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
The following game was a tense, balanced affair, travelling through known territory for a dozen moves and on into a balanced middle game. When I went pawn-grabbing with my Queen, however, my opponent struck back hard, eventually checkmating me.
Lesson?
perrypawnpusher - ZhekaR
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 Nf6
The Database shows that mrjoker has a win, a loss, and a draw against 8...Qe7.
9.Nc3
Or 9.d3, which can traspose to the game.
9...Qe7 10.Qe3 d6
11.0-0 Be6
Black has many alternatives, including: 11...b6 as in perrypawnpusher - Navarrra, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 24) [Hmmm, I don't think that I have posted this game yet - RK]; 11...Rf8 as in mrjoker - rex3, CC, 2009 (1-0, 50), perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 31), perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 20) and perrypawnpusher - chingching, blitz, FICS, 2011 (½-½, 36); 11...Ne5 as in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 50); and 11...Kd7 as in perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22).
12.f4 Bc4
Earlier this year I faced 12...Kd7 in perrypawnpusher - Solaar, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 33).
13.d3 Ba6
14.Bd2 b6 15.Rae1 Kd7 16.Qh3+ Kd8 17.Nd5
Planning to use the opened e-file for my Rook, but 17.e5 was probably a better idea.
17...Nxd5 18.exd5 Qd7 19.Qg3 Qf5
The game is about even, as White has two pawns, better development, and a safer King as compensation for his sacrificed piece.
20.c4 Re8 21.Rxe8+ Kxe8 22.Re1+ Kd7 23.Qe3 Rf8 24.g3 c5 25.dxc6+
After the game Rybka 3 suggested instead 25.b4 cxb4 26.Bxb4.
25...Kxc6 26.Bc3 Rf7 27.Qe8+ Qd7 28.Qe4+ Kc7 29.Qa8
A fool's errand. That pawn on a7 will turn out to be very, very expensive.
29...Bb7
This is good enough for advantage, but 29...Nxf4 was already crushing (i.e. 30.gxf4 Qg4+, etc.).
30.Qxa7
The only chance to keep on playing lay with 30.Qe8.
30...Qc6
Again, good; but, again 30...Nxf4 was much stronger.
31.Re4 Re7 32.Bd4 Rxe4 33.dxe4 Ne7 34.b4 Nc8 35.Qa3 Qxe4 36.Qb2 Qe1 checkmated
Wow. Nice work by ZhekaR to punish my pawn-grabbing!
Black's 6th move in the following Jerome Gambit is a bit unusual, but it has been covered on this blog: see "Wait 'Till Next Year!", "A couple of pawns among friends..." and "Jerome Gambit and The Perfesser (Part I)".
UNPREDICTABLE - Kjosavik
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6
Not well thought out.
Before this game, The Database had 25 examples of this move, with White scoring 76%. (In 4 of the 6 White losses, understandably, the first player had overlooked White's next move.)
7.Qf5+ Ke7
The game has reached the same position as yesterday's. See "Alarming".
8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5
Simply capturing the Bishop, instead of playing around with 9.Qd5+ as in perrypawnpusher - Navarrra, blitz, FICS, 2011, (1-0, 26).
9...d6 10.Qe3 Nf6
White is a solid two pawns up.
11.d3 Re8 12.0-0 d5 13.f3 dxe4 14.fxe4 c6
15.e5
Somewhat impatient, although it is clear what is going on: White wants to use the pin on Black's Knight to win it with the pawn, although he temporarily overlooks the fact that the pawn, itself, is pinned by the Black Rook.
Ever-so-patiently Rybka suggests that White complete his development first: 15.Qc5 Qb6 16.Qxb6 axb6 17.b3 b5 18.Bb2 Kg6 19.a3 Bd7 20.Nd2 h6 21.Rf3 Be6 22.Raf1.
analysis diagram
This is not an "exciting" position, but White can safely look forward to making his extra material count.
15...Qb6
Overlooking the pin on the Knight. Rybka suggests that Black break the pin with 15...Kg8, but then recommends an exchange sacrifice for White: 16.d4 Nd5 17.Qe4 g6 18.Nc3 Bf5 19.Rxf5 gxf5 leading to and endgame where White's Bishop plus three pawns outrank Black's Rook, 20.Qxf5 Qb6 21.Nxd5 cxd5 22.c3 Rf8 23.Qg5+ Qg6 24.Qxg6+ hxg6.
analysis diagram
If only chess were as easy as Rybka makes it seem!
(No doubt Rybka would mutter, if it could: Humans don't win with the Jerome Gambit, they lose against it! There is a difference!)
16.Qxb6 axb6 17.exf6 gxf6
18.Nc3 Be6 19.Ne4 f5 20.Nd6+ Black resigned
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.
