What If They Won't Play...? (Part 1)

What if Black refuses to play the Jerome Gambit, even a move down? Philidor 1792 has faced a few of those contrarians (above), who declined a winning position and instead chose a balanced one - and still found a way to play interesting chess.


Philidor 1792 - guest88
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.Bb3 Nxe4

Of course, 4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+ is the Delayed Jerome Gambit. While its theory is still developing, we can be sure that it is as refuted as the Jerome Gambit itself.
5.Qe2 d5 6.d3 Nf6 

Or 6...Nc5 7.Nxe5 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Re1 Be6 10.Nc3 Nxb3 11.axb3 Nxe5 12.Qxe5 Bd6 13.Qh5 c6 14.Bg5 f6 15.Rxe6 fxg5 16.Rae1 h6 17.Nb1 Qc7 18.Nd2 Bc5 19.Nf3 Qf7 20.Qxf7+ Rxf7 21.d4 Bb6 22.Re7 Raf8 23.c3 g4 24.Rxf7 Rxf7 25.Ne5 Re7 26.f4 h5 27.Kf2 c5 28.dxc5 Bxc5+ 29.Kg3 Kh7 30.Rd1 d4 31.cxd4 Bb6 32.d5 g5 33.d6 Re8 34.d7 Rd8 35.fxg5 Bc7 36.Kf4 Bxe5+ 37.Kxe5 Kg6 38.Ke6 Black resigned, Philidor1792 - Sasha63, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014. 

7.Nxe5 Nxe5 8.Qxe5+ Qe7 9.Bf4 Qxe5+ 10.Bxe5 c6 11.0-0

Or 11.c4 Be7 12.Nc3 dxc4 13.dxc4 0-0 14.0-0-0 Re8 15.Rhe1 Bg4 16.f3 Bf5 17.Bc2 Bxc2 18.Kxc2 Rad8 19.Bc7 Rxd1 20.Rxd1 Kf8 21.g4 h6 22.a3 Bc5 23.Bd6+ Bxd6 24.Rxd6 Ke7 25.c5 Rd8 26.Rxd8 Kxd8 27.Kd3 Ke7 28.Kd4 Ke6 29.b4 a6 30.h4 g6 31.g5 hxg5 32.hxg5 Ne8 33.Ke4 f5+ 34.Kd4 Ng7 35.Na4 Nh5 36.Nb6 Nf4 37.Nc4 Nh3 38.Nd6 Nxg5 39.f4 Nh3 40.Ke3 Kd5 41.Nxb7 g5 42.Nd6 gxf4+ 43.Kf3 Ke6 44.Nc4 Kd5 45.Nd6 Ke5 46.Nf7+ Kf6 47.Nd6 Ke6 48.Nc4 Kd5 49.Nd6 Ke5 50.Nf7+ Ke6 51.Nd6 Kf6 52.a4 Kg5 53.Nf7+ Kg6 54.Ne5+ Kg5 55.Nxc6 Ng1+ 56.Kg2 Ne2 57.Nb8 Nd4 58.c6 Kg4 59.c7 f3+ 60.Kf2 Ne6 61.c8Q Ng5 62.Qg8 Kf4 63.Qxg5+ Kxg5 64.Nxa6 Kf6 65.Nc5 Ke5 66.Kxf3 Kd6 67.Kf4 Kc6 68.Kxf5 Kb6 69.Ke5 Kc6 70.Kd4 Kb6 71.Kd5 Ka7 72.b5 Kb6 73.Nb3 Ka7 74.Kc6 Kb8 75.a5 Ka7 76.a6 Kb8 77.b6 Ka8 78.Na5 Black resigned, Philidor1792 - vlad2201, Chess-Samara.ru, 2014. 

11...Be6 12.c4 dxc4 13.dxc4 0-0-0 14.Nc3 Ng4 15.Bf4 Bd6 16.Bxd6 Rxd6 17.Rad1 Rhd8 18.Ne4 Rxd1 19.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 20.Bxd1 Ne5 

The game remains balanced. Phlidor 1792 remains content, perhaps remembering the wry adage from the Jerome Gambit: When the game is even, White is better.

21.Be2 f5 22.Nd2 Kc7 23.f4 Nd7 24.Kf2 a5 25.Ke3 Kd6 26.Nf3 h6 27.Nd4 Nc5 28.b3 Bd7 29.Bh5

29...Ne4

Lulled by the play, Black's Knight routinely grabs the outpost at e4, instead of preparing to post his King at f6  with 29...Ke7.

30.Bg6 Nc3 31.a4 

In turn, White neglects to make Black work harder: 31.a3 Nb1 32.a4 Nc3 33.Nxf5+, winning a pawn.

Perhaps time was a factor for both players.

31...Nd1+ 

Black overlooks his escape: 31...Kc5 32.Nxf5 Bxf5 33.Bxf5 Kb4 34.Bc2 b5 35.cxb5 cxb5 36.axb5 Nxb5 now both sides will Queen a pawn 37.g4 Kc3 38.Bd1 Nd4 39.g5 hxg5 40.fxg5 Nxb3 41.h4 a4 42.h5 a3 43.Bxb3 Kxb3 44.h6 gxh6 45.g6 a2 46.g7 a1Q 47.g8Q+ Kb4 48.Qb8+ and Black's extra pawn will not be enough to win.

32.Kd2 Nf2 33.Bxf5 

I am not sure if Black resigned here, or if he lost on time. He had the consistent 33...Kc5 available, when he had good drawing chances against either 34.Bxd7 (34...Kxd4) or 34.Ke3 (34...Nd1+ 35.Ke4 Nf2+ etc.) White's winning move was to capture with the Knight, i.e. 33.Nxf5+ Bxf5 34.Bxf5.