Ruy Lopez Jerome Gambit??

Still puzzled and a bit impressed by the opening that Pigjuice sprung on me yesterday (see "...or should they?") I did a Google search, and much to my surprise ran across the following as part of a discussion of the Exchange Ruy Lopez at ChessGames.com

Nov-13-04 drukenknight: Spanish Exchange (N sack on f7). You know w/ my new "back to the basics" approach to chess, I decided to start looking into the exchange spanish, but it seems pretty freakin stupid. I always want to grab that pawn on e5 but it never seems to work out, but wait a minute! WHy can't white simply sack the N on f7 and gain 2 pawns and go on the attack? What could be more basic than that.....?

"No, stupid moron, you cant do that, no one does that, look here stupid...

1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bb5 a6
4.Bxc6 dxc6
5.Nxe5 Qd4
6.Nxf7 Kxf7
7.Qf3+ Qf6
8.Qb3+ Qe6
9.Qf3+ Nf6
10.d3 Bd6
11.Bf4 Bxf4
12.Qxf4 Qe7
13.00


Errh well maybe it's bad, but hey what about this...?


1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bb5 a6
4.Bxc6 dxc6
5.Nxe5 Qd4
6.Nxf7 Kxf7
7.d3 Nf6
8.c3 Qe5
9.O-O Bd6
10.f4 Qb5
11.e5


chesslab computer takes black and starts rating it at -2.5 (me so stupid) and then comes almost back to equality, that's odd...


Then I tried another version with an insane K march courtesy of the metal monster, don’t ask me I'm even more confused then ever after....


1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bb5 a6
4.Bxc6 dxc6
5.Nxe5 Qd4
6.Nxf7 Kxf7
7.Qf3+ Qf6
8.Qg3 Bd6
9.Qb3+ Kg6
10.h4 Kh5


Maybe evaluation of this depends on how good your computer assistant is.

So maybe the Knight sacrifice in the Ruy Lopez Exchange line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nxe5 Qd4 6.Nxf7

wasn't something that Pigjuice had made up on the spur of the moment, I wondered.

I checked the FICS games database and found three more games by Pigjuice with that line. Interesting... "Malice aforethought" as they say.

In fact, in the last three months of play at FICS the sac had been played over 200 times. That was "something" but I wasn't exactly sure what kind of "something" – for example, White scored under 20% in those games...

More investigation is needed.



graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws

Could Not Happen, Right? (Part 2)

Not too long ago I received an email from Stipe Drinovac who had noticed (from a post at Chessgames.com) that I was interested in Jerome Gambit games.  He sent me a game that he had played last year at a club event. My eyes popped.

Drinovac - NN
club game, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.f4 Qf6 8.Rf1

I found only a couple dozen games in The Database with this move (White scored 54%), but the players were impressive: Jerome Gambit Gemeinde members mrjoker, Petasluk and Gary_Seven, as well as paladins Fritz 5.32, Fritz 8, Junior 7 and Zappa 1.1.

8...Nh6 9. Nc3 d6

10.Nd5 Qd8


And, just like that, White is winning, according to Rybka, which preferred the offer to exchange Queens with 10...Qf7.

11.d4 Bxd4 12. fxe5 dxe5

13.Bg5 Qg8 14.c3 Bb6 15.Nxb6 axb6

16.Qh3+ Kd6 17.Qd3+ Kc6 18.Rf8

If Black had not realized until this point that he was doomed, this probably delivered the message.

18..Qe6 19.Rxh8 b5 20.a4 bxa4 21.Re8

Another deflecting sacrifice, offering the Rook a second time.

21.Qxe8

Drinking the poison. Declining with something like 21...Qb3 left Black down the exchange, with his King still in danger. Rybka likes 22.Bd8, putting pressure on c7 and planning to sacrifice White's Bishop there, if nessary, as a response. 

22.Qc4+ Kd6 23.O-O-O checkmate

Q.E.D.

BSG: Later on in the Discussion

Last year I presented part of an old discussion about the Blackburne Shilling Gambit and 4.Bxf7+ at ChessGames.com. A year later the discussion continued. Here are relevant parts, with my comments.

Helmut Wieteck - Klaus Dutschke

Lahnstein, 1999

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Qf6 8.Nxh8+ Ke7 9.d3 Bh6 10.Na3 Bxc1 11.Rxc1 Qxh8 12.Qc5+ Ke8 13.Qxc7 Nf3+ 14.gxf3 Qxb2 15.Kd2 Qxa3 16.Rhg1 Qxa2 17.Qe5+ Kd8 18.Qh8 Qa5+ 19.c3 Qa2+ 20.Rc2 Qe6 21.Qxg8+ Qxg8 22.Rxg8+ Kc7 23.f4 b6 24.f5 a5 25.f6 Black resigned

TheGreatNN: Is 4.Bxf7! the best way to deal with the Blackburne Shilling Gambit? It looks pretty strong here.

acirce: What happens on 7...hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 instead of 7...Qf6?? Or just 5...Ke7!?

TheGreatNN: I don't think 7...hxg6 is any good because after 8.Qxh8 Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 white will be up material, even if black will have a bit better development (e.g. by 10...Qg5 11.Rg1 d5 12.Qxd5 Bg4+ 13.Ke1 Qxd5 14.exd5 etc.) My computer, however, came up with 5...Ke6! It then continued 6.Nd3!? Nf6 7.o-o d6 8.b4 Kf7 9.Bb2 Ne6 and it doesn't appear white has good compensation for his sacrifice. (Arasan 3.5, 9 ply.) But ...Ke6 looks like it's just welcoming disaster, so I don't know what to think.

acirce: Actually, he will be down material! After the line you give I feel that White is pretty much just lost. Better looks 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+ Nf6 10.Qc5+ d6 11.Qxd4 and White has 4 pawns for a bishop but has only developed his queen.

5...Ke6 just has to be unsound but maybe 5...Ke7 is simple and working. At least this is not what you're looking for as White generally speaking.

Cyphelium: We were actually discussing this variation more than a year ago, at this thread:

Muhlock vs B Kostic, 1912

I think we agreed on that 4. Bxf7+ is not convincing. The analysis lead to unclear positions were white often had to defend. One amusing line we finally arrived at was 4... Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qe5+ Ne6 9.Nxh8 d5!? 10.exd5 Bd6 11.Nf7 Kxf7 12.dxe6+ Bxe6 13.Qe2 Qg8 and black seems to have compensation?! Also, the 4...Ke7!? move was mentioned as playable. The conclusion is, I think, that 4.Bxf7+ is likely to lead to messy and unclear positions...

acirce: Without having looked closely at those concrete lines I think I agree... I do think that 7...hxg6 is better than 7...Nf6 though, if White does sac. In the line given in my previous post it is Black who ends up with the compensation for the material.

Cyphelium: Yes, that 7...hxg6 line is another nail in the coffin for 4.Bxf7+. It might be the best...

Seraphina: Actually Ke6 is rather sound, because white is so underdeveloped. I have actually faced it in friendlies (that says it all). The psychological impact is rough though. You feel denuded, exposed, gaaaa... and the opponent feels overconfident (huga huga). In the other variation you give: 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+ Nf6 10.Qc5+ d6 feels safe, but did you look at 10...Ke8 another K move but: it allows faster development for black 11.QxN d5! Black has a piece for four pawns and must now attack hard and fast before white can get organized. This is a game for bluffers. A lot of fun...

Granite: Bxf7+ seems to give good compensation for the piece. You get two central pawns and the black king is also trapped in the center. Moreso, you gain some time in development. So that's 2 pawns, a loose centralized king, and a gain of time for a piece - I'd say it's probably strong enough to be playable.

Rick: The "best" response to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 has to be either 4.0-0, 4.Nxd4, 4.d3, 4.Nc3 or 4.c3.

4.Bxf7+!? is shocking & unexpected and can lead to exciting and/or unclear play which will favor the better-prepared combatant. The updated New Year's Database has 2,676 games with this move. White scored 56% (only 2% of the games were draws).

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Black has two popular defenses, 5...Ke8 and 5...Ke6, and two lesser-played defenses, 5...Ke7 and 5...Kf6.

Seen most often is 5...Ke8, and after 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6, best play for both sides is 7...hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+, when Black can go for the draw-by-repetition with 9...Ke8; or go for an unbalanced (but largely equal) position as acirce suggested above with 9...Nf6 10.Qc5+ d6 11.Qxd4 when White has four pawns for a piece and it is unclear if Black has an open King or open lines for development.

Seraphina's suggestion of 10...Ke8 (followed by 11...d5) instead of 10...d6 is a thoughtful one and a likely improvement, but the battle of piece vs 4 pawns remains contentious.

The problem with Cyphelium's suggested line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qe5+ Ne6 9.Nxh8 d5!? 10.exd5 Bd6 is that White can play 11.Qe2!? instead of 11.Nf7, with advantage – although the line that he gives, 11.Nf7 Kxf7 12.dxe6+ Bxe6 13.Qe2 Qg8 may be better for White, anyhow, as he is the exchange and three pawns ahead.

Risky, but not necessarily "unsound", 5...Ke6 provokes feelings wonderfully described by Seraphina. In 667 games in the Database, White scores 50% (again, draws make up only 2% of the games). Best seems to be 6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Ke6 and Black's King runs for cover as White develops his pieces, with roughly an equal game.

After 5...Ke7 (330 games in the Database, White scores 47%, draws are 4%) I think White does best again with 6.c3, and after 6...d6 7.cxd4 dxe5 8.dxe5 Qd3!? the game is unclear, but likely balanced.

Finally, I think 5...Kf6 (78 games in the Database, White scores 60%, draws are 1%) should be met by 6.Nf3, again with an even game.