Here's that "overlooked" Jerome Gambit game that I mentioned in my last post, "Another Error, Another Win". It's a painful one to play over, as my opponent offered me an escape from a difficult situation, and I missed it.
perrypawnpusher - alvarzr
blitz, FICS, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8
8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qe3 Nf6
Or 9...d5 as in Wall,B - Guest497592, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 23).
10.Nc3 d6
Or 10...Kf7 11.0-0 Rf8 as in perrypawnpusher - frencheng, 20 5 blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½, 34).
11.0-0 b6
Instead, Black got more aggressive with 11...Be6 12.f4 Ng4 13.Qg3 Qh4 in Wall,B - Hirami,Z, Chess.com, 2011 (1-0, 20) and with
11...Ng4 in Wall,B - CKSP, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 15); but more careful (castling-by-hand) with 11...Rf8 12.f4 Kf7 in perrypawnpusher - chingching, blitz, FICS, 2011 (½-½, 36).
12.f4 Bb7 13.d3
The more forward 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 followed in perrypawnpusher-Navarrra, blitz, FICS, 2011 (24) and perrypawnpusher - MarkHundleby1, Chess.com, 2013 (1-0, 27).
13...Kd7
Or 13...a6 14.b3 Kd7 15.Ba3 Rae8 as in perrypawnpusher -MRBarupal, blitz, 2010 (0-1, 22)
14.Bd2
A bit better was 14.Qh3+ Ke8 15.b3.
14...Rae8 15.Rae1 Rhf8
One of the reasons that I have shared a lot of links above is to show how many ideas grow out of these Jerome Gambit positions. In the current game, however, as things went on, I began to think less and push pieces more, and this is never a good thing.
16.Qd4 Kc8 17.Qa4 Nd7 18.Qxa7 Nc5 19.Qa3
Pawn grabbing with the Queen is not such a deep idea. Instead, it was time to be more dynamic with play like 19.b4 Na6 20.b5 Nc5 21.f5 Nh8 22.Nd5.
19...Qh4 20.Nd5 Bxd5 21.exd5 Rxe1
22.Rxe1
After the game, Houdini suggested that I should have started looking for a draw here with 22.Qa8+ Kd7 23.Qc6+ Kd8 24.Rxe1 Ne7 25.Qa8+ Nc8 26.g3 Qg4 27.Kg2 Re8 28.Rxe8+ Kxe8 29.b4 Qe2+ 30.Kh3 Qh5+ 31.Kg2 Qe2+ 32.Kh3 Qh5+
22...Kb7 23.g3 Qg4 24.Qc3
Overlooking danger: 24.d4 was necessary.
24...Nxf4
Even stronger: 24...Nh4.
25.Bxf4 Rxf4 26.b4
One last gasp. Where's a good swindle when you need one?
26...Nd7
That should do it. Of course, 26...Rxb4 keeps Black on top.
27.Qc6+
Now White can answer 27...Ka7 with 28.Qxc7+ Ka6 29.b5+ Ka5 30.Qc3+ Ka4 31.Qb3+ Ka5 32.c4 Rxc4 33.dxc4 Qd4+ 34.Re3 and advantage - if he sees it.
27...Kc8 28.Qa8+
Yipes! Instead, my opponent walks into a mate-in-one (28.Re8#) - and I miss it.
We both deserve to lose. I deserved it more.
28...Nb8 29.Re8+ Kd7 30.Re1
Alas, capturing Black's Knight allows him to checkmate me.
30...Rf8 31.Qa4+ Kc8 32.c4 Qd4+ 33.Kh1 Qf2 34.Re8+ Rxe8 35.Qxe8+ Kb7 36.h4 Qxg3 37.Qe4 Qf2 38.Qg2 Qxg2+ 39.Kxg2 Nd7
The endgame is fairly won for Black.
40.d4 b5 41.c5 Nf6 42.cxd6 cxd6 43.Kf3 Nxd5 44.a3 Nc3 45.Kf4 Nb1 46.Kf5 Nxa3 47.Ke6 Kc7 48.Kf7 g6 49.Kg7 Nc2 50.Kxh7 Nxb4 51.Kxg6 Nd5
White's King has gotten his exercise, but it doesn't save the game.
52.Kf5 Nc3 53.h5 b4 54.h6 b3 55.h7 b2 56.h8Q b1Q+ 57.Ke6 Qe4+ 58.Kf7 Qf5+ 59.Ke7 Nd5+ White resigned
With one game left in the Italian Game Tournament at Chess.com (see "Swan Song") I relied on my trusty Jerome Gambit, and it did not fail me. Thus, I am likely to finish 3rd (out of 19 players) with a score of 13-6-5 (5-3-0 with the Jerome Gambit).
perrypawnpusher - MarkHundleby1
Italian Game Tournament, Chess.com, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
I was comfortable entering this line, as I have played it over 100 times, scoring 81%.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
I have been here, too, in 44 games, also scoring 81%
10.O-O Qe7 11.Nc3 b6 12.f4 Bb7
13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Ned7
A bit of an improvement over 14... Neg4, from perrypawnpusher - Navarrra, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 24) - which I still have to post here, one of these days.
15. Re1 Kd8 16. e5 dxe5 17. dxe5 Nd5
Bill Wall pointed out after the game that this was an error - one both my opponent and I overlooked. He suggested, instead, 17... Ng4!?
18.Qg3
Instead, 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Rd1, followed by e6, as pointed out by Bill, would give White the advantage.
18...h6 19.Be3
Again: 19.Nxd5 Bxd5 20.Rd1
19...Nxe3 20.Rxe3 Qg5 21.Qxg5+
Bill preferred keeping the Queens on the board with 21.Qf2
21... hxg5 22.Rd1 Ke8
I remember analyzing this position, and then seeing my opponent's move, thinking I didn't think he could play that move... After 22...Kc8, instead, I agree with Bill that Black is a little bit cramped but still ok.
23.Nb5
I remember thinking that after having played 19.Be3 and 21.Qxg5+, that the text would look like another "just making moves" kind of piece-shifting. I could imagine my opponent thinking: Now we just exchange c-pawns with 23...Ke7 24.Nxc7 25.Rac8 Nb5 26.Rxc2 and then Black has deadly pressure on g2...
23...Ke7
Better 23...Rc8 24.Nxa7 Rd8 25.Nb5 Nc5 26.Nxc7+ Ke7 with an even game.
24.Nxc7 Rac8
25.f6+
The "Jerome pawns," instead, mix things up. They blow up the center, and suddenly Black's King is in great danger.
25...gxf6 26.exf6+ Kf8 27.Rxd7 Black resigned
Having reached an advantageous position in my game against MarkHundleby1 (defending against an Evans Gambit) in the Italian Game tournament at Chess.com - only to drop a rook in a one-move blunder - I find myself in a two-way battle for last place in the fourth and final round. Still, if I win our remaining game, I can take 3rd place - not a terrible outcome, as my rating is 3rd highest among the players.
So, of course, the Jerome Gambit is in order, as I have the white pieces.
Curiously enough, after 11 moves our game resembles my battle against Navarrra from a couple of years ago - although dedicated Readers who wish to see that particular skirmish will be frustrated by the fact that most of my references to the game erroniously link to an earlier (by two weeks), different game with the same opponent. (Note to self: please fix.)
My most accurate reference to the relevant Navarrra game can be found in "Done In By Greed":
[Hmmm, I don't think that I have posted this game yet - RK]
Well, that was quick.
As mentioned in the last post, my Jerome Gambit game against vz721 in the Chess.com Italian Game Thematic Tournament (see "Started"), was staggering towards and unhappy ending, and has now ended with a "knockout" - a 29-move loss.
I have a little time, while defending an Evans Gambit against MarkHundleby1 (with the same moves as in my other game, with Black, against vz721), to repair my favorite opening.
Do I suspect that MarkHundleby1 will allow me to play 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+? It's a good bet. He is obviously aware of the play of the games around him in the tournament. Why wouldn't he want to wander down easy street and follow vz721's lead?
Play has been pretty fast and furious for me in the Chess.com Italian Game Thematic Tournament (see "Started").
I have drawn both my games against top-rated JoseSoza, the two completed games so far.
However, vz721, one sharp player (second-rated in our quad), improved on some of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's original analysis (!) and has been treating my one Jerome Gambit rather harshly. I am currently hanging in there, but the phrase "punch drunk" comes to mind...
With Black against MarkHundleby1, I am defending well against his Evans Gambit. When that is complete, I will have my last chance at a Jerome Gambit - and therein lies an interesting tale for a later date.
The fourth and final round of the Chess.com Italian Game thematic tournament has started, and there are four competitors: JoseSoza of Chile, vz721 of Russia, MarkHundleby1 of Canada, and yours truly, perrypawnpusher of the USA.
This presented as many as three more opportunities to defend the "honor" of the Jerome Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, depending on how my opponents wished to defend.
So far, JoseSoza has declined the Jerome with 3...Be7, choosing the Hungarian Defense. This is his second "pass" after scoring two wins against my Gambit in rounds one and two.
On the other hand, vz721 has allowed it with 3...Bc5, and I was quick to sacrifice the Bishop! Let us hope this is not another example of Act in haste, Repent at leisure.
I have Black against MarkHundleby1 right now (defending against the Evans Gambit; alas, not the Evans Jerome Gambit), so the chance for a Jerome Gambit has to wait - unless he plays it against me!
The results, as for previous rounds, come what may, will be reported.
graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws
