Led Astray?

When it comes to the Jerome Gambit, Bill Wall may not have seen it all - but he has seen a whole lot of it. So, while it would seem to be a good idea to take him into a side line, finding a place he hasn't been to before can be a bit of a challenge.

Wall, Bill - DYQH
FICS, 2013

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

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Qf6 9.Be3

Note, 9.f4 allows 9...Nf3+ 10.Rxf3 Qxd4+ winning White's Queen.

9...Nc6

We have come far enough in the game to note that the current game is the only one in The Database to contain this move. Has Black succeeded in leading White astray?

Perhaps not.

There is a game with a similar, alternative move for Black in The Database: 9... Ne7 10. Nc3 Rf8 11. Nb5 c6 12. Nc7 Rb8 13. f4 Nf3+ 14. Rxf3 Qxd4 15. Bxd4 Kg8 16.Bxa7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Foman, Chess.com, 2010. 

10.Qd3 Qxb2

Black's Queen gobbles a poisoned pawn.

11.Nc3 Nb4 

This attack on White's Queen will actually doom the Knight and put Black's Queen at risk. Better was the developing 11...Nf6. 

12.Qc4+ Ke8 13.Rab1 Qxc2 14.Rxb4 Nf6 15.Rc1 Black resigned

The Difference Between "OK" and "KO"

The title of this blog post says it all.

Wall, Bill - Guest2474397
PlayChess.com, 2014

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

4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

Probably a bit stronger than 7.Qh5+, but Bill has played that, too: Wall,B  -  Guest473534, PlayChess.com, 2001, (1-0, 21); Wall,B - Castro,S, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23); Wall,B - Foman, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 16); Wall,B - Merdiyev,F, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 17); Wall,B - Ratebabb, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 28); and Wall,B - Dad88, PlayChess.com, 2014, (1-0, 34).

7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.f4 Nc6 10.Qd5+ Be6 11.Qd3 Ke7 12.Bd2 Nf6 13.Nc3

Except for his centralized King, Black is doing OK. Now, however, he is tempted to waste time to harass the White Queen. If he lets White open the position, he risks a KO [knock out]. 

13...Nb4 14.Qg3 Rg8 15.e5 dxe5 16.Rad1 exf4
17.Bxf4 

White's attack is well worth the sacrificed piece.

17...Qc8

Houdini suggests returning material while bringing Black's King to safety with 17...Qe8 18.Bxc7 Kf7 19.Qh4 Qc6 20.Bd6 Kg6 21.Qxb4 Rgd8 22.Qf4 Kh7, but I don't think Bill's opponent thought he was in that much trouble.

18.Bxc7 Nfd5

This leads to a bad end. Bill suggests 18...a5, which he would have answered with 19.Nb5.

19.Bd6+

The text is winning, although Bill points out that both 19.Rxd5!? and 19.Nxd5+!? would lead to checkmate.

19...Kd7 20.Bxb4 Qc6

Of course, if 20...Kc6 21.Qd6#. 

21.Nxd5 Bxd5 22.Rf7+ 

Punches are raining down on the Black King, and the end is near.

22...Kc8 23.Rxd5 Qxd5 24.Qc7 checkmate

This is the kind of game that Alonzo Wheeler Jerome was thinking of when he invented his gambit!

This is Your Brain. This is Your Brain on the Jerome Gambit...

There's always something interesting about a Bill Wall Jerome Gambit game. The following game has several enlightening points, but the most enduring one for me is the sad career of Black's light-squared Bishop that never leaves home, and is hardly ever able to - a tell-tale sign that the second player is in trouble. 

Wall, Bill - Dad88
PlayChess.com, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.O-O Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 

I was surprised to see that Houdini prefers this to 7.Qh5. Of course, Bill has played that, too. See Wall,B - Castro,S, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23) and Wall,B - Guest473534, PlayChess.com, 2011 (1-0, 21).

7...Bb6

Or 7...Bxd4 as in Wall,B - Merdiyev,F, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 17), Wall,B -Foman, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 16) and Wall,B -Ratebabb, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 28).

8.dxe5 Ne7 9.Nc3 c6

Bill suggests, instead, a step toward castling-by-hand with 9...Rf8.

10.Qh5+

He also offers 10.Kh1 followed by 11.f4.

10...Ng6

Casually giving the piece back, probably unintentionally.

11.Qf5+ Kg8 12.Qxg6 Qf8 13.Ne2 Qf7

14.Qg3 

As an alternative, Bill mentions 14.Qxf7+ Kxf7 15.Be3. It is worth extending that line one move further, with 15...Bxe3 16.fxe3+. White's advantage in material then consists of tripled, isolated e-pawns, but they help him dominate the board

analysis diagram






14...Kh7 15.b3 Rf8 16.Bb2 Qg6 17.Qd3 a5 18.Ng3 a4 19.Nf5 axb3

Black would have done better to open his position with 19...d5 20.exd6 Bxf5 21.exf5 Qxf5 22.Qxf5+ Rxf5, as Bill notes. 

20.axb3 Rxa1 21.Bxa1 Rd8 22.Nd6 

Keeping things clamped down.

22...Bc5 23.Rd1 

Or 23.Nxc8 Rxc8 24.Qxd7, but it seems a shame to relieve Black's light-squared Bishop of its misery. 

23...Rf8 

Making his own threat of 24...Rxf2. The alternative, 23...Bxd6 24.exd6 Re8 seems self-punishing. 

24.Nf5 Qe6 25.h3 g6 26.Nd6 Bxf2+ 

Better says Bill, is 26...Rxf2. 

27.Kh2 Bc5  

Missing the line in the game that allows for winning simplification. His last try to hold on was 27...Qe7 28.Nxc8 Rxc8 29.Qxd7 Rc7. 

28.Nxc8 Rxc8 29.Qxd7+ Qxd7 30.Rxd7+ Kg8 31.Rxb7 Re8 32.Rc7 Re6 33.g4 Be3 34.Kg3 Black resigned

The end may be a ways off, but it is inescapable.

Successful

If you inquired how someone can regularly be successful with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), you might first find that it is helpful to be a strong player.

You might also learn that becoming familiar with a large number of Jerome games, by working with The Database, is an advantage.

Finally, you might see that experience in playing the Jerome Gambit is a great help, too.

Which is a pretty handy introduction to the latest Bill Wall game.

Wall,B - guest2170544
PlayChess.com, 2012


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

4...Kxf7 5.0-0

A "modern" variation of the Jerome Gambit (i.e. not 5.Nxe5+).

5...h6

Provoking a transition to the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

Of course, there is also 7.Qh5+ Ng6 (7...Ke6 Wall,B - Guest473534, PlayChess.com, 2011 [1-0, 21]) 8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 Wall,B - Castro,S, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23).

7...Nf6

A quick position search in The Database will find 5 games (before this one), with Black winning 80% of them. Does that make any sense?

A second look will show that in all of those games it is Black to move; that White first played d2-d3, and then, later, d3-d4. The loss of tempo changes everything.

That makes Black's 7th move in this game a novelty  – understandable, perhaps, in that the second player does not choose which piece to surrender, he merely develops another – but his choice is not as strong as the old 7...Bxd4, as in 8.Qxd4 Qe7 (8...Qf6 9.Be3 Ne7 10.Nc3 Rf8 11.Nb5 c6 12.Nc7 Rb8 13.f4 Nf3+ 14.Rxf3 Qxd4 15.Bxd4 Kg8 16.Bxa7 1-0 Wall,B - Foman, Chess.com, 2010 [1-0, 16]; 8...Ng6 9.Qc4+ Kf8 10.Nc3 c6 11.Be3 b5 12.Qb4+ N8e7 13.f4 a5 14.Qd6 Kf7 15.f5 Nf8 16.f6 Ne6 17.fxe7+ 1-0 Wall,B - Merdiyev,F, Chess.com, 2010 [1-0, 17]) 9.f4 Nc6  Wall,B - Ratebabb, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 28)

8.dxe5 Nh7

Choosing this time, but not wisely. Black would have done better to hold onto the Bishop with 8...d6, and, after 8.exf6 Qxf6 he would at least have the two Bishops as partial compensation for his lost pawn.

9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Rd1 Black resigned

Black sees that it is time to let the game go, as he will be down three pawns after 11...Be6 12.exd6 cxd6 13.Rxd6

Worth the Wait

While I admit (and apologize) that the 2012 version of The Database [a free PGN collection of over 26,000 Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+), and Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3/4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) games; as well as games following the so-far-unnamed order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+] is still not complete, I think that it will be worth the wait.

Here is a game that I found in TD2012.

Wall,B - Merdiyev,F
Chess.com, 2010


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

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

We have been looking at d2-d4 in the opening lately, and that's one reason why I chose this game. Has Bill Wall also played the alternative, 7.Qh5+ ? A quick look in The Database shows that he has.

7.Qh5+ Ng6 (7...Ke6 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.d4 Bxd4 10.Rd1 Ke7 11.Rxd4 d6 12.Qf4 Nf6 13.Nc3 Qf8 14.b3 Be6 15.Nb5 Kd7 16.Qxe5 Ng4 17.Qg3 Qf6 18.Bb2 Rhf8 19.Rxd6+ cxd6 20.Bxf6 Rxf6 21.Qxd6+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest473534, PlayChess.com, 2011) 8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qc4 Ne5 11.Qb3 Qe7 12.d4 Nc6 13.d5 Nd4 14.Qa4+ Bd7 15.Qxd4 Qe5 16.Qxe5+ dxe5 17.f4 exf4 18.Bxf4 c6 19.c4 Nf6 20.e5 Nh5 21.e6 Nxf4 22.exd7+ Kxd7 23.Rxf4 Black resigned, Wall,B - Castro,S, Chess.com, 2010

7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Ng6

Or 8...Qe7 9.f4 Nc6 10.Qd5+ Qe6 11.Qh5+ g6 12.Qf3 d6 13.f5 gxf5 14.exf5 Qf6 15.Nc3 Ne5 16.Qh5+ Kg7 17.Nd5 Qf7 18.Qxf7+ Kxf7 19.Nxc7 Rb8 20.Nb5 Ne7 21.Nxd6+ Kf6 22.Bf4 Bxf5 23.Rae1 N5g6 24.Nxf5 Nxf4 25.Nxe7 Kg5 26.Re5+ Kf6 27.Re4 Rhe8 28.Rfxf4+ Black resigned, Wall,B - Ratebabb, Chess.com, 2010;


8...Qf6 9.Be3 Ne7 10.Nc3 Rf8 11.Nb5 c6 12.Nc7 Rb8 13.f4 Nf3+ 14.Rxf3 Qxd4 15.Bxd4 Kg8 16.Bxa7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Foman, Chess.com,  2010.

9.Qc4+ Kf8

10.Nc3 c6 11.Be3 b5

This move is a bit frivolous, but not fatal.

12.Qb4+ N8e7 13.f4 a5

14.Qd6 Kf7 15.f5 Nf8 16.f6 Ne6

Perhaps Black was thinking that he could return his extra piece with 17.Qxe7+ Qxe7 18.fxe7+ Kxe7 and then try to hold on with material being even.

17.fxe7+ Black resigned

The discovered check, another theme that we have been exploring lately, allows White to win Black's Queen.

MuddleGame Blues

More "muddlegame" blues: White has all the makings of an attack on the enemy King – well, almost all – but his efforts look like someone trying to put together a 1,000 piece puzzle when some of the parts are missing. After such a failure, to win the game based on what seems to be an optical illusion makes things even more bizarre.


perrypawnpusher - Fazmeister
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Re8 9.0-0 d6

10.f4

A standard move in this kind of position, but probably 10.Bg5, as in Wall,B - Foman, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 22) was stronger.

10...Nc6 11.Qd3 Kg8 12.Bd2 Kh8

The King's cautious double-move eliminates the risk of a Queen-check-and-fork at c4, should Black move a piece to b4 to attack Her Majesty. Previously I had seen 12...a6 13.Rae1 Kh8 in perrypawnpusher - KaZC, blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½, 61).

Actually, in my post on the KaZC game, I said I'd try 10.Bg5 "next time", but I forgot to...

13.Nd5

Another "standard move in this kind of position", but with Black's Rook at e8 this should simply lose the e-pawn.

13...Nxd5

A curious example of "playing the player" (or "playing the player's misconceptions") rather than "playing the board."  Folie a deux?

14.exd5 Nb4

I don't know what to say. Some people just want to attack my Queen. Now that there is no insidious check-fork (see my comment to Black's 12th move) my opponent goes ahead...

15.Bxb4 a5

White has regained his sacrificed piece and is even a pawn up.

One look at Black's undeveloped Queenside suggests that White should focus an attack on the enemy King, using the a1-h8 diagonal and possibly the g-file as well.

That much, I understood. But I could not put the attack together. 

16.Bc3 b6 17.Qd4

This move is adequate, but after the game Houdini suggested the cold-blooded 17.f5 Ba6 18.Qg3 Qd7 19.f6, since 19...Bxf1 is only a temporary material gain for Black, as he quickly has to return the exchange with 20.Rxf1 Re5. After 21.Bxe5 dxe5 22.Qxe5 Qf7  23.fxg7+ Qxg7 Black has turned back the attack, but he is two pawns down without any compensation at all.

The idea of an attack that does not necessarily end up with checkmate, but which is "expensive" for the opponent to defend against, is part of middlegame play (in my games, "muddlegame play") that I'm still trying to understand.

One of the "missing pieces" in my own construction of the attack was the move f4-f5.

17...Re7

Stronger was 17...Qf6, because the text move makes the Rook a target after f4-f5-f6; but I was oblivious to that.

18.Rae1

Solid, but take a look at 18.f5 Rf7 19.f6 Rxf6 20.Qxf6!? gxf6 21.Bxf6+ Qxf6 22.Rxf6 when White has the exchange and a pawn to comfort him for his "failed" attack on the King.

18...Rf7 19.Re3

Planning to transfer the Rook to the g-file, but without the "can opener" f4-f5 the attack will not be sufficient.

19...Bf5

20.Rg3

With the arrival of Black's Bishop, his Kingside is almost secure.

20...Qd7 21.Rff3 Bxc2 22.f5

The pawn finally takes a step, but it turns out now that the Rook sacrifice at g7, which I try a move later, is the key here: 22.Rxg7 Rxg7 23.Rg3 Bg6 24.f5 Re8 25.fxg6 Re5 26.Qd3 Qa4 27.Qf3 Qe8 28.gxh7 Kxh7 29.Rxg7+ Kxg7 30.Bxe5+ dxe5. White is up a pawn in a Queen + pawns endgame; and at our level of play, in blitz, that's probably what they call "3/4 of a point" (i.e. a draw, with a big sigh).

22...Raf8 23.Rxg7

I was thinking "something like this should work", which is a very bad substitute for analysis. I had also lost my patience, which is a very bad substitute for actually playing chess.

It was better to stay the course, as Houdini showed afterward: 23.Rg5 b5 24.Rfg3 Rg8 25.f6 g6 when White is better, but he will probably have to sacrifice the exchange to break through. The win is a long ways off.

23...Rxg7 24.Rg3

The sad fact is that Black has adequate defensive resources, and White will end up with a pawn for a piece.

24...Rff7 25.Rxg7 Rxg7 26.Qf2 Be4 27.Bxg7+ Qxg7 28.f6 Qf7 29.g4 Bxd5

It is hard to believe that this is the same game that I was playing 4 diagrams back. White is simply busted.

30.g5 Bxa2 31.h4 Bb1 32.h5 c5 33.Qf4 Ba2 34.Qxd6 Qxh5

I think the only explanation for this move is that my opponent has been looking at moves for his pieces along the light squares, while he has been assessing my Queen's movements along the dark squares. Kind of an optical illusion.

Well, that, and maybe a shortness of time on the clock.

35.Qf8+ Bg8

Of course.

36.Qg7 checkmate

Well, that was far better than I expected.

(It looks like I need a serious refresher course on attacking the King, starting with Joel Johnson's Formation Attacks.)

A Severe Challenge

My chess-play has been poor lately (for example see "Crushed") – a severe challenge to my pledge, as an advocate of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), to share all of my games, not just the "good" ones.

So, take what you can from the rather sad effort that follows. I'll quickly see if I can find a Bill Wall game...

perrypawnpusher - hklett

blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Re8 9.0-0

An alternative, with the plan of castling Queenside, was 9.Bg5 Kg8 10.0-0-0 b6 11.f4 Nc6 12.Qc4+ Kh8 13.e5 Na5 14.Qd3 c5 15.Nd5 c4 16.Qf3 Bb7 17.exf6 gxf6 18.Qc3 Qb8 19.Bxf6+ Kg8 20.Qg3+ Kf7 21.Qg7+ Ke6 22.Nc7+ Qxc7 23.Rhe1+ Kf5 24.Qg5 checkmate, Wall - PLMW, FICS, 2010.

9...Kg8 10.Bg5 d6 11.f4 c5

Black has been defending well, and White has been developing his forces and looking for his chances.

An alternate was 11...Nc6 12.Qd3 Nb4 13.Qc4+ Be6 14.Qxb4 b6 15.Rae1 c5 16.Qb5 d5 17.e5 d4 18.exf6 a6 19.Qc6 Bd7 20.Qd5+ Kh8 21.fxg7+ Kxg7 22.Bxd8 Black resigned, Wall - Foman, Chess.com, 2010.

12.Qe3 h6

This is the slip that White has been looking for. Instead, after the game Rybka suggested: 12...Nf7 13.Bh4 Bd7 14.Rfe1 Qe7 and Black remains clearly better. 

13.Bh4

A mistake, of course, although the correct 13.Bxf6 is not as simple as it appears at first glance. If Black replies 13...Qxf6 then 14.Nd5 Qd8 15.fxe5 Rxe8 is even enough, although White has 16.Qb3!? to look for an edge.

However, if Black answers 13.Bxf6 with 13...Ng4!? then after 14.Bxd8 Nxe3 15.Bc7 Nxf1 16.Kxf1 White will have two pawns for the exchange, which may or may not be equivalent.

I did not see any of this, however.

13...Ng6 14.Bxf6 Qxf6

15.Rad1 Bg4 16.Rd2 b5

Another opportunity presents itself (solid was 16...Rad8).

I suspect that my opponent was planning to meet 17.Nxb5 with 17...Rab8 (eyeing the pawn on b2) but 18.Nxd6 would have been a complet answer.

17.h3 Bd7 18.b3

There was a chance to grab a pawn with 18.e5 Qf7 19.Rxd6.

18...Bf5

The Bishop would be stronger placed at Bc6.

19.Nd5

Again overlooking Opportunity's knock: instead, 19.g4 Bd7 20.e5 gets the "Jerome pawns" moving, after either 20...Qf7 21.Rxd6 or 20...dxe5 21.Rxd6 (21.f5 first might be better).

19...Qh4

20.Re1 Rxe4 White resigned

White will lose his Queen.