Monday, January 13, 2014

Happy Birthday! (the Completion of a Hysterical/Historical Jerome Gambit, Part 3)



                               [Continued from New Year's Day.] 


perrypawnpusher - spince
blitz, FICS, 2013

11.f4 Qf7 12.f5 Bd7 13.Bg5 

Putting pressure on f6 was a good idea, but this was better achieved by 13.Bd4!?, e.g. 13...Kg8 (it is too late for 13...c5 because of 14.f6, anyway) 14.f6 gxf6 15.Rxf6 Bc5 16.Rxf7 Bxd4+ 17.Kh1 Kxf7 when White would have a Queen and two pawns for a Rook and two Bishops - but Black's less stable King might give White an edge. 

13...Ke8 

An alternative was 13...h6 14.Bxe7+ Bxe7 15.e5 Be8 when White's advancing "Jerome pawns" balance things out. 

14.f6 

Thematic, but too soon.

I did not realize how "too soon" it was until after the game, when I asked Houdini's opinion, and it suggested a patient line somewhat more exciting that watching paint dry - but which might lead to a slight edge for White: 14.d4 h6 15.Bh4 g5 16.Bf2 Rf8 17.Qe2 Bb4 18.Nd1 Kd8 19.Ne3 Bd6 20.Nc4 Qe8 21.Ne5 Kc8 22.c4 Ng8 23.Nxd7 Qxd7 24.Be3 b6 25.e5 Be7 26.Qf3 Kb7 27.Rad1 Rae8.





analysis diagram






14...Ng6 

This gives up the exchange, but Black did not want to pursue 14...gxf6 15.Rxf6.

15.fxg7 Qxg7 16.Bf6 Qf8 17.Bxh8 Qxh8 18.Qf3


Also possible was 18.d4.

White has a Rook and two pawns against Black's two Bishops.

Unfortunately, the next handful of moves is spoiled by mutual Amaurosis scacchistica - chess blindness. 

18...Kd8 19.Rf2? Kc8? 20.h3? b6 21.Raf1? Kb7 22.Qf7? Rd8 



Black has worked hard to safeguard his King, missing opportunities to win the exchange with ...Bc5, and, later, to launch a strong attack with ...Qe5.

Now he misses his last chance, although he still may maintain a small edge.

Speaking of "small", alas, that begins to refer to the amount of time that Black has remaining on his clock.

23.Qf6 Be5 24.Qxh8 Bxh8 25.Rf7 Be6 26.Rxh7 Bxa2


An unfortunate time slip.

27.Nxa2 Bd4+ 28.Kh1 Nh4 29.c3 Black forfeited on time




No comments: