Endgame Battle

Bill Wall passes along another Jerome Gambit endgame. I merely touched upon this battle 3 years ago in "A Working Class, Impatient Move" - it is time to give it a closer look.

Wall,B - Firewine
Chess.com, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 Bd6

As I wrote in "The Gentleman or the Tireder?" two and a half years ago, "This move is better than it looks at first glance, and forces White's Queen to abandon the center or abandon the board."

8.Qa5

This was new at the time, although Bill played it later in Wall,B - Guest2591977, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 22).

8...Qf6 

Guest2591977 continued with 8...Ne7.

9.Nc3 Ne7 10.d3 h6 11.0-0 b6 12.Qa4 c6 

Bill suggests 12...Be5 13.Bd2 Qc6 as an alternative.

13.Be3 Bc5

It is not clear that opposing White's Bishop in this way is helpful, for as long as Black's King and Queen are on the same file, initiating and exchange is out of the question.

14.e5 Qg6 15.Ne4 d6 16.Nxd6 

Bill now prefers 16.exd6 Bxd6 17.Bxb6.

16...Bh3

Threatening 17...Qxg2 mate, but this is readily met. 

17.Qe4 Qxe4 18.dxe4 Be6 19.Bxc5 bxc5

Here we have an interesting Jerome Gambit endgame. White, still with all his original pawns, has compensation for his sacrificed piece. In fact, with his Rook on the same file as Black's King, he has a bit of initiative.

20.f4 Nc8 21.f5 Bd7

Bill points out that the Bishop belongs on the other diagonal, as in 21...Bf7 22.e6? Nxd6 23.exf7 Nxe4 24.Rae1 Nf6 25.Re5 Kxf7 26.Rxc5 Rac8 when Black is looking a bit better (at least White's pawns are not a dynamic threat).

22.Nb7 Ke7

Giving up a pawn. It might not have seemed as important as activating his pieces.

23.Nxc5 

23...Rf8

This loses the bishop.

24.f6+ gxf6 25.exf6+ Rxf6 26.Rxf6 Kxf6 27.Nxd7+

White is now 3 pawns up.

27...Ke6 28.Nc5+ Ke5 29.Re1 Nd6 30.Nd3+ Kd4

Or 30...Ke6 31.e5 Nf5 32.g4 Nd4 33.Rf1 Nxc2 34.Rf6+ Kd5 35.Rxh6

31.e5 Ne4 32.e6 Re8 33.e7

Better, notes Bill, is 33.Nf4 Ke5 34.g3

33...Rxe7 34.Nf2 Re5 35.Nxe4

As planned, but Bill points out that better was 35.c3+! Kd5 36.c4+ Kd4 37.Rd1+ Kxc4 38.b3+ Kc3 39.Rd3+ Kb2 40.Re3 Kxa2 41.Nxe4

35...Rxe4 36.Rxe4+ Kxe4 37.Kf2 Kd4

Black should go for opposition of kings, but White has the extra tempo to win.

38.g4 c5 39.Kf3 Ke5 40.h4 a5

Better was 40...a6. Black's problem is that his King can't cover both sides of the board. 

41.a4 c4 42.c3 Kf6 43.Ke4 Ke6 44.Kd4 Kf6 45.Kxc4 Ke5 46.b4 axb4 47.cxb4 Kf4 48.b5 Kxg4 49.a5 Kxh4 50.a6 Black resigned