Thursday, April 18, 2013

By the Numbers


While I was finishing up my games in the third round of the Chess.com Italian Game thematic tournament, I received a challenge from another player, and was able to inject some more Jerome-ish fun into my game.

We followed a line that I was familiar with, and although it took an odd turn or two, the result was pleasing.


perrypawnpusher  - eaadahl

Chess.com, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 




The Semi-Italian Opening.


4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+


The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit. I have played it 51 times, scoring 88%. pblond has two of the three wins against me; the other was an embarassing mouse-slip Queen-loss on move 8.


5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ g6




The Database has almost 27,000 games in it, yet there are only 7 (until now) with this position; and I had White in all of them, scoring 100%.


8.Qxe5 


Here Black resigned in perrypawnpusher - JohnBr, blitz, FICS, 2010 and perrypawnpusher - AcesFullofKings, blitz, FICS, 2011.


8...Bd6


Or 8...Qf6 as in perrypawnpusher - alekbb, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 47); or


8...Be7 as in perrypawnpusher - PravinMamania, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 50); or


8...Nf6 as in perrypawnpusher - islanderchess, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 46) and perrypawnpusher - wadada, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 19)


Best is 8...Bf8!?, planning to trap White's Queen after 9.Qxh8?.


9.Qxh8 Qf6 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6 11.d3 h5 




White has the exchange plus two pawns for the advantage.


I survived the silly 11...Be5 12.Bxh6? in perrypawnpusher - apinheiro, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 35)


12.Nc3 a6 13.Bg5 Bc5 




The time limit on our game was three days per move, but obviously this was played too casually.


14.Bxf6 Kxf6 15.Nd5+ Kg7 16.Nxc7 Rb8 17.Nd5 d6 




I was pretty sure that if I opened the game up, Black's two Bishops would be a good match for my Rook and Knight. Therefore I took some time to see how I could make use of my extra pawns.


18.c3 Be6 19.Nf4 Bf7 20.d4 Bb6 21.Nh3 Bc4 22.Rfe1 Re8 23.f4 d5 24.e5 Bc7 25.Nf2 a5 26.g3 b6 27.h3 Bd8



I don't think that my timid play impressed my opponent.


28.b3 Bb5 29.Rac1 Bc7 30.c4 dxc4 31.bxc4 Ba6 32.d5 Bc8 





Black is ready to play cat-and-mouse, his Bishops against my pawns, but it is time to open the position and finish things up.

33.d6 Bb8 34.c5 bxc5 35.Rxc5 a4 36.Rb1 Ba7 37.Rc7+ Black resigned


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