Half-Way Home Is Not Far Enough

Although the attack in my most recent Jerome Gambit game was unsound, it succeeded in winning back the sacrificed piece, reaching a drawn 2Rs + Ps vs 2Rs + Ps endgame. Alas, I let up my focus too soon, and my opponent's tactic won a rook, and the game.

perrypawnpusher - spince
blitz, FICS, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 

An earlier game against the same opponent continued 3...Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8, perrypawnpusher - spince, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 23). 

4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Re8

9.0-0

Instead, 9.Bg5 followed by 10.0-0-0 was seen in Wall,B - PLMW, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 24).

9...Kg8

This is an improvement over 9...Nc6 of perrypawnpusher - DrHilarius, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 27) and 9...Nfg4 of perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22).

10.f4

A bit stronger is 10.Bg5 as in perrypawnpusher - hklett, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 20) and billwall - chiefh1, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 29). 

10...Nc6 11.Qd3 d6 12.Bd2 Be6 

Or 12...Kh8 as in perrypawnpusher - Fazmeister, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 36).

13.f5 Bf7 14.a3 Re5 15.Bf4 Re7 16.Rae1 Ne5 17.Qh3 Qe8 18.Bg5 Rd7 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.g4 

This kind of thing always seems to work for Bill Wall.

20...Qf8 21.Kh1 Qg7 22.Rg1 Kf8 23.Qg3 Ke7 24.Nd5+ Kd8 25.Qf4 c6 26.Nc3 Kc7 27.h4 Rg8 28.Re3 Qf8 

Black could have played 28...Nxg4, but he had already decided on his defense.

29.Reg3 Qe7 30.g5 fxg5 31.hxg5 d5 32.exd5 Bxd5+ 33.Nxd5+ Rxd5 34.Re3 

Instead, c2-c4, either here or the next move, would give White the advantage.

34...Kc8 35.Rge1 Qxg5 36.Qxg5 Rxg5 37.Rxe5 Rd4 38.R1e2

This move is okay, but 38.Re8+ Kc7 39.Re7+ Kb6 40.Rxh7 Rxf5 41.Ree7 would have made the draw clear.

38...Rh5+ 39.Rh2

A blunder, which my opponent quickly spotted. Even was 39.Kg2. 

39...Rd1+ 40.Kg2 Rd2+ 41.Kg3 Rdxh2 White resigned

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When you have the advantage...

According to past World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz, when a player has an advantage, he must attack, or the advantage will fizzle away.

To put this another way, for less-skilled players like myself: When you have the advantage, finish off your opponent quickly, before you blow the game yourself.

Like in the following debacle...

perrypawnpusher  - DrHilarius
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Re8

9.0-0

An alternative was 9.Bg5 followed by 10.0-0-0, as in Wall,B - PLMW, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 24).

9...Nc6 10.Qc4+ Kf8 11.Bg5 Ne5

This move struck me as a bit odd, and certainly provocative, but Rybka 3 did not censure it. My best response was probably 12.Qd4.

12.Qe2 Nf7 13.f4 h6 14.Bh4 g5

Breaking the pin, but loosening the Kingside too much.

15.fxg5 Nh7

He sees that to continue as planned (15...hxg5 16.Bxg5 Nxg5) would be dangerous (after 17.Qh5 Nf7 18.Qg6 Re6 19.Nd5), but his alternate choice should prove disastrous.

16.g6

This move is "okay", but deadly would have been 16.Qh5.

16...Qxh4 17.Rxf7+ Kg8 18.Rxh7

Since White is a couple of pawns up, with an aggressive position, it seems unkind to nag, again, that there was a far stronger move, 18.Qc4.

The problem is that for every "knockout punch" that I miss, my opponent stays on his feet a bit longer, and there is always the chance that he can get lucky.

18...d5 19.Qf3 Rf8 20.Rf7

Stop me if you've heard this one before... The snappy 20.Rh8+ led to mate.

20...Bg4 21.Qf4 Qg5 22.Qxg5

Competent, but 22.Nxd5 mates. 

22...hxg5 23.Rxf8+ Rxf8 24.exd5 Bf5 25.Re1 Bxc2 26.Re7 Bd3

All that fire power, wasted. Still, White has a winning endgame with a strongly placed Rook and a couple of extra pawns.

27.Rxc7 Rf1 checkmate

Ooops...

I am sure that my opponent saw my oversight as hilarious!

(Note to self: tactics, tactics, tactics!)

A Severe Challenge

My chess-play has been poor lately (for example see "Crushed") – a severe challenge to my pledge, as an advocate of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), to share all of my games, not just the "good" ones.

So, take what you can from the rather sad effort that follows. I'll quickly see if I can find a Bill Wall game...

perrypawnpusher - hklett

blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Re8 9.0-0

An alternative, with the plan of castling Queenside, was 9.Bg5 Kg8 10.0-0-0 b6 11.f4 Nc6 12.Qc4+ Kh8 13.e5 Na5 14.Qd3 c5 15.Nd5 c4 16.Qf3 Bb7 17.exf6 gxf6 18.Qc3 Qb8 19.Bxf6+ Kg8 20.Qg3+ Kf7 21.Qg7+ Ke6 22.Nc7+ Qxc7 23.Rhe1+ Kf5 24.Qg5 checkmate, Wall - PLMW, FICS, 2010.

9...Kg8 10.Bg5 d6 11.f4 c5

Black has been defending well, and White has been developing his forces and looking for his chances.

An alternate was 11...Nc6 12.Qd3 Nb4 13.Qc4+ Be6 14.Qxb4 b6 15.Rae1 c5 16.Qb5 d5 17.e5 d4 18.exf6 a6 19.Qc6 Bd7 20.Qd5+ Kh8 21.fxg7+ Kxg7 22.Bxd8 Black resigned, Wall - Foman, Chess.com, 2010.

12.Qe3 h6

This is the slip that White has been looking for. Instead, after the game Rybka suggested: 12...Nf7 13.Bh4 Bd7 14.Rfe1 Qe7 and Black remains clearly better. 

13.Bh4

A mistake, of course, although the correct 13.Bxf6 is not as simple as it appears at first glance. If Black replies 13...Qxf6 then 14.Nd5 Qd8 15.fxe5 Rxe8 is even enough, although White has 16.Qb3!? to look for an edge.

However, if Black answers 13.Bxf6 with 13...Ng4!? then after 14.Bxd8 Nxe3 15.Bc7 Nxf1 16.Kxf1 White will have two pawns for the exchange, which may or may not be equivalent.

I did not see any of this, however.

13...Ng6 14.Bxf6 Qxf6

15.Rad1 Bg4 16.Rd2 b5

Another opportunity presents itself (solid was 16...Rad8).

I suspect that my opponent was planning to meet 17.Nxb5 with 17...Rab8 (eyeing the pawn on b2) but 18.Nxd6 would have been a complet answer.

17.h3 Bd7 18.b3

There was a chance to grab a pawn with 18.e5 Qf7 19.Rxd6.

18...Bf5

The Bishop would be stronger placed at Bc6.

19.Nd5

Again overlooking Opportunity's knock: instead, 19.g4 Bd7 20.e5 gets the "Jerome pawns" moving, after either 20...Qf7 21.Rxd6 or 20...dxe5 21.Rxd6 (21.f5 first might be better).

19...Qh4

20.Re1 Rxe4 White resigned

White will lose his Queen.