Stockfish 15 vs Magnus Carlsen?

Readers of this blog are familiar with Yury V. Bukayev. Recall his most recent post, "JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 14)".

Recently, Yury sent me a link to a fascinating video featuring an animated impression of Stockfish. (See "Stockfish 15 introduces himself"). 

The video, "Stockfish 15.1 (4k Elo) Sacrificed his Bishop Against Magnus Carlsen | Magnus chess | Online Chess" starts with Stockfish asking "Chess friends do you ever sacrifice your bishop for no reason?"

There follows a game - unfortunately not a Jerome Gambit - with the following information 

    Game: Bishop Sacrifice For no Reason

    White: Stockfish 15.1

    Black: Magnus Carlsen

    White Elo: "4023"

    Black Elo: "2864"

    Time: 15/3

    Opening Name: B07 Pirc Defense, Botez Gamebit Bishop                Sacrifice

    Date: 26.12.2022

This header is funny.

(By the way, some have suggested that the Jerome Gambit, itself, features piece sacrifices "For no Reasons".)

I am not the first person to speculate that the "Magnus Carlsen" in the game might have been a chess bot, not the real live chess champion.

The game began 1.e4 d6 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Bxf7+ which is what caught Yury's eye.

If "Gamebit" is a mis-spelling of "Gambit", then the reference to the Botez Gambit is understandable. Recall the blog post here from earlier this year, "The Jerome-Botez Gambit".

The game?

1.e4 d6 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.d4 c5 5.Nc3 cxd4 6.Qxd4 Nc6 7.Qd3 Ne5 8.Qe2 Qb6 9.a4 Qb4 10.a5 Bg4 11.f3 Bd7 12.f4 Nc4 13.a6 b6 14.Qd3 Bc6 15.Nf3 Nxe4 16.Nd4 Nxb2 17.Bxb2 Qxb2 18.Nxe4 Qxa1+ 19.Kf2 Qa4 20.Nc3 Qb4 21.Nxc6 Qxf4+ 22.Ke1 Qc1+ 23.Nd1 Qg5 24.Rf1+ Ke8 25.Qe4 g6 26.h4 Qc5 27.Ne3 Kd7 28.Nd4 Qa5+ 29.Kf2 Rc8 30.Nd5 Qxa6 31.Qe6+ Kd8 32.Kg1 Rc5 33.Rxf8+ Rxf8 34.Qxe7+ Kc8 35.Qxf8+ Kb7 36.Qe7+ Ka8 37.Nc7+ Rxc7 38.Qxc7 Qb7 39.Qd8+ Qb8 40.Qd7 Qb7 41.Qd8+ Qb8 42.Qd7 Qb7 43.Qe8+ Qb8 44.Qf7 Qc8 45.Qd5+ Qb7 46.Qg8+ Qb8 47.Qd5+ Qb7 48.Nc6 Qc7 49.Nb4+ Qb7 50.Qg8+ Qb8 51.Qd5+ Qb7 52.Qxd6 a5 53.Nd5 Ka7 54.c4 Qb8 55.Qf6 a4 56.Qe7+ Qb7 57.Qd6 h6 58.Kf2 Ka8 59.Ke3 Ka7 60.Kd2 g5 61.h5 g4 62.Ke3 Qb8 63.Qd7+ Qb7 64.Qxa4+ Kb8 65.Qb5 g3 66.Nxb6 Ka7 67.Nd5 Qxb5 68.cxb5 Kb7 69.Kf4 Kc8 70.Kf5 Kd7 71.Kg6 Kd6 72.b6 Kxd5 73.b7 Ke5 74.b8=Q+ Ke6 75.Kxh6 Kf5 76.Kg7 Ke4 77.h6 Ke3 78.Qxg3+ Kd4 79.h7 Kc4 80.h8=Q Kb5 81.Kg6 Kb4 82.Qgc3+ Kb5 83.Qb8+ Ka6 84.Qa1#

Apparently Magnus Carlsen wanted to "avenge" that loss as a few days later there came the video "Stockfish 15.1 (4K Elo) Sacrificed His Bishop in the Opening | Stockfish vs Magnus | Fide magnus" but with no vindication, alas (Stockfish as White)

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bh6 gxh6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Qd2 Bg7 5.O-O-O Ne4 6.Nxe4 dxe4 7.e3 O-O 8.Ne2 c5 9.f3 cxd4 10.exd4 exf3 11.Ng3 Nc6 12.c3 Bg4 13.h3 fxg2 14.Qxg2 Qa5 15.hxg4 Qxa2 16.Nf5 Rfc8 17.Qe4 Bf6 18.Bd3 Kf8 19.Bb1 Qa4 20.Rxh6 Na5 21.Kd2 Nc4+ 22.Ke2 Rc7 23.Rxh7 e6 24.g5 Nxb2 25.Rdh1 Qa6+ 26.Bd3 exf5 27. gxf6 Qxf6 28.Rh8+ Qxh8 29.Rxh8+ Kg7 30.Qe5+ f6 31.Qxc7+ Kxh8 32.Bxf5 Re8+ 33.Kf1 Kg8 34.Bg6 Re1+ 35.Kxe1 Nd3+ 36.Kd2 Ne5 37.dxe5 fxe5 38.Qf7+ Kh8 39.Qh7# 

Hmmm... The "world champion" being thrashed, twice.

Hard to explain.

Although HAL 9000 (from "2001:A Space Odyssey") might have commented that "It can only be attributable to human error."

Jerome Gambit: Festina Lente

 Festina Lente. Make haste, slowly.

In the following game, first Black, then White, seems to turn placid in choice of moves. In gambit play, this can frustrate an attack, or work against a defense.

In the following game, it leads to a forced series of exchanges and the explosiveness of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is defused.

selim_han - Sharonluver

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.Nc3 a6 

At first glance it seems odd that Black would "waste" a move like this in the middle of defending against an attack, but the move does prevent Nb5+, and even provides a place of safety for his King, if need be, at a7.

Of the 23 games in The Database with this position, Black has won 15.

9.O-O  

Apparently White is not in a hurry, either. He might have tried the more challnging 9.f4 instead.

 9...Nh6 10.Qf4 

The first player leaves himself open to a series of exchanges that dissolve his attack and provide the defender with a strong endgame.

10...Rf8

At this point White left the game, which is tandamount to resigning.

There are many possible explanations - including intrusion by the outside-the-game "real world" - but perhaps he looked at this likely line of  play, and decided he could better spend his energies elsewhere: 11.Qg3 Rxf2 12.Rxf2 Nhg4 13.Nd1 Qf6 14.b3 (or 14.d3) Nxf2 15.Nxf2 Qxf2+ 16.Qxf2 Nxf2 17.Kxf2 Ke6 and Black's extra piece outweighs White's extra pawn.

Jerome Gambit: Chaos

The Jerome Gambit is a strange opening. It is chaotic enough that players who have positions that are advantageous, lose. This is one reason that bullet or blitz players are drawn to it.

Check out the following game. 

Foxterie - TainoGood

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nd3+

I like this quirky move. Stockfish 15 does, too, seeing Black as almost 4 pawns better. Still, The Database has 25 games with this move, with White scoring 64%.

As I wrote in "Jerome Gambit: It Takes More Than A Move"

Creative and cool.

Anyone who has read Aron Nimzowitsch's The Blockade will recognize the idea behind this move.

Something similar is equally deadly for Black, when the d-pawn is blocked, which in turn blocks the Bishop, which then keeps the Rook from entering the game. 

I have looked at this move before, in "Brilliant, but Not Sound" and "Jerome Gambit: The Hurrieder I Go, The Behinder I Get", where you will see Petasluk mentioned as well.

8.cxd3 Be7 

Black turns conservative, withdrawing his attacked Bishop. Instead, he needed to continue to play actively, with 8...d5.

9.Qf5+  Kd6 10.Qd5 checkmate

1874

* 1874*

1874 was an interesting year.

From Wikipedia

New York City annexed The Bronx.

Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.

The Universal Postal Union was established.

The Philadelphia Zoo opened, the first public zoo in the United States.

The New York Zoo hoax, a supposed breakout of animals from the Central Park Zoo, was perpetrated on the public.

The Sholes and Glidden typewriter, with cylindrical platen and QWERTY keyboard, was first marketed in the United States.

The Chicago Fire of 1874 burned down 47 acres of the city, destroying 812 buildings, killing 20 people.

Mathew Evans and Henry Woodward patent the first incandescent lamp, with an electric light bulb.

And, of course

The Dubuque Chess Journal published "New Chess Opening" Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's "analyses of a new move in the Giuoco Piano, first played by him, which we offer our readers as: Jerome's Double Opening" - later known as the Jerome Gambit

JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 14)

 JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 14)   

  

(by Yury V. Bukayev) 

 

 

As a further development of my recent Part 13 and my Part 11 (the post of August 16, 2022 on Rick Kennedy’s blog), this continuation of my theoretical research on the standard line of the Jerome gambit (JG) is about position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qh3+! Ke7 8.Qc3 Bd6!?.  

 

At first let’s consider my new systems where White attacks without making of an early f2-f4. Thus, after 9.d4! Nc6! 10.0-0! Ke8!? White can avoid 11.f4 effectively: 

 

I) 11.e5 AN Bb4!? 12.Qg3!? (12.Qc4? d5 13.exd6 Bxd6!?, and Black has a winning advantage) with the attack. For example: 12…Bf8 13.d5 Nb8 (we’ll name it as ‘Go-home-from-Jerome first variation’ due to a beautiful Black’s position) 14.d6! (with the threat 15.Bg5) etc. 

 

II) 11.d5 AN Be5!? (11…Qf6 12.Qb3!? is also possible, although Black has some problems here. After 12…Ne5 13.f4!? Qe7 14.fxe5 Bxe5! 15.Qf3!? White can attack too.) 12.Qc4 (We’ll consider some other opportunities further.) 12…Nce7!? 13.f4! Ng6! 14.fxe5 Nxe5 15.Qe2 d6!, and here White can attack, but Black’s problems are less than in the variation 11.f4 Bf8. 

 

 

And what happens when Black defends after 11.f4 actively? 

 

III) 11.f4 Bb4!? AN  

 

A)12.Qc4?! Qe7 13.c3 Qxe4!, and Black has a winning advantage. 

 

B)12.Qd3 d5 13.e5 (13.c3 dxe4 14.Qxe4+ Be7, and Black wins) 13…g6 14.c3, and the fight continues, although Black’s problems are much less than after 11…Bf8. 

 

C)12.Qe3! with the attack. 

 

 

Finally, let’s return to our familiar variation 11.f4 Bf8. Thus, after 12.e5!? (the best move is 12.d5! – Part 13) 12…Qe7!? 13.Be3!? (it isn’t the strongest move) 13…Qb4 14.Qd3! Qxb2 AN 15.Nd2 Nb4 16.Qe2 Nxc2?! (we’ll consider 16…Qxc2, 16…Nd5 etc. further) 17.Nc4! (17.Ne4 Qa3!, and Black wins), and White attacks. 

 

 

 Of course, ‘the Fantastic Star Jerome Gambit Deferred’ and ‘the Triumphant Jerome Gambit Deferred’ (these are my most strong deferred lines of JG, real parts of JG, they were invented and published in 2022 in my analytical research ‘Lose Never with a Strong Deferred Jerome Gambit (Part 2)’) will be much more attractive for a lot of experts of the modern chess opening theory than the standard line of JG.