Saturday, January 21, 2023

UltraCorr 2023



 ICCF Senior International Master Tim Harding has been mentioned on this blog a number of times.

Past columnist ("The Kibitzer") for the ChessCafe website, and later, WorldChess, he is known for his devotion to correspondence chess, including editing and publishing 82 issues of "Chess Mail" magazine.

He has also written a large number of chess books:

  • Steinitz in London
  • British Chess Literature to 1914: A Handbook for Historians
  • Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography 
  • Eminent Victorian Chess Players: Ten Biographies
  • Correspondence Chess in Britain and Ireland, 1824-1987 
  • The Write Move 
  • 50 Golden Chess Games 
  • Red Letters with CC-GM Sergey Grodzensky
  • 64 Great Chess Games 
  • Startling Correspondence Chess Miniatures
  • Why You Lose At Chess 
  • Four Gambits To Beat The French (Chess Digest, 1998).
  • Chess Openings for the Average Player 
  • Play The Evans Gambit 
  • Winning at Correspondence Chess 
  • Better Chess For Average Players 
  • Evans Gambit and a System v Two Knights Defense, Revised 2nd Ed 
  • The Fighting Fajarowicz 
  • The Classical French 
  • Dynamic White Openings and Dynamic Black Defenses 
  • The Games of the World Correspondence Championships I-X 
  • Openings for the Club Player 
  • Irregular Openings for the 1990's
  • The New Chess Computer Book 
  • Ponziani Opening 
  • Philidor's Defense, A Reappraisal 
  • Why You Lose At Chess 
  • Nimzowitsch Defence 
  • The Chess Computer Book 
  • Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Slav 
  • The Games of the World Correspondence Championships I-VII (1979).
  • French: MacCutcheon and Advance Lines
  • French: Classical Lines 
  • Colle, London and Blackmar-Diemer Systems
  • Spanish (Ruy Lopez): Marshall 
  • The Italian Game
  • The Leningrad Dutch 
  • The Batsford Guide To Chess Openings 
  • Sicilian: …e5 
  • Vienna Opening 
  • The Sicilian Richter-Rauzer
  • The Sicilian Sozin 
  • The Marshall Attack 
  • Counter Gambits
  • Bishop's Opening 
Dr. Harding's UltraCorr 2023 correspondence database has just been released. As he notes, it
is the only CC database edited by an acknowledged expert in chess history and correspondence chess...

The UltraCorr2023 database has over 2,452,000 games, about 100,000 more than last time [i.e. earlier edition], which are mostly games completed in 2022 but also include the fruits of more historical research. As usual, a considerable amount of work has been done to improve the player and event metadata and make it consistent for players who are active on more than one of the main CC platforms... 

UltraCorr2023 is a ChessBase-format database which has been created using ChessBase16 to guarantee backwards compatibility for people using earlier versions (back as far as CB10 at least and probably to CB8) and other programs such as Fritz which use the same file format.

Moreover we have checked that the database opens and functions in the recently released ChessBase 17 program. 

Correspondence games are often neglected by chess game databases (or under-reported, as is the case with the ChessBase correspondence CD, which doesn't quite compare). They are a great source of innovative moves and lines of play to sharpen and improve your play.

You can even find Jerome Gambit games in UltraCorr2023. 

Friday, January 20, 2023

Jerome Gambit: Brilliant and Brutal



The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) always holds the possibility of a brutal attack.

The following game - a dozen moves - is a brilliant example. White gives and gives - and then gets the win.


Selrah - Gwaeren

5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 


4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6


Black declines the second piece. The earliest example I have of 5...Ke6 is an internet game from 2002, which clearly shows the limits of The Database - there has to be more out there.

On the other hand, the alternative 5...Kf8 is as old as Jerome's analysis in the Dubuque Chess Journal of April 1874, endorsed by Lt. Sorensen in his 1877 article on the Jerome Gambit in Nordisk Skaktidende and illustrated by the game Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1/2 - 1/2, 29).

For some significant background on this position, see "Jerome Gambit: The Way It Is" and "Jerome Gambit: More Concrete".

6.Qg4+ 

The right, aggressive response.

6...Kxe5 

This capture is risky, but the alternatives are far worse.

7.d4+ 

Another sacrifice.

7...Bxd4 8.Bf4+ Kxe4 


What does White have for his two pieces?

A forced checkmate.

Yes, he can also now win Black's Queen with 9.Bxc7+ followed by 10.Bxd8, but he is hunting bigger game.

9.c4 

A quiet move that helps weave the mating net.

9...Qf8 10.Nd2+ Kd3 11.Qe2+ Kc2 12.Nf3 checkmate 


Very, very nice.


Thursday, January 19, 2023

Jerome Gambit: Deadly Pin

The following game shows a deadly pin on Black's Knight at f6. It seems almost an afterthought that Black's King is hounded across the board and checkmated on the Queenside.

Once again, blitz time control, Jerome Gambit.

oaitseziom - Uzeir_Bajrami

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 Qf6 8.Rf1 g6 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.fxe5 Qxe5 11.d3 


Black's King has remained safe, despite the excitement, and his Queen and Bishop dominate the dark squared.

It is surprising that out of 27 games in The Database, the second player has only scored 52% from this position.

Attribute that to blitz play - and the Jerome Gambit.

11...g5 

This is what I mean. Earlier, oaitseziom faced the stronger 11...d5 (8 - 8 in The Database), but still prevailed: 12.Bg5+ Ke8 13.Qf3 Qxg5 14.Qf7+ Kd8 15.Nc3 Bg4 16.Nxd5 Ne7 17.h3 Nxd5 18.Qxd5+ Qxd5 19.exd5 Re8+ 20.Kd2 Be3+ 21.Kc3 Bd7 22.Kb3 c6 23.Rf7 cxd5 24.Rxh7 d4 25.Rf1 Rc8 26.Rf6 Bg5 27.Rxg6 Bf5 28. Rd6+ Black resigned, oaitseziom - konstartyom, lichess.org, 2021

He was not as successful against the less powerful (but still good for Black) 11...Nf6, e.g. 12.Qh4 d5 13. Nc3 dxe4 14. Nxe4 Bf5 15. Kd1 Bxe4 16. dxe4 Rad8+ 17. Bd2 Be3 18.Rxf6 Qxf6 White resigned, oaitseziom - Theorist1234, lichess.org, 2021

The text move appears designed to prevent 12.Bf4, challenging the Black Queen, but it has a few flaws. Once again: blitz time control, Jerome Gambit.

12.Qh5 

Increasing pressure on the enemy King. White is better now.

A bit more intense would have been 12.Rf5.

12...Nf6 

At this point the pawn at g5 must have felt abandoned.

13.Bxg5 Rf8 

The pin at f6 is bound to bring pain.

14.Nc3 Bb4 15.Kd2 


Getting out of the way of the other Rook.

Capturing with check was and is still on the table: 15.Bxf6+ Qxf6 16.Rxf6 Rxf6

15...Kd8 16.Rf5 

According to plan. Also, see the note above.

16...Qe7 17.Qh4 c6 18.Raf1 

The poor Knight.

18...Kc7 19.Bxf6 Qe6 20.Be5+ Kb6 21.a3 Rxf5 


Abandoning the 8th rank means that White now technically has a mate in 14 moves - 22.Qd8+ Ka6 23.axb4 Qh6+ 24.Bf4 Qxf4+ 25.Rxf4 Rg5 26.Qc7 Rxg2+ 27.Ke3 Rg5 28.Rf1 b6 29.b5+ Rxb5 30.Nxb5 Kxb5 31.c4+ Ka4 32.Qd6 c5 33.Qf6 b5 34.Ra1+ Kb4 35.Qc3# - but the game will not last that long. 

22.Rxf5 Be7 23.Qf2+ Ka6 24.Bc7 d6 25.Ra5 checkmate




Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Jerome Gambit: A Mess, But A Good Mess


Success with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) often requires the ability to make one's way through the mess on the board.

When the mess favors you, it is time to embrace it.

 

pablosko - Jean-neige

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 d6 


Black has to return a piece. This is how he chooses to do so.

7.dxe5 

Better was to grab the often annoying Bishop with 7.dxc5. 

7...Bxf2+ 

Black give up the Bishop to complicate things and make a mess. 

There was nothing wrong with the straightforward 7...Qh4 8.O-O Qxe4 keeping him better.

8.Kxf2 Qh4+ 9.Ke3 

The King is bold.

pablosko later played the stronger 9.g3 but the game did not go well. Qxe4 10.exd6 Bg4 11.Qd3 Qxh1 12.Qc4+ Be6 13.Qf4+ Nf6 14.Nc3 Qxh2+ 15.Kf3 Bg4+ 16.Ke3 Rhe8+ 17.Kd3 Rad8 18.Qc4+ Be6 19.Qxc7+ Rd7 20.Qc5 Red8 21.Bf4 h6 22.Ne4 Nxe4 23.Kxe4 Qe2+ 24.Kd4 Qf2+ 25.Be3 Qf6+ 26.Kd3 Rxd6+ 27.Ke2 Bg4+ 28.Ke1 Rd1+ 29.Rxd1 Rxd1 checkmate, pablosko - Jean-neige, lichess.org, 2023

9...Bg4 10.Qd5+ Ke7 

In a 3-minute blitz game, it might not be clear that advancing with 10...Kg6 was stronger.

Now things shift violently in White's favor. 

11.exd6+ cxd6 12.Qxb7+ Ke6 13.Qxa8 Qg5+ 14.Kd3 Qb5+ 15.c4 Qh5 16.Bf4 Be2+ 17.Ke3 Nf6 


Developing another piece costs another piece.

18.Qxh8 Nxe4 19.Qc8+ Kf6 20.Qd8+ Kg6 21.Qe8+ Black resigned


The Knight at e4 will fall.

The position is a mess, but it is a mess that White can win with.



Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Jerome Gambit: Gift Horses


There is the old saying "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth".

That doesn't always apply well to sacrifices in chess, especially those in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

Black can accept the sacrifice of a Bishop, and then Knight - if he knows what he is doing.

Likewise, White can survive the return of some of that material - in fact, he should. Being skeptical can leave him short-handed.

Unless it doesn't...

Consider the following blitz game.


Cruse1 - EfeKoralay

3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+


See "Jerome Gambit: LPDO Lesson"
This is known as the "Counter-Jerome Defense" or the "Counter-Jerome Gambit". It is one part psychology - If you are going to sacrifice a piece to disturb my King, then I am going to sacrifice a piece to disturb your King - and one part side-step from the main lines of the Jerome; for the price of a pawn, Black exchanges Queens and turns White's hopes of a smashing, crashing attack into a tedious task.

8.Kd1

White refuses the return gift, but this is a mistake - see "Jerome Gambit: Secret No More" and "Jerome Gambit: Wild".

The Database has 15 games with 8.Kd1, with White scoring 7 - 8, which is surprising and optimistic, as Stockfish 15 rates Black as more than a Rook better.

After the alternative 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qxf6 Nxf6 10.Rf1!? Nxe4 11.Kg1+ White will maintain the initiative and have a better game.

8...Qf6 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 


The Queens have been swapped, White's King has been displaced, and Black has a lead in development and an extra piece for White's extra pawn. It is not surprising to find 370 games with the Counter-Jerome in The Database. 

10.e5 d6 

This is an offer of a gift horse that White should have examined more closely.  

11.exf6 Bg4 checkmate


Ow.

This game is another stark warning, like the recent "Jerome Gambit: I Should Have Stood In Bed", that White cannot play on automatic pilot.

It serves as a ripost to the notion that if White mis-plays the attack, he loses the initiative, while if Black mis-plays the defense, he loses the game. Keep in mind the mythical book All or Nothing! The Jerome Gambit by Chaim Schmendrik

Monday, January 16, 2023

Lose Never with a Strong Deferred Jerome Gambit! (Part 3)



 Lose Never with a Strong Deferred Jerome Gambit! (Part 3)   

  

(by Yury V. Bukayev) 

 

 

The Part 3 of this my analytical investigation is also about strong deferred Jerome gambit which is important for modern opening theory and for serious practice and which is a part of the Jerome gambit (JG), not relative gambit for it. 

 

At first let’s repeat the following thoughts from the Part 2 (September 22, 2022) of this my research: It shouldn’t mix related (relative) lines for an opening with its deferred ones. Let’s consider the Queen’s gambit. For example, 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 is one of deferred types of the Queen’s gambit (we may name it as ‘Nf3Nf6-Queen’s gambit deferred’), 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 is the other deferred type of the Queen’s gambit (we may name it as ‘Nf3e6-Queen’s gambit deferred’) etc. Often we unite them with the “standard line” 1.d4 d5 2.c4 and name each of them as ‘the Queen’s gambit’. In contrast with them, the Catalan opening (for example) is an opening which is related to the Queen’s gambit. We never unite it with the Queen’s gambit, because the plan with Bxc4 after …dxc4 is impossible in the Catalan opening.  

 

Let’s consider the Jerome gambit twice accepted (JGTA) analogously. In the Part 2 of this my research I have written about it: Its “standard line” is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5, and after 6.Qh5+! or 6.d4 (it’s much less strong move) White gets a sharp play, you know the modern theory of August 2022 from my publications on Rick Kennedy’s blog. If 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 is played after 4.Nc3 (or 4.d3, or 4.0-0, or 4.c3, or any other “calm” move) 4…a6 (or 4…h6, or certain other moves: 4…a5, 4…b5, 4…Rb8), then the same White’s plans to return a part of gambit material (7.Qh5+ and 7.d4) get no additional obstacles here in comparison with the standard line. That is why 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 a6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 and other above lines are deferred lines of JGTA. Analogously, we may unite them with the standard line of JGTA and name each of them as ‘JGTA. In contrast with them, if Black plays 4…Nf6 (or 4…d6, or any other move which we don’t see above), then 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 forms only a related line for JGTA, so we may not unite it with JGTA. 

 

But recently I have made a revision of this my view. Thus, if Black plays 4…Nf6, but then White makes his next “calm” move and Black makes the move 5…Nxe4 or another King’s Knight move (excluding 5…Ng4, 5…N[x]d5), then 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 form also deferred lines of JGTA. Analogously, we may unite them with the standard line of JGTA and name each of them as ‘JGTA’. 

 

Finally, a deferred line of JG is each deferred line of JGTA where the move n.Bxf7+ is made and where the further sequence of moves n…Kxf7 (n+1).Nxe5+ Nxe5 is made or can be made. For example, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 (4.0-0) 4…Nf6 5.0-0 (5.c3) 5…Nxe4! 6.Bxf7+AN is one of deferred lines of JG. Thus, after 6…Kxf7 7.Nxe5 (7.d4!?, 7.Qb3+!?) 7…Nxe5!? White can play 8.d4, 8.Qh5+, 8.Qb3+, for example: 8.Qh5+ Ng6!? 9.Qd5+ with 10.Qxe4. If you want to get it as White, then your opponent can’t prevent it. But this gambit’s force doesn’t let me say: “Lose never with it”  

 

Is it possible to get a deferred line of JG where Black and White make no bad moves in the whole game, where the moves n.Bxf7+ and “n…Kf8” can’t lose certainly, where an interest for important modern opening theory and for serious practice is VERY large? I have invented such new gambit, let’s consider it. 

 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 (4.0-0) 4…Nf6 5.0-0 (5.c3) 5…Nxe4! 6.b4 AN Nxf2!? 7.Bxf7+!?. First of all, I should say that, it maybe (it depends on analysis), 6…Nxf2 is a gambit (and certainly 5.0-0 is a gambit, but it plays no role here), so 7.Bxf7+ is a counter-gambit in this case, but we know that the term “gambit” includes also counter-gambits, in fact. Further, I don’t like 5.0-0, but I think, this move is enough playable. Further, I should say that 6…d5!! also leads to a complicated fight, and it will be quite difficult for Black to choose his 6th move in practice.  

 

After 6…Nxf2!? the move 7.Bxf7+!? is White’s natural choice. Let’s consider alternatives in brief: 

 

I)7.Qb3 Nh3+! 8.Kh1 Nf2+ 9.Kg1 [9.Rxf2? Bxf2 10.Bxf7+ Kf8, and Black has a winning advantage] 9…Nh3+, ½ - ½  

 

II)7.Qe2 Nh3+! 8.Kh1 Nf2+ 9.Rxf2 [9.Kg1 Nh3+] 9…Bxf2 10.Qxf2 Qf6 with a complicated fight  

 

III)7.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 e4!? 9.Qe2 [9.Ne1 d5!, and Black stands slightly better; 9…Qf6+ 10.Kg1 Nxb4? 11.cxb4! Qxa1 12.Nc3! d5! 13.Nc2!?, and White has a large advantage]  

 

A)9…Qe7 10.Ne1, and Black stands slightly better 

 

B)9…d5! 10.Bb5 0-0! 11.Ne1 Qf6+! 12.Kg1 Nxb4. Black has a very large advantage and one extra pawn again.  

 

Let’s consider 7.Bxf7+ now: 

 

IV)7.Bxf7+ 

 

A)7…Kxf7 8.Qb3+ [Thus, opponents can play 8.Nxe5+ Nxe5, but White plays much stronger instead. Do we have the Jerome pseudogambit? Let’s answer this question after looking at the following continuation.] 8Ke8 9.bxc5 (9.d4!?, so White can regain a piece not only by the direct way) Ng4 [or 9…Ne4] with a very sharp fight, where White attacks and has enough large compensation for the material in both cases. Thus, do we have the Jerome pseudogambit? If we start to look since 7.Bxf7+ only, then yes. If we start to look since 5.0-0 and consider 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.b4 Nxf2 7.Bxf7+ as the whole system, then we may consider it as the true gambit – the (‘complex’) Jerome gambit. We can name it as ‘the Great complex Jerome gambit, 7…Kxf7 – accepted gambit, 7…Kf8 and 7…Ke7 – declined gambit.     

 

B)7…Kf8! [It’s a very strong Jerome gambit declined, we can name it also as ‘the War’s Stop Great variation’ according to the result in the point “B2” below.]  

 

B1)8.Qb3 Nh3+ [8…Bb6!?], and White can’t win 

 

B2)8.Qe2! [8.Rxf2?? Bxf2+, and Black wins] 8…Nh3+! 9.Kh1 Nf2+ 10.Kg1 Nh3+, ½ - ½  

 

Once again, the Jerome gambit (JG) isn’t 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ only, it is also a large family of deferred gambits which are the parts of JG. And its above new part is, probably, the JG which is the most important for practice: the probability of Black’s move 6…Nxf2 in practice is enough high.  

 

Thus, this research is a start of the new era of JG and of JG declined in chess opening theory and practice! 

  

 

Note: Author’s theoretical novelties-moves are marked by the symbol “AN”. 

 

 

Contact the author:  istinayubukayev@yandex.ru  

 

 

© 2023 Yury V. Bukayev (Copyright © Bukayev Yury Vyacheslavovich 2023). All rights reserved.  

[A legal using of this investigation with a reference to it is permitted  

and doesn’t require author’s consent.]