In the first of my two Italian Game tournaments at Chess.com I have won one game and am near another win. Both of them are technical endgames.
In my second tournament, I suffered a loss when my "brilliant" Queen sacrifice did not lead to a back rank checkmate, after all... Awkward.
However, I have just completed a win with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), and that is enough for me to consider the tournament a success, already!
perrypawnpusher (1636) - Vaima01 (1773)
Italian Game - Round 1 Chess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
This is a natural response, prudently returning one of the two sacrificed pieces; yet, I am always glad to see it, as it leads to interesting clashes between the "Jerome pawns" and Black's extra piece, and the chess engines usually show a gradual slip into an even game after about a dozen moves.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qe7
10.Nc3
Or 10.d4, as in mrjoker - lilred, ICC, 2009 (1-0, 50); or 10.0-0 as in mrjoker - blind25, ICC, 2009 (0-1, 66) and perrypawnpusher - Edvardinho, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 57).
10...Nf6 11.0-0 Be6
A bit more active was 11...Rf8, as in perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 31) and perrypawnpusher - chingching, blitz, FICS, 2011 (½-½, 36).
An alternate development of Black's Bishop was seen after 11...b6 in perrypawnpusher - Navarrra, blitz, FICS, 2011, (1-0, 24).
12.f4 Bf7
Black's move is sensible. There have been a variety of alternatives:
The frisky 12...Bc4 was seen in perrypawnpusher - ZhekaR, blitz, FICS 2011 (0-1, 36) and perrypawnpusher - tuffnut, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 62);
The retreat 12...Bd7 appeared in perrypawnpusher - Unimat, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 25);
The bold 12...Kd7 was tried in perrypawnpusher - Solaar, blitz, FICS, 2011 (33); and
The counter-attacking 12...Ng4 erupted in Wall,B - Hirami,Z, Chess.com, 2011 (1-0, 20).
13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc6 15.Qd3 Kd7 16.e5 Ne8
Black opts for the scientific solution of returning a piece for two pawns, with the goal of leveling out the position and the game.
After the game, however, Rybka suggested the way to do that would have been by 16...Nxe5 17.dxe5 Qxe5. It turns out that there is a glitch or two in giving back the Bishop.
17.e6+ Bxe6 18.fxe6+ Kd8
The second pawn is not easily taken, as after 18...Kxe6 there is 19.Qf5 checkmate; and after 18...Qxe6 White has 19.d5.
White is now better, but it took me a while to figure out how to proceed.
19.d5 Ne5 20.Qf5 h6 21.Bf4 Rf8 22.Qh3 Rf6
This helps, although in the end I decided to settle for the win of another pawn, with a strong position.
23.Ne4 Rf8 24.Bxe5 dxe5 25.Qg3 Nf6 26.Qxe5
26...Nxe4 27.Qxe4 Qc5+ 28.Kh1 Ke7 29.Rf7+
My favorite move of the game. It's success is based on finding a "quieter" move later on.
29...Rxf7
After the alternative, 29...Ke8, I had planned 30.Raf1 and Black does not have long to live.
30.exf7+ Kxf7
I was happy to see that after 30...Kf8 I would have the nice move 31.Re1
31.Qe6+ Kf8 32.Rf1+ Qf2 Black resigned
I have mentioned elsewhere GM Bronstein's lighthearted comment that in chess, three small errors tend to add up to one big error. In the following game, Black suffers a loss more because he loses his way against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxv7+) than because of any great blunder.
perrypawnpusher - Unimat
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 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
10.0-0 Qe7 11.Nc3 Be6
Black has any number of alternatives, including 11...b6 as in perrypawnpusher - Navarrra, blitz, FICS, 2011, (1-0, 24); 11...Rf8 as in mrjoker - rex3, Internet Chess Club 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).
The text encourages White to play f2-f4-f5.
12.f4 Bd7
Losing a tempo.
The alternative, 12...Bc4, was seen in QuadCoreBR - Alecs, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 27) and perrypawnpusher - ZhekaR, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 36).
Too risky is 12...Kd7 as in perrypawnpusher - Solaar, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 33).
13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qd3 Nb6
The "Jerome pawns" are rolling and White has the advantage.
16.Bg5 h6 17.Bh4 Qf7
Moving out of the pin on the Knight, but it is interesting to see what Houdini recommended after the game: 17...Rd8 18.e5 dxe5 19.dxe5 Bc6 20.exf6 gxf6 21.Qg3 Kd7 22.Rae1 Qc5+ 23.Qf2 Qxf2+ 24.Rxf2 Rde8 25.Rfe2 Rhf8 26.Rd1+ Kc8 27.Rxe8+ Rxe8 28.Bxf6 Nc4 29.Nd5 Bxd5 30.Rxd5 Ne3 31.Re5 Rxe5 32.Bxe5 Nxf5.
analysis diagram
White's attack has been neutralized, but his extra pawn and Bishop vs Knight should win in the end.
18.e5 dxe5 19.dxe5
19...Nfd5
This raises the level of danger, but Houdini's suggestion 19...Qc4 20.Qxc4 Nxc4 21.exf6 will lead to a two-pawn advantage for White, any way.
The tactics all go White's way now.
20.e6 Qh5 21.exd7+ Kxd7 22.Nxd5 Nxd5 23.Qxd5+ Kc8
24.g3
The computer later pointed out that the Bishop was untouchable: 24.Rad1 Qxh4 25.f6 leads to mate.
24...Rd8 25.Qxd8 checkmate
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!
Sacrifice unsoundly, fall behind in development, send the Queen out to hunt pawns...
Doesn't sound like much of a recipe for victory, does it? Oddly, that kind of describes the way that I played the following game. Wins with White in the Jerome Gambit are often odd things.
perrypawnpusher - Solaar
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 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
The Database has 82 games with this position. White scores 70%. This is my 29th time here, scoring 81%.
10.0-0 Qe7 11.Nc3
The alternative is 11.d3, although transpositions are likely.
11...Be6
Looking for trouble.
Rybka 3 suggests 11...Kf7, while 11...Rf8 was seen in perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 31); 11...Ne5 was seen in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 50); and 11...Kd7 was seen in perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 22).
12.f4 Kd7
Odd, perhaps planning to castle-by-hand on the Queenside; but returning the piece, intentionally or otherwise.
Better was 12...Bc4 as in QuadCoreBR - Alecs, FICS, 2008: 13.d3 Ba6 14.b4 b6 15.b5 Bb7 16.f5 Ne5 17.d4 Neg4 18.Qg3 h5 19.h3 Nh6 20.e5 Ne4 21.Nxe4 Bxe4 22.Bg5 Qd7 23.e6 Qxb5 24.Bxh6 gxh6 25.a4 Qe2 26.Rf2 Qc4 27.Qg7 Black resigned.
13.f5 Bxf5
Slightly better was 13...Bc4 14.d3 Ne5 15.dxc4 Nxc4 16.Qd4 Ne5, when Black would be down a pawn, but he would have pressure and play against the backward White pawn on e4.
14.Rxf5
Was Solaar expecting me to play 14.exf5? If so, after 14...Qxe3+ 15.dxe3 Ne5 14.e4 the game would have reached the position mentioned in the note to Black's 13th move, only with Queens off the board and it being Black's move. White would still have an edge.
14...Rae8 15.d3 Kc8
The difficulty for Black here is that even though he is better developed and White's center is under pressure, there is time for White's Queen to go pawn-hunting.
16.Qxa7 Rhf8 17.Bg5
Also possible was 17.Qa8+ Kd7 18.Qxb7 but I decided to save that for later,
17...Qe6 18.Bxf6 Rxf6 19.Rxf6 Qxf6 20.Rf1 Qe5
21.Qa8+
After the game Rybka 3 pointed out the more ferocious 21.Rf5 Qe6 22.Rb5 Kd7 23.Rxb7 Rc8 24.Nb5. I was content to be a few pawns up and head toward the endgame.
21...Kd7 22.Qxb7 Nf4 23.Qb5+ Qxb5 24.Nxb5 Rf8 25.Nc3 c6 26.g3 Ne6 27.Rxf8 Nxf8
28.Kf2 Ne6 29.Ke3 c5 30.Ne2 g5 31.c3 Kc6 32.d4 c4
A slip that ends the game quickly, rather than slowly.
33.d5+ Black resigned
