Sunday, April 1, 2018

Cliff Hardy Jerome Gambit Adventure Number Three

Here is a third Cliff Hardy Jerome Gambit game, again a 10 minute game -  and again, playing blindfold!

Notes are by Cliff. I have added diagrams and an occasional comment in blue.

Hardy, Cliff - ronin7887
10 0, white playing blindfold
lichess.org, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 



4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 



7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 



Reaching this position for the third time in three games. There are 91 games in The Database with this position, going back to Vazquez - Carrington, 2nd match, Mexico, 1876. - Rick

10.f4 Qe7 11.Nc3 Kf7 12.O-O c6?!



+/=  Stockfish doesn't like this move and gives12...Re8 with a clear advantage for black. 

13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4?!



+/=  This move is quite clumsy for black and the odd move 14...Ned7 would have actually much better, with an equal position 

15.Qd3 Nb6 16.Bg5 h6? 



+- An unnecessary weakening of the black king; 16...Re8 would have been more circumspect, with a clear advantage for white 

17.Bh4 Re8 18.Rae1 Qc7? 

18...Nbd7 may have held out longer, though white would still have had an overwhelming initiative 

19.e5?! Nfd5?

Better would have been 19...dxe5 since after my planned 20.dxe5 Rxe5 21.Bg3 black would then have had the complicated 21...Bxf5! though then after 22.Qf3 his rook would still then have been lost on e5, so white would still have had a winning position in that circumstance anyway 

20.Ne4 dxe5 21.dxe5 Rxe5 22.Bg3 Kg8 23.f6 g5?



Weakening the king's position, though black is lost in any case 

24.Nxg5 hxg5??

The complicated 24...Bf5! was best, though white would still have been completely winning e.g. 25.Bxe5 Bxd3 26.f7+! Qxf7 27.Rxf7 hxg5 28.Rg7+ Kf8 29.cxd3 

25.Qg6+ Kf8 26.Bxe5 Qf7 27.Bd6+ Black resigned



Nice. Checkmate will arrive in 4 moves. Readers will notice Black's light-squared bishop at home, blocking the rook - a telltale sign that all is not well with black's position; and clearly punished by Cliff in this game. - Rick

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