Here is the last game of the Philidor1792 - Slayman match, testing a particular opening. With a time control of 2 0, the outcome rests on any number of things, including the "33rd piece" - the clock.
Again: a 2-minute game is almost too fast for me to breathe, let alone play interesting chess. Nice work, gentlemen.
Philidor1792 - Slayman
2 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nf3 Nc6
After the first three moves we have come to expect, White tosses in 4.Nf3 and Black adds 4...Nc6, bypassing the Urusov Gambit and moving on to the Two Knights Game, although lichess.org labels the line "Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Dubois Reti Defense".
5.Bxf7+
The Jerome-ish sacrifice.
5...Kxf7 6.e5 Ne4 7.c3 d5
Again, White seeks to develop after 7...dxc3 8.Nxc3, and again Black does not cooperate - this time moving his other d-pawn.
8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Nbd2 Rf8 10.O-O Bxd2 11.Bxd2 Kg8
Black has castled-by-hand and retains his extra piece.
White's protected passed "Jerome pawn" is not yet a factor in the game.
12.h3 Be6
(In a slower game it would be worth pointing out 12...Rxf3 13.Qxf3 Nxd2 )
13.Be3 Qe8 14.Rc1 Qh5
15.Kh2
White sees there will be trouble on the Kingside, but might have done better to offer the exchange of Queens with 15.Ng5.
15...Bxh3 16.Ng1 Qxd1
Black does White a favor. The Queen exchange takes the energy out of the attack - but it also makes calculation in the position a bit easier; and the second player still maintains his advantage.
17.Rfxd1 Be6
Black has the extra piece - but the clock is ticking away.
18.f3 Rad8 19.fxe4 dxe4 20.Ne2 Nb4 21.Rxc7
When in doubt, and time trouble, grab material.
Stockfish 8 recommends the rambling line 21.Nf4 Bg4 22.Rd2 c6 23.Kg3 Bf5 24.Rf2 Nd3 25.Nxd3 exd3 26.a4 h6 27.Rcf1 Be4 28.b4 Rxf2 29.Rxf2 Bd5 30.Rd2 Bc4 31.Rf2 g5 32.Rf1 Kg7 33.Rf2 Rf8 34.Rxf8 Kxf8 35.Kf2 Ke7 36.Bc1 Ke6 which it sees as favoring Black, but which looks pretty drawish due to Bishops-of-opposite-colors.
21...Nd3
Not enough time to figure out 21...Nd5 22.Rc3 Bg4 23.Rd2 Bxe2 24.Rxe2 Nxc3 25.bxc3 Kf7 and the extra exchange helps Black.
22.b3 White won on time.
Continuing to present the games from the bullet match at lichess.org between Philidor1792 and Slayman, using the unusual Jerome Gambitish line mentioned a couple of posts ago - see "Jerome Gambit: Strange Beast".
Philidor1792 - Slayman
2 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bxf7+
Here we go. Philidor1792 was successful with this line in this rocket-fast match, winning three games, drawing one, losing none.
4...Kxf8 5.e5 Ng8
As we have seen, the best defense starts with 5...Qe7 6.Qe2 Ne8. However, in a 2 0 game you barely have time to breathe, let alone analyze deeply. Knowing anything about the line is a great advantage.
6.Nf3 Bc5 7.c3 d3
Black has no intention of helping White's development with 7...dxc3 8.Nxc3.
8.Qxd3 Bb6 9.O-O Ne7 10.Qc4+ Kf8 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bf4 Rg8
"Objectively" Black is better, with a piece for a pawn, but his position is horribly cramped and undeveloped.
13.Nbd2 g5 14.Bg3 Nbc6 15.Ne4 Nf5 16.Nf6 Nxg3
Yipes! This overlooks a checkmate-in-two.
17.Qxg8+ Ke7 18.Qg7+
Move, move, move! Missing 18.Nd5#. Move, move, move!
18...Ke6 19.hxg3 Nxe5 20.Nxe5 Qxf6 21.Qxf6+ Kxf6
In a game with a slower time control, exchanging Queens would not be the best plan. Here White is up the exhange, and he can calculate better (and faster) with fewer pieces on the board.
22.Nc4 d5 23.Nxb6 axb6 24.a3 Be6 25.Rae1 c5
Black needs to activate his Queenside pawn majority.
26.Re3 d4 27. cxd4 cxd4 28.Re4 Rd8 29. Rd1 d3 30.Rd2 Bf5
31.Rb4 Rc8 32.Rxb6+ Rc6 33.Rxc6+ bxc6 34.f3 Ke5 35.Kf2 Kd4
36.g4 Bg6 37.g3 Kc4 38.Ke3 Kb3
39.Rxd3+
An option always available to the one ahead the exchange.
39...Bxd3 40.Kxd3 Kxb2 41.Kd4
Nice. White could have decided to run his a-pawn, but after 41.a4 Kb3 42.a5 c5 43.a6 c4+ 44.Ke4 c3 45.a7 c2 46.a8/Q c1/Q both of the Queens are back on the board, and calculation becomes a bit more time-intensive. Only the clock can beat White now, so he keeps it simpler.
41...Kxa3 42.Kc5 Kb3 43.f4 Kc3 44.f5
Now there will be only one Queen on the board, and White only needs one...
44...Kd3 45.f6 Ke4 46.f7 Kf3 47.f8=Q+ Kxg3 48.Qxh6 Kxg4 49.Kxc6
Alas for Black, if his remaining pawn were either the f-pawn or h-pawn - and more advanced - he would still have drawing chances. Was not to be...
49...Kg3 50.Qxg5+ Kh2 51.Qg4 Kh1 52.Kd5 Kh2 53.Ke4 Kh1 54.Kf3 White won on time
Each player spent around 2 seconds per move.
Following up on the previous post (see "Jerome Gambit: Strange Beast"), Philidor1792 sent me four games he recently played with the line (as White) in a match against Slayman, at lichess.org, at the quick speed of 2 minutes with no increment per game. Philidor1792 scored 3 1/2 - 1/2.
It is fun to first look at the two shortest - and funniest - games.
Philidor1792 - Slayman
2 0 bullet, lichess.org
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d4
This is identified at lichess.org as "Bishop's Opening: Ponziani Gambit".
3...exd4 4.Bxf7+
This is not a Jerome Gambit, but it has a Jerome feel about it, and certainly is equally outrageous.
Of course, White also had 4.Nf3, offering the Urusov Gambit; and Black could have further declined with 4...Nc6, the Two Knights Defense.
4...Kxf7 5.e5 Ne8
The proper defense, maintaining Black's advantage, as shown in saprvade - Philidor1792, 3 2 blitz, lichess.org 2016 is 5...Qe7 6.Qe2 Ne8 etc.
6.Qf3+ Kg6
I was amused to see that Stockfish 8 assessed the silly alternative, 6...Nf6, as completely equal (0.00), recommending the equally silly 7.Qd1, even with an analysis depth of 25 ply.
Of course, Stockfish is confused by the possibility of repeating the position, resulting in a draw - just play the two moves and the computer leaps to point out, of course, that Black is better by 2 2/3 pawns.
After the text move, however, Stockfish 8 assesses the top 6 replies by White to lead to complete equality (0.00) again.
7.Nh3 h6 8.Nf4+ Kf7
Remember: this is a 2-minute game, and any retreat probably looks the same as any other retreat. But: not so.
The proper line was shown in another one of the games in the match: 8...Kh7 9.Qe4+ Kg8 10.Qd5+ Kh7 11.Qe4+ Ke8 12.Qd5+ Kh7 13.Qe4 drawn (by repetition).
9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Ng6 checkmate
