Really? Really.

This game was my last pre-break (see "Busted!") Jerome-ish game, and it was a good reminder of what would be in store for me when I returned in, hopefully, better shape.


perrypawnpusher - Raankh
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

This move often seems safer to Black than the more energetic (and more risky) 5...Ke6. If the second player does not know what he is doing, however, things can become difficult.

6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxg6+

As I wrote in "BSG: Later on in the Discussion"

Seen most often is 5...Ke8, and after 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6, best play for both sides is 7...hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+, when Black can go for the draw-by-repetition with 9...Ke8; or go for an unbalanced (but largely equal) position... with 9...Nf6 10.Qc5+ d6 11.Qxd4 when White has four pawns for a piece and it is unclear if Black has an open King or open lines for development.

8...Ke7 9.Qg5+ Nf6

10.Qc5+

I once got away with 10.e5 vs JokeritT (1-0, 28), but only because my opponent followed up with 10...Nxc2+ 11.Kd1 Nxa1. Instead, 10...Kf7, taking advantage of the fact that he is two pieces ahead and can afford to give one back, would have made all things good for Black.

10...d6 11.Qxd4 Bg7

This seems better than either 11...c5, as in perrypawnpusher - foreverblackman, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 21), or 11...Qd7, as in perrypawnpusher - theferno, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 28).

12.d3 Rg8 13.Bg5 Kf7 14.Nc3 Bd7 

After the game Rybka suggested that Black could have played the move that he had apparently prepared, 14...Nxe4, althoug after 15.Qd5+ Be6 16.Bxd8 Bxc3+ 17.bxc3 Bxd5 18.dxe4 Bxe4 19.Bxc7 the game looks like it is racing toward one of those notoriously drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors endings...


15.f4 Qe8 16.0-0 Nh7 17.Qd5+

Better was the break 17.e5.

17...Be6 18.Qxb7 Nxg5 19.fxg5+ Kg6

Black's King is uncomfortable, and White has 5 pawns for his sacrificed piece, but Black's two Bishops should not be overlooked as they can create pressure on White's Queenside.

After the game Rybka suggested that White begin to consolidate with 20.Ne2. Instead, I was still thinking: grab pawns!

20.Qxc7 Bxc3

Missing his chance for 20...Qb8 and possibly an even game.

21.Qxc3

21...Rf8 22.Qd2

Protecting the advanced g-pawn. Much more dynamic was 22.Rxf8 Qxf8 23.Rf1 with the idea of Rf1-f6. I was thinking about the endgame, not a middle game attack.

22...Qe7 23.Rf3 Rxf3 24.gxf3 Qxg5+ 25.Qxg5+ Kxg5

The practical chances have to lie with White, even if Black has ways to defend.

26.Kf2 Kf4 27.b3 d5 28.Rg1 Rg8

I don't think that exchanging this Rook helps Black's defense.

29.Rxg8 Bxg8

30.c4 d4 31.b4 Be6 32.a4 a6 33.b5 axb5 34.axb5 Bd7 35.b6 Bc6 36.h4 Bb7 37.h5

Decoy.

37...Kg5 38.Kg3 Kxh5 39.Kf4 Kg6 40.Ke5 Kg5 41.f4+ Kg4 42.f5 Kg5 43.Kxd4

Five connected passed pawns. You don't see that every day.

43...Kf6 44.c5 Bc6 45.Ke3 Ke5 Bb7 48.d5 Ke7 49.c6 Black resigned

Throwing Away A Half-Point

Playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against a higher-rated player, I found myself up 2 pawns. I became careful – then careless. I did not play well enough to escape the drawishness of the ending – or poorly enough, either.

perrypawnpusher  - Raankh
blitz FICS, 2010

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

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

7.Qxe5 Qf6

My opponent plays "part" of the Blackburne Defense (see "Half a defense is worse than none at all..." for another example), and then errs.

Curiously, there are 18 games with this position in the updated New Year's Database, with White scoring a lackluster 64%.

Blackburne's Defense called for 7...d6. Whistler's Defense called for 7...Qe7.

8.Qxc5 d6

Black's best is 8...Qe7 9.Qxe7+ Nxe7 when he is simply down two pawns.

An earlier game of mine continued instead: 8...c6 9.Nc3 Nh6 10.0-0 b6 11.Qe3 Ng4 12.Qg3 d6 13.h3 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.b3 Na5 16.Be3 h5 17.f4 h4 18.Qf3 Bb7 19.e5 dxe5 20.fxe5 Qxf3 21.Rxf3+ Ke6 22.Rf6+ Ke7 23.Raf1 Raf8 24.Rxf8 Rxf8 25.Rxf8 Kxf8 26.Bg5 c5 27.d5 Bc8 28.e6 Nb7 29.Ne4 Ke8 30.Kf2 b5 31.c4 bxc4 32.bxc4 Na5 33.Nd6+ Kf8 34.e7+ Kg7 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Saveurking, blitz FICS, 2010.

9.Qc3

I was so excited with my good fortune that I leaped to force the exchange of Queens. I should have recalled one of Bill Wall's recent games: 9.Qxc7+ Black resigned, Wall - Cheesepie, Chess.com, 2010

9...c5 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6

Black has very little compensation for his lost pawns. His only hope is to out-play me – which, to my embarassment, he does. This was not the first time Raankh schooled me (see "Kersplat!").

11.Nc3 Be6 12.d3 h6 13.0-0 Rhf8

This should lose another pawn. Perhaps Raankh was trying to open up a line of attack on my King? It all is guesswork, as I didn't even consider the move 14.Bxh6. Careless!

14.f4 Kg7 15.Bd2 d5 16.exd5 Nxd5 17.Nxd5 Bxd5

I should have been at least a tiny bit suspicious that my opponent was being cooperative with my exchange-down-to-the-extra-pawns strategy.

18.Bc3+ Kh7 19.Rae1 Rae8 20.Rxe8 Rxe8

21.Re1

A mistake: the resulting endgame is notoriously drawn, providing that both players understand the strategy involved (we did).

The only "positive" aspect of the move is that losing my extra pawns – plus another one – will not matter, as the game will remain a draw.

21...Rxe1+ 22.Bxe1 Bxa2

Each player will now post his pawns on the same colored squares as his Bishop, and the enemy pawns will be blockaded. My extra pawn is meaningless. So are the next thirty moves.

23.b3

Losing a pawn, but locking up the Queenside.

23...Bb1 24.Bf2 b6 25.d4 cxd4 26.Bxd4 Bxc2 27.b4 Bd3

I still hoped that my opponent would make a mistake.

28.Kf2 g5 29.g3 Kg6 30.Ke3 Bb1 31.Be5 Kf5 32.Bb8 a6 33.Ba7 b5

34.Bb8 Kg4 35.fxg5 hxg5 36.Bc7 Kh3 37.Kf3 g4+ 38.Ke3 Kxh2

39.Kd4 Kh3 40.Kc5 Bf5 41.Kb6 Bc8 42.Kc6 Bf5 43.Kb6 Bc8

Here my opponent offered me a draw. I declined, because I wanted to try one more thing...

44.Kc6 Bf5 45.Kb7 a5 46.bxa5 b4 47.a6 b3 48.Be5 Be4+ 49.Kb8 b2 50.Bxb2 Kxg3

51.Be5+ Kf3 52.a7 g3 53.Bxg3 Kxg3 54.a8Q Bxa8 Draw

 

Kersplat!

Readers may be skeptical about my enthusiasm for the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), as this blog features many of my wins (with and against) and few losses.

The fact is that my Jerome and Jerome-ized games database includes 49 wins, 4 draws, and 6 losses by perrypawnpusher.

The following battle, my most recent, is one of those losses – my opponent out-played me with ease and grace; and my game, which never really got started, came to a swift and unhappy end.

Hats off to my opponent, Raankh, for the stern lesson.

perrypawnpusher - Raankh
blitz 2 12, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8


As old as Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's third episode of analysis from the Dubuque Chess Journal, July 1874; and good enough to last that long. Black is better.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qc3

Jerome recommended, instead, 8.Qf4+, which I'll try to remember next time.

8...Qf6 9.0-0 Qxc3 10.Nxc3 a6

11.Nd5

Better was 11.Ne2. The Knight eventually gets there...

11...c6 12.Nf4 Nf6 13.d3 g6 14.Bd2 Kf7 15.Ne2 Rf8 16.Bc3 Nh5 17.Kh1 Kg8

Black has castled-by-hand, and White has gotten nothing started to speak of.

18.g3

Thoughtless and easily punished.

18...Bh3 19.d4 Bxf1 20.Rxf1 Bb6



White's two extra pawns do not offset his missing Rook

21.f4 Rae8 22.g4 Nf6 White resigned