Chess.com Awards

 

It is the time of the year when the Chess.com website asks their readers to vote on their Awards - for 

Player of the Year

Woman Player of the Year

Creator of the Year

Game of the Year

Move of the Year

Rising Star of the year

ChessKid of the Year

Commentator of the  Year

Event of the Year

Member of the Year

Book of the Year

Chessable Course of the Year

You might (or might not) consider the Jerome Gambit's "4.Bxf7+" to be the Move of the Year, but you certainly could consider this blog when you look at Creator of the Year.

Just sayin'. 

Write in.

Jerome Gambit: Antonio-bot (Part 3)

 

                                               [continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - Antonio-bot

Chess.com, 2023

This is the conclusion of my game against the Chess.com bot, Antonio.

Antonio's comments are in brown.

31.e7

Someday, my laziness is going to get the best of me. A little thought would have found 31.Rf8+ Qxf8 32.Rxf8+ Kxf8 33.Qg6 h4 34.Qf7 checkmate. 

31...Nxe7 32.Rxe7 Qc8 33.Rff7 Qg4 

34.Qxg4 

There goes the queen. Oh well.

My need to "simplify" allows me to miss the Queen sacrifice at the front of a checkmating sequence: 34.Qxh7+ Kxh7 35.Rxg7+ Kh8 36.Rh7+ Kg8 37.Reg7+ Kf8 38.Be7+ Ke8 39.Rh8+ Kd7 40.Bg5 checkmate 

34...hxg4 

Gotcha! 

35.Rxb7 Rc8 36.Ne4 Rf8 37.Rxf8+ Kxf8 

Anthony will hold out until the very end 

38.Nxd6 g6 39.Rxh7 g3 40.hxg3 a5 41.Nb7 Kg8 42.Rc7 Kf8 43.d6

I'm starting to get a bit worried here.

43...a4 44.d7 Kf7 45.d8=Q+

Uh oh. I better find a good defense.

45...Ke6 46.Qd5 checkmate

Wow! You're able to put together some pretty moves. Can I have another try?

Why not? Some players do better against the Jerome Gambit the second time around. - Rick

Jerome Gambit: Antonio-bot (Part 2)

 

                                            [continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - Antonio-bot

Chess.com, 2023

Continuing my game against the Chess.com Antonio bot, whose comments are in brown.

19...Bxe6 

This return of material does not work.

Stockfish 16, instead, recommends 19...Qf8 20.c4 h6 21.Bxf6 Qxf6 22.Qxf6 gxf6 23.Nc3 b6 24.d5 with a congested and largely balanced position.

20.fxe6 

You're a very clever player, but can you finish off the game? 

20...Qc8 21.Bxf6 Ng6 

Not a "fix" for the position, but 21...gxf6 and 21...Qxe6 are equally sad alternatives.

22.Qe4 c5 

Allowing the e6 pawn to be reinforced again.

23.Bg5 

Sharp readers probably saw 23.Bxg7 Kxg7 24.Rf7+ Kg8 25.Nc3 Nf8 26.Qg4+ Ng6 27.Nd5 Qd8 28.Raf1 c4 29.R1f6 c3 30.Rxg6+ hxg6 31.Qxg6 checkmate.

I didn't. 

Just wanted to save the Bishop

23...Qe8 24.d5 

24...h6 25.Bd2 Ne7 26.c4 Qb8 27.Nc3 Qe8 

If the player of the Black pieces were human, I would diagnose anxiety.

28.Rf7 Rh7 29.Raf1 h5 30.Bg5 Nc8 

[to be continued]

Jerome Gambit: Antonio-bot (Part 1)

After matching wits with Chess.com bots Deadlost and Grandpa Gambit, I decided to challenge the "advanced" bot, Antonio.

Antonio prides himself on being a balanced player. He doesn't win every game, but don't expect to beat him without a fight.

Antonio did very well against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) - up until an ill-advised return of sacrificed material. After that, trouble snowballed.

Comments by Antonio are in brown.

perrypawnpusher - Antonio-bot

Chess.com, 2023

1.e4

Sicilian today, or something else?

1...e5

Let's play an open game.

2.Nf3

What are you up to?

2...Nc6

"I don't believe in psychology. I believe in good moves." - Bobby Fischer

3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

I believe in psychology and good moves - Rick

Take that one off the board.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

Is that my king you're pointing at?

5... Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ng6 

According to The Database, this is the reply to 8.f4 is seen about 1/6 of the time. Black saves the Knight. 

9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ d6 

Do you see my plan?

11.Qe3 

This is the 10th time that I have arrived at this position.

I suspect that after each of those games, the computer suggested that 11.Qc3 was better. I have yet to take that advice.

11...Kf7 

Antonio moves his King out of the eventual line of fire, the e-file.

12.O-O Nf6 13.f5 Ne7 14.d4 

Here we have the classic Jerome Gambit battle of White's 2 extra "Jerome pawns" against Black's extra piece.

Stockfish 15.1 (34ply) rightly assesses the defender as being about a little bit less than a pawn better.

14...Ng4 

Suddenly the bot shows human tendencies: Let's attack the Queen!

Consistent would have been 14...Re8 with still the better game.

15.Qg5 

Stockfish 16 prefers 15.Qb3+ here, but I am never sure if this is a strong move, or just a distracted, harrasing one. 

15...Nf6 

No harm, no foul? The computer thinks so.

16.e5 

There is a tactical "hole" in this idea that neither I nor my opponent noticed. Black now has 16...dxe5 17.dxe5 Qd4+!? 18.Qe3 Qxe3+ 19.Bxe3 Nxf5 20.Bd2 Ng4 21.h3 Nxe5 22.g4 Kg6 23.gxf5+ Bxf5 and would remain ahead. 

16...Ne4 

Let's attack the Queen!

17.e6+ 

This move is okay, and has attacking ideas behind it, but more accurate would have been 17.Qh5+ Kg8 18.f6 breaking lines open.

17...Kg8 18.Qh4 Nf6 19.Bg5 

This is a comfortable position for White, if only because it is an uncomfortable position for Black.

[to be continued]

Comments?

The question has come up, Why doesn't this blog accept Reader comments?

The answer, quite simply, is that it does.

Over the years I have received 340 comments, 329 of which have been posted - the remainder being spam (it's everywhere), and thus not posted.

It is also likely that some additional comments have been rude, crude or socially unacceptable, and thus immediately remanded to the trash can icon; but those have been few and far between.

Readers can scroll to the bottom of any post, find the small No comments phrase (indicating that there have been no comments on that post, yet) and click on it. They can then follow the directions and comment in the text box.

It is also possible to find my email address (richardfkennedy@hotmail.com) in the About Me sidebar and contact me that way. Many readers have.

As I have noted there,

I am always interested in receiving games and analysis: as old as 1874, when the opening first was published, or as recent as today -- casual or serious, blitz or classical time settings, human or computer (or both).

Jerome Gambit: Grandpa Gambit (Part 3)

                                                

                                 [continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - GrandpaGambitBot

Chess.com, 2023

Neither player in this human vs bot game seems interested in active play. Stereotypical.

28...Re6 

Stockfish 16 prefers the more active 28...Re4

29.Re2 

Now was the time for the plan 29.h3 Kg6 30.g4 Kf7, so Black could have tried 29...Rg8 instead.

29...Rxe2 30.Kxe2 Re8+ 31.Kf3 h4

32.g4+ Kg6 33.h3 Re7 34.Rf2

There was probably a smarter way for me to play this position, but this move suggests that my plan was "duck and cover".

34...f5

This gives away a pawn and more. Not that I noticed.

35.g5 

At the time, I was convinced that this was a way forward.

Readers skilled in Rook-and-pawn endgames will understand Stockfish 16's post-game analysis; 35.gxf5+ Kxf5 36.Rg2 Re1 37.Rg5+ Kf6 38.Rxd5 Ra1 39.a3 Ke6 40.Re5+ Kf6 41.Kg4 Rg1+ 42.Kxh4 Rf1 43.Kg4 Rg1+ 44.Kf3 Rh1 45.Ke4 Rxh3 46.a4 Rh2 47.Rb5 Rc2 48.Kd5 Ke7 49.a5 bxa5 50.Rxa5 Rxb2 and White is much better. 

35...Re1

The active Rook (as well as my nerves) guarantees the draw.

36.Re2 Rf1+ 37.Rf2 Rg1 38.Rg2 Rf1+ 39.Ke3 Rh1 40.Kf2 

Even game.

It is a bit humorous to note that Black will now gain nothing by capturing the h-pawn, as the Rook will be interned behind enemy lines, e.g. 40...Rxh3 41.a4 Rh1 (41...Rg3? 42.Rxg3 hxg3+ 43.Kxg3 White is winning; 41...Rd3 42.Ke2 Rh3) 42.Rg1 Rh3 43.Rg2 Rd3 44.Ke2 Rh3 etc. ensuring the draw.

40...a5 41.Rg1 Rh2+ 42.Rg2 Rh1 43.Rg1 Rh2+ 44.Rg2 Rh1 

Draw

Well, things fizzled out for me, and this time I was not able to take advantage of my advantages in the endgame.

We need a rematch.

Jerome Gambit: Grandpa Gambit (Part 2)

 

                                 [continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - GrandpaGambitBot

Chess.com, 2023

Continuing the grandpa (that's me) vs Grandpa (a Chess.com bot) chess game. 

13.Qe3+

Much more interesting was 13.Qg5+ (strongest) Ke8 14.O-O!?, which I hadn't even considered. Black should probably then exchange Queens (blunting White's Kingside pawn majority), and after 14...Qxg5 15.fxg5 his position wouldn't look that bad - although the computer still assesses the position as 4 pawns better for White.

13...Kf8 14.Nc3 Qe8 15.d4 Nf6 16.O-O Qxe3+ 17. Bxe3 Kf7 

Black's pawns are still a mess, although White's d- and f-pawns are doing his "bad" Bishop no favors, either.

What should my plan have been?

Certainly d4-d5 comes to mind (now, not then) to give the Bishop more breathing room. Occupying the e-file, while drawish (Rooks can be exchanged) is another possibility. Trading off White's "bad" Bishop for the "good" (better) Knight as also possible.

Sadly, what follows, instead, is a mish mash of partial ideas.

18.Nb5 d5 19.Rae1 b6 20.Nd6+ Ke6 21.Nxc8 

Trading off the "good" Knight for a "bad" Bishop because I can meet the next move with c2-c3, further blocking in my own Bishop...

21...Raxc8 22.c3 Ke7 23.Bf2+ Kf7 24.Bh4 Rhe8 

Perhaps Black calculated a draw after Rooks were off the board.

In any event, it was time to give up the "minor exchange" - trade my "bad" Bishop for his "good" Knight.

25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.g3 

Protecting my f-pawn and limiting his h-pawn. After the game, Stockfish 16 had a mind-numbing suggestion that indicated a balanced game: 26.Rxe8 Rxe8 27.Kf2 f5 28.a4 Kf6 29.g3 Re7 30.Kf3 Re4 31.Rh1 Re8 32.Ra1 Rh8 33.Kg2 Re8 34.Kf1 Rb8 35.Kf2 Re8 36.Re1 Re4 37.Kf1 Kg6 38.Ra1 Re8 39.Rd1 Kf6 40.Re1 Re4 41.Rxe4 dxe4

26...Kg6 27.Kf2 Kf5 28.Kf3 

Black's King cannot invade the Kingside. A few ideas for him: put his Rooks on g8 and h8 and advance his h-pawn; or put the Rooks on b8 and c8 and pursue a "minority attack" with his pawns; or park a Rook on e6 or e4 and double Rooks on the e-file - but which square he chooses makes a difference.

White should think about h2-h3 and g3-g4. 

                                                           [to be continued]