Levity

Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Stipe Drinovac's sense of humor appears in his chess games. We have seen him finish off an opponent in a Jerome Gambit game with the move "0-0-0 checkmate" (see "Could Not Happen" Part 1 & Part 2). In the position below, he says "goodbye" with an underpromotion.

While Black patiently broke through on the Queenside, White used a breakthrough in the center (including an upstart "Jerome pawn" – the pawn on f6 started on d2) to win back his sacrificed piece.

31.fxg7+

White has several checkmate possibilities, and they all start with this move.

31...Kg8 32.Qxh7+

Grin.

32...Kxh7 33.gxf8/N+

Smile.

33...Kg8 34.Nxe6 Black resigned

Black is down a Rook and a Knight and faces a forced checkmate.

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.