Heavy Traffic

As I finish up parsing the Jerome Gambit and Jerome-ish games from the last 6 months of play at FICS, added to The Database, I now have a new, large collection of games from MrJoker to add as well!

To readers who have already requested a copy of the updated Database, thank you for your patience. To readers who have not yet requested a copy - I will post when the final culling is complete.

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

The Jerome Gambit Doesn't Always Win

What can I say??

A new addition to The Database, Randompl - Steftcho, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1/2-1/2, 47), in case you missed it:

White ran out of time and Black had no material to mate.

Bummer.

The Jerome Gambit Re-Animated

The Jerome Gambit is dead. Everyone knows that. 

Dead, dead, dead.

Dead as, say, White's game, below, after four moves, or six moves, or eight moves or ten moves...

Funny thing, though: under the right circumstances, the dead can be re-animated. Then, it is time to be careful. They bite.

Ôèëèäîð1792 - Guest543
www.bereg.ru, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 

8.d4 Bxd4 9.Bg5 Ne7 10.Bxe7+ Kxe7 11.Nc3

This is an improvement on the previous Ôèëèäîð1792 - Guest543 game.

11...Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 d6 13.Qh5 Bg4 14.Qh4+ Kd7 15.Qg3 Qf6 16.0-0 

16..Be2 17.Rfe1 Bc4 18.f4 Nc6 19.Rad1 Qg6 20.Qh3+ Kd8 21.e5 d5 22.f5 Qe8 

Black is still fine, but White has cranked up both the "Jerome pawns" and his Rooks. As long as White attacks, Black will have to defend.

23.f6 gxf6 24.exf6 Qf7 25.Qg4 Bxa2 26.c4 Bxc4 27.Qxc4 Qxf6

At last. Black's wobbly light-squared Bishop was one sign that he was weakening, but here's the key: compare the location of his Rooks with White's Rooks.

Smart play by White, or what the zombies would say, "Brains!"

28.Qxd5+ Kc8 29.Qd7+ Kb8 30.Re8+ Nd8 31.Qxd8+ Black resigned