With one game left - with the white pieces - in the first round of the "Italian Battleground" tournament at Chess.com, I have scored 7 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw. This includes a win and a draw with the Jerome Gambit.
This result is probably good enough for me to (eventually) move on to the next round, with more possible chances to play the Jerome.
In the meantime, I am waiting for my opponent in the final game to move - will I get to play one more example of the "worst chess opening ever"?*
Be sure, good, bad or indifferent, if it's a Jerome, I will share the game here.
(*Yes! It's a Jerome Gambit. Now all I have to do is win the darn thing... - Rick)
Friday, March 16, 2018
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Jerome Gambit: Everything is Fine for Black, Until...
One of the attractions for White in the Jerome Gambit is that things can suddenly fall apart for his opponent. One moment, Black is doing fine; the next moment, he is turning his King over.
The following game is a fine example.
Wall, Bill - Guest866139
PlayChess.com, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4
Bill prefers 6.d4 to 6.Qh5+. He has had a lot of success letting Black figure out how to defend, instead of going into a forcing line.
6...Bb4+ 7.c3 Ba5
For the record, the energetic 7...Qh4!? is best, and The Database supports this by pointing out that Black is 10-0 in the games it contains.
8.dxe5 Bb6
Not 8...d6 because 9.Qd5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016.
9.a4 a6 10.a5 Ba7 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.O-O Ne7
White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece. Black has to be watchful that his King, stuck in the center, remains safe.
13.Bg5 d6 14.Na3 Be6 15.Rad1 Qd7 16.exd6 cxd6 17.Qg3 Rd8
Stockfish 8 and 9 each give Black an edge in this position, which begs the question: Which position would you prefer to play?
Black's position is cramped, and it doesn't take much to push it into the danger zone.
18.e5 d5 19.Nc4 Bb8
Here we go. The silicon solution, of course, is now for White to force a draw...
20.Nb6 Qb5
I suspect neither player was interested in 20...Qc7 21.Na8 Qd7 22.Nb6 Qc7, etc, repeating the position and splitting the point.
However, Black's move in the game leads to immediate disaster. The salient point is that his Queen needs to stay on the 7th rank to provide eventual protection for the g-pawn - or White will invade there.
21.Bxe7 Kxe7
The sad reality is that Black cannot afford to capture the Bishop, as he has to guard g7 with 21...Kf7. That leaves White with the straightforward followup 22.Bxd8, coming out the exchange and a couple of pawns ahead; or White can play 22.c4!? and after 22...Qxb2 everything blows up after 23.cxd5!?.
What a difference a couple of moves make.
22.Qxg7+ Bf7 23.Qf6+ Black resigned
Black is going to lose a Rook, and it will cost more material to delay the inevitable checkmate.
The following game is a fine example.
Wall, Bill - Guest866139
PlayChess.com, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4
Bill prefers 6.d4 to 6.Qh5+. He has had a lot of success letting Black figure out how to defend, instead of going into a forcing line.
6...Bb4+ 7.c3 Ba5
For the record, the energetic 7...Qh4!? is best, and The Database supports this by pointing out that Black is 10-0 in the games it contains.
8.dxe5 Bb6
Not 8...d6 because 9.Qd5+ Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016.
9.a4 a6 10.a5 Ba7 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.O-O Ne7
White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece. Black has to be watchful that his King, stuck in the center, remains safe.
13.Bg5 d6 14.Na3 Be6 15.Rad1 Qd7 16.exd6 cxd6 17.Qg3 Rd8
Stockfish 8 and 9 each give Black an edge in this position, which begs the question: Which position would you prefer to play?
Black's position is cramped, and it doesn't take much to push it into the danger zone.
18.e5 d5 19.Nc4 Bb8
Here we go. The silicon solution, of course, is now for White to force a draw...
20.Nb6 Qb5
I suspect neither player was interested in 20...Qc7 21.Na8 Qd7 22.Nb6 Qc7, etc, repeating the position and splitting the point.
However, Black's move in the game leads to immediate disaster. The salient point is that his Queen needs to stay on the 7th rank to provide eventual protection for the g-pawn - or White will invade there.
21.Bxe7 Kxe7
The sad reality is that Black cannot afford to capture the Bishop, as he has to guard g7 with 21...Kf7. That leaves White with the straightforward followup 22.Bxd8, coming out the exchange and a couple of pawns ahead; or White can play 22.c4!? and after 22...Qxb2 everything blows up after 23.cxd5!?.
What a difference a couple of moves make.
22.Qxg7+ Bf7 23.Qf6+ Black resigned
Black is going to lose a Rook, and it will cost more material to delay the inevitable checkmate.
Monday, March 12, 2018
Jerome Gambit: Checkmate
In the Jerome Gambit, White activates his Queen to attack - and, ideally, checkmate - the enemy King.
The following game illustrates.
Wall, Bill - Guest6199747
PlayChess.com, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
The Two Knights defense. Bill has had a lot of success transforming games into the Jerome Gambit, however.
4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
Tranposing to the "modern" Jerome Gambit line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d3 Nf6.
5...Kxf7 6.Nc3 d6
Black seems safe. Black feels safe. Black is safe.
For the moment.
7.h3 Be6 8.Ng5+
The first step in drawing the enemy King out into the center. It is a simple idea - perhaps so simple that Black feels no sense of danger.
8...Ke7 9.Nxe6 Kxe6 10.O-O Qe7
11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.exd5+ Kxd5
It is interesting to see here that Stockfish 8 sees the game as even.
If you compare material, Black is "simply" a piece ahead, so the computer's assessment is either very concrete - White can win back a piece - or very abstract - White has a much better position.
You need only look at the position of Black's King to know that "something" is up.
13.Qg4
Do you see the threat?
13...Nd8
Giving the King some breathing room. The computer suggests returning a piece to achieve a messy, but even, position: 13...Nd4 14.c3 h5 15.Qe4+ Ke6 16.cxd4 Bxd4 17.Qxb7 c5
14.b4
To win the Bishop. There is also a hidden drop of poison in the move, as Black will discover. It is time for the defender to defend: 14...Kc6 15.bxc5 b6, when the King can escape, although White will be better.
14...Bd4 15.c3
Cute.
15...Bxc3
The game needed to go something like 15...h5 16.Qe4+ Ke6 17.cxd4 Kd7 when after 18.d5 Rf8 19.Be3 White has regained his piece and it looks like he has a better position - starting with a safer King.
16.Qc4 checkmate
The following game illustrates.
Wall, Bill - Guest6199747
PlayChess.com, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
The Two Knights defense. Bill has had a lot of success transforming games into the Jerome Gambit, however.
4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
Tranposing to the "modern" Jerome Gambit line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d3 Nf6.
5...Kxf7 6.Nc3 d6
Black seems safe. Black feels safe. Black is safe.
For the moment.
7.h3 Be6 8.Ng5+
The first step in drawing the enemy King out into the center. It is a simple idea - perhaps so simple that Black feels no sense of danger.
8...Ke7 9.Nxe6 Kxe6 10.O-O Qe7
11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.exd5+ Kxd5
It is interesting to see here that Stockfish 8 sees the game as even.
If you compare material, Black is "simply" a piece ahead, so the computer's assessment is either very concrete - White can win back a piece - or very abstract - White has a much better position.
You need only look at the position of Black's King to know that "something" is up.
13.Qg4
Do you see the threat?
13...Nd8
Giving the King some breathing room. The computer suggests returning a piece to achieve a messy, but even, position: 13...Nd4 14.c3 h5 15.Qe4+ Ke6 16.cxd4 Bxd4 17.Qxb7 c5
14.b4
To win the Bishop. There is also a hidden drop of poison in the move, as Black will discover. It is time for the defender to defend: 14...Kc6 15.bxc5 b6, when the King can escape, although White will be better.
14...Bd4 15.c3
Cute.
15...Bxc3
The game needed to go something like 15...h5 16.Qe4+ Ke6 17.cxd4 Kd7 when after 18.d5 Rf8 19.Be3 White has regained his piece and it looks like he has a better position - starting with a safer King.
16.Qc4 checkmate
Once again, this is why we play the Jerome Gambit.
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