Too Much of A Bad Thing

As much as I enjoy watching (and playing) smashing attacks in the Jerome mode, I have to (again) warn defenders, out of a sense of fairness, that the following defense amounts to too much of a bad thing.

funnycrimes - MaxMBJ
blitz, FICS, 2013

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

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.O-O Na5 

Black's move is provocative, especially when combined with 3...h6 ("like walking around with a Kick Me! sign pinned to the seat of your pants..." see "A Hot Rocket to Oblivion"). The "Jerome Treatment" is clearly recommended.

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8 

Technically better is 6... Ke6, but Black's game would still be clearly worse. 

7.Qh5+ g6 

Looking this line up in The Database, only 3 of the 15 defenders (including this game) found this move; alas, all of them lost, anyhow.

On the other hand, 11 of the 12 players who chose an alternate 7th move lost as well (White blundered his Queen in the one Black win).

Here are the sordid details:

7...Ke7 8.Ng6+ 

(Or 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9. Qd5+ [9.d4 Nc6 10. Nc4#, aghamal - muchpain, blitz, FICS, 2012] 9...Ke7 10.Ng6+ [10.Qxa5, Black resigned, KeepuHonest - Barnetme, blitz, FICS, 2012; or 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Ng6+ White won by ajudication, JoeDemir - dogbrother, blitz, FICS, 2010] 10...Ke8 [10...Kf6 11.Nxh8 c6 12.e5+ Ke7 13. Qf7#, aldac - anesh, blitz, FICS, 2011] 11.Nxh8 Qg5 [11...Nc6 12.Qf7#, rosti - carifano, blitz, FICS, 2010] 12.Qf7+ Kd8 13. Qxf8#, comport - khemosabi, blitz, FICS, 2013}) 

8...Ke8 

(8...Ke6 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10. Qd5#, perrypawnpusher - TheTrueDamaBlanca, blitz, FICS, 2009; or 8...Kd6 9. e5+ [9. Nxh8 Kc6 {9... Nc4 10. Nf7+, Black resigned, bartab - VeniceOdyssey, standard, FICS, 2011} 10.Qxa5 b6 11.Qd5#, albertpak - khemosabi, blitz, FICS, 2013; or 9. Qe5+ Kc6 10.Qd5+ Kb6 11.d3 Nf6 12.Be3+ c5 13.Qf5 d6 14.d4 Bxf5 15.dxc5+ dxc5 16.exf5 Rg8 17.b4 Nc6 18.Nd2 Ka6 19.bxc5 Bxc5 20.Bxc5 Qxd2 21.Rab1 b6 22.Be3 Qxc2 23.Rfc1 Qe4 24.Rxc6 Qxc6 25.Ne7 Qc2 26.Rc1 Qxa2 27.Nxg8 Nxg8 28.g4 Nf6 29.h3 Kb7 30.g5 hxg5 31.Bxg5 Ne4 32.Be3 Rc8 33.Rxc8 Kxc8 34.Kg2 Qd5 35.f3 Qa2+ 36.Kf1 Ng3+ 37.Ke1 Qe2#, valiantknight - Monkee, blitz, FICS, 2000] 9...Kc6 10.Nxh8 b6 11.Qf3+ Kb5 12.Qxa8 Bb7 13.Qxd8, 
Black resigned, duvvisreedhar - khemosabi, blitz, FICS, 2011) or
(8... Kf6 9.Qf5#, balix - luccass, blitz, FICS, 2012) 

9.Nxh8+ g6 10. Qxg6+ Ke7 11. Qf7+ Kd6 12. Qd5+ Ke7 13. Qe5#, Houdini.

8.Qxg6+

Here Black resigned in ghostshadowrook - VeniceOdyssey, standard, FICS, 2011.

8...Ke7 9.Qf7+

White proceeds with a clear plan. For those who want something
more complicated, Houdini recommends 9.Nc3 c6 10.b3 Qe8 11.Ba3+ Kd8 12.Nf7+ Qxf7 13.Qxf7.

analysis diagram





9...Kd6 10.Qd5+ Ke7 11.Ng6+

Or 11.Qxa5 d6 12.Ng6+ Ke8 13.Nxh8 Qf6 14.Qh5+ Ke7 15.Ng6+ Kd7 16.Nxf8+ Qxf8 17.Qf5+ Kd8 18.Qxf8+ Kd7 19.Qxg8 Kc6 20.Qc4+ Black resigned, Divtwo - HotCaldron, FICS, 2010

11...Ke8

Not much better is 11...Kf6 12.Nxh8 Kg7 13.Qxa5 Kxh8 

12. Nxh8 b6 13.Qf7 checkmate

Asterisk

In the notes to "Still Worth Knowing" I mentioned that The Database had 10 games with the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Na5. Since one was played recently, I thought I'd present the contests.


ghostshadowrook - VeniceOdyssey
FICS, 2011

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

The Semi-Italian Opening

4.0-0 Na5

If anything, even less of a good idea than 3...Na5.

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+

6...Ke8

Or 6...Ke6 7.d4 c5 8.Qg4+ Ke7 9.Bg5+ hxg5 10.Qxg5+ Ke8 11.Qxd8+ Kxd8 12.Nf7+ Ke8 13.Nxh8 cxd4 14.Nd2 b6 15.c3 dxc3 16.bxc3 Rb8 17.Rfe1 Kd8 18.e5 Nh6 19.Ng6 Bc5 20.Ne4 Bb7 21.Nxc5 bxc5 22.Rad1 Nf5 23.e6 Bc6 24.e7+ Nxe7 25.Nxe7 Rb7 26.Nxc6+ Nxc6 27.Rd5 c4 28.a4 Rb3 29.Rg5 Rxc3 30.Rxg7 Ra3 31.Rd1 Nb8 32.Rg8+ Kc7 33.a5 Rxa5 34.Rc1 d5 35.Rg7+ Kc6 36.Rg6+ Kc5 37.h4 d4 38.Rg5+ Kb4 39.Rxa5 Kxa5 40.Rxc4 Kb5 41.Rxd4 Nc6 42.Rd5+ Kb6 43.h5 a6 44.h6 Ne7 45.Rd6+ Ka5 46.Rxa6+ Kxa6 47.h7 Kb6 48.h8Q Ng6 49.Qf6+ Kb5 50.Qxg6 Kc5 51.f3 Kd5 52.Kf2 Ke5 53.Qe4+ Kf6 54.Ke3 Kf7 55.Kf4 Kf6 56.Qc6+ Ke7 57.Ke5 Kf7 58.Kf5 Ke7 59.Ke5 Kf7 60.g4 Ke7 61.Kf5 Kf7 62.Qc7+ Kf8 63.Kf6 Kg8 64.Qg7 checkmate,  ctstraightedge - oirimil, FICS 2010;


Or 6...Ke7 [here Black resigned in yenalexxx - skimtnbikekayak, blitz, FICS, 2010] 7.Qh5 Kd6 8.Nf7+ Ke7 9.Nxd8 Kxd8 10.Qxa5 b6 11.Qc3 Nf6 12.d3 d6 13.f4 Ng4 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Bc5+ 16.d4 Be7 17.Qc6 Rb8 18.Qg6 Rg8 19.Nc3 Ba6 20.Rf7 c5 21.Qxg4 cxd4 22.Qxd4+ Ke8 23.Rxe7+ Kxe7 24.Qd6+ Ke8 25.Qxb8+ Kf7 26.Qxa7+ Kg6 27.Qxa6 Kh7 28.Qd3+ Kh8 29.Qh3 Re8 30.Bxh6 gxh6 31.Qxh6+ Kg8 32.Qg6+ Kf8 33.e6 Ke7 34.Qf7+ Kd8 35.Qd7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Butin, blitz, FICS, 2009.

7.Qh5+ g6

With Black's pawn on h6, this does not close out any danger.

Instead, 7...Ke7 8.Ng6+ (8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Ng6+ [10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Ng6+ White won by ajudication, JoeDemir - dogbrother, FICS 2010] 10...Ke8 11.Nxh8 Nc6 12.Qf7 checkmate, rosti - carifano, FICS, 2010) 8...Ke6 (8...Kd6 9.Qe5+ Kc6 10.Qd5+ Kb6 11.d3 Nf6 12.Be3+ c5 13.Qf5 d6 14.d4 Bxf5 15.dxc5+ dxc5 16.exf5 Rg8 17.b4 Nc6 18.Nd2 Ka6 19.bxc5 Bxc5 20.Bxc5 Qxd2 21.Rab1 b6 22.Be3 Qxc2 23.Rfc1 Qe4 24.Rxc6 Qxc6 25.Ne7 Qc2 26.Rc1 Qxa2 27.Nxg8 Nxg8 28.g4 Nf6 29.h3 Kb7 30.g5 hxg5 31.Bxg5 Ne4 32.Be3 Rc8 33.Rxc8 Kxc8 34.Kg2 Qd5 35.f3 Qa2+ 36.Kf1 Ng3+ 37.Ke1 Qe7 checkmate, valiantknight - Monkee, FICS, 2000) 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.Qd5 checkmate perrypawnpusher - TheTrueDamaBlanca, blitz, FICS, 2009).

8.Qxg6+ Ke7

And here Black resigned.

Instead, Divtwo - HotCaldron, FICS, 2010, continued to the same end: 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Qd5+ Ke7 11.Qxa5 d6 12.Ng6+ Ke8 13.Nxh8 Qf6 14.Qh5+ Ke7 15.Ng6+ Kd7 16.Nxf8+ Qxf8 17.Qf5+ Kd8 18.Qxf8+ Kd7 19.Qxg8 Kc6 20.Qc4+ Black resigned,