A GM Faces the BSJG: Not Quite (Part 3)

[continued from previous post]

We continue to examine how a future GM handles the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

Nater, Carl - Rogers, Ian
Begonia op 09th, Ballarat, 1975

Black has two pieces for a Rook and three pawns.

9.Na3 d5 10.c3 Qe7 11.O-O 

Bringing the King to safety, although 11.d3 was a bit better.

11...Ne2+ 12.Kh1 Nh5 

White's Queen is stalemated. Nater launches a rescue mission.

13.d4 Be6 14.exd5 

Instead, Komodo 10 prefers some tactics: 14.Re1 Nxc1 15.exd5 Nf4 16.Raxc1 Qg5 17.Rxe6+ Nxe6 18.Re1 Qxd5, siding with White's three pawns versus Black's extra piece.

14...Bxd5 15.Qe5 Qxe5 16.dxe5 Bxa3 17.bxa3 Kf7 

18.Be3 Rh8 19.Rfe1 Bc4 20.Rab1 b6 21.Rb4 Bd3

22.c4 c5 23.Rb2 Nhf4 24.Bxf4 

This helps Black untangle his jumbled up pieces. The computer recommends, instead, 24.Rd2 Rd8, when it is tempting to suggest wholesale exchanges: 25.Rxd3 Rxd3 26.g3 Nd4 27.Bxf4 Rxa3 28.Be3 Rxa2 29.Bxd4 cxd4 30.Rd1 Rxf2 31.Rxd4 Rc2 32.Rd7+ Ke6 33.Rxa7 Rxc4 34.Rg7 and the game should be drawn.

24...Nxf4 25.g3 Ne6 26.Rc1 

He might have done better to protect his passed pawn with 26.f4. The game is beginning to slip away.

26...Nd4 27.Rc3 Be4+ 28.Kg1 Nf3+ 29.Rxf3+ 

A decision that will be understandable to many Jerome Gambit players: White goes with the extra pawns against the extra piece.

In club play, the pawns probably have a practical advantage; but a strong player can use the extra piece to show that he has many targets to attack, that the game is his. 

29...Bxf3 30.Rb3 Be2 31.Rc3 Rd8 

The pieces start to dominate, for example, 32.f4 Rd4 and one pawn will quickly fall.

32.e6+

A trick that Rogers does not fall for: 32...Kxe6 33.Re3+, winning the Bishop.

 32...Ke7 33.Rc2 Bf3 

All of a sudden, threatening checkmate.

34.Rc1 Rd1+ 35.Rxd1 Bxd1 

Again, at first glance, I (a middling club player) would be inclined to take White, here - but Komodo 10 tells the real story, rating Black as more than a Rook ahead.

Rogers' hungry Bishop now cleans up the hapless pawns.

36.f4 Be2 37.Kf2 Bxc4 38.Ke3 Bxe6 39.Kf3 b5 40.g4 c4 41.f5 gxf5 42.gxf5 Bxf5 43.Ke3 Bb1 44.Kd4 Bxa2 45.Kc3 a5 46.a4 b4+ White resigned

Hats off to Carl Nater, for his early play of the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. I hope to hear from him about the game, and his use of 4.Bxf7+.

Hats off, too, to Ian Rogers, future Grandmaster, for the chess lesson: he was surprised in his own trappy opening, but settled himself down and steadily outplayed his opponent.

[to be continued]