Here's that "overlooked" Jerome Gambit game that I mentioned in my last post, "Another Error, Another Win". It's a painful one to play over, as my opponent offered me an escape from a difficult situation, and I missed it. perrypawnpusher - alvarzr blitz, FICS, 2013 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
One of the reasons that I have shared a lot of links above is to show how many ideas grow out of these Jerome Gambit positions. In the current game, however, as things went on, I began to think less and push pieces more, and this is never a good thing. 16.Qd4 Kc8 17.Qa4 Nd7 18.Qxa7 Nc5 19.Qa3 Pawn grabbing with the Queen is not such a deep idea. Instead, it was time to be more dynamic with play like 19.b4 Na6 20.b5 Nc5 21.f5 Nh8 22.Nd5. 19...Qh4 20.Nd5Bxd5 21.exd5 Rxe1
22.Rxe1
After the game, Houdini suggested that I should have started looking for a draw here with 22.Qa8+ Kd7 23.Qc6+ Kd8 24.Rxe1 Ne7 25.Qa8+ Nc8 26.g3 Qg4 27.Kg2 Re8 28.Rxe8+ Kxe8 29.b4 Qe2+ 30.Kh3 Qh5+ 31.Kg2 Qe2+ 32.Kh3 Qh5+ 22...Kb7 23.g3 Qg4 24.Qc3
Overlooking danger: 24.d4 was necessary. 24...Nxf4
Even stronger: 24...Nh4. 25.Bxf4 Rxf4 26.b4
One last gasp. Where's a good swindle when you need one? 26...Nd7
That should do it. Of course, 26...Rxb4 keeps Black on top. 27.Qc6+
Now White can answer 27...Ka7 with 28.Qxc7+ Ka6 29.b5+ Ka5 30.Qc3+ Ka4 31.Qb3+ Ka5 32.c4 Rxc4 33.dxc4 Qd4+ 34.Re3 and advantage - if he sees it. 27...Kc828.Qa8+
Yipes! Instead, my opponent walks into a mate-in-one (28.Re8#) - and I miss it.
We both deserve to lose. I deserved it more. 28...Nb8 29.Re8+ Kd7 30.Re1
Alas, capturing Black's Knight allows him to checkmate me. 30...Rf8 31.Qa4+ Kc8 32.c4 Qd4+ 33.Kh1 Qf2 34.Re8+ Rxe8 35.Qxe8+ Kb7 36.h4 Qxg3 37.Qe4 Qf2 38.Qg2 Qxg2+ 39.Kxg2 Nd7
The endgame is fairly won for Black. 40.d4 b5 41.c5 Nf6 42.cxd6 cxd6 43.Kf3 Nxd5 44.a3 Nc3 45.Kf4 Nb1 46.Kf5 Nxa3 47.Ke6 Kc7 48.Kf7 g6 49.Kg7 Nc2 50.Kxh7 Nxb4 51.Kxg6 Nd5
White's King has gotten his exercise, but it doesn't save the game. 52.Kf5 Nc3 53.h5 b4 54.h6 b3 55.h7 b2 56.h8Q b1Q+ 57.Ke6 Qe4+ 58.Kf7 Qf5+ 59.Ke7 Nd5+ White resigned
"When at a loss for a move, you can always threaten White's Queen." NOT. 14.Qe2Bf5 15.Bg5 Qd7? Better 15...Nf6. 16.h3 h6 17.Nc5 Qc6 18.hxg4 hxg5
This grants White a large advantage. 19.Qxe5+ Be6 20.Nxe6 Kd7 Mate follows. "Best" is the miserable 20...Qd6 21.Nxc7+ 21.Qxg7+ Kxe6 22.Rfe1+ Kd5 23.Qe5 checkmate
From Wikipedia:"MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series... [S]ecret agent Angus MacGyver...is a resourceful agent with an encyclopedic knowledge of science, able to solve complex problems with everyday materials he finds at hand, along with his ever-present duct tape and Swiss Army knife."
Playing over the following game, I got to thinking about MacGyver.
Bill Wall's opponent had navigated the game into a tricky, but draw-able, Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, where it seemed possible that Black might actually extract a half-point from White's Jerome Gambit (a rare event, to be sure).
What did Bill have to work with at the end?
Ah, but it is the "+" on White's last move that gives the win.
Wall,B - CKFM FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke78.Qg5+
Something new! There are no other examples in The Database.
Black has a chance to slip, but the game transposes to more "normal" lines.
White has three pawns for his sacrificed piece. Perhaps a super-GM like Magnus Carlsen would say that the game here is won for Black, and all that is left is a matter of (his) technique.
In the world of club players, however, it is not naive to see the game as balanced. The winner will be the one who handles his pawns/Knight better.
One "Jerome pawn" gets through. The game is still about even, but that's one more thing for Black to worry about, and one more thing for White to rely on.
23...Be6 24.d4 Nf8 25.g4 Bc4 26.Rxf8+
Possibly this Rook sacrifice was a surprise for Black.
26...Rxf8 27.Rxf8+ Rxf8 28.d7Bxa2
Of course, White will get his Rook back when he promotes the d-pawn, so Black grabs some "compensation."
29.e5 Kf7 30.d8Q Rxd8 31.Bxd8 Ke6
The excellent placement of Black's King makes the Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame even, even though White has an extra pawn.
White looks to see what he can create on the Kingside. If he is able to advance his center two pawns, that will allow Black some counterplay with his remaining 2:1 pawn majority on the Queenside. Eventually White will have to exchange one of his center pawns for a Black wing pawn, and the other White center pawn will be safely blockaded.
Things are looking a bit scary for Black right now. Suppose he loses a tempo with 43...Be8. White quickly advances in the center with 44.d5 cxd5 45.cxd5 and has those scary two passers.
But, what would happen next? After 45...Kf7 White can liquidate the Kingside with 46.g5 hxg5+ 47.Kxg5 but now Black starts rolling on the Queenside with 47...a5. Since swapping his Pe7 for the ambitious, but lowly, Pa5 is seriously draw-ish, White's King must persevere with 48.Kf5.
After 48...a4 49.Ke5 b5 50.d6 (50.Kd6 will face the same response) b4 51.Bb6 a3 52.b3 Bc6 53.Bc5 a2 54.Bd4 Bf3
analysis diagram
Black's and White's advanced passers hold each other hostage and the point can be split, especially after 55.Bb2 Bd1 56.Kc5 Bxb3+.
That kind of pressure, though, searching for that kind of solution, can cause the defender to slip.
43...Kf6 44.e8Q+ Black resigned
The discovered check allows the pawn to Queen safely, and now White can force checkmate.
(Along with his Swiss army knife and duct tape, you had to figure that MacGyver had a discovered check on him, somewhere.)