Counter the Annoying Defense

As if in response to my previous plea (see "Please, Sir, I Want Some More"), regular contributor Yury V. Bukayev sends his latest Jerome Gambit game. His opponent is V. Sokolov from Russia.

Thank you, Sir.

Yury_V_Bukayev - MateSharkVlad

30 0 rapid, Chess.com, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

Yury said he wanted to try something different here. 

The Database has 5,059 games reaching this position, with White scoring 55%.

7.f4 d6 

Ah, yes, The Silicon Defense, otherwise known as "The Annoying Defense." A favorite of computer programs, it appears in over 500 games in The Database. White's scoring drops to 45%.

But, like I said, Yury was prepared.

8.fxe5 dxe5 9.a3

According to The Database, this move was a novelty.

9...a5 10.d3 a4 11.b4 

 This was, as Yury wrote

...a part of my idea 11...ab 12.Bb2 Bd4!? 13.c3 Bb6 14.d4 ed, where White gets a sharp position with a lot of checks.

Instead, Black counters with what he believes is a strong attack on the enemy King, while threatening a Rook.

11...Qd4 

Stockfish 16.1, though is not impressed, as it quickly jumps to evaluating the position as "0.00", a clear draw. Seeing that White has only one pawn for a sacrificed piece, the computer "believes" that the first player would be happy to split the point.

Not so.

12.bxc5 

Offering the Rook in exchange.

12...Qxa1 

Grabbing the piece, but, perhaps overlooking that his Rook, too, is in danger.

13.Qe8+ 

And now 13...Ne7 would lead to 14.Qxh8, but that was Black's best chance.

13...Kf6 14.O-O+ Black resigned

There will be checkmate with 14...Bf5 15.Rxf5.