Not What Was Expected

In the following game Bill Wall played the Jerome Gambit, retreated his Queen to an odd square, allowed it to be exchanged off - and, later won. All in all, not what was expected for a "refuted" opening, played loosely - but what did you expect? Bill goes on to win in the endgame.

Wall,B - Guest10254637
PlayChess.com, 2014

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qc3

A more usual retreat is 8.Qg3, but Bill likes to experiment. 

8...Qf6 9.0-0 

A small caution: 9.Qb3? Qxf2+ White resigned, GeniusPawn - satori, FICS, 2000. 

9...Qxc3 

Also seen was 9...Bd4 10.Qxc7 Bxb2 11.Bxb2 Qxb2 12.Qxd6+ Ne7 13.Nc3 Kf7 14.Qf4+ Ke8 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Kd8 17.Rfe1 Qxc2 18.Qg5+ Kc7 19.Rac1 Qxc1 20.Rxc1+ Kb8 21.Qe5 checkmate, guest714 - guest1041, Internet Chess Club, 2003.

10.Nxc3 

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece.

10...Nf6 11.d3 Kf7

Black did not castle-by-hand in Abijud - djinmaster, FICS, 2005:  11...Bg4 12.a4 a6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Nd5 Bd4 16.c3 Be5 17.f4 Be2 18.fxe5 Bxf1 19.Rxf1 dxe5 20.Nxf6 Ke7 21.Nd5+ Kd7 22.Rf5 c6 23.Nb6+ Ke6 24.Nxa8 Rxa8 25.Rh5 Rh8 26.Kf2 Rh7 27.Ke3 Kf6 28.g4 b6 29.h4 c5 30.Rf5+ Ke6 31.g5 hxg5 32.hxg5 Rh3+ 33.Kd2 Rh2+ 34.Kc1 Black forfeited on time. 

12.Re1

Bill points out two alternatives: 12.Na4 Bb4 13.a3 Ba5; and
12.Be3 Bxe3 13.fxe3 c6. 

12...Rf8 13.h3 Bd7 14.a4 Rae8 15.Be3 Bb4

I suspect that Black felt good about this move, taking advantage of the fact that the Bishop cannot be kicked away by a2-a3. The fact is, though, that White can now spring his "Jerome pawns".

16.f4 a6 17.Re2 Bc6 18.Rf2 Bxc3 19.bxc3

Black will now give back his piece to fracture White's pawns.

19...Bxe4 20.dxe4 Nxe4

The rest of the game is interesting, as White's pawns are not as weak as they appear - or the pawn structure gives chances to White's pieces. The game is balanced - for a while.  

21.Rf3 Nxc3 22.Bf2 Ne4 23.Bd4 d5 

24.Rb3 b6 25.Rd1 Kg8 

Completing castling-by-hand, but perhaps that was no longer necessary, in which case it is not a good use of tempo. 

26.Be5 Nc5 27.Rc3 c6

Bill points out the better 27...Rd8 28.Bxc7 Nxa4. 

28.a5 Nd7 29.axb6 Nxb6 30.Rxc6 Nc4 31.Rxd5 Ne3

Black misses his chance to exchange off White's Bishop and head toward  a R + Ps endgame where he has practical drawing chances, Bill notes: 31...Nxe5 32.fxe5 Rf5 33.Rxa6 Rfxe5 34.Rxe5 Rxe5.

32.Rd7 Rf7 33.Rxf7 Kxf7 34.Kf2 Nd1+ 35.Ke2 Nb2 36.Kf3 Na4 37.Rxa6 Nc5 38.Ra7+ Black resigned

A Level of Strangeness

The following game has a surprise move in a less-than-usual line, and when I researched it in earlier posts, I found a number of editorial errors. Strange...

bemillsy - leoarthur
blitz, FICS, 2012

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

See "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense (Part 4)".

5.Bxf7+

A delayed Jerome Gambit move order (or a transition to a "modern" Jerome Gambit line, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0 Nf6), although there are about 550 examples in The Database. I have never played the line, but of course Bill Wall has, as have GeniusPawn, GmCooper, HauntedKnight, hinders, sTpny, Teterow, DragonTail and jrhumphrey, to name just a few.

The line was looked at in the games aymmd - MOMLASAM, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 19)  and Wall, B - Guest848078, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 10) although there were diagram errors and references that subsequently needed correction in both posts.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Nf3+ 

A surprise, but not as strong as the routine 7...Bxd4.

8.Qxf3

The correct capture, with a roughly equal game.

8...Bxd4 9.Bg5 

Overlooking something, perhaps already short of time.

9...Bxb2

Surprisingly, not Black's strongest move, although it does lead to some advantage. Rybka prefers 9...d6 10.Nd2 h6 11.Be3 Bxe3 12.Qxe3 Re8 13.f3 Qe7 14.Rad1 Be6 15.b3 Kg8 with a clear advantage.

10.Nd2 

White should try 10.Qb3+, as after 10...Kg6 11.Qxb2 Kxg5 12.e5 he has chances against Black's uneasy King.  

10...Bxa1 11.Rxa1 d6 White forfeited on time.

Chess Brawl

When Black plays a new attacking idea in an old defense, it shouldn't work, but it does. White shouldn't have any chance to escape from the ensuing fury, but he does. Black should then perish in the counter-attack, but he doesn't. We're talking serious chess brawl.


GeniusPawn - pulsefrequency
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.0-0

Facing the Two Knights Defence, White offers his opponent the chance to play the Boden Kieseritzky Gambit with 4...Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3, etc. The Database has games with GeniusPawn playing this line, going back to 2000.

4...Bc5

Black declines, but then faces a Jerome-ish response. 

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5

This unusual position has only occurred 4 times in The Database, a collection of over 24,500 games.

It is as if White were playing Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's original intention, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5 and then decided, before playing 6.d4 and risking 6...Qh4 (see "Danger? He laughs at danger!"), that he would first 0-0, allowing Black to insert ...Nf6... 

7.d4 h5

An astonishing idea, a Theoretical Novelty that is so brash, so bold, so confident – that it seems cruel for White to have to point out that it is also so wrong.

8.dxe5 Ng4 9.Qd5+ Kg6 10.Qxc5

White has recovered his two sacrificed pieces and remains a couple of pawns ahead.

What was Black thinking? Keep reading.

10...b6 11.Qd5 Ba6 12.Rd1

Allowing the attacked Rook to escape, with additional pressure down the d-file.

Oh, and also giving Black a crushing game. (Necessary was the block 12.c4)

12...Qh4 13.c4 Qxf2+ 14.Kh1 Qh4

This is good enough for a clear advantage, but 14...Raf8 would have added a handy new attacking piece, when the end of the game would already be near.

15.h3

This allows a mate, but 15.Bf4 Nf2+ was a pretty grim alternative. You just know that Black's h-pawn is also going to advance further and open up White's Kingside... 

15...Qg3 16.Kg1 Qh2+ 17.Kf1 Qh1+

Tossing the Queen's Rook into the attack would have continued the mating attack; but Black is still much better here.

As always, the risk of making too many "second best" moves is that your opponent might stay in the game long enough for you to find a "last best" move. 

18.Ke2 Qxg2+ 19.Kd3 Bxc4+

Here it is.

Would you be surprised if I told you that 19...Raf8 was still the best move?

20.Kxc4 Qc2+

The problem is that Black is attacking with one piece (even if it is the Queen) and if White develops enough while defending, the advantage will shift to the first player.

21.Nc3 b5+

Desperately seeking to open lines to add his Rooks to the attack. 

22.Qxb5 c6 23.Rd6+ Kh7

What we have here is a great big mess, but it is a mess that favors White (who has an extra piece).

Unfortunately, the defense that White chooses has a hole in it (he needed to play 24.Qc5).

24.Qb3 Nxe5+

The one move that saves Black's hide.

25.Kc5 Qf2+ 26.Rd4 d6+ 27.Kxd6 Qxd4+ 28.Ke6 Rae8+

Go Rook!

29.Kf5 Rhf8+ 30.Kg5 Qg1+ 31.Kh4 Nf3+ 32.Kxh5 Qg6 checkmate

Wow!