra7 Kb2 59.Ra5 a2 60.Rxa2+ Kxa2 61.Kxd5 Kb3 62.c4 Black resigned

White's endgame play was rough-hewed, but good enough.