Another Provocation

In my February 11, 2010 blog post, "Provoked", I noted about a chessfriend and Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member,

Welton Vaz de Souza is a nice guy. 

Sure, from time-to-time he crushes opponents with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), but he's a nice guy.

Suggestion: don't provoke him in a game of chess.

I was reminded of that when I ran into the following game.

Richad  - NeoNunes
blitz, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.0-0 

This is one of the orthodox treatments of the BSG, along with 4.Nxd4 or 4.c3. Not everyone wants to play the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, 4.Bxf7+!?

4...b5 

This move, however, proves to be too much provocation. White decides on a Delayed Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+

As I noted in that older post,

It turns out that 5.Bxf7+ is so strong (or 4...b5 so ill-advised) that White could simply grab back a piece here with the alternative 6.Nxd4. If Black responds 6...exd4 then White has 7.Qh5+ and a few checks later the Rook on a8 will be captured.

After 6.Nxd4 Nf6, White retreats his Knight with 7.Nf3 and is better.

6...Ke6

Instead, 6...Ke8 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Nxg6 was seen in Ghandybh - BoogieKnights, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 16) and mikelovell - rogerlovell, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 44).

The alternative, Black's strongest move, 6...Ke7, was seen in Rub - Wall,B, Palo Alto, 1989, (0-1, 12), mukund - jantonacci, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 10) and Chabus - AlfonsoX, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 14).

7.f4 

Stronger was 7.c3, as in mukund - jantonacci, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 10) and Chabus - AlfonsoX, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 14). 

7...Nf6 8.c3 Nc6 9.d4 

 9...Nxe5

Courting danger.

10.fxe5 c6 11.exf6 gxf6 12.Qg4+ Kd6 13.Bf4+ Ke7

14.Nd2

This move is good enough, but White misses the hilarious 14.Be5!?
when Black cannot capture the Bishop, as he will be checkmated; so the cheeky prelate can go on and capture at f6.

Black's next move hangs a piece, but White is in no hurry: he builds his attack and breaks through.

14...Bg7 15.Rae1 Rg8 16.e5 d5 17.exf6+ Kf7 18.Qh5+ Kf8 19.fxg7+ Rxg7 20.Bh6+ Kg8 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.Rf7+ Kg8 23.Qxh7 checkmate

(May 2014 was the highest visited month in the history of this blog, going back to 2008. Many, many thanks to readers - and please feel free to continue to visit. - Rick)

It's Hero Time!

I freely admit that many of my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games are ones in which I give "Jerome Gambit odds", where I use a refuted opening to "level the playing field" against a lower-rated player. Against a higher-rated player, I do not need an esoteric opening to lose, I can do it all by myself, thank-you-very-much.

In the latest batch of games played at FICS, sent to me by Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member and chessfriend Welton Vaz, from Brazil, I discovered the player klanga, who has taken up the Jerome this  year, and who plays it, apparently, against all comers. In the following game he takes on someone with a rating almost twice his own.

klanga (864) - TalesdeSousa (1720)
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. Certainly nothing to worry about, Black figures.

5...Kxf7 6.0-0 Ng4

Let us just get about checkmating this tyro...

7.d4 Bxd4

Perhaps at this slip, klanga chuckled. Why would such a higher-rated player bother wasting a strong move on me, so early in a busted opening?

8.Ng5+ Kg8 9.Qxg4

White has recovered his sacrificed piece. No matter: the stronger player can inflict structural damage on White's pawns, then open up the game and use his superior strategic skills to wrest the point away.

9...Bxc3 10.bxc3 d5 11.Qf3 dxe4

Take that, you misplaced Queen!

12.Qf7 checkmate

The Gemeinde salutes its newest member, klanga!

It's my birthday! It's my birthday! It's my birthday!

Well, actually, it's not my birthday.

It just feels like it is.

I got an email from Welton Vaz ("Ghandybh") that had three attachments. Welton had gone through the FICS database for January, February and March 2011 and had filtered out the Jerome Gambit and Jerome-ish games.

Many, many thanks!

Of course, I will share. After I play the games over, I will add them to The Database, which is available to anyone who asks for it.

Good things come to those who... work!

When Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Welton Vaz started the following game, I doubt that he realized the gigantic struggle that lay ahead of him. I'm pretty sure that his opponent figured that a win was only a matter of time – it was, but for White.

Ghandybh  - mentalbreak
Chess.com, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

White's typical "Jerome treatment" is to play a temporizing move like 0-0 or Nc3 now, hoping for ...Bf8-c5, allowing the signature Bxf7+. 

4.Bxf7+

Wow.

This reminds me of Veijoasquerosos of Mexico, who played over 1,100 games at RedHotPawn.com, and who played Bxf7+ (or ...Bxf2+) as early and as often as possible: see "King of Bxf7+".  

I've played the move myself, although accidentally: perrypawnpusher - marapr, blitz FICS, 2007 (1-0, 27).

A look at the updated New Year's Database shows 904 games with this position, with White scoring 39%.

One of the top users of 4.Bxf7+ here is GFcrafty (a weakened version of Crafty, the free, open-source computer chess program developed by Dr. Robert M. Hyatt) at FICS.

Perhaps the most important of those games, however, is Gandybh - sqerl, Chess.com, 2009 which shows that Welton has played the line before, and is ready to face his opponent.

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

Rybka, in its "blunder check" mode (5 minutes per move), suggested 6.d4 Nc6 7.Nc3 d6 8.0-0 Nf6 9.h3 Be7 10.d5 Nb8 11.Be3 Re8 12.Re1 as better. The line looks like no fun at all. Maybe when the "Jerome pawns" get rolling...

analysis diagram







6...Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8

White has his work cut out for him.

8.d3 Nf6 9.Qf5 Ne7 10.Qf4 Nc6 11.0-0 Nd4 12.Qe5+ Ne6 13.Be3 Qe7

14.Nc3 d6 15.Qb5+ c6 16.Qb4 c5

It looks like Welton's play has begun to annoy his opponent who would probably prefer "16.Resigns."

Good.

17.Qb5+ Bd7 18.Qxb7 Rc8 19.Qxa7

White now has 4 pawns for his 2 sacrificed pieces. That's not enough, but it's more than he had a few moves ago. Also, Black's King is stuck in the center, and at least for now his King's Rook is buried in the garage.

19...Ng4 20.Nd5 Qd8 21.h3 Nxe3 22.fxe3 Be7 23.Nxe7 Qxe7

Black has made progress in one area – when ahead in material, exchange pieces – but he still has an opponent fighting back.

24.Qb7 Rf8 25.Rxf8+ Qxf8 26.Rf1 Qe7 27.a3

Here's a clue: White believes that his "Jerome pawns" will one day be able to take on Black's two extra pieces in the endgame.

27...Rc7 28.Qb8+ Qd8 29.Qb6 Rc6 30.Qxd8+ Kxd8 31.Rf7

31...Ke8 32.Rf1 Rb6 33.b3 Ra6 34.a4 Ng5 35.h4 Nf7

Black has been teasing and provoking the pawns. No harm done. So far.

36.Kf2 Ne5 37.Ke2 d5

To open a path to swing the Rook over – but, a pawn is a pawn.

38.exd5 Rf6

39.d4

Hesitating. It was okay to exchange the Rooks.

39...cxd4 40.exd4 Bg4+ 41.Ke1 Rxf1+ 42.Kxf1 Nd7

Now the fun really begins.

White's plan is pretty clear: have his King escort the five connected past pawns forward, until one or more of them Queens.

Black has to counter this. Ideally, if he can hold up the pawns with his King and only one piece, then he can use (or sacrifice) the other to create a winning passed pawn on the other side of the board.

43.Ke1 Ke7 44.Kd2 Kd6 45.c4 Bf5

46.Kc3 Nf6 47.b4

47...Ne4+ 48.Kb3 Nd2+ 49.Kc3 Ne4+ 50.Kb3

White is willing to repeat the position and accept the draw.

50...Bd7

Black can't bring himself to "lose" the half-point.

51.a5 Nd2+ 52.Kc3 Ne4 53.Kb3 Nf2

Again Black wavers – and then decides "no draw". His problem is that now White's game gains momentum.

54.a6 Kc7 55.b5 Kb6

Rybka suggested instead : 55...Ne4 56.Kb4 Nd6 57.a7 Kb7 58.b6 Nc8 59.c5 Nxa7 60.bxa7 Kxa7 when it looks like Black's King and Bishop may be able to hold up White's central pawns (and draw) after all.

analysis diagram






56.c5+ Ka7 57.c6 Bc8

Black's Knight is sadly out of play. 

58.d6 Ne4 59.d7 Nd6

60.d8Q Nxb5 61.Qxc8 Nd6 62.Qd7+ Nb7 63.Qxb7 checkmate

Very nice work. As they say, nobody ever won a game by resigning...

Provoked

Welton Vaz de Souza is a nice guy.

Sure, from time-to-time he crushes opponents with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), but he's a nice guy.

Suggestion: don't provoke him in a game of chess.


Ghandybh - BoogieKnights
Chess.com, 2010

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. There are a number of good responses. I'm partial to 4.Bxf7+, but 4.c3, 4.Nxd4 and 4.0-0 are good, too.

4.0-0

See? That's almost a friendly response.

4...b5

No, no, no, no, no, no...

5.Bxf7+

The expected response from a member of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+

The Jerome Way.

It turns out that 5.Bxf7+ is so strong (or 4...b5 so ill-advised) that White could simply grab back a piece here with the alternative 6.Nxd4. If Black responds 6...exd4 then White has 7.Qh5+ and a few checks later the Rook on a8 will be captured.

After 6.Nxd4 Nf6, White retreats his Knight with 7.Nf3 and is better.

6...Ke8

In this small world, it turns out that about 20 years ago Bill Wall  tried the alternative 6...Ke7, finishing quickly: 7.c3 d6 8.Qh5 dxe5 9.Qxe5+ Ne6 10.d4 Qd6 11.Qxd6+ cxd6 12.f4 Bb7 White resigned, Rub - Wall, Palo Alto 1989.

Also possible is 6...Ke6, similar to the lines covered in "Crime and Punisher" and "Gorilla Chess".

7.Qh5+ g6 8.Nxg6 Qf6

This move simplifies a complicate position – and not in Black's favor. Far better was to give up the Rook, and go looking to capture one himself: 8...hxg6 9.Qxh8 Nf6 10.d3 Nxc2. 

analysis diagram





The downside of this (as compared to 10...Ne2+ 11.Kh1 Nxc1 12.Rxc1 Kf7, which may be better) is that Black loses both of his Knights: 11.Bg5 Kf7 12.e5 Be7 13.Qxd8 Bxd8 14.Nd2 Nxa1 15.Rxa1 d6 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.exf6 Kxf6 when White is a pawn up – although Black's Bishop and better-developed King may give some compensation.

analysis diagram







9.Nxh8+ Kd8

10.Nf7+ Ke7 11.Ne5 Nxc2

12.d4 Nxa1

The Knight has finally captured the a1 Rook, at the expense of the game.

13.Bg5

13...d6 14.Bxf6+ Nxf6 15.Qf7+ Kd8 16.Nc6 checkmate

Ferocious

In the following game, Gemeinde member Welton Vaz ("Ghandybh") of Brazil shows just how ferocious the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) can become when it is treated casually. White's play assumes the style of a hungry, relentless predator.

 Ghandybh - Noel1942
Chess.com, 2009

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

The New Year's Database has 823 games with this position: White won 45%, Black won 49%, and 6% were drawn.

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6

Black has his typical advantage against the Jerome Gambit: a piece for two pawns. White, in turn, has something to work with: advancing the "Jerome pawns" against Black's uncastled King.

9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O Ne5

This idea is new and designed to be provocative.

11.d4 Neg4 12.Qb3 b6

Black wants to develop his light-squared Bishop, so he first makes his b-pawn safe. He could have chosen a come-and-get-me set-up with 12...Qe7 13.f3 Nh6 14.Nc3 Nf7 with a small advantage.

White decides to open the game.

13.h3 Nh6 14.e5 dxe5

A bit better, although certainly unappealing, was 14...Nfg8.

15.dxe5 Nfg8

White may have a slightly better game here, but he definitely has the more comfortable position.

16.Qf3 Be6 17.Rd1 Qc8 18.Nc3 Ne7 19.Nb5

White's initiative grows with the threat of Qxa8 followed by Nxc7+.

19...Rf8 20. Qxa8 Kf7

Black's "best" was to fall in with his opponent's plans and play 20... Qxa8, when after 21.Nxc7+ Kf7 he will be able to answer 22.Nxa8 with 22...Rxa8

21.Qxc8 Rxc8 22.Bxh6 gxh6 23.Nxa7

White is up an exchange and three pawns. Black's only "hope" is to try an attack on the King.

23...Rg8 24.Kh2 Nf5

25.g4 Ne7 26.Nb5 h5 27.Nxc7 hxg4 28.Rd6

Welton is untroubled by the activity near his King and presses his own attack.

28...Bf5 29.Rf6+ Kg7 30.hxg4 Bg6

31.Rd1 Bxc2 32.Rd7 Black resigned

The Knight is lost, which would leave Black a Rook down.