Critical Line: 5...Kf8 (Revisited)

It wasn't so long ago that this blog took a look at one of the "Critical Lines" identified for the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) – see "Critical Line: 5...Kf8 (1) - (2) - (3)" – so I wasn't surprised to see it pop up in my most recent game. I took my own advice, and followed the "standard plan of castling, developing pieces, and advancing [the] Kingside pawns with the usual play."

perrypawnpusher - Lark 

blitz 2 12, FICS, 2009 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 Here we go: one of the oldest refutations of the Jerome Gambit.

6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.0-0 Bd6 Whoa! Lark is not kidding: he plans a Kingside attack, and moves his Bishop to focus on h2. It is easy to visualize his Queen on h4 and his Knight on g4 as well.

8.f4 g6 9.d4 Bd7 10.Nc3 Nh6

White's center pawns make ...Nf6 inadvisable.

11.f5 Qh4

12.e5

White's pawns, Black's pieces – and it is hard not to point out the position of Black's King, facing White's Rook...

12...Nxf5

The standard return-the-piece-for-a-pawn-or-two strategem, but my opponent has overlooked something. The calm, cool Rybka 3 later recommended: 12...Bb4 13.Qe1 Qxe1 14.Bxh6+ Ke8 15.Raxe1 Bxf5 and White is up a pawn, although Black is not without counterplay.

13.exd6 cxd6 14.g4 My guess is that when Lark played his 12th move, he overlooked this move, perhaps imagining that 14...Qxg4+ was now playable.

14...Re8 15.gxf5 Bxf5 16.Qf3

Sloppy, giving up a pawn. Better was the development 16.Bf4, of course, followed perhaps by Qd2 and Rae1.

Time was getting short for us, especially my opponent.

16...Qxd4+ 17.Kh1 Kg7 18.Qf2 Here, Black forfeited on time.

It is a bit of irony that materially we have swapped Jerome Gambit roles, as I have an extra piece for my opponent's two pawns, and I have a small advantage.

Cave Man Chess

When I play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) nobody has ever accused me of playing an "advanced" form of chess – more often, just the reverse.

I'm sure that if anyone ever develops an "ACO" opening tome – Atavistic Chess Openings – the Jerome will fit in there nicely.

perrypawnpusher - Comunista
blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

The set-up.

4.Bxf7+


The sac.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6



The defense.

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

Time for each of us to get down to business. There are 15 games with this position in my database (not including this one), including 7 by Louis Morin and 4 by me. White scores 82%. I guess we'll have to check out the Critical Line in this defense, as well.

10.d3 Kf7 11.0-0 Re8 12.f4
Interesting: this position (not including this game) shows up 3 times in my database, and White has two losses – with me going 0-1. Comunista is finding his way through the "tree of variations" quite nicely.

12...Nd5


A novelty – and a cute one, at that – but more to the point would be putting a pawn on d5. Black plans to move the action to the Queenside, while I want to stay focused on his King on the Kingside.

13.Qg3 Nb4 14.Na3
Sensible, but more straight-forward would have been 14.f5, as in 14...Ne5 (14...Nh8 is probably safer) 15.Bg5 Qd7 16.d4 Nec6 17.Qb3+ Kf8 18.f6 when things would begin to move White's way.

14...a6 15.Bd2

Again, 15.f5 followed by 16.Bg5 was more incisive.

15...Nc6 16.Bc3

This gets the Bishop on an attacking diagonal, but overlooks what Black has been preparing.

16...b5


17.Bxg7

Played quickly, for maximum impact, but a bluff. Just like I had overlooked 16...b5, I had overlooked a resource for Black at move 18. Yipes!

17...Kxg7 18.f5 Nd4

This move maintains Black's advantage, but 18...Qh4 would have put an end to his worries.


19.Qf2 c5

Again, not bad, but getting the Queens off of the board (e.g. 19...Qf6 20.fxg6 Qxf2+ 21.Rxf2 hxg6) was a better idea. Black is thinking "counterattack."

20.fxg6 Rf8 21.Qd2 hxg6 22.c3 Ne6 23.Nc2 Qh4

See?

24.Rxf8 Nxf8 25.Rf1 Ne6 26.g3 Qg4


Egads... Black still has the advantage, but it is more of the traditional Jerome gambit piece-vs-two-pawns variety. I knew that if I could get my Queen and Knight re-positioned, the tide would turn in my favor.


27.Qf2 Kh6



Tide's turned!

It's hard to see at first that this innocent move upsets Black's position enough to shift the initative to White.


28.Ne3 Bb7

A terrible oversight that ends an exciting game. After 28...Qg5 White could have continued nibbling at the Black Queen with 29.h4 Qe7 30.Nd5 when the difference in development woulc be all on the first player's side.

29.Nxg4+ Black resigned

Many thanks to Comunista for the challenge!

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, Wizard of Draws