FYI Game

The following game will be found in an updated version of The Database. Except for a few early game references, it is of no particular value to either the theory or practice of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), and is presented here mostly as self-chastisement: if I am going to play such uninspired chess, one consequence will be public embarassment. (Tomorrow' post borders on public humiliation.)

perrypawnpusher - Kdrb
blitz, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Game.

4.0-0

I wonder what happened to my plans to explore 4.Nc3...

4...Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.

6.Bxf7+

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Nc6

Stronger for Black (although he retains an edge with the text) is 8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 d6.

9.dxc5 Re8

Or 9...d6 10.cxd6 Qxd6 as in perrypawnpusher - Alquinte, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 22); or 9...Rf8 10.f4 Kg8 11.e5 Nh7 12.Be3 Qe7 as in perrypawnpusher - RonMeister, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 20)

10.Bf4 b6 11.e5

Not paying close attention, figuring that the game would play itself. Of course, 11.Re1 keeps Black's advantage from growing further. 

11...Nxe5 12.cxb6 axb6

White has only one pawn for his sacrificed piece, and is behind in development. In addition, Black's King is almost safe.

It was clearly time to try a "cheapo", and, having reviewed all those short games from the recent "Return of Jerome Gambit for Dummies" series of posts, I spied one  that shouldn't, but just might, work...

13.Bxe5 Rxe5 14.Qd4 Re8 15.Nd5 Nxd5

When ahead in material, exchange pieces; when behind in material, exchange pawns. 

16.Qxd5+ Kf8 17.Qxa8 d6 18.Qf3+ Kg8

Up an exchange and a pawn, I tried to stop shaking and concentrate. Still, I wasn't going to be able to look myself in the face for a while.

19.Rfe1 Rf8 20.Qd5+ Kh8 21.Re2 Ba6 22.c4 Qh4 23.b3 Rb8

Planning to put his Bishop on b7 and continue a Kingside attack, but fortune has abandoned him.

24.Rae1 Bb7 25.Re8+ Rxe8 26.Rxe8+ Kh7 27.Qf5+ Black resigned

The Adventure Continues

This is my third outing with a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) variation that still fits me like a sweater several sizes too large... I did not feel very comfortable playing White, and my opponent seemed ill at ease playing Black. Too, the game had its odd moments, as previous ones have had.

perrypawnpusher - RonMeister
blitz 1 10, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 h6 5.0-0 Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game.

6.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, although it can come about by transposition from a "modern" Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Nc6

Not the first response that I would think of, but it's been played before.

Black also had: 8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 Nc6 10.Qc4+ Kg6 11.f4 Rf8 12.f5+ Kh7 13.g4 Nxg4 14.Qe2 Nf6 15.e5 Nd4 16.Qf2 Ng4 17.Qxd4 Qh4 18.Qf4 d5 19.f6 gxf6 20.Nxd5 fxe5 21.Qe4+ Kg7 22.Bxh6+ Qxh6 23.Qg2 Be6 24.h3 Bxd5 25.Qxg4+ Kh8 26.Kh2 Qd2+ White resigned, perrypawnpusher - mjmonday, blitz FICS, 2010;

As well as: 8...Bd6 9.dxe5 Bxe5 10.Nd5 Re8 11.Nxf6 Qxf6 12.a4 Kg8 13.Ra3 d6 14.f3 Qh4 15.g3 Bxg3 16.hxg3 Qxg3+ 17.Kh1 Bh3 18.Rg1 Qh4 19.Qe1 Qxe1 20.Rxe1 Re5 21.f4 Rh5 22.e5 Re8 23.Kh2 Bf5+ 24.Kg3 Rh3+ 25.Kg2 Rxa3 26.bxa3 Kf7 27.Kf2 Bxc2 28.a5 Ke6 29.exd6+ Kd7 30.Rxe8 Kxe8 31.dxc7 Kd7 32.c8Q+ Kxc8 33.Be3 a6 34.Bd4 g6 35.Bf6 Kd7 36.Kf3 Ke6 37.Bh4 Kf5 38.Kg3 Be4 39.a4 Bc6 40.Bd8 Bxa4 41.Bc7 Bd7 42.Bd8 Ke4 43.Bc7 Kd5 44.Kh4 Kc6 45.Be5 b6 46.axb6 Kxb6 47.Bf6 a5 48.Bg7 h5 49.Kg5 Bf5 50.Bf6 a4 51.Be5 Kc5 52.Bg7 Kc4 53.Bf8 Kb3 54.Bd6 a3 55.Bxa3 Kxa3 56.Kh4 Kb4 57.Kg5 Kc3 58.Kh4 Kd4 59.Kg5 Ke4 60.Kh4 Kf3 61.Kg5 Kg3 62.Kf6 Kxf4 63.Kg7 h4 64.Kh6 h3 65.Kg7 h2 66.Kf7 h1Q 67.Ke7 Qd5 68.Kf6 Qe6+ 69.Kg7 Qe7+ 70.Kh6 Qf6 71.Kh7 g5+ 72.Kg8 g4 Game drawn by stalemate, SharkESP - joyce, FICS 2001

9.dxc5 Rf8

Previously I saw: 9...d6 10.cxd6 Qxd6 11.Qf3 Nd4 12.Qd3 Bg4 13.f3 Bh5 14.Be3 Nc6 15.Qc4+ Kf8 16.Rad1 Qe7 17.Bc5 Qxc5+ 18.Qxc5+ Kf7 19.Nd5 Nd7 20.Qe3 Nb4 21.Qf4+ Kg8 22.Ne7+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Alquinte, blitz FICS, 2010

10.f4 Kg8

Black has castled-by-hand quickly, and has an edge in the game.

11.e5 Nh7 12.Be3 Qe7 13.Qh5

The Queen move might look aggressive, but it really does not accomplish anything.

13...d6 14.cxd6 cxd6 15.Rae1

White cannot play 15.exd6 because his Bishop would be en prise. Stronger than the text would have been 15.Nd5, but Black would still be better after 15...Qd7, threatening ...d6xe5.

15...dxe5 16.fxe5 Rxf1+ 17.Rxf1 Nxe5

Not only does 17...Qxe5 give Black better chances, the text is surprisingly inaccurate.

18.Bd4

Continuing the fight, from a position of weakness. Instead, White could have drawn with the humorous repetition of position: 18.Nd5 Qe6 19.Nc7 Qe7 20.Nd5 Qe6 etc.

18...Nc4

This wandering Knight is now at grave risk. Prudent and practical was developing its partner instead with 18...Ng5.

19.b3

Not the best response. After the game Rybka pointed out that if White played the curious 19.Nd5 he could have worked his way into winning material. Black's next two moves would be forced: 19...Qe6 20.Nc7 Qd7. Then, with 21.Qc5 White would be able to win the Rook at a8 or the Black Knight in a few more moves.

analysis diagram





19...Nd2

Seeking danger instead of safety. Clearly, shortage of time was an issue: we were playing with a 1 10 control. Black would still have been better after 19...Nb6.

20.Rd1 Black forfeited on time

A shame. The final position is better for RonMeister, and my "threat" of  capturing the Knight with Rd1xd2 would only have led to me being checkmated on the move with ...Qe7-e1#

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the correct move for White was 20.Nd5. With the Black Knight wandering off, defense of his King is more difficult, and Black's strongest defense – 20...Qe6 21.Qg6 Qxg6 22.Ne7+ Kh8 23.Nxg6+ Kg8 – allows White finally to win back his piece with 24.Ne7+ Kh8 25.Rf7 Nf6 26.Rf8+ Kh7 27.Rxc8 Rxc8 28.Nxc8.

analysis diagram

I am not Bill Wall...

The other day I was hanging around the FICS web site, trying to get in a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game or two, or come up with something related to the Jerome Gambit, at any rate.

I wasn't having any luck.

Rats! I thought. If only I were Bill Wall. He gets to sac his King Bishop against almost anything!

Of course, I had my thinking all backward. It took me a few moves to straighten it out.

perrypawnpusher - Alquinte
blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Nf6

I was hoping for 4...Bc5, so I could play the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit with 5.Bxf7+.

5.Nc3 Bc5

Here we have the Italian Four Knights Game, where White has added 0-0 and Black has added ...h7-h6.

6.Bxf7+

Here we go! Fortune favors the bold.

I've never played (or even studied) this move, but I figured it had to be an improvement over the sac in the regular Italian Four Knights. (I was wrong: I found out later that in 42 games in the New Year's Database, White scored only 27%!)

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4

Okay, what do we have here? A surprised opponent, and one or two pawns for the sacrificed piece (after I recapture). An uneasy enemy King that I have to attack quickly.

8...Nc6

This helps a bit. Stronger and more straight-forward was 8...Bxd4.

9.dxc5 d6 10.cxd6 Qxd6

11.Qf3

After the game Rybka recommended exchanging Queens and going into the endgame, with Black better. I thought I'd take my chances in the middle game.

11...Nd4 12.Qd3 Bg4

13.f3 Bh5 14.Be3 Nc6 15.Qc4+

15...Kf8

A slip that we both missed at first.

Insisting on exchanging Queens with 15...Qe6  was fine, for example 16.Qb5 b6 17.Rad1 Rhd8 and Black can be pleased with his small advantage – especially since White's "Jerome pawns" aren't going anywhere.

16.Rad1 Qe7

Ouch. Ouch.

Luckily, I had a second chance to wake up.

17.Bc5

17...Qxc5+ 18.Qxc5+ Kf7 19.Nd5 Nd7 20.Qe3 Nb4

This would lose a piece, but I didn't want to be distracted.

21.Qf4+

Leading to mate, although Black could have held out a little bit longer.

21...Kg8 22.Ne7+ Black resigned

This was not a game that "proved" that the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit was "sound" – only that it was fun to play, and at least once, worth the risk.