The Best Jerome Gambit Game of the Year (Part 3)

We continue from the two previous posts, considering a game that has lept to the top of the heap for Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games this year.

As indicated, Readers are encouraged to dispute my assessment, if they wish, by sending in other great Jerome Gambit games...

Wall, Bill - Guest871838
PlayChess.com, 2014

Black elects with 10...Bd7 to defend his King by putting a barrier - the Bishop - on the 7th rank, and allows the White Queen to move off of the 8th rank. Although I was initially dismissive of this move, describing it as "[p]layed, if in a stumbling manner" - see "Updating the Blackburne Defense (Part 2)" - it is a reasonable choice.

In the meantime, while White is up an exchange and a couple of pawns, he has to safeguard his King while keeping an eye on threats to his Queen.

11.Qxc7

Not 11.Qxa8, of course, as Black responds 11...Ng4 (11... Nxe4?UNPREDICTABLE - choron, FICS, 2009 [1-0, 20]) and White is doomed, as Bill Wall points out: 12.h3 Bxf2+ 13. Kh1 Qg3 14. Rxf2+ Nxf2+ 15. Kg1 Nxh3+ 16. Kh1 Nf4 and 17...Qxg2 mate)

11...Rc8

Instructive was 11...Bb6 (this should let White off of the hook) 12.g3 (better is 12.Qxd6 or 12.Qxb7) Qh3 13.Qxd6 (better is 13.Qc3) Bc6 14.g4 Qxg4+ White resigned, Harris,S - Quayle,E, Los Angeles, CA, 1944. The "right" move at the wrong time often turns out to be the wrong move. 

12.g3

Bill points out that 12.Qxb7 was the right move here. Black's best response would then be 12...Bb6, when White can both strike in the center and open a line for much-needed development with 13.d4.

Answering the recommended 12.Qxb7 with 12...Ng4 would be an error, i.e. 13.Qxd7+ Kf6 14.h3. After the alternative 12... Ke7 the game is "gloriously obscure" according to Dr. Andrew Walker (private communication, 2001) although the first player shows his advantage after 13.d4 Bxd4 14.Nd2 Qg4 15.Nf3 (reporting for duty!) Bb6 16.Bg5 Rc7 17.Qb8 Rc8 18.Bxf6+ Kxf6 19.Qxd6+ Qe6 20.Rad1.

12...Qh3

Keeping the pressure on. Houdini suggests that after the alternative 12...Qxe4 13.d3 Qb4 14.Bd2 Rxc7 15.Bxb4 Bxb4 16.c3 the game is about even, with White having a Rook and 2 pawns vs Black's two Bishops. 

13.Qxb7

Not 13.Qa5, Bill warns, as then 12...Ng4 mates. 

13...Ke7

Bill points out that here Black misses the stunning 13...Rb8! as 14.Qxb8 Ng4 again leads to mate. Even after the better 14.Qc7, White is almost hopeless after 14...Ke7.  

White is ahead the exchange and four pawns - but is only even, due to his delay in development, his offside Queen, and his endangered King.

[to be continued] 

Updating the Blackburne Defense (Part 2)

Here we continue from our previous post, "Updating the Blackburne Defense (Part 1)", a look at the Blackburne Defense and what is new (or newer). 

For earlier efforts, see also "Update: Old Dog Can Still Bite","Junk Openings", "A Closer Look (Part V)", "Update: Blackburne Defense" and "Traps and Zaps".

perrypawnpusher - lfcanales
blitz, FICS, 2014

9...Nf6 10.Qd8 Qxe4 

Black's move allows White's Queen to escape and counter-attack. There are a number of alternative moves for Black, two of which bear attention.

Not 10...a6?, as in piratebopper - MiloBot, FICS, 2010, (1-0, 24).

Nor 10...a5? as in perrypawnpusher - MiloBot, blitz, FICS, 2010, (1-0, 24).

Played, if in a stumbling manner, is 10...Bd7?. The core game continued 11.Qxc7 (instead, 11.Qxa8? Nxe4? [Black should finish Blackburne-style: 11...Ng4 12.h3 Bxf2+ 13.Kh1 Qg3 14.Rxf2+ Nxf2+ 15.Kg1 Nxh3+ 16.Kh1 Nf4 17.Qf8+ Kxf8 18.d3 Qxg2#] 12.d4 Bxd4 13.Be3 Bxb2 14.Qxb7 Bxa1 15.Qxc7 Nf6 16.Qxd6 Kg7 17.Qc5 Ne4 18.Bd4+ Bxd4 19.Qxd4+ Kh6 20.f3 Black resigned, UNPREDICTABLE - choron, FICS, 2009) 11...Bb6? (instead, 11...Rc8 12.Qxb7 Ke7 is "gloriously obscure" according to Dr. Andrew Walker, University of Nottingham, personal communication, 2001. Probably 13.Qb3 with the idea of Qg3 is White's answer - not 13.Nc3? Ng4 when Black mates)  12.g3?! (12.Qxd6) 12...Qh3 13.Qxd6? Bc6 14.g4 Qxg4+ White resigned, Harris,S - Quayle,E, Los Angeles, CA, 1944.

Certainly solid, and Rybka's recommendation, is 10...Bb6. White should spring his Queen with 11.e5 dxe5 12.Qd3. The earliest reference that I have seen to this line is from The Art of the Checkmate by Renaud and Kahn (1953), which says White has the advantage. This proved true in Wall,B - Foo,N, Palm Bay, FL, 2010 (1-0, 33).

The most exciting move in the position is Chandler's 10...Bh3!?, when White has to temporarily forego the Rook at a8 and focus on checking Black: 11.Qxc7+ (11.g3? Qxe4 12.Qxc7+ Kf8 White resigned, Siggus -toe, FICS, 2007; 11.Qxa8? Qg4 12.Qe8+ Nxe8 13.g3 Qf3 14.Re1 Qg2#) 11...Kf8! (11...Kg8 lost in Chandler,G - Dimitrov, T/5 minute special game 2004; in Hiarcs 8 - RevvedUp, blitz 2 12, 2006 [1-0, 17]; and AsceticKingK9 - blackburne, ChessWorld JG6, 2011 [1-0, 22] ) and analysis by Geoff Chandler and, later, Dennis Monokroussos (see the two posts on his blog) show that the outcome is a draw, as it is too dangerous for either player to look for more.

11.Qxc7+

This is an improvement over 11.Nc3 Qe7 (11...Qxc2 12.Qxc7+ Nd7 13.Nd5 Qe4 14.Nc3 Qe5 15.d3 Qd4 16.Re1 Qxf2+ White resigned, ionman - GriffyJr, FICS, 2005 (0-1,16); Interested readers should check out "Ionman vs The Bots" ) 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 as in RevvedUp - Shredder 8, blitz 2 12, 2006 (0-1, 25).

11...Kg8

radicalmove played over a dozen games against LuigiBot on FICS in 2012, testing the somewhat weaker 11...Bd7 (see "Poor, Poor Computer" for a couple of examples). The games are in The Database.

Likewise, ionman took on the computer GriffyJr a couple of times at FICS in 2005, over the somewhat weaker 11...Qe7 (the games are also in The Database). White triumphed in Shredder 8 - RevvedUp, blitz 2 12, 2006 (1-0, 28).

12.Nc3

Maybe a little better was 12.Qd8+ Kf7 13.d3 Qe5 14.Bh6 Qe8 15.Qxe8+ Nxe8.

12...Qxc2

The pawn is poison.

13.Qd8+ 

After the game Houdini preferred 13.d4!? Bb6 (13...Bxd4 14.Bh6 Bd7 15.Qc4+ d5 16.Qxd4) 14.Qe7 when White steals the Knight in broad daylight.

13...Kg7 14.Qe7+ Kh6 15.Qxf6 Black resigned