Ghost of Compensation

Sometimes it is a little bit too easy for me to post other people's games here, with commentary, pointing out good moves and bad moves. I tend to forget that playing the game can be much more challenging. The following wretchedness is another opportunity for others to look at my play and laugh their heads off. Turn about is fair play.

perrypawnpusher  - Tensecterror
blitz, FICS, 2012

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6

This is an example of the defender relaxing a bit too soon. Certainly he should feel confident, as he is two pieces ahead. He has every reason to believe that White, having played foolishly, will continue in his bizarre ways. Yet, a bit of care in analyzing the position would have shown that the attacker can now regain significant material.

7.d4

A strange, if optimistic and almost understandable, move. Having quickly gained the advantage in three earlier games with 7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ followed by 9.Qxc5+ I had no need to "innovate" with the text move, but should have followed perrypawnpusher - Leontes, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 11); perrypawnpusher - badhorsey, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 30); and perrypawnpusher - chingching, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 36).

7...Bxd4

My pawn strike was designed to win a piece, because it threatened to win Black's Queen. This is already faulty thinking, as the note to my 7th move shows that there were two pieces to grab.

On top of this, Black could have defended here with 7...Bb4+ 8.Nc3 (8.c3 Nd3+) Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nf7 opting to give back a piece after 10.e5+ Ke7 11.Bg5+ Nf6 12.exf6+ gxf6.

8.Qg5+ Kf7 9.Qxd8 Nc6 10.Qh4

White has a Queen for two pieces, but should not relax, either.

By the way, retreating the Queen was best, as 10.Qxc7? Be5 would have immediately been embarassing.

10...Nb4 11.Na3 Bf6 12.Qf4 d6

Black's pieces are swarming, but only a truely careless move will break White's attack which comes after 13.e5, winning a piece.

13.c3 Nd3+ 14.Ke2 Nxf4+ 15.Bxf4 Ne7

And, just like that, I was down a piece for a pawn. How embarassing!

My only other "compensation" is hard to see, but my opponent was running short of time, doing most of his thinking on the 10 second increment. I decided to keep firing off moves to keep the pressure on, as the worst that I could do at this point was lose a lost game...

16.Rhd1 Ng6 17.Be3 Ne5 18.h3 Be7 19.f4 Nc6 20.Nb5 Bd8 21.g4 a6

Tensecterror is playing carefully. There is no need to risk right now, and he can go on the offensive as soon as he's gained on his clock.

22.Na3 Re8 23.Kf3 g6 24.Re1 b5 25.Nc2 Bb7 26.Bd4 Na5 27.b3 Bh4 28.Re2 Re7 29.Ne1 Rae8 30.Ng2 Bxe4+

Neither of us is playing particularly well, but this move allows me to cut the material deficit a small bit.

31.Rxe4 Rxe4 32.Nxh4 Re2 33.Ng2 Rc2 34.Ne3 Rh2 35.Kg3 Rd2

Would I have accepted the repetition of position draw that might have come with 35...Rc2 ? Sheepishly, I admit I would have.

My opponent, instead, stumbles along; and I, along with him.

36.Kf3 Nc6 37.Rd1 Nxd4+ 38.cxd4 Rxa2 39.Rd3 a5 40.Rc3 Rc8 41.Nd5 c6 42.Ne3 b4 43.Rd3 Ra3

Black has done a remarkable job of thinking and moving quickly, and he is only a few moves away from victory. He needs only to return the exchange...

44.Nc4 Ra2 45.Nxd6+ Black resigned

Over

I noticed in preparing yesterday's game (see "Done in by Greed") that I had overlooked the following one. Here it is, without too much over-compensation in terms of notes and references...

perrypawnpusher - Navarrra
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.Qf5+ Ke7

Probably a shocked response, as it returns two pieces.

8.Qxe5+ Kf7

Both possible King moves are equal, but the text gives Black an opportunity to go wrong if he is careless, as opposed to playing 8...Kf8 directly.

9.Qd5+

There is, of course, nothing wrong with the direct 9.Qxc5.

9... Kg6

Here is some of that aforementioned carelessness, though. The King wanders away from home and into danger.

Instead, perrypawnpusher - Leontes, FICS, 2009 continued 10... Qe7 11. Qxe7+, when Black resigned, acknowledging the uphill fight in a Queenless middlegame, 2 pawns down.

10.Qf5+ Kh6 11.d4+ g5

12.Qxc5 d6 13.Qc3 Qe7 14.Qe3 Bf5

An oversight that does not help.

15. exf5 Qxe3+ 16. Bxe3 Nf6

With Queens off of the board, it appears that Black's King is out of danger – but at a cost.

17.h4 Kg7 18.hxg5 Nd5 19.Nc3 Nxc3 20.bxc3 Rae8

Those nasty "Jerome pawns" – all 8 of them.

21.Kd2 b5  22. f6+ Kf7 23.Rh6 a6 24.Rah1 c6 25.Rxh7+ Rxh7 26.Rxh7+ Ke6

Black resigned, in light of 27.f7 Rc7 28.Rg7 Rf8 29.g6 d5 Rg8

Alarming

I am still learning the Jerome Gambit. I play my moves quickly, afraid that I may realize Oh, no, I'm down two pieces! If my opponent returns material, I think about grinding out a pawn-up ending... So I like the following game: with Black's 7th move an alarm went off in my head, and I knew that I had to do something to end the game quickly!

perrypawnpusher - Navarrra
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Ke7

This slip costs two pieces.

8.Qxe5+ Kf7

Both this move and 8...Kf8 are equal, but the text gives Black an opportunity to go further wrong if he is careless, as opposed to playing to the back rank directly.

9.Qd5+

There is, of course, nothing wrong with the direct 9.Qxc5.

I had tried the text's "nudge" a couple of years ago against Leontes (1-0, 11), but his King had scurried back to e8. My opponent then resigned when I exchanged Queens...

9...Kg6

Four straight Queen checks by White: who can take this opening seriously, anyhow?

10.Qf5+ Kh6 11.d4+ g5 12.Qxc5

I wanted to play 12.h4, but I couldn't work out the lines. Just like 12.dxc5 would break up my pawns, so too would 12.h4 Bb4+ 13.c3 Kg7 14.cxb4. 

12...d6 13.Qc3 Qe7 14.Qe3

Still angling for h2-h4.

14...Bf5

An optical illusion.

15.exf5 Qxe3+ 16.Bxe3 Nf6 17.h4

At last!

17...Kg7 18.hxg5 Nd5 19.Nc3 Nxc3 20.bxc3 Rae8 21.Kd2

21...b5 22.f6+ Kf7 23.Rh6 a6 24.Rah1 c6 25.Rxh7+ Rxh7 26.Rxh7+ Ke6

Black resigned

White's simplest continuation is 27.Re7+ Rxe7 28.fxe7 Kxe7 when his three connected, passed pawns and extra piece will quickly lead to an extra Queen or two (or three).  Only slightly more complicated was 27.f7 Rc8 28.Rg7 Rf8 29.g6 followed by 30.Rg8, winning Black's Rook for two pawns.

A couple of pawns among friends...

In a game between equally-rated players, it would be odd for one to offer the other odds of two pieces, or even of two pawns. However, in the following game White offers "Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) odds" and when his opponent realizes that his defense is the same as offering two-pawn odds, he turns over his King... 

perrypawnpusher - Leontes blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5

What's a couple of pieces among friends? It's the Jerome Gambit way. 

6.Qh5+ Kf6 No, no, I insist: what's a couple of pawns among friends? Black had many options, just not this one – giving back both of the pieces (see "Jerome Gambit and The Perfesser (Part I)" ) 

7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qd5+ Ke8 

Or 9...Kg6 10.Qf5+ Kh6 11.d4+ g5 12.h4 d6 13.Bxg5+ Kg7 14.Qd5 Qe8 15.dxc5 dxc5 16.Nc3 Bg4 17.f3 c6 18.Qxc5 Bd7 19.0-0-0 Qe6 20.Qd4+ Nf6 21.Bxf6+ Qxf6 22.Qxf6+ Kxf6 23.Rxd7 Black resigns, guest1088 - guest567, ICC 2002

10.Qxc5 Qe7 11.Qxe7+ Black resigns

White will simply be up two pawns in a Queenless middle game. Likely my opponent had better things to do than play that out.