Friday, March 27, 2020

A GM Faces the BSJG: Not Quite (Part 2)

[continued from previous post]

In the previous post, I mused
Last year, on this blog, I had a lot of fun looking at the idea of a Grandmaster playing or facing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), online or over-the-board... "A GM Faces the Jerome Gambit (Part 1 and Part 2) and "Jerome Gambit: More GMs? (Part 1 and Part 2)"... 
The other day I started wondering: Did any GMs play or face the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+)? That search would be a different kind of task, as the game would have to feature either a rare example of a GM playing the BSG, or, even less likely, a GM playing the BSJG. But my curiosity was piqued... 
A search of The Database did not turn up any games with a player (of either color) rated 2500...

So, I next turned to my ChessBase "Big Database" (almost 6,5000,000 games), and did a search for the starting position of the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, below.

I was shocked to find 12 games where at least one of the players was rated 2500!

Closer examination, however, showed that all of the examples came from the Bird Variation of Ruy Lopez: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Bc4.

Still searching, however, I checked the online ChessBase Live Database, looking for 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ games, and I came upon one with Ian Rogers playing Black.

Ian Rogers! I knew that name: Australian GM! Amazing!

Well, not quite. The game was played in 1975, a few months before Rogers turned 15, five years before he became an International Master, and ten years before he became a Grandmaster.

Let's look at the game, anyhow, as it is quite educational. 

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

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

Rogers, the teenager, is feeling frisky. I don't know much about his opponent, Carl Nater (age 35 at the time of the game), but a check on the FIDE website indicates that he had a rating of 1378, so, perhaps Black wished for a quick, trappy win.

Carl Nater, 80, at the 2018 Begonia tournament. He later played at the Victorian Country Championships in 2019. Recent word from GM Rogers is that Nater is still playing chess.

4.Bxf7+ 

This is the earliest game that I have with the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, predating - by 20 years - Melao Jr, H. - Danilo, Centro Cultural, 1996: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxe4 8.Qh5 Kxd4 9.d3 Bb4+ 10.Nc3 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3+ Kxc3 12.Qc5+ Kxd3 13.Qd5+ Kc3 14.Bd2+ Kb2 15.Qb3+ Kxa1 16.O-O#

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

The Database has 2,585 games with position, with White scoring 58%.

6.Qh5+ g6

If 6...Ke7, White would have a checkmate in 5, starting with 7.Qf7+.

7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxh8 Nf6 



Nater opted to capture the Rook, instead of the g-pawn (with check), relying on the gain of material. 

Rogers skipped the wild 8...Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 Qg5 which might have given him an edge, opting, instead, for reasonable development.

Komodo 10 now sees the position as about even, with Black's piece balancing out White's 3 extra pawns. Black has a lead in development, but his King will be unable to castle.


[to be continued]

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

A GM Faces the BSJG: Not Quite (Part 1)


Last year, on this blog, I had a lot of fun looking at the idea of a Grandmaster playing or facing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), online or over-the-board. You might enjoy bouncing back to "A GM Faces the Jerome Gambit (Part 1 and Part 2) and "Jerome Gambit: More GMs? (Part 1 and Part 2)".

In summary, checking The Database, I found some online games with a GM-level player (2500 or above, according to the site's rating scales), but they featured either computers, human players with a lower FIDE rating, or human players whose FIDE rating I could not confirm.

I was left with 2 online games that matched my criteria: ChessCoachUA - PArnaudov, 3 0 blitz, lichess.org2017 (1-0, 39) and Cliff Hardy - Yasser Quesada Perez, lichess, 1 0, 2019 (0-1, 54).

The other day I started wondering: Did any GMs play or face the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+)? That search would be a different kind of task, as the game would have to feature either a rare example of a GM playing the BSG, or, even less likely, a GM playing the BSJG. But my curiosity was piqued...

A search of The Database did not turn up any games with a player (of either color) rated 2500. In fact, there was only one game with a player rated above 2300 - but it was an interesting enough game. White is rated 2386 on the site. 

ivan767 - SanChess2005
7 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 


The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Ke7 

The surprises continue: Black plays the BSG, White "Jerome-izes" it, Black declines the gambit. (SanChess2005 has played this move at least once before, in a frantic 0 minutes, 1 second increment bullet game - see "Faster Than A Speeding Neuron".)

The Database has 755 games with 4...Ke7, with White scoring 70%.

For some thoughts on the BSJG declined, see "Idées Fixes et Manqués".

5.Bc4

White is happy with the pawn he has won, and with the fact that Black will not be able to castle; so he withdraws his Bishop.

5...Ke8

Black unblocks the d8-h4 diagonal, putting the main tactical theme of the Blackburne Shilling Gambit back into play. I have called this a kind of "Jedi mind trick".

6.Nxe5

White relaxes too soon. He could have remained safely a piece up by playing 6.Nxd4 Qh4 (if 6...exd4, 7.Qh5+) 7.Nf3 Qxe4+ 8.Be2

6...Qg5 

Compare this position with one in the main line of the BSG:





analysis diagram






7.O-O Qxe5 8.c3 

8...Nb5

Retreating the Knight to c6 would maintain Black's piece-for-two-pawns material advantage, although White would be somewhat better after 9.d4, because of his better pawn center and Black's less safe King.

9.d4 Qe7 10.Bxb5 c6 11.Bc4 b5 12.Bb3 Nf6 13.e5 Nd5 14.Nd2 Qg5 

White is better, but he has some work to do.

15.Ne4 Qg6 16.Re1 Bb7 17.Nd6+ Bxd6 18.exd6+ Kd8 19.Bxd5 cxd5 20.Bf4 Rf8 21.Be5 Qf5



22.a4

White wants to open a line for his Rook, and he is not afraid to offer his f2 pawn.

23...Qxf2+ 23.Kh1 Qxb2 24.Rb1 Qxc3 



All of this moving of the Queen is risky - in fact, White now has a checkmate in 11 moves, although it is hard to find in this complicated position, especially in blitz.

25.Rxb5 

Even stronger was 25.Bxg7, because Black's Rook cannot move.

25...Ba6 26.Rc5 

This saves his Rook but lets much of the energy escape from the position. White should go after the enemy Queen, but by playing 26.Rf1 Re8 27.Rf3, not the text. Once the Black Queen is moved away from covering the e1 square, White's Queen can go there - and then on to h5, with checkmate threats.

26...Qd3 27.Qxd3 Bxd3 28.Bxg7 Rf7 



White is a pawn up.

29.Bh6 Bc4 

Instead, after 29...Rf1+ 30.Rxf1 Bxf1 White will have to work for the point. 

30.Bg5+ Black resigned



It is checkmate in 3 more moves.


[to be continued]

Monday, March 23, 2020

Jerome Gambit: Nothing Very Exciting Happens - Until

In the following game, nothing very exciting happens after the initial sacrifices - until the defender damages his own defenses, at which point the game is over.


Wall, Bill - Guest1735790
PlayChess.com, 2020

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7+ 



4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

The game has reached a routine position that has been seen many times before. White has some standard moves and ideas at his fingertips. Black is objectively better, but he has to assemble a plan.

10.d3 Be6 

This move is okay, but it calls out White's f-pawn.

11.f4 Bf7 12.O-O Qe7 

Likewise, this move is a siren call to White's Knight.

13.Nc3 c6 

14.Bd2 Re8 

With his pieces massed in the center, Black believes that chasing after the a-pawn would be a distraction; yet, his opponent decides to grab it.

15.Qxa7 b5 

This loosens the Queenside a bit. Komodo 10 recommended the routine 15...Kg8 16.Rae1 h6 17.b3 Kh7 with a balanced game.

16.Qb6 Qd7 17.f5 Ne7 

18.Bf4 Nh5 19.Bg5 h6 20.Bd2 Nf6 

Back to where things were. Black can still consider "castling" his King to h7.

21.a4 

Switching the focus to the Queenside. Getting the Rook into the game would allow greater pressure on Black.

21...bxa4 22.Rxa4 

22...g6 

This is a slip, forgetting about the dangers of the f-file.

23.fxg6 Black resigned

White will win material, and he will have an attack on the enemy King.