I looked at Bill Wall's 10th move in this game and just shook my head. Where does he get this stuff? A "Theoretical Novelty", Black immediately makes an error, and the game is effectively over...
Wall,B - Guest215111
playchess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bd6 9.dxe5 Bxe5 10.Nd5
Apparently an improvement on 10.f4, which I have played in a few games previously: perrypawnpusher-KnightRoyal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 21); perrypawnpusher - drandika, blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½, 31); and perrypawnpusher - grunf, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 15).
10...Nxd5?
The right response was 10...Bd6.
Curiously enough, Bill once faced 10...h5 11.f4 Bd4+ 12.Qxd4 c5 13.Qxc5 d6 14.Qb5 Nxe4 15.Qc4 Nf6 16.Nxf6+ Kxf6 17.Be3 d5 18.Bd4+ Kf7 19.Qd3 Re8 20.Qh7 Rg8 21.Qxh5+ Kf8 22.Bc5+ in Wall,B - Mol,E, Chess.com, 2010.
11.Qxd5+ Kf6?
Trying to hold onto the Bishop compounds Black's problems.
12.f4 Kg6 13.fxe5 Kh7
This castling-by-hand does not bring safety, as White's lead in development is too great..
14.Rf7 Qh4 15.Be3 Re8 16.e6 dxe6 17.Qe5 Rg8
18.Bd4 Qg4 19.Rxc7 b6 20.Rf1 Ba6 21.Rff7
Black now has a series of checks on White's King, but it does not change the out come of the game.
21...Qd1+ 22.Kf2 Qd2+ 23.Kf3 Be2+ 24.Kg3 Qg5+ 25.Kf2 Qxe5 26.Bxe5 Black resigned
There is an old saying: Act in haste, repent at leisure.
My opponent in the following game was working his way through a theoretical opening line when he blocked a check with the first piece that came to mind. That proved to be his undoing.
perrypawnpusher - grunf
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game
6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4
8...Bd6 9.dxe5 Bxe5
The recommended defense, although I rarely see it as my opponents generally prefer 8...Bxd4.
10.f4
I played this move even though Black's response is correct and gives him the advantage, because I was willing to take my chances in the complicated positon that would arise.
10...Bxc3
More to the point than 10...Bxf4 11.Rxf4 Re8 12.Qd5+ Re6 13.e5 c6 14.Qd4 Kg8 15.exf6 gxf6 16.Rg4+ Kh7 17.Qd3+ Kh8 18.Bxh6 Re7 19.Qg6 d6 20.Bg7+ Kg8 21.Bxf6+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - KnightRoyal, blitz, FICS, 2010
11.bxc3 Re8
I've also seen 11...Rf8 12.e5 Ne4 13.Qd5+ Ke8 14.Qxe4 c6 15.Ba3 Rf7 16.f5 Qa5 17.e6 dxe6 18.Bb4 Qb6+ 19.Kh1 c5 20.fxe6 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 cxb4 22.Qg6+ Ke7 23.Rf7+ Kd6 24.e7+ Be6 25.Rxg7 Qe3 26.h3 Qe1+ 27.Kh2 Qe5+ 28.Kh1 Qe1+ 29.Kh2 Qe5+ 30.Kh1 Qe1+ 31.Kh2 Qe5+ drawn perrypawnpusher - drandika, blitz, FICS, 2010
12.e5 Nh7
Taking a longer view of things, it was probably time to return the piece with 12...d6 13.exf6 Qxf6 when Black still had an edge.
13.Qd5+ Re6
Blitz reflex, but not good.
14.f5 c6 15.fxe6+ Black resigned
Mate is forced.
Despite the fact that I specialize in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), sometimes it feels that I actually play real chess. Almost.
perrypawnpusher - drandika
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.
6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4
8...Bd6 9.dxe5 Bxe5 10.f4
I recently analyzed this move (see "THIS is why I play the Jerome Gambit") enough to know that the best move for White is actually 10.Ne2, and that after the text move Black can have a good game if he makes the right choices. But the position is tricky, and I thought it was worth a try in blitz.
(Opening preparation – how about that?)
10...Bxc3
Good, and better than 10...Bxf4 11.Rxf4 Re8 12.Qd5+ Re6 13.e5 c6 14.Qd4 Kg8 15.exf6 gxf6 16.Rg4+ Kh7 17.Qd3+ Kh8 18.Bxh6 Re7 19.Qg6 d6 20.Bg7+ Kg8 21.Bxf6+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - KnightRoyal, blitz, FICS, 2010.
11.bxc3 Rf8
It is likely that my opponent was getting ready to castle-by-hand. Correct was either 11...Qe7 or 11...Qf8.
12.e5 Ne4
Not thought through. This happens a lot in the Jerome Gambit, where defenders seem to have a hard time devoting enough energy to countering a refuted opening.
After the game Rybka suggested 12...d6 13.exf6 Qxf6 when Black still had the edge.
13.Qd5+ Ke8 14.Qxe4 c6
It's funny, as soon as I saw this move, I thought about Paul Morphy - Louis Paulsen, New York, 4th match game, 1857: 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 e6 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 Ne7 7.Bf4 0-0 8.Bd6 (1-0, 36) – it's hard to forget that White Bishop as a "bone in the throat."
analysis diagram
I know that Paulsen was playing the Sicilian and my opponent was defending against the Jerome Gambit, but it was a pleasant surprise to see a strategic idea bubble up from my chess unconscious.
(Learning from the past Masters – how about that?)
15.Ba3 Rf7
Black has to do something about the Bishop, something like 15...Qb6+ and 16...c5, blocking its influence on the King side.
In response, White will either put pressure on the center with Rad1 or on the King side with Qh7. The advanced "Jerome pawns" will force a break through.
16.f5
This move is good, but 16.Bd6 would have been crushing: White would have a humorous mating attack with Qh7 followed by Qh8+, and Black would have to give up his Queen to stay alive.
16...Qa5
Going after the Bishop – something that I actually had anticpated.
(Sacrificing, not losing a piece – how about that?)
Black's best was still to counter the Bishop with 16...Qb6+ 17.Rf2 c5; although 18.f6 changes the front of the attack: 18...gxf6 19.Rxf6 Rxf6 20.exf6+ Qe6 21.Qh4, threatening Re1 (the eeeeeeee file!), Qxh6, and Bxc5.
17.e6 dxe6 18.Bb4
Momentarily losing faith in my analysis of tactics...
I had seen 18.fxe6 Rxf1+ 19.Rxf1 Qxa3, but didn't see clearly after 20.Qg6+ – which was the winning line.
18...Qb6+ 19.Kh1 c5 20.fxe6
Still on the attack (the Bishop is still taboo) although White will have to be creative to bring on the heat.
20...Rxf1+
After the game Rybka suggested: 20...Qxe6 21.Qh7 Kd7 22.Rxf7+ Qxf7 23.Qd3+ Kc7 24.Bxc5 Qe6 25.Qg3+ Kc6 26.Rd1 Kxc5 27.Qc7+ Kb5 28.a4+ Ka6 29.Rd6+ b6 30.Rxe6 Bxe6 which gives White a Queen vs Rook and Bishop...
analysis diagram
This was, of course, well beyond my analysis.
21.Rxf1 cxb4
Grabbing the Bishop, which was okay with me – I correctly evaluated that I still was winning.
Black's best was 21...Qxe6, when again White gives Rook and Bishop for Black's Queen, e.g. 22.Qf3 cxb4 23.Qf8+ Kd7 24.Qxg7+ Kd6 25.Rf6.
22.Qg6+ Ke7 23.Rf7+
My original plan was 23.Qf7+ which was again, crushing, but at the last minute I decided (without analysis!) to "add another piece to the attack".
(It is sad to have come this far, only to give in to foggy thinking.)
It shouldn't have been too hard to see 23.Qf7+ Kd6 24.Rd1+ Ke5 25.e7 and White has too many threats to counter (even if I couldn't immediately analyze them out).
23...Kd6 24.e7+ Be6 25.Rxg7
The last poor choice, again due to an unwillingness – temporary inability? – to force my foggy brain to look further.
White's Rook and Queen exchanged roles from my original analysis, which means that they would have to do the same here: the Queen checks, the Rook escorts, 25.Qd3+ Kc6 and then 26.Rf8. After Black's mate-threat counter – 26...bxc3 27.h3 Qb1+ 28.Kh2 Qb4 – White wins a Rook with and remains the exchange up.
Whew!
25...Qe3
Black sees his chance to force a draw and takes it!
26.h3 Qe1+ 27.Kh2 Qe5+ 28.Kh1 Qe1+ 29.Kh2 Qe5+ 30.Kh1 Qe1+ 31.Kh2 Qe5+ drawn by repetition
A great save by my opponent!
The opportunity for an attack on the enemy King is one reason to play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). In the following game, it takes only one poor choice, on move 10, for Black to turn the game over to White, and set that attack in motion.
perrypawnpusher - KnightRoyal
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bd6
An interesting defense. More often seen is 8...Bxd4.
9.dxe5 Bxe5 10.f4
This is a risky idea, as Black can respond 10...Bxc3 and the game can become very tricky, as Rybka indicated after the game: 11.bxc3 Qf8!? 12.e5 Qc5+ 13.Kh1 Ne4 14.f5 Kg8 15.f6 Nf2+ 16.Rxf2 Qxf2 17.Qd5+ Kh7 18.Qd3+ g6 19.Bxh6 Qf5 20.Qe3 Kg8 21.Bg7 Rh7 22.Qd4 Rxg7 23.fxg7 when Black has the advantage.
analysis diagram
10...Bxf4
Black returns the piece, but in a way that lets White grab the advantge.
11.Rxf4 Re8
Thinking of counter-attack, but the prudent 11...d6 was essential.
12.Qd5+ Re6 13.e5 c6 14.Qd4 Kg8
15.exf6 gxf6 16.Rg4+ Kh7
Now mate is inevitable, although 16...Kf7 17.Bxh6 did not hold any happiness, either.
17.Qd3+ Kh8 18.Bxh6
A bit faster was 18.Qg6.
18...Re7 19.Qg6 d6 20.Bg7+ Kg8 21.Bxf6+ Black resigned
