The Traxler's Check Returns with Mikhail Tal

Recently I received another chess game from chessfriend Yury V. Bukayev. He was glad to make me glad too.

I have found else one ex-WCC Jerome-ish game! It is by M.Tal

That sounded interesting - and it was. Past World Chess Champion Mikhail Tal played the Traxler Defense, and the game quickly dove into complications. It reminds me of Tal's comment

You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2 + 2 = 5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.

However, some sources for the game did not agree with other sources about some of the facts of the game.

For example, Dr. Tim Harding referred to the game as a "Telephone corr, USSR 1968-69" in his January 2001 ChessMail magazine (page 48) but later asks

Can anyone clarify the circumstances of this game? I think it was a CC consultation game in the USSR. Heisman [The Traxler Counterattack, (2000) ] just calls it Readers v Tal. We have also seen White given as “White Rook Youth Club” and as “Chitatelj” (a transliteration of the Russian word for Readers)

Yury has put his detective skills to work

I have found else some important accounts about the dates of this game: 

1.The Soviet top GM Paul P. Keres has written on page 86 of his theoretical opening manual Dreispringerspiel bis Koenigsgambit (Berlin, 1971) that this game was played in 1969. 

2.Maarten de Zeeuw has written on page 147 of Yearbook, #63, where his article "Another Look at the Traxler Gambit" is published, that "the famous game between readers of Pionerskaya Pravda and Tal ...1968/69". 

3.The article "Traxler-Gegenangriff" (de.wikipedia.org) has written that this game was played in 1969. 

Further, about nature of this game. Wikipedia explains that a telephone was a channel between M.Tal and the editorial of "Pionerskaya Pravda". This editorial (which has had a strong chess editor) has gathered suggestions of every new move from Soviet pioneers (by postcards, most probably), and has chosen the best suggestion from them to make White's new move. Pioneers-players have got current news about this game from a new issue of the newspaper, most probably. So M.Tal and the editorial have had a time for their "home analysis" too. That is why, it is a correspondence game The Consultants - Tal , I have understood. 

I'm sure, it was finished in 1969. Was it started in 1969 or in 1968? The Lenin Komsomol has celebrated 50 years in the October, 29, 1968. The newspaper "Pionerskaya Pravda" was edited by it, so, it maybe, this game was started in the October or in the November of 1968. It is my version now. 

 

The Consultants - Mikhail Tal

correspondence, 1969 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 

The Traxler countergambit in the Two Knights defense. It is very complicated.

5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 

With a Jerome-ish twist.

6.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7.Kg1 Qh4 

8.g3 Nxg3 9.hxg3 Qxg3+ 10.Kf1 Rf8 

11.Qh5 d5 12.Bxd5 Nd4 13.Qh2 Qg4 14.Qxe5+ 

14...Be6 15.Bxe6 Qf3+ 16.Kg1 Ne2+ 17.Kh2 Qf2+ 18.Kh3 Qf3+ 19.Kh4 Qf2+ 20.Kh5 Rxf7 

It was only here that Stockfish 14.1 pointed out that this was its last book move!

21.Bxf7+ Kxf7 22.Rh2 

A slip, according to the computer, as 22.Qd5+ Kf8 23.d3 c6 24.Qd6+ Kg8 25.Rh2 Ng3+ 26.Kg4 Qxh2 27.Bh6 Rf8 28.Nd2 gxh6 29.Qe6+ Kg7 30.Qe7+ Rf7 31.Qe5+ Kg8 32.Qe8+ Rf8 would lead to a draw. Okay, if you say so.

Now the Consultants get into deep trouble.

22...Qf3+ 23.Kh4 g5+ 24.Qxg5 Rg8 25.Qh5+ Qxh5+ 26.Kxh5 

Sure, Tal is now down a Rook and a Bishop, but his pieces are all developed, and Black's are mostly not. The game is almost over.

26...Ng3+ 

Some observers were surprised that the Magician from Riga missed the checkmate 26...Nf4+ 27.Kh6 Rg6+ 28.Kxh7 Rg7+ 29.Kh6 Kg8 30.Rg2 Rxg2 31.Nc3 Rg6#  

27.Kh6 

The proper defnse was 27.Kh4 when Black has only the draw 27...Nf5+ 28. Kh5 Ng3+ etc.

 27...Nf5+ 

Again, Tal "misses" the checkmate that would come after 27...Rg6+ 28.Kxh7 Ne4 29.Rf2+ Nxf2 30.d4 Ng4 31.Kh8 Nf6 32.Nc3 Rg8# 

28.Kxh7 Rg7+ Draw

I suspect that Tal was enjoying the game, and rather than overlooking the possible checkmates, he decided to settle for a draw and give his young opponents the opportunity of a lifetime - to say that they drew a game against an ex-world champion.

Jerome Gambit: Giuoco Piano Game tournament Round 2

Round 2 of the Giuoco Piano Game tournament at Chess.com has begun.

I am matched in my group against Cuilleanain, grammers123, MoMalek11 and Ryszak.

We will be playing all 8 of our games simultaneously, so I am glad that the time control is 1 move per 3 days.

Of course, I am playing 4 Jerome Gambits.

I wish the best chess to my opponents!

Jerome Gambit for Dummies 2.0 (Part 6)

                                                       

[continued from previous post]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4

Looking now at 6.d4, Black has three main choices: move, his Bishop, move his Knight, or leave both their own fate and do something else.

The most frequent Bishop move is also the simplest, is 6...Bxd4, surrendering a piece. It occurs as 38% of the responses to 6.d4, and after 7.Qxd4 d6 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.f4 Nc6 we have a typical battle between White's center pawns and Black's extra piece.

The alternative 6...Bb4+ - which makes up a little more than 1% of the responses to 6.d4 - returns a piece for a pawn after 7.c3 Bxc3+, whichever way White captures the piece. Retreating with 7...Ba5 instead of capturing is rare and slightly better for Black. Overall, White scores 57%.

The straight Bishop retreat 6...Bb6 - which makes up a fraction of 1% of the response to 6.d4 - gives up the Knight with 7.dxe5. White scores 57%.

The rare 6...Be7 likewise gives up the Knight with 7.dxe5. Curiously, White scores only 34% in this line.

Black hopes for recapture after 6...Bd6 - which makes up a fraction of 1% of the response to 6.d4 - 7.dxe5, but realizes that the Bishop will be lost after 7...Bxe5 8.Qd5+. In all, White scores 73%.

Turning to Knight moves, both 6...Nc6 and 6...Ng6 are relatively rare and simply surrender the Bishop, ultimately making it easier for White to play f2-f4. The first player has the advantage against either move.

The strongest reaction to 6.d4 - making up 14% of the responses - is to ignore the threats to the minor pieces and go on the attack with 6...Qh4. After 7.0-0 Qxe4 8.dxc5 Nf6 9.Nc3 Qc6 White's center has dissolved, and he is at risk for losing the one pawn that is compensation for his sacrificed piece. The play is complicated, however, and The Database, nonetheless, shows that White scores 63% against 6...Qh4.

Jerome Gambit for Dummies 2.0 (Part 5)

                                                  

[continued from previous post]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5

As previously noted

This is the fourth Critical Position.

White follows up with 6.Qh5+ (scoring 58%) about four times as often as he plays 6.d4 (scoring 56%).

Looking first at 6.Qh5+, there are four primary responses: 6...Ng6, 6...Ke6, 6...Kf8 and 6...g6.  

The odd alternative 6...Ke7 (less than 1% of the games with 6.Qh5+) can be dismissed with 7.Qxe5+ Kf7 8.Qxc5, when White has simply recovered both sacrificed pieces and is two pawns ahead. As soon as he castles, his King will be much safer than Black's. The same can be said for 6...Kf6 (about 2% of the games with 6.Qh5+) 7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5.

after 6...Ng6

The reasonable 6...Ng6 - which makes up 45% of the replies - pulls back one of the threatened minor pieces and keeps Black's King on the 7th rank, in preparation for bringing his Rook to f8 or e8. White plays 7.Qd5+, taking the time to drive the enemy King back, and after 7...Ke8 8.Qxc5, he regains one of his two sacrificed pieces, at the same time making castling and f2-f4 possible. He will advance his "Jerome pawns" with an attack in the center or along the f-file. According to The Database, White scores 57% against 6...Ng6.

after 6...Ke6

The adventurous 6...Ke6 - making up 24% of the replies - allows Black's King to immediately take part in defense in an attempt to hold onto his two extra pieces. White challenges this idea with  7.Qf5+, 7.f4, or 7.Qh3+ and can usually regain a piece, leaving him with two pawns for a piece. According to The Database, White scores scores 55% against 6...Ke6.

after 6...Kf8

The solid 6...Kf8 - making up 16% of the replies - takes Black's King back to relative safety. Although the King then is blocking his Rook from coming to f8 or e8, and is resting on the sometimes dangerous f-file (if White castles Kingside), White has a more difficult time organizing his attack- again, two "Jerome pawns" vs the extra piece. After 7.Qxe5 d6 White must re-position his Queen and advance slowly. According to The Database, White scores 49% after 6...Kf8.

after 6...g6

The move 6...g6 - making up 13% of the replies - sharply deals with White's check, but frequently offers Black's Rook at h8. The play after 7.Qxe5 d6 or 7...Qe7 is complicated, with the better or more knowledgeable player succeeding. According to The Database, White scores 73% 

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit for Dummies 2.0 (Part 4)

                                                  

[continued from the previous post]

5.Nxe5+

This is the third Critical Position.

Black's most frequent response is the logical 5...Nxe5 (more than 95% of the time, according to The Database), but he has alternatives in 5...Ke8 and 5...Ke7 and 5...Kf8. 

The first of these "others" leads to an odd, somewhat quiet, unplayed line that is about even. It was first mentioned on this blog in "You, too, can add to Jerome Gambit theory" and later in "Jerome Gambit Secret #3": 5...Ke8 6.Nxc6 Qh4 (still a novelty) 7.d4 Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 10.Nb4 Bxd4 11.Nd5 Kd8. White can try for something with 12.Bg5+ and 13.c3.

Instead, the twin games Hultgren - Harrow, SVE cup, Campbell, CA, 1960 and Blackstone - Dommeyer, skittles, Campbell, CA 1960 continued in a more Jerome-like manner after 5...Ke8 with 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Nf4+ Kd8 10.d3 d6 11.Rf1 Qd4+ 12.Be3 Qf6 13.c3 Black resigned. Black missed the stronger defense starting with 8...Nf6, when White seems just about to get things together at several points, but never does: 9.Qh4 Rg8 10.Rf1 Rxg6 11.Kg1 d5 12.d3 dxe4 13.Bg5 Qd4+ 14.Kh1 Ng4 15.Nc3 e3 16.Rae1Nf2+ 18.Kg1 Nh3+ 19.gxh3 Qg7 20.Qh5 h6 21.Rxe3 Kd7 22.Ne4 Rxg5+ 23.Nxg5 hxg5 24.Rf1 Rh8 25.Qe2 Qh7 26.Re1 Nd4 27.Qf1 Bxh3 28.Qf6 Nc6 29.Rg3 Kc8 30.Rxg5 Bd7 31.Re2 - interesting enough that I could go on another 20 moves, but you get the idea.    

The second alternative, 5...Ke7, is insufficient and can be dispatched in typical Jerome Gambit manner after 6.Qh5, as we recently saw in NN - Pokimane-bot, Chess.com, 2022 (1-0, 21).

The last of these "others", 5...Kf8, is a respected defense going back to Jerome - Brownson, Iowa 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29). An early look on this blog, "Critical Line: 5...Kf8 (1, 2, 3 and Revisited), remains relevant today.

By the way, the thematic and optimistic Banks Variation, 5...Kf8 6.Qh5, (see "Jerome Gambit and Vlad Tepes..." and "Jerome Gambit, Vlad Tepes... and Garlic!") is tempting, but Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's 6.Nxc6 is best.

5...Nxe5This is the fourth Critical Position.

White follows up with 6.Qh5+ (scoring 58%) about four times as often as he plays 6.d4 (scoring 56%).

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit for Dummies 2.0 (Part 3)

                                            

[continued from the previous post]

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

It is worth starting off with a quote from the post"The Spectre of the Jerome Gambit (Part 1)"

For most club players, it is easier to attack than defend; and that works in the Jerome Gambit's favor, as its whole idea is attack. 

The essence of a gambit is that White (in this case) gives up material for something. We refer to the Jerome Gambit, not the Jerome Blunder (although some might prefer that name, and the editor of the American Chess Journal referred to it in 1877 as "Jerome's Absurdity"). The defender struggles to make sense out of an opening that isn't familiar - but White wouldn't sacrifice pieces for nothing, would he? 

Also, most club players have been exposed to "Checkmate in X moves" problems, but they have rarely faced "Black to move and escape the mating net" challenges. They learn how to attack, but they also learn that a King out in the open is one that will perish. 

So, being attacked can be unsettling, and for a club player it may very well lead to a distracted or diminished mental state. 

All of which addresses the point that sometimes the Jerome Gambit wins when it "objectively" shouldn't. 

Although 98% of the time (according to The Database) Black captures the Bishop, the move is not forced. It is simply a choice for the second player between having an "objectively" winning game with 4...Kxf7 and having the worse position after 4...Kf8 or 4...Ke7.

Jerome Gambit Declined

Jerome Gambit Declined

Yet a few defenders will adopt the sly attitude If he wants me to take the Bishop, then I won't take it.

There is some "psychology" in this, too: the Jerome Gambiteer suddenly finds himself "stuck" with a calm, but "objectively" better game than had been expected a move before. This change of fortune can take some getting used to.

For this reason, even though it is an unlikely event, for peace of mind White might want to prepare a response to the Jerome Gambit Declined.

In the first place, White can feel reassured when facing the Gambit Declined. The Database has 471 games with 4...Kf8 with White scoring 61%; and 59 games with 4...Ke7 with White scoring 70%. Stockfish 14.1 (30 ply) rates White about 3 pawns better in the first case, and about 4 pawns better in the second.

White can respond to the Jerome Gambit Declined with the simple 5.Bb3, knowing that he has invested a couple of tempos to obtain a pawn and prevent Black from castling. (Also possible are 5.Bc4 and 5.Bd5.) The Database shows White with 5.Bb3 scoring 66% against 4...Kf8 and 100% against 4...Ke7.

White can part with his Bishop, instead, with 5.Bxg8, scoring 63% against 4...Kf8 and 91% against 4...Ke7. (Personally, I like to keep the Bishop.)

Some players seeking greater complications have left the Bishop in place and tried 5.Nxe5, apparently hoping to continue along orthodox Jerome Gambit lines, gaining a tempo when Black finally plays ...Kxf7. White has been successful with 5.Nxe5 over-the-board (The Database has 68 games, White scores 60%) even though the computer frowns upon the move, seeing Black about 1 3/4 pawns better. (It must be noted that the tries 4...Kf8/4...Ke7 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.Qh5 d6 and 4...Kf8/4...Ke7 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4 Nxf7 are not very encouraging for White.)

Of course, there is also the rare 5.Qe2 with the idea of Qc4+ to then capture the enemy Bishop at c5, and 5.b4, to transpose to a sort of Evans Jerome Gambit declined. Although each line leads to an advantage for White, it is not necessary to be this creative.

4...Kxf7

Jerome Gambit Accepted

We finally arrive at the second Critical Position.

The "classical" Jerome Gambit continues with 5.Nxe5 (about 60% of the games in my database that start 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7) while "modern" Jerome Gambits (not played by Jerome and his contemporaries, mostly internet games) continue with alternatives such as 5.Nc3, 5.d3, or 5.0-0. 

Thirteen years ago, in "Jerome Gambit for Dummies (2)" I wrote

For the record, after a very long think (over 12 hours) Deep Rybka 3.0 Aquarium assesses Black as being 1.91 pawns better after 5.Nxe5+ as well as after 5.Nc3. It sees White being only 1.72 pawns worse after 5.d3 or 5.0-0.

One fifth of a pawn doesn't seem like a lot to me, and I still prefer the complications of 5.Nxe5+. Jerome Gambiteers who feel they can knuckle down and simply outplay their opponents with the "modern" variations are free to disagree with me.

Computer chess engines have improved mightily since 2009, and now Stockfish 14.1 (30 ply) rates 5.Nxe5+ as a little more than 4 pawns better for Black, as opposed to 5.Nc3 (about 5 3/4 pawns better for Black) 5.d3 (a bit more than 6 pawns better for Black) and 5.0-0 (about 4 3/4 pawns better for Black).

So, today the computer says Play 5.Nxe5+, but If you don't want to sacrifice a second piece, play 5.0-0.

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit for Dummies 2.0 (Part 2)

                               

[continued from the previous post]

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

The Jerome Gambit

This is the first Critical Position in what is generally referred to as the Jerome Gambit. (There are variations, which will be noted below.)

The Database has 22,156 games with this position. White scores 50%. This number has been creeping upwards over the years. 

Looking back, 12 years ago, according to "Opening Reports on the New Year's Database", this position scored 44% for White.

Improving, 4 years ago, according to "The Database Upgrade", this position scored 46%.

Why the increase?

There is always the possibility of "sampling bias" - that Readers of this blog send me their wins, but not their losses, so that success is over-represented. Likewise, that published wins uncovered by my research are more likely than published loses.

I have worked to overcome this bias by including all 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ games (wins, losses and draws) from the FICS database, from 1991 through November 2021, to give a representative (i.e. of online club play) selection. To be fair, over time the portion of The Database that is FICS-derived has dropped from about 95% (see "What Exactly is 'The Database' ?") to a current 56% - primarily due to an influx of games from lichess.org (Thank you, Dan Middlemiss!) although, again, they seem balanced between wins, losses and draws.

It is also possible that Jerome Gambit players, over time, have gotten better, and that is reflected in the improved scoring. Or it could be that increased interest has attracted stronger players, who, in turn, have been more successful with the Jerome.

Before moving on, I want to make a couple of comparisons. If you look at the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit

The Database has 2,969 games with this position, with White scoring only 39%. This is comparable to 38%, 4 years ago. This difference in results from the main line Jerome Gambit (39% vs 50%) occurs even though Stockfish 14.1 sees Black's position in the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit as only a little more than a half-pawn better (at 30 ply depth) than in the regular Jerome Gambit.

Perhaps this is why, of late, I have been seeing more Jerome-like Bishop sacrifices against the Two Knights Defense, i.e. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Bxf7+, not waiting for the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit to develop. The Database is not representative, here, but notably has 735 game examples, with White scoring 46%.

Clearly, I need to do more resarch on the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

Finally, The Database has 447 Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit games, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.Nc3/0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+. 

Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit

Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit

 White scores 51% with 4.Nc3, and 62% with 4.0-0. That is a significant difference, even though Stockfish 14.1 (at 30 ply) sees 4.0-0 as less than a 1/2 pawn better.

(It is likely coincidental that in the two examples given, above, an increase of 1/2 pawn in Stockfish's evaluation is accompanied by a roughly 10% in scoring results.)

[to be continued]