Thursday, September 3, 2020

Jerome Gambit: Pieces and Pawns Active

In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ) game, Bill Wall shows that there can still be life for White after the exchange of Queens - if he keeps his pieces and pawns active.

Wall, Bill - NN

lichess,org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 

8.O-O Nf6 9.Nc3

Also recently seen, with chances to transpose: 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bh4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Re8 12.Nc3 Ne5 13.Qd1 Ng6 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.Nd5 Qd8 16.Qf3+ Kg8 17.Qb3 Kh8 18.f3 c6 19.Nc3 Qb6+ 20.Qxb6 axb6 21.a3 Ne5 22.Rad1 Re6 23.Rd4 c5 24.Rd5 Bd7 25.Rfd1 Nf7 26.a4 Bc6 27.R5d2 Bxa4 28.Nxa4 Rxa4 29.b3 Ra8 30.Kf2 Rd8 31.Rd5 Ne5 32.f4 Nc6 33.e5 Nb4 34.Rxd6 Rexd6 35.Rxd6 Rxd6 36.exd6 Kg8 37.Ke3 Kf7 38.Ke4 Ke6 39.f5+ Kxd6 40.g4 Nxc2 41.h4 Nd4 42.g5 hxg5 43.hxg5 Nxb3 44.f6 gxf6 45.g6 Ke7 46.Kf5 Nd4+ 47.Kg4 Ne6 48.Kh5 b5 49.Kh6 c4 50.g7 Nxg7 White resigned, Andili - PremiumShoe, 5 0 blitz, FICS, 2020. 

9...Re8 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 Ng6


12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Qc4+ Be6 14.Qxc7+ Qe7 15.Qxe7+ Rxe7 16.f4

White keeps up the threats.

16...Bc4 17.Rf2 Kg8 18.Rd1 d5

Overlooking something?

19.b3 Ba6 20.e5

White could gain a pawn with 20.exd5, but it is not clear how long he could keep it. He decides to safeguard the e-pawn and then make the capture.

20...Rd8 21.Nxd5 Red7 22.c4 

22...b5 

The plan is to undermine the pinned Knight by attacking the supportive pawn on c4. It doesn't quite work.

23.e6 

Thoughtful. In some lines, it is better to have the pawn on e6.

23...Rb7 


Leaving the other Rook unprotected. Still, White would show an advantage after 23...Rd6, e.g. 24.Rfd2 bxc4 25.Nf6+ gxf6 26.Rxd6 Rxd6 27.Rxd6 cxb3 28.axb3 Bb5. White's Rook + 2 pawns will succesd against the Bishop and Knight, in the endgame.

24.Nf6+ gxf6 25.Rxd8+ Kg7 26.Rd7+ Rxd7 27.exd7 Black resigned


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