Ready? Ready?! Ready!? Ready!

Having recently taken a look at the Blackburne Defense to the Jerome Gambit in AsceticKing9 - blackburne, ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, 2011, I figured that I was ready when my opponent sprung it on me. At least, as it turns out, I was more ready than he was.


perrypawnpusher - Carville
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6

Blackburne's Defense, returning a Rook. See "Nobody Expects the Jerome Gambit!"

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Be6

Instead, it is critical to trap the White Queen with 9...Nf6.

Other Bishop moves seen in this position are 9...Bh3 as in Fritz 8-RevvedUp, 2 12 2006 (1-0, 18) and 9...Bg4 as in perrypawnpusher - MrScrumps, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 11).

10.Qc3

Getting the Queen out of danger, even at the cost of a pawn. A little better was 10.d3, for example 10...Rf8 11.Qc3 Nf6 12.Nd2 Kg8 13.Nf3

Previously seen: 10.d4 Rf8 11.Bh6 (11.Bg5 Bxd4 12.Qxd4 Qxg5 13.f4) 11...Qxh6 12.dxc5 Nf6 13.Qxf8+ Qxf8 14.Nc3 Bc4 15.Rfe1 Ng4 16.cxd6 Qxd6 17.f3 Qxh2 checkmate, Permanence - footsoldier, FICS, 2008.

10...Qxe4 11.d3 Qg4 12.Nd2 Rf8 13.Ne4 Bd5 14.h3 Qf5 15.Nxc5 dxc5

I am up a pawn and the exchange, and if I can continue to develop my pieces (even though now 16.Qxc5 is playable), that should mean something.

16.Be3 b6 17.Rae1 Ne7 18.d4

Intending to open the position for my pieces.

After the game, Houdini pointed out Black's vulnerability on the dark squares could be attacked, starting with 18.Bh6, since protecting against mate at g6 with 18...Rg8 allows White to keep the initiative 19.Re5 Qd7 20.Bg5!? Nc6 21.Rxd5!? Qxd5 22.Qf6+ Ke8 23.c4 Qd6 24.Re1+ Kd7 25.Qf7+ Kc8 26.Qxg8+ with clear advantage.

analysis diagram







18...c4 19.Qd2 Kg8

Black has completed castling-by-hand, but trouble is ahead.

20.Bh6 Rf7 21.Re5 Qh5

An oversight, but 21...Qd7, retreating the Queen and protecting the Bishop, would allow White to highlight the awkward position of Black's Knight with 22.Rfe1. White will then triple on the e-file with 23.Qe3, and Black can neither protect nor move the poor piece (because of the threat of mate).

22.Rxh5 Black resigned

Un-Improvement

I seem to be pushing the boundaries of my own personal "Worst. Jerome. Gambit. Game. Ever." I thought that I had hit the wall a while back (see "SNAFU"), but the following game shows that there is lots of room for un-improvement.


perrypawnpusher - MrScrumps
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0

This is the part in the Blackburne Defense where Black slams the door on the White Queen with 9...Nf6!

9...Bg4

Actually, MrScrumps had a different idea.

10.Qc3

Extracting the Queen.

An alternative, equally as good, was 10.d4 as in MrJoker-submariner/Internet Chess Club 2011 (1-0, 24).

10...Be2

This move, attacking the rook that protects the f-pawn from the double attack by the enemy Rook and Queen, unnerved me.

It should not have: 11.d4 was an adequate response, as was the move that I played; both preserve White's advantage.

11.g3 Qh3

Now 12.Re1 would force one Bishop to retreat, 12...Ba6, when 13.d4 would force the other one to, as well.

But I didn't see the move.

The square f1 is doubly-attacked, and I could not see that moving the Rook would leave the square protected.

Instead: White resigned.

Only then did I remember the fresh-brewed pot of coffee in the room next door...

Now, that's sad.

(As it turns out, this was my second game – and my second loss – against MrScrumps. The earlier game was almost as weird, but even shorter. See "From Tragedy to Farce".)

From Tragedy to Farce

Having decided to stop playing the Jerome Gambit until I found more balance with analysis and study (see "Busted"), I nonetheless tried to sneak in a game today... It should be no surprise that the results were completely disastrous, moving beyond tragedy to farce.

perrypawnpusher  - MrScrumps
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.Qf4

A mouse slip (I intended, of course, my standard 8.f4), not surprising given that I was trying to make a move while shooing the dog away from me...

 8...Qf6 White resigned

Actually, I asked to abort the game, but my opponent declined.