LAPOC

Just bumped into the website LAPOC - Learn and Play Online Chess, where players are encouraged to "Trip up your opponent with a clever gambit".

Examples are given such as:

"Fry White's Liver in the Two Knights Gambit"

"Fried Liver Attack - Drag the Black King to the Center"

"Counter Attack White with the Dangerous Wilkes-Barre"

"Steal Moves in the Evans Gambit"

and, or course

"Build Rapid Attacks in the Jerome Gambit"

Check it out.

Proto-Jerome Gambits? (Part 5)

As a last look at the possible influences on Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, in his creation of 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, we take a look at the line 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Bc4 Nf6 (instead of 3...Bc5) which transposes, after 4.Nf3, to the Urusov Gambit, which is deeply covered at Michael Goeller's wonderful site.

While the 1857 analysis of the gambit by Prince Sergei Urusov may not have been available to AWJ, games like Kolisch - Paulsen, London, 1861, might have been.

It is hard to get very Jerome-ish here, after 4...Bc5, but Goeller does mention the modern game Hopf - Schintgen, Bratislava 1993, which continued 5.e5 Ng4 6.Bxf7+ (1-0, 34).

(Of course, if, instead, Black plays 4...Nc6, then after 5.0-0 Bc5 6.e5 Ng4 ["playable but rarely seen" according to coverage at Chessville.com] then 7.Bxf7+ would come in a Max Lange Variation of the Two Knights Defense, which is a whole 'nother thing...)

A Level of Strangeness

The following game has a surprise move in a less-than-usual line, and when I researched it in earlier posts, I found a number of editorial errors. Strange...

bemillsy - leoarthur
blitz, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.O-O Bc5 

See "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense (Part 4)".

5.Bxf7+

A delayed Jerome Gambit move order (or a transition to a "modern" Jerome Gambit line, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0 Nf6), although there are about 550 examples in The Database. I have never played the line, but of course Bill Wall has, as have GeniusPawn, GmCooper, HauntedKnight, hinders, sTpny, Teterow, DragonTail and jrhumphrey, to name just a few.

The line was looked at in the games aymmd - MOMLASAM, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 19)  and Wall, B - Guest848078, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 10) although there were diagram errors and references that subsequently needed correction in both posts.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Nf3+ 

A surprise, but not as strong as the routine 7...Bxd4.

8.Qxf3

The correct capture, with a roughly equal game.

8...Bxd4 9.Bg5 

Overlooking something, perhaps already short of time.

9...Bxb2

Surprisingly, not Black's strongest move, although it does lead to some advantage. Rybka prefers 9...d6 10.Nd2 h6 11.Be3 Bxe3 12.Qxe3 Re8 13.f3 Qe7 14.Rad1 Be6 15.b3 Kg8 with a clear advantage.

10.Nd2 

White should try 10.Qb3+, as after 10...Kg6 11.Qxb2 Kxg5 12.e5 he has chances against Black's uneasy King.  

10...Bxa1 11.Rxa1 d6 White forfeited on time.

A Snack

Some chess games, even Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games, are a veritible banquet of strategy and tactics, sometimes leading to great satisfaction and sometimes leading to indigestion.

By comparison, the following game is a bit of a snack. Yet, it is still filling.

CarlosFonseca - gianbagia
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5

Instead of entering the paths of the Giuoco Piano with 3...Bc5 or the Two Knights Defense with 3...Nf6, Black decides to pick on White's light-squared Bishop.

White does well enough, now, with 4.Nxe5, but he chooses an exciting alternative.

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 6.d4 Nf6

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece, plus one of Black's Knights is offside, and Black's King is in danger and in the way of his pieces.

The game is about even, which means, at the club level in blitz play, that the second player has to be careful.

7.Nd3

Curiously, of the 50 games in The Database with the position given in the above diagram, only one has this very reasonable move.

White's reasoning is impeccible: with the enemy King and Queen lined up on the same diagonal, Bc1-g5+ would be a deadly skewer, if it were not for Black's protective Knight on f6, so why not try to drive the Knight away?

7...d5

What would be a useful move at another time and in another place merely furthers White's plan in the here-and-now.

8.e5 Ne4 9.f3

Black could have left his Knight at f6 and allowed it to be captured with 8...Qe8. Instead, he moved it to a place where it covered the dangerous checking square g5.

Unfortunately, as White's move shows, the Knight is just as vulnerable at e4.

Sadly, Black's best move now is to retreat the Knight to f6, give the piece up, and resign himself to being a pawn down with a still-unsafe King.

Instead, Black resigned

Yum!



(This is my 1,250th post to this blog. I have been posting daily since the first one. I do not know how much longer I will be able to post daily, but even if I "slow down" I will continue to post multiple times per week. - Rick)

Chess Brawl

When Black plays a new attacking idea in an old defense, it shouldn't work, but it does. White shouldn't have any chance to escape from the ensuing fury, but he does. Black should then perish in the counter-attack, but he doesn't. We're talking serious chess brawl.


GeniusPawn - pulsefrequency
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.0-0

Facing the Two Knights Defence, White offers his opponent the chance to play the Boden Kieseritzky Gambit with 4...Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3, etc. The Database has games with GeniusPawn playing this line, going back to 2000.

4...Bc5

Black declines, but then faces a Jerome-ish response. 

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5

This unusual position has only occurred 4 times in The Database, a collection of over 24,500 games.

It is as if White were playing Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's original intention, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5 and then decided, before playing 6.d4 and risking 6...Qh4 (see "Danger? He laughs at danger!"), that he would first 0-0, allowing Black to insert ...Nf6... 

7.d4 h5

An astonishing idea, a Theoretical Novelty that is so brash, so bold, so confident – that it seems cruel for White to have to point out that it is also so wrong.

8.dxe5 Ng4 9.Qd5+ Kg6 10.Qxc5

White has recovered his two sacrificed pieces and remains a couple of pawns ahead.

What was Black thinking? Keep reading.

10...b6 11.Qd5 Ba6 12.Rd1

Allowing the attacked Rook to escape, with additional pressure down the d-file.

Oh, and also giving Black a crushing game. (Necessary was the block 12.c4)

12...Qh4 13.c4 Qxf2+ 14.Kh1 Qh4

This is good enough for a clear advantage, but 14...Raf8 would have added a handy new attacking piece, when the end of the game would already be near.

15.h3

This allows a mate, but 15.Bf4 Nf2+ was a pretty grim alternative. You just know that Black's h-pawn is also going to advance further and open up White's Kingside... 

15...Qg3 16.Kg1 Qh2+ 17.Kf1 Qh1+

Tossing the Queen's Rook into the attack would have continued the mating attack; but Black is still much better here.

As always, the risk of making too many "second best" moves is that your opponent might stay in the game long enough for you to find a "last best" move. 

18.Ke2 Qxg2+ 19.Kd3 Bxc4+

Here it is.

Would you be surprised if I told you that 19...Raf8 was still the best move?

20.Kxc4 Qc2+

The problem is that Black is attacking with one piece (even if it is the Queen) and if White develops enough while defending, the advantage will shift to the first player.

21.Nc3 b5+

Desperately seeking to open lines to add his Rooks to the attack. 

22.Qxb5 c6 23.Rd6+ Kh7

What we have here is a great big mess, but it is a mess that favors White (who has an extra piece).

Unfortunately, the defense that White chooses has a hole in it (he needed to play 24.Qc5).

24.Qb3 Nxe5+

The one move that saves Black's hide.

25.Kc5 Qf2+ 26.Rd4 d6+ 27.Kxd6 Qxd4+ 28.Ke6 Rae8+

Go Rook!

29.Kf5 Rhf8+ 30.Kg5 Qg1+ 31.Kh4 Nf3+ 32.Kxh5 Qg6 checkmate

Wow!

Thought, Emotion and Error

Today's game is an interesting example of chess thought, emotion and error in defending against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).





perrypawnpusher - Sonndaze
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6

Black offers to play the Two Knights Defense, a very reasonable sidestep of the Jerome Gambit. This is not a strategic error like the Jerome Gambit Declined, but it does require the second player to be ready to sacrifice a pawn for counterplay (especially after 4.Ng5).

4.Nc3

White is not interested in the Two Knights, and he is willing to risk playing against the "fork trick" or entering the Italian Four Knights Game, which has a reputation for being very dull.

4...Bc5

Black opts for "dull" himself. Maybe he was having 2nd thoughts about the 2Ns. Maybe he was taking a relaxed approach to the opening.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. Relaxation time is over.

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

7...Bb4

This is one of several responses that Black has at his disposal. (You have choices when you are a piece ahead.) It is not the strongest (7...Bd6) or the most common (7...Bxd4) but it is playable, provided that Black keeps his wits about himself.

8.dxe5 Nxe4

This follows through on Black's previous move, attacking the pinned White Knight on c3, but it overlooks something.

After 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 and then a retreat by the Knight, or even 9...Re8, Black would retain a small edge. 

9.Qd5+ Black resigned

Black's disappointment at missing White's win of his Knight no doubt fed into his decision to resign.

Still, if the game were an important one, Sonndaze might have tried continuing with 9...Kf8 10.Qxe4 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 d5 12.exd5 e.p. Qxd6 when White's pawn weaknesses in the middle game or the Bishops-of-opposite-colors in the end game would have given him chances to fight for the draw. 

The End of the Jerome Gambit?

In today's game I was "Sidetracked" again – my opponent, who has Jerome Gambit experience, might have visited these blog pages as well.

In any event, his use of the "fork trick" to deprive me of the opportunity to play an Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit was timely (given yesterday's post and my recent coverage of the tactical motif) if a bit existentially challenging. After all, he was choosing to play a line that leads to a small advantage for White, instead of choosing to play a line that refutes the first player's opening.

Oh well, as they say a difference of opinion is what makes a chess game...(or was that "a horse race"?)

perrypawnpusher - JTIV
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6

It could be my imagination, but I think that I have been seeing this move more often since this blog's series on "The Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense (Part 1)" (Part 2), (Part 3) and (Part 4).

My opponent has won at least one Jerome Gambit: JTIV - NyteFork, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 14).

He and I have also previously contested a very exciting game: perrypawnpusher - JTIV, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 32).

4.Nc3 Nxe4

The "fork trick".

With White, JTIV had less success after 4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.0-0 Re8 7.Ng5+ Kg8 8.Nb5 a6 9.Nc3 d6 10.a3 Ng4 11.Nh3 Nd4 12.Nd5 c6 13.Ne3 Nxe3 14.fxe3 Bxh3 15.exd4 Bxd4+ 16.Kh1 Be6 17.c3 Ba7 18.Qf3 Rf8 19.Qxf8+ Qxf8 20.Rxf8+ Rxf8 21.h3 Rf1+ 22.Kh2 Bb8 23.g4 d5 24.exd5 Bxd5 25.Kg3 e4+ 26.Kh4 h6 27.g5 hxg5+ 28.Kxg5 Bf4+ 29.Kf5 Bxd2+ 30.Ke5 Bxc1 31.Kd6 Re1 32.b3 Bd2 33.Ra2 Bxc3 34.Rf2 Rb1 35.Ke7 Rxb3 36.Rf8+ Kh7 37.h4 e3 38.Re8 e2 39.Kf8 e1Q 40.Rxe1 Bxe1 41.a4 c5 42.h5 c4 43.Ke7 c3 44.Kd6 Bh1 45.Ke5 c2 46.Kf5 c1Q 47.Ke6 White resigned, JTIV - drkljenko, FICS, 2010.

5.Nxe4 d5

6.Bxd5

I am not quite sure why I played this move, instead of the recommended 6.Bd3. Things turned out okay in this instance, but I will probably not repeat my "experiment".

6...Qxd5 7.Nc3 Qc4

This is an interesting idea, aimed at interfering with White's castling (I think) but Black's Queen can go just about anywhere (d6 may be best) and maintain the second player's edge.

8.d3 Qg4 9.0-0 Bd6

10.Ne4 Qg6 11.Be3

After the game Fritz8 suggested 11.Nh4 Qe6 12.f4 with equal play.

11...Bh3 12.Ng3 Bg4 13.h3 Bxf3 14.Qxf3

Black has not gained much from his Bishop maneuvers; neither has he lost much. The following pawn sacrifice seems to gain little and lose more.

14...e4 15.Qxe4+ Qxe4 16.Nxe4 Be5 17.c3 0-0-0 18.d4 Bf6

Black is willing to give up his Bishop for a Knight and the opportunity to attack along the g-file. I am happy to have more targets.

19.Nxf6 gxf6 20.Bf4 Rhg8 21.Rae1 h5 22.Re3 Rg7 23.Rg3

23.Rfe1 was playable as even after 23...h4 White's Bishop allows him to play g2-g3 now or after Black doubles Rooks on the g-file.

23...Rxg3 24.Bxg3 Ne7

White is ahead a pawn, has a Bishop vs a Knight, and has 2 solid pawn islands vs Black's 3 (including 3 isolated pawns). At our level of play, especially in blitz, it would be presumptious so say the win "is only a matter of technique."

25.Re1 Nf5 26.Bf4 a5 27.g3 h4 28.g4 Ng7 29.Bd2 c5 30.Re4 f5 31.gxf5 Nxf5 32.Rf4 Ne7

33.Rxh4 b5 34.Be3 Nf5 35.Rf4 Rd5 36.dxc5 Nxe3 37.fxe3 Rxc5 38.Rxf7 Rg5+ 39.Kh2 Re5 40.Rf3 Rd5 41.Rf2 Kc7 42.h4 Kc6 43.Re2 Kc5

44.e4 Rd1 45.e5 Kc4 46.e6 Kd3 47.e7

After 47...Kxe2 I had already seen the mindless 48.e8Q+ Kd2 49.Qd7+ Kc1 50.Qxd1+ Kxd1 51.h5 etc, although there are smarter ways for White to win, too.


47...Re1

A slip. Black resigned

Complications

Chess sparkles with complications. In the following game my opponent finds a way to complicate things in his favor, then almost immediately finds one to complicate it in my favor...

 perrypawnpusher  - Marcym
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

The Italian Four Knights Game. Not Black's only choice (see "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense Part 3" and "Part 4")

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 d5

A good way to keep things complicated.

8.dxe5 Bxf2+

This is taking things too far, however. The proper continuation (the only other game with this line in the New Year's Database) was seen in Simavo - SeaDonkey, FICS, 2009: 8...Nxe4 9.Qf3+ Kg8 10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Qxe4 Qd4 12.Qxd4 Bxd4 13.f4 Kf7 14.c3 Bb6 15.Ke2 Bg4+ 16.Kd3 Rad8+ 17.Ke4 Ke6 18.f5+ Bxf5+ 19.Kf4 Rhf8 White resigned.

9.Kxf2 dxe4

Instead, 9...Nxe4+ 10.Nxe4 dxe4 give White only a slight edge.

10.exf6 Qxf6+ 11.Ke1

11...Re8

Now things just keep going bad for Black.

12.Rf1 Qxf1+ 13.Kxf1 b6 14.Qh5+ g6 15.Qxh7+ Kf6 16.Qh4+ Kg7 17.Bh6+ Kf7 18.Re1

18...Bf5 19.Nxe4 Rad8 20.Qf6+ Black resigned

Wasteland

I did not recognize my opponent's name until after I had challenged him to this game. In two previous games I had not treated him kindly. I do not think that I will bother him any more in the future.

perrypawnpusher - Abatwa
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6

The Two Knights Defense.

Previously my opponent had tried the Blackburne Schilling Gambit: 3...Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Nc6 7.d4 Nce7 8.Qg4+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.

4.Nc3

As I played this move, I wondered to myself if Abatwa had read my blog recently (see "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense Part 3 and Part 4" ).

4...Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4

Black has scored only 33% in this line in the games in the updated New Year's Database, and my games have been a wasteland for the second player. Best is 7...Bd6 8.dxd5 Bxe5.

Previously my opponent had played the intriguing 7...Rf8, although he did not follow up the move strongly: 8.dxe5 Ne8 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Bg5+ Nf6 11.exf6+ gxf6 12.Qxc5+ d6 13.Nd5+ Kd7 14.Qd4 fxg5 15.Qg7+ Kc6 16.Qc3+ Kd7 17.0-0-0 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.

8.dxe5 Nxe4

Alternately: 8...Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nxe4 10.Qd5+ (here Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - ohforgetit, blitz, FICS, 2010) 10...Kf8 11.Qxe4 d6 12.0-0 dxe5 13.Qxe5 Qe7 14.Bf4 Qxe5 15.Bxe5 c6 16.Rad1 Bf5 17.Rd2 Kf7 18.Rfd1 Rhe8 19.f4 Re6 20.Rd8 Rxd8 21.Rxd8 Re7 22.Rd2 g5 23.g3 gxf4 24.gxf4 Be6 25.a3 Bc4 26.Kf2 b5 27.Ke3 a5 28.Rd6 Bd5 29.Rh6 Kg8 30.Kd4 a4 31.Kc5 Be4 32.Rxc6 Bxc6 33.Kxc6 Re6+ 34.Kxb5 Rh6 35.c4 Kf7 36.c5 Ke6 37.c6 Ke7 38.Kb6 Kd8 39.Kb7 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - obmanovich, blitz, FICS, 2010

9.Qd5+

And here Black resigned in perrypawnpusher - kezientz, blitz, FICS, 2010

9...Kf8

Or 9...Ke8 10.Qxe4 Rf8 11.Qxb4 b6 12.Qe4 Rb8 13.Qxh7 Qe7 14.Qh5+ Kd8 15.Bg5 Rf6 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qh8+ Qe8 18.Qxf6+ Qe7 19.0-0 Bb7 20.Qh8+ Qe8 21.Qxe8+ Kxe8 22.f4 Ke7 23.f5 Rg8 24.g3 a5 25.Rad1 c5 26.Nd5+ Kf7 27.Nxb6 Ke8 28.Nxd7 Kf7 29.Nxc5 Bc6 30.e6+ Ke7 31.f6+ Kf8 32.Rd8+ Be8 33.Nd7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010

10.Qxe4 Qe7

White is a pawn ahead, but Black's next move will diminish it to an isolated, doubled one. Still, this is better than a few moves ago, when I was down two pieces, and such a change in fortunes often causes me to suddenly go meek and mild...

11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 d6

13.Ba3 c5

Throwing some material on the deadly diagonal to block the Bishop. Black's best chance was to have his King to flee to f7, although after a Queen check he would lose the d6 pawn.

14.Qf4+ Ke8

It all goes to pieces quickly now. The Queen needed to leap in front of His Majesty, but my opponent probably did not want the exchange of pieces and subsequent two-pawn-down endgame, even if he did have slight prospects with the Bishops-of-opposite-colors.

15.exd6 Qd7 16.Rfe1+ Kd8 17.Qg5+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense (Part 4)

Still another way for the Jerome Gambiteer to face the Two Knights Defense (see "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense Part 1", "Part 2" and "Part 3"), besides playing the main lines, opting for 4.Qe2 or playing for a transition to the Italian Four Knights Game with 4.Nc3 is 4.0-0.

So we have 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.0-0, which has more going for it than is generally realized.

International Master Tim Harding, writing in his "Kibitzer" column at ChessCafe, noted 

4 0-0 is not a move you will see played by experienced players; it is simply not direct enough.

International Master Jan Pinski, in Italian Game and Evans Gambit, was even more dismissive

4.0-0 is completely toothless, and Black can do as he pleases.

Perhaps the second player will be so lulled by the move that he will play 4...Bc5, when 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 transforms the game into a "modern" Jerome Gambit variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0 Nf6)? In this line, the updated New Year's Database has 548 games. White scores 39%.

What if, after 4.0-0, Black plays 4...Nxe4? Probably White can get an even game with 5.d3, but the move he should really look at is 5.Nc3!?, offering the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit – a strategy that has worked well for me. The same idea should occur after 4.Nc3 (from yesterday's post) Nxe4 5.0-0.

The Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit is not well-known at the club level. In addition, it gives White a line to play against the Petroff Defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3).

The one "downside" I would say that the B-KG has is that it is so much fun, some players might give up the Jerome Gambit and start playing it!

Here are a few B-KG resources to get started:

http://www.chesscafe.com/text/kibitz145.pdf
http://www.chesscafe.com/text/lane38.pdf
http://www.mjae.com/boden-kieseritzky.html
http://jeanpaul.garnier.free.fr/htm/A2Ten.htm