I don't think that I will ever play a "great" or "wonderful" game (especially as long as I play the Jerome Gambit), but I sometimes aspire to play "an okay game" of some sort or another. With the following game, I'm getting a bit closer, I think.
perrypawnpusher - Tjofs
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game.
Instead, 4...Nxe4 would have initiated the "fork trick". Now I get to play the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Qe7
Black has a 4:1 advantage in development, plus two extra pieces. The game is practically won...
8.dxc5 Qxc5 9.Be3
Sharp, and suggesting that I know what I am doing.
Previously 9.O-O was tried in perrypawnpusher - barbos, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 49).
9...Qb4
Or 9...Qd6 as in perrypawnpusher - braunstein, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 54) or 9...Qe7 as in perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 37).
My opponent was pretty sure it was time to counter-attack.
10.O-O Nxe4
Consistently "moving forward", but erronious.
11.Qd5+ Kg6 12.Qxe5 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Qg4
14.f3
Stronger was the more direct 14.Bd4 Rg8 15.Qxc7
14... Qe6
I think that time was already beginning to affect us. Simplest was 14...d6
15.Qg5+ Kf7 16.Rfe1
Likewise, getting the Bishop to d4 right away was the correct idea.
16...Qg6 17. Qf4+ Kg8 18.Qxc7 h6 19.Bd4 Kh7
Well, I've played the "right" moves, even if not in the "right" order.
Even though White's material advantage is only one, isolated, pawn (and this against the background of a possible Bishops-of-opposite-colors drawish endgame) Black's lag in development and unsafe King clearly gives the first player the advantage.
20.Re7 Rg8 21.Qe5 d6 22.Qg3
Looked like a good idea at the time. Cutting off counterplay??
22...Qxg3 23.hxg3 Bf5
24.Rxb7 a6 25.Re1 Bxc2 26.Ree7 Kg6
White's pieces are in place, and this escape only helps.
27.Rxg7+
Fair enough, although 27.g4 would lead to mate.
27...Rxg7 28.Rxg7+ Kf5 29.g4+ Kf4 30.Rf7+
Again, quicker would be: 30.Kf2 Bg6 31.Rxg6 Rh8 32.g3#
30...Kg3 31.Bf2 checkmate
It was late when this game was played, and I suspect that my opponent was in need of a cup of coffee.
perrypawnpusher - LydenChess
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 Bb4
This certainly has the right feel to it: Black has three pieces developed to White's one, and that one is pinned... What could go wrong?
8.dxe5 Nxe4
I hope that I do not give too much away with a note about a previous game: 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010.
9.Qd5+
Thus ended perrypawnpusher-kezientz, blitz, FICS, 2010.
9...Kf8
Or 9...Ke8 10.Qxe4 as in perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 33).
10.Qxe4 g6
Extreme puzzlement.
Before I had faced 10...Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 d6 in perrypawnpusher - obmanovichhh, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 39) and 10...Qe7 11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 d6 in perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 17).
11.Qxb4+ Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 13.0-0
Old habits die hard: get an advantage, exchange Queens, be sure that the King is safe, figure out the rest later...
13...Re8
Possibly planning to castle-by-hand?
14.Nd5+ Kd8
Reacting to the threatened Knight fork of the two Rooks at c7, but leading to something worse.
15.Bg5+ Black resigned
I do not think that my opponent took our game very seriously, which is something that I am used to with the Jerome Gambit.
I'm using the word "swind" in the title of this post to represent "incomplete swindle" because it's shorter than "a-swindle-that-didn't-work-because-I-missed-a-move" and better sounding than "blunder".
This position is from perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010.
My opponent had defended very well against my Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, but time was running low for him, and because of that I had managed to regain my sacrificed piece.
Unfortunately, time was running short for me too. So I decided on a swindle to split the point and maintain my dignity.
32.Rxd6
Looking like a time pressure oversight.
32...Qxf1 33.Rxh6+
33...gxh6 34.Qe5+ Kg8
35.Qe6+
Aaaack!
The draw is obtained with 35.Qg3+:
35...Kh7 36.Qxc7+ etc.;
35...Kh8 36.Qe5+ etc.
35...Kf7 36.Qxc7+ Kf6 (36...Ke8 37.Qe5+ Kd7 38.Qg7+ Ke8 39.Qe5+ etc.) 37.Qd6+ Kg5 38.Qg6+ Kf4 39.Qxh6+ Kf3 40.Qxc6+ Ke2 41.Qc4+ etc.
35...Rf7 36.Qg6+ Rg7 37.Qe8+ Kh7 White resigned
I did not recognize my opponent's name until after I had challenged him to this game. In two previous games I had not treated him kindly. I do not think that I will bother him any more in the future.
perrypawnpusher - Abatwa
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
The Two Knights Defense.
Previously my opponent had tried the Blackburne Schilling Gambit: 3...Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Nc6 7.d4 Nce7 8.Qg4+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.
4.Nc3
As I played this move, I wondered to myself if Abatwa had read my blog recently (see "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense Part 3 and Part 4" ).
4...Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game.
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4
Black has scored only 33% in this line in the games in the updated New Year's Database, and my games have been a wasteland for the second player. Best is 7...Bd6 8.dxd5 Bxe5.
Previously my opponent had played the intriguing 7...Rf8, although he did not follow up the move strongly: 8.dxe5 Ne8 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Bg5+ Nf6 11.exf6+ gxf6 12.Qxc5+ d6 13.Nd5+ Kd7 14.Qd4 fxg5 15.Qg7+ Kc6 16.Qc3+ Kd7 17.0-0-0 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.
8.dxe5 Nxe4
Alternately: 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ (here Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010) 10...Kf8 11.Qxe4 d6 12.0-0 dxe5 13.Qxe5 Qe7 14.Bf4 Qxe5 15.Bxe5 c6 16.Rad1 Bf5 17.Rd2 Kf7 18.Rfd1 Rhe8 19.f4 Re6 20.Rd8 Rxd8 21.Rxd8 Re7 22.Rd2 g5 23.g3 gxf4 24.gxf4 Be6 25.a3 Bc4 26.Kf2 b5 27.Ke3 a5 28.Rd6 Bd5 29.Rh6 Kg8 30.Kd4 a4 31.Kc5 Be4 32.Rxc6 Bxc6 33.Kxc6 Re6+ 34.Kxb5 Rh6 35.c4 Kf7 36.c5 Ke6 37.c6 Ke7 38.Kb6 Kd8 39.Kb7 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - obmanovich, blitz, FICS, 2010
9.Qd5+
And here Black resigned in perrypawnpusher - kezientz, blitz, FICS, 2010
9...Kf8
Or 9...Ke8 10.Qxe4 Rf8 11.Qxb4 b6 12.Qe4 Rb8 13.Qxh7 Qe7 14.Qh5+ Kd8 15.Bg5 Rf6 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qh8+ Qe8 18.Qxf6+ Qe7 19.0-0 Bb7 20.Qh8+ Qe8 21.Qxe8+ Kxe8 22.f4 Ke7 23.f5 Rg8 24.g3 a5 25.Rad1 c5 26.Nd5+ Kf7 27.Nxb6 Ke8 28.Nxd7 Kf7 29.Nxc5 Bc6 30.e6+ Ke7 31.f6+ Kf8 32.Rd8+ Be8 33.Nd7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010
10.Qxe4 Qe7
White is a pawn ahead, but Black's next move will diminish it to an isolated, doubled one. Still, this is better than a few moves ago, when I was down two pieces, and such a change in fortunes often causes me to suddenly go meek and mild...
11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 d6
13.Ba3 c5
Throwing some material on the deadly diagonal to block the Bishop. Black's best chance was to have his King to flee to f7, although after a Queen check he would lose the d6 pawn.
14.Qf4+ Ke8
It all goes to pieces quickly now. The Queen needed to leap in front of His Majesty, but my opponent probably did not want the exchange of pieces and subsequent two-pawn-down endgame, even if he did have slight prospects with the Bishops-of-opposite-colors.
15.exd6 Qd7 16.Rfe1+ Kd8 17.Qg5+ Black resigned
In a variation that has seen quick resignations, my opponent takes the game a bit further on down the road. No matter, his stopping point is the same.
perrypawnpusher - Gibarian
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights game.
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
7...Bb4
This has given Black trouble before although the defense surely is playable. Best was 7...Bd6 8.dxe5 Bxe5 and the second player is better.
8.dxe5 Nxe4
Or 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010
Black stayed around longer in perrypawnpusher - obmanovichhh, FICS, 2010: 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ Kf8 11.Qxe4 d6 12.0-0 dxe5 13.Qxe5 Qe7 14.Bf4 Qxe5 15.Bxe5 c6 16.Rad1 Bf5 17.Rd2 Kf7 18.Rfd1 Rhe8 19.f4 Re6 20.Rd8 Rxd8 21.Rxd8 Re7 22.Rd2 g5 23.g3 gxf4 24.gxf4 Be6 25.a3 Bc4 26.Kf2 b5 27.Ke3 a5 28.Rd6 Bd5 29.Rh6 Kg8 30.Kd4 a4 31.Kc5 Be4 32.Rxc6 Bxc6 33.Kxc6 Re6+ 34.Kxb5 Rh6 35.c4 Kf7 36.c5 Ke6 37.c6 Ke7 38.Kb6 Kd8 39.Kb7 Black resigned,
9.Qd5+
At this point Black resigned in perrypawnpusher - kezientz, FICS 2010
9...Ke8 10.Qxe4 Rf8
An oversight, but Black plays on.
11.Qxb4 b6 12.Qe4 Rb8 13.Qxh7 Qe7 14.Qh5+ Kd8
15.Bg5 Rf6 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qh8+ Qe8 18.Qxf6+ Qe7 19.0-0 Bb7
20.Qh8+ Qe8 21.Qxe8+ Kxe8 22.f4 Ke7 23.f5 Rg8
24.g3 a5 25.Rad1 c5 26.Nd5+ Kf7 27.Nxb6 Ke8 28.Nxd7 Kf7 29.Nxc5 Bc6 30.e6+ Ke7 31.f6+ Kf8 32.Rd8+ Be8 33.Nd7 checkmate
