Friday, January 1, 2016
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Another Example of the Vitzthum Attack
Recently I discovered a game published in the "Chess" column of the April 23, 1876 issue of the St. Louis Globe - Democrat. I have changed the notation from descriptive to algebraic and added some diagrams. The comments remain those of the newpaper's chess editor.
Chess in St. Louis
A Rapid Skirmish, Recently Played At St. Louis Chess Club
Mr. H - Mr. M
St. Louis Chess Club, 1876
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4
This was long the accepted move at this point, but now 4.Nxd4 is now more common.
4...Bc5 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5
All "book" so far.
9...Rf8
9...d5 is the only correct move here, giving black the better game.
10.Bh6 Re8 11.Nd2 Kg8 12.Qd5+ Kh8 13.Qf7
White now wins by force, let black play as he will.
13...Rg8 14.Nf3 Qe8 15.Ng5 and wins
Monday, December 28, 2015
A Long Day In The Life of the Jerome Gambit
Sometimes Jerome Gambit games are easy, sometimes not. Sometimes they are pretty, sometimes pretty ordinary. Always they are complicated. Always they are exciting. Enjoy the following game, high notes and low.
Laaber - Ausxh,
blitz, FICS, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+
The text is thematic, but 6.Nxc6 is probably better: 6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.Qh5+ g6 (7...Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qd6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.e5 Ng4 11.Qf4+ 1-0 Wall,B - Gebba, Chess.com, 2010) 8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qc3 Qxe4+ 10.Kf1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest1609773, PlayChess.com, 2013;
Not 6.Nxc6 bxc6? 7.Qh5+ as seen in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25); perrypawnpusher - zsilber, blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½, 42); Wall,B - Qwerty, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9); and Wall,B - LFTN, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 20), for example.
Interestingly, Stockfish 6 prefers 6.Nxc6 Qh4!?
6...g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+
Best!?
8.Kd1
8.Kxf2 is playable: Blackstone,J - Dommeyer,C, Campbell, CA 1960 (1-0, 13); Philidor 1792 - Guest834593, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 16); ZahariSokolov - naijachampion, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 34).
The alternative, 8.Kf1, doesn't work if Black follows up with 8...Nf6!?, but that hasn't shown up in The Database yet, only 8...hxg6?! in jecree - lhoffman, FICS, 2008.
8...Nf6 9.Nxh8+
White is overlooking something.
9.Qf3 was seen in Petasluk - Klonkku, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 57).
9...Kf8
Black, too: 9...Nxh5.
And some thing else.
10.Qf5
Missing: 10.Qf7 checkmate.
10...d6 11.Qxf2
White will be up the exchange and a couple of pawns once he gives back the Knight at h8.
11...Bg4+ 12.Ke1 Qe8
Trying to mix it up again.
13.d3
There was nothing wrong with 13.Qxf6+.
13...Kg7 14.Bg5 Nxe4 15.dxe4 Qxe4+ 16.Be3 Nd4
White is winning, but it may not feel that way to him.
17.Nc3 Nxc2+ 18.Kf1 Nxe3+
19.Kg1 Qe5 20.Re1 Rxh8 21.Rxe3 Qd4
The extra Rook will help White, once it gets free. But first White will take advantage of Black's last move and win the Queen.
22.Re7+ Kg6 23.Qxd4 Rf8 24.Qxg4+ Kf6 25.Qe6+ Kg5 26.h4+ Kf4 27.Nd5+ Kg3 28.Qh3 checkmate
Laaber - Ausxh,
blitz, FICS, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+
The text is thematic, but 6.Nxc6 is probably better: 6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.Qh5+ g6 (7...Kf8 8.Qxc5+ Qd6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.e5 Ng4 11.Qf4+ 1-0 Wall,B - Gebba, Chess.com, 2010) 8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qc3 Qxe4+ 10.Kf1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest1609773, PlayChess.com, 2013;
Not 6.Nxc6 bxc6? 7.Qh5+ as seen in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25); perrypawnpusher - zsilber, blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½, 42); Wall,B - Qwerty, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9); and Wall,B - LFTN, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 20), for example.
Interestingly, Stockfish 6 prefers 6.Nxc6 Qh4!?
6...g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+
Best!?
8.Kd1
8.Kxf2 is playable: Blackstone,J - Dommeyer,C, Campbell, CA 1960 (1-0, 13); Philidor 1792 - Guest834593, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 16); ZahariSokolov - naijachampion, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 34).
The alternative, 8.Kf1, doesn't work if Black follows up with 8...Nf6!?, but that hasn't shown up in The Database yet, only 8...hxg6?! in jecree - lhoffman, FICS, 2008.
8...Nf6 9.Nxh8+
White is overlooking something.
9.Qf3 was seen in Petasluk - Klonkku, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 57).
9...Kf8
Black, too: 9...Nxh5.
And some thing else.
10.Qf5
Missing: 10.Qf7 checkmate.
10...d6 11.Qxf2
White will be up the exchange and a couple of pawns once he gives back the Knight at h8.
11...Bg4+ 12.Ke1 Qe8
Trying to mix it up again.
13.d3
There was nothing wrong with 13.Qxf6+.
13...Kg7 14.Bg5 Nxe4 15.dxe4 Qxe4+ 16.Be3 Nd4
White is winning, but it may not feel that way to him.
17.Nc3 Nxc2+ 18.Kf1 Nxe3+
19.Kg1 Qe5 20.Re1 Rxh8 21.Rxe3 Qd4
The extra Rook will help White, once it gets free. But first White will take advantage of Black's last move and win the Queen.
22.Re7+ Kg6 23.Qxd4 Rf8 24.Qxg4+ Kf6 25.Qe6+ Kg5 26.h4+ Kf4 27.Nd5+ Kg3 28.Qh3 checkmate
