Battle Again

My introduction to MRBarupal was rather ubrupt: he beat my Jerome Gambit three straight times.

Since then we had met once more, and I had scored my first win.

Today's game is my second.

perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8

This is Sorensen's Variation, a solid defense and a change from the games MRBarupal and I had previously played, all of which had continued 5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3.

6.Nxc6 dxc6

I was surprised to see that Rybka 3 prefer 6...bxc6 by the tiniest bit, even though it allows 7.d4. Alonzo Wheeler Jerome is on record as preferring 6...dxc6.

7.d3

7.0-0 as in Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, USA, 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29) is probably more accurate, as it is clear that White will be castling Kingside, but it is not totally clear (depending on Black's development) that the first player has to completely forego d2-d4.

That said, after 7.0-0 Nf6 White may respond with 8.d3 (better than 8.e5 of Norton - Hallock, corr 1877), which would simply be a transposition to this game.

7...Nf6

I have had mixed success against 7...Qf6: perrypawnpusher - fortytwooz, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 29); perrypawnpusher - Lark, FICS, 2011, (1-0, 12); and perrypawnpusher - Jore, FICS, 2011, (0-1, 16).

8.0-0 Bg4

A slower game came about after 8...h6 9.Be3 Qe7 10.d4 Bb6 11.f3 Kg8 12.Nc3 Kh7 13.Qd3 g6 in perrypawnpusher - vladchess, blitz, FICS, 2011, (½-½, 46).

9.Qe1

Black's Bishops are really annoying! It was beginning to feel like my "nemesis" was taking over the game again.

9...Qe8

Instead, 9...Qe7 was seen in Lowe - Parker, corr, 1879 (1-0, 37)

10.Be3 Bd6

10...Qe7 and 10...Bb6 are slightly better alternatives, mostly because they prove to be less complicated than the text.

11.f4 Nh5

Instead, after the game Rybka 3 suggested that it was time to return the piece for three pawns: 11...Nxe4 12.dxe4 Qxe4 13.Nc3 Qxc2

analysis diagram









Here Black is a pawn up, but the uncertain placement of his King and the open lines against it give White sufficient counterplay to call the game even.

The text allows White's "Jerome pawns" to advance with malice.

12.e5 Be7 13.f5

Black resigned

I admit that I was a bit surprised at my opponent's decision, as in the past he had shown some strong tactical chops in messy situations.

It is true that after 13...Qf7 14.Nd2 Bxf5 15.g4 g6 16.gxf5 gxf5 material is even and Black's f-pawn is hanging, but after 17.Qf2 Rg8+ 18.Kh1 Qd5+ 19.Ne4 Ng7 it still has not fallen and after 20.Qg3 Ke8 21.c4 Qf7 22.Bh6 Ne6 23.Rxf5 Rxg3 24.Rxf7 Kxf7 25.hxg3 Rd8 it doesn't look like the extra pawn for White will account for much, at least according to Rybka 3 and Fritz 8.

Perhaps events off of the chess board accounted for his need to leave.

No Way to Make A Living

Using my "extra" pawns to chase down a draw or a win against Black's extra piece in the Jerome Gambit can sometimes be an exhausting task. "That's no way to make a living," as they say. Even if your opponent slips at the end...

perrypawnpusher  - vladchess
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8

One way to change the flow of the game and try to keep his King out of trouble.

6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.O-O

I've had success after 7.d3 Qf6 8.O-O in two games in which I reversed my 7th and 8th moves:  perrypawnpusher - fortytwooz, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 29) and perrypawnpusher - Lark, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 12).

7...Nf6

Also seen: 7... Bd6 perrypawnpusher - Lark, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 18) and 7... Be6, perrypawnpusher - CorH, blitz, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 74).

8.d3 h6

8...Bg4 was seen in Lowe - Parker, corr, 1879, (1-0, 37)

9.Be3 Qe7

Exchanging Bishops was also okay.

10.d4 Bb6 11.f3 Kg8

Computers like Rybka tend to like solid pawn centers like the one White has and rate it accordingly, but there is a lot to do to get "something" out of the position for White.

12.Nc3

Moving another pawn with 12.c4 might have been better, at least according to Houdini 1.5a.

12... Kh7

The cute 12...Nd5 (note the pin on the e-pawn) was a bit better.

13. Qd3 g6 14.f4

Instead, Houdini prefers 14.Na4 Ba5 15.c4 b6 16.a3 c5 17.dxc5 Rd8 18.Qc2 bxc5 19.Bxc5 Bb6 20.Qf2 Qe8 21.Nxb6 axb6 22. Be3 Qe7 23.Rfd1 Be6 24.Qc2 Nd7 25.Qc3 Qg7 26.Bd4 Qf7 when Black's advantage is minimal.

Okay, if you say so... (The next book that I review for Chessville will be a strategy book!)

14...Rg8 15.Rae1 Ng4 16.h3 Nxe3 17.Qxe3 c5 18.Nd5 Qd6 19.Nxb6 axb6

20.dxc5 bxc5 21.Rd1 Qb6 22.Qb3 Be6 23.Qxb6 cxb6

If there was a thread in this game, I've probably lost it...

My only chance is to activate my Rooks.

24.a3 c4 25.Rd6 Bc8 26.Rxb6 Re8 27.e5 c3 28.bxc3 Rxa3 29.Rb3 Ra2 30.Rf2 Re7 31.Rd2 Rf7

32.g3

Simply overlooking the loss of a pawn.

32...Bxh3 33.Rb5 Re7 34.Kf2 Bf5 35.Kf3 h5 36.Rbd5 Ra3

Black is still better, but 36...Rc7 here would have been stronger.

Time was getting short for both of us. My plan was to continue to harass Black until one of us blundered.

37.Rc5 b6 38.Rc6 Rb7 39.Kf2 b5 40.e6  Re7 41.Rd7

Going for the swindle.

41...Rxd7 42.exd7 Bxd7

Simply 42... Ra8 was Game Over.

43.Rc7 Kh6 44.Rxd7 Rxc3 45.Rd2 b4 46.Kg2 draw.

This game reminds me of the saying about airplane landings: any one that you can walk away from is a good one...

Every Form

Here is the third of three Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games, printed in the Preston Guardian, provided by Tim Harding, from the deep resources of his correspondence chess databases. (See also "Preston Guardian" and "Rematch".)

The notes are by Harding, and from the Preston Guardian of April 26, 1882.

Lowe,E - Cudmore,D

Preston Guardian consolation-2 rd1 corr, 1881

Preston Guardian, April 26, 1882, notes Monck (abbreviated) Dublin chess club minutes show Daniel Cudmore elected August 25, 1880

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4

Every form of the Jerome Gambit is, I believe, unsound and this is no exception.

8...Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 b5

11.d4 Qxd4 12.c3 Qf6 13.Bf4+ Ke7 14.Rf1 Bb7

15.Qh5 Qc6 16.Qe5+ Kd8

17.Qxg7 Qxe4+ 18.Kd1 Bd5 19.Be5

19...Kc8 20.Nd2 Qxg2 21.b4

21...Be7 22.Qxh8 Bg5 23.Bf4 Bxf4 24.Rxf4 Qxh2 25.Qe5 Qg2

26.Kc2 Bc6 27.Qe3 Qg6+ 28.Kb2 Kb7

29.Rg1 Qe6 30.Ne4 Bxe4 31.Rxe4 Qc6 32.Rf1 Nf6 33.Rd4 Nd5 34.Qd3

34...Nxc3 35.Rc1 Na4+ 36.Kb1 Qb6 37.Qe4+ Ka6 38.Qxa8 Qxd4 39.Qc8+ Kb6 40.Qxc7+ Ka6

41.Qa5+ Kb7 42.Qxb5+ Nb6 43.a3 a6 44.Qf5 Nc4 45.Qf3+ Kb6

46.Qc3 Qxc3 47.Rxc3 d5 48.Rd3 Kc6 Drawn, but White should have won this game.

It is not clear who the comment "White should have won this game" can be attributed to, the Preston Guardian or Harding, but I would imagine it to be the latter.

Certainly one of White's oversights late in the game was not to have seen 41.Qc8+ (instead of 41.Qa5+) Kb6 42.Qd8+ Ka6 (42...Kb7 allows mate in 3) 43.Rc6+ and Black will lose Queen for the Rook.

Rematch

Here is the second of three Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games, printed in the Preston Guardian, provided by Tim Harding, from the deep resources of his correspondence chess databases. (See also "Preston Guardian".)

The notes are by Harding, and from the Preston Guardian of August 25, 1880.

Lowe,E - Parker,J
friendly thematic correspondence, 1879

These two players seem to have played a few games to test the gambit; the Preston Guardian published an earlier one with Black's fifth move.

Hull Bellman of September 11, 1880 confirms they agreed to play this test game afterwards for a 5 shilling book.

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8!?

6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.d3

8.e5  was, Lowe - Parker, Preston Guardian, December 31, 1879; 8.Qf3 with the idea of d3, is the correct continuation says the Preston Guardian editor.

8...Bg4 9.Qe1 Qe7 10.Kh1

10.c3? failed in Lowe-Parker from a Preston Guardian correspondence tournament. "Mr Lowe, however, maintained that Mr Parker did not play the best defence to White's 8th and following moves, so challenged him to play another game for a 5 shilling book, commencing at White's 8th, with the result given below."

10...Kf7 11.f3

11.f4!? Lowe

11...Bd7 12.b3

12...b5 13.Bb2 h5 14.e5 Nd5 15.Qg3 Rag8 16.d4 h4

17.Qe1 Bb6 18.Qe4 Rh5 19.f4 Rf5

20.c4 bxc4 21.bxc4 Nf6 22.Qe1 Nh5 23.c5 g5

24.cxb6 gxf4 25.Rf3 Qg5 26.Qf2 cxb6

27.Nd2 Qg4 28.h3 Qg6 29.Ra3 Rg5 30.Rg1 a5

31.Nf3 Ng3+ 32.Kh2 Ne4 33.Nxg5+ Qxg5 34.Qe2

34...Bf5

Rybka suggests that Black can reach a draw after: 34...Qg3+ 35.Rxg3 hxg3+ 36.Kh1 Nf2+ 37.Qxf2 gxf2 38.Rf1 Be6 39.a3 Bd5 40.Rxf2 Ke6 41.Kh2 Rg3.

analysis diagram

35.Re1 Ke8 36.Qf3

This time, the computer shows how White wins: 36.Bc1 Ng3 37.Qf3 Qg6 38.Bxf4 Be4 39.Qg4 Qxg4 40.hxg4 Rxg4 41.Bxg3 Bd5 42.Rb1 hxg3+ 43.Rxg3 Rxd4 44.Rxb6 Kf7 45.Ra6 Ke6 46.Rxa5 Kxe5 47.a4 Kd6 48.Rg6+ Kc7 49.g4.

analysis diagram

36...Rg6? 37.Rxe4 Black resigned

Preston Guardian

Here is the first of three Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games, printed in the Preston Guardian, provided by Tim Harding, from the deep resources of his correspondence chess databases.

The notes are by Harding, and from the Preston Guardian.

Lowe, EB - Parker, J (Grimsby)
Preston Guardian tournament, 1879

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

Invented by A. W. Jerome of Paxton, Illinois

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8

Parker: My opponent remarked that this was not the best or recognised defence. It may be he was right, but it seems to me to give White less chance of attack than 5... Nxe5

[Readers may want to compare with the "Norton -  Hallock Game," Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 - RK]

6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.O-O Nf6 8.e5

8...Bg4

9.Qe1 Qd4 10.c3

Referring to this game when printing the later friendly, the Preston Guardian says this was a mistake White did not recover from. Lowe maintained that Parker didn't play the best defence to White's 8th so they played the new game for a 5 shilling book stake.

10...Qd3

11.b4 Bb6 12.a4 a6

13.a5 Ba7 14.Bb2 Ne4

15.Qc1 Be2 16.Ra4 Bxf1 17.b5

17...Bxf2+ 18. Kh1 Qe2 19. Ba3+ Kg8

The paper just says 'K moves', not naming the square, so this may not be right.

20.Rxe4 Bxg2+ 21. Kxg2 Be3+ 22. Kg3 Qf2+ 23. Kg4 h5+ 24. Kh3 Qf3+ 25. Kh4 g5 checkmate