Shocked

Several times in the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game – a pretty serious struggle – my opponent made shocking moves that had devastating effects – on his own game.

I couldn't figure it out at all.

perrypawnpusher  - fortytwooz
blitz FICS, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8

A very practical defense, as old as Jerome - Brownson, USA 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29) and enthusiastically endorsed by Lt. Sorensen in his 1877 article on the Jerome Gambit in Nordisk Skaktidende.

6.Nxc6

The standard reply, although there have been other interesting lines of play:

6.Nd3 Bb6 7.0-0 Qf6 8.Nc3 Nge7 9.Na4 Kf7 10.Nxb6 axb6 11.Qh5+ g6 12.e5 gxh5 13.exf6 Kxf6 14.b3 Rg8 15.a4 d6 16.Bb2+ Kg6 17.Rae1 Bf5 18.Nf4+ Kh6 19.d3 Rg4 20.Bc1 Kg7 21.f3 Rg6 22.Nxg6 hxg6 23.Bb2+ Kf7 24.Re2 Rg8 25.Rfe1 Nd5 26.Kf2 Nf4 27.Rd2 Nb4 28.Kg3 g5 29.h4 Ne6 30.hxg5 Rxg5+ 31.Kh4 Kg6 32.g3 Nc5 33.Re7 Kh6 34.Rxc7 Nd7 35.Rxb7 Nf6 36.Bxf6 Black resigned, Wall - Tim93612, Chess.com, 2010;

6.d4 Nxe5 7.dxe5 Qh4 8.0-0 Qxe4 9.Nc3 Qxe5 10.Re1 Qd4 11.Qf3+ Qf6 12.Qe2 Qe6 13.Ne4 d6 14.Bg5 h6 15.Qf3+ Qf7 16.Bf4 Nf6 17.Nxc5 dxc5 18.Rad1 Bg4 19.Qxb7 Re8 20.Rxe8+ Nxe8 21.Re1 Qxf4 22.Qxa7 Kf7 23.Qxc5 Qd6 24.Qc4+ Be6 25.Qe4 Nf6 26.Qf3 Re8 27.h3 Bd5 28.Qf5 Rxe1 checkmate, Petasluk - robertj, FICS, 2005;

6.Ng4 d6 7.0–0 Nf6 8.Nxf6 Qxf6 9.c3 Ne5 10.d4 Ng4 11.dxc5 Qh4 12.h3 Nf6 13.cxd6 cxd6 14.Qxd6+ Kf7 15.Qc7+ Kg6 16.e5 Ne8 17.Qc5 Rf8 18.Be3 Rf5 19.Nd2 Qh5 20.Nf3 Kf7 21.Rad1 Qg6 22.Nh4 Qh5 23.Nxf5 Qxf5 24.Rd8 Kg8 25.Rxe8+ Black resigned naffets - pavlo, FICS, 2008; and

6.0–0 Qf6 7.Nxc6 dxc6 8.c3 Qh4 9.Qf3+ Nf6 10.e5 Bg4 11.Qf4 Qh6 12.Qxh6 gxh6 13.exf6 Kf7 14.d4 Bf8 15.f3 Be6 16.Bf4 Bd6 17.Bxh6 Kxf6 18.Nd2 Kg6 19.Be3 Rae8 20.Rfe1 Bf5 21.Nc4 Re6 22.Nxd6 cxd6 23.d5 Ree8 24.dxc6 bxc6 25.g4 Bd7 26.Rad1 d5 27.c4 Rhf8 28.Kg2 Re5 29.h3 Rfe8 30.Kf2 Bc8 31.f4 Re4 32.cxd5 cxd5 33.f5+ Kf6 34.Rxd5 Bb7 35.Rd7 h6 36.Rxb7 Black resigned,  natarajanm - BiH, FICS, 2008,

6...dxc6

This capture prevents d2-d4 by White, at the slight cost of making the e-pawn passed.

The alternative was seen in the sloppy game perrypawnpusher - hdig, blitz FICS, 2007: 6...bxc6 7.d4 Bb6 8.0-0 d6 9.f4 Bb7 10.Nc3 Qf6 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 Bxd4+ 13.Kh1 Qxf1+ 14.Qxf1+ Ke8 15.Bg5 Kd7 16.Qf7+ Kc8 17.Qe8 checkmate

7.d3

I've been here before, playing a bit differently: 7.0-0 (7.Nc3 Nf6 8.d3 Kf7 9.0-0 Rf8 10.Bg5 Kg8 11.e5 Bg4 drawn, perrypawnpusher - Ykcir, blitz FICS, 2009) Be6 (7...Bd6 8.f4 g6 9.d4 Bd7 10.Nc3 Nh6 11.f5 Qh4 12.e5 Nxf5 13.exd6 cxd6 14.g4 Re8 15.gxf5 Bxf5 16.Qf3 Qxd4+ 17.Kh1 Kg7 18.Qf2 Black forfeited on time, perrypawnpusher - Lark, blitz FICS, 2009; 7...Nf6 8.Qf3 Qd4 9.d3 Bg4 10.Qg3 Bb6 11.e5 Nh5 12.Qh4 Be2 13.Qxd4 Bxd4 14.Re1 Bxe5 15.Rxe2 Re8 16.g3 Kf7 17.f4 Bd4+ 18.Kf1 Nf6 19.Nd2 Rxe2 20.Kxe2 Re8+ 21.Ne4 a5 22.Kf3 h6 23.c3 Ba7 24.Be3 Bxe3 25.Kxe3 Ng4+ 26.Kf3 Nxh2+ 27.Kg2 Ng4 28.Re1 b6 29.a4 Rd8 drawn, Jerome - Brownson, USA 1875) 8.Qf3+ Qf6 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.d3 Kf7 11.Bg5 Rhe8 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Nd2 Bd4 14.c3 Bb6 15.d4 Rad8 16.f4 c5 17.d5 Bd7 18.c4 c6 19.Rae1 cxd5 20.cxd5 Ba5 21.Rf2 Bb6 22.Nc4 Bc7 23.e5 fxe5 24.fxe5+ Kg7 25.e6 Bb5 26.Rf7+ Kh8 27.Re4 Bxc4 28.Rxc4 Rxd5 29.Rh4 Be5 30.Rhxh7+ Kg8 31.e7 Rd1+ 32.Kf2 Bd4+ 33.Ke2 Rc1 34.Kd2 Rf1 35.Rxf1 Kxh7 36.Re1 Bf6 37.Kd3 Rxe7 38.Rxe7+ Bxe7 39.Ke4 Kg6 40.b3 Kh5 41.a4 Bf6 42.Kf3 Bd4 43.g3 a6 44.h3 b5 45.axb5 axb5 46.Kf4 Kg6 47.g4 Bc3 48.h4 Bd2+ 49.Ke4 Kf6 50.Kd5 Be3 51.Ke4 Bf2 52.Kd5 Bd4 53.Ke4 Kg6 54.Kd5 Kf6 55.Ke4 Ke6 56.g5 Bf2 57.h5 Kf7 58.Kd5 Be3 59.g6+ Kf6 60.Ke4 Bd4 61.Kf4 Be5+ 62.Ke4 Bd4 63.Kf4 Kg7 64.Kf5 Kh6 65.Kg4 c4 66.bxc4 bxc4 67.Kf3 c3 68.Ke2 Kxh5 69.Kd3 Bg7 70.Kc2 Kxg6 71.Kd3 Kf5 72.Kc2 Ke4 73.Kd1 Kd3 74.Kc1 Bh6+ White resigned, perrypawnpusher - CorH, blitz FICS, 2009;

7...Qf6 8.0-0

8...Qg6 9.Kh1 Bg4 10.f3 Be6 11.f4 Bd7

One difference between computer and human chess players is that the former is not embarassed by a repetition of moves. Here 11...Bg4  is what Black needed to play, keeping a small edge. This is not the last time that my opponent's reluctance to play that move costs him the advantage.

12.Nd2 Nf6 13.Nf3

13...Ng4

fortytwooz wants to attack my King, but 13...Bg4 was a bit more to the point.

14.Qe2 Ke7

Planning to swing the Queen Rook over to join the attack.

I can't sit still, I have to activate the "Jerome pawns".

15.d4 Bb6 16.f5 Qf7

17.h3 Rae8

This came as quite a shock. There are other ways to give the piece back, including the cold-blooded 17...h5. Choosing this way, Black probably should have put his Queen on h5 at move 16.

18.hxg4 Kd8 19.e5

Here come the pawns.

Still, after the game Rybka suggested that stronger was some piece development first: 19.Ne5 Qg8 20.Be3 Kc8 21.a4 a6 22.c4 Rd8 23.b4 h5 24.g5 Qe8.

analysis diagram







19...Qd5

20.Bg5+ Kc8 21.c4

21...Rxe5

Whoa.... What's this??

After 21...Qg8 Black will have to give up a piece (for two pawns)22.e6 Bxe6 23.fxe6 Rxe6 but the text is hard to fathom. (Perhaps Black saw the d-pawn as pinned?)

22.dxe5 h6

Okay, I give up; I don't know what's going on.

23.cxd5

23...hxg5+ 24.Nh2 cxd5

25.e6 Bc6 26.e7 a6 27.f6

27...Bb5 28.Qe6+ Kb8 29.f7 Black resigned

Critical Line: 5...Kf8 (3)

In "Stats (1)" – where I began to take a look with ChessBase's "Opening Report" at the games in my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) database – I mentioned that a
Critical Line for White came after 4...Kxf7 when he scored only 29% with 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Nxc6 dxc6. In "Critical Line: 5...Kf8 (1)" and "(2)" this variation has been explored further.

I've faced 5...Kf8 three times, and twice my opponent recaptured with the other pawn, 6...bxc6:
perrypawnpusher - hdig, blitz 7 4, FICS, 2007 and perrypawnpusher - mika76, GameKnot.com, 2008 .

By the way, there's the odd game tonik - mika76, GameKnot.com, 2008, where Black recaptured with neither pawn, but instead started his own counter-attack: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Nxc6 Bxf2+ 7.Kxf2 dxc6 8.Rf1 Qd4+ White resigned. Giving up the game was premature, as after 9.Ke1+ the first player had time to protect his e-pawn with 10.d3, and maintain a small advantage.

Still, in the diagram above, while it is possible to see Black's typical advantage in the Jerome Gambit (piece for two pawns), it is smaller than usual; and it is hard to see why White can't go about his standard plan of castling, developing pieces, and advancing his Kingside pawns with the usual play. My one game with the line, perrypawnpusher - Ykcir, blitz 14 0, FICS, 2009, ended in a quick draw, and things did not appear nearly as dire as to attract the label "Critical Variation."

Disconnect

Every once in a while, a chess game that I am playing (often a Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) online gets interrupted when my opponent disconnects from the playing site (usually FICS).



Sometimes we can continue the game, sometimes it is like the game – or my opponent – has disappeared.


perrypawnpusher - Ykcir
blitz 14 0, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7
5.Nxe5+ Kf8
The defense recommended by Lt. Sorensen in his much-reprinted article on the Jerome Gambit in the Nordisk Skaktidende, May 1877.

6.Nxc6

If 6.Qh5 – the Banks Variation – then 6...Qe7!? is the strongest response, suggested last year by both International Master Gary Lane and Mika76.

6...dxc6

Or 6...bxc6 7.d4 Bb6 8.0-0 d6 9.f4 ( 9.Nc3 Qe7 10.f4 Nh6 11.f5 Bd7 12.g4 Bxd4+ 13.Qxd4 Nxg4 14.Bf4 Rb8 15.Rae1 Qf6 16.Qxa7 Qh4 17.Qxb8+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - mika76, GameKnot.com 2008) 9...Bb7 10.Nc3 Qf6 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 Bxd4+ 13.Kh1 Qxf1+ 14.Qxf1+ Ke8 15.Bg5 Kd7 16.Qf7+ Kc8 17.Qe8 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - hdig, blitz 7 4, FICS, 2007

7.Nc3
Alonzo Wheeler Jerome gave 7.0-0 in his first analysis in the April 1874 Dubuque Chess Journal – a move he played a year later against Brownson (1/2 - 1/2, 29).

7...Nf6 8.d3 Kf7 9.0-0 Rf8 10.Bg5 Kg8
Black has castled-by-hand and has the familiar piece-for-two-pawns advantage. White's "Jerome pawns" look a bit healthier due to the doubled black c-pawns. Black now stays on top with 11...h6.

11.e5 Bg4

Here my opponent lost his connection with FICS, and the game was automatically adjourned.

After some time passed, I requested from FICS that the game be adjudicated as a draw, as after 12.Qd2 White will recover his sacrificed piece, e.g. 12...Bd4 13.exf6 Bxf6 and after something like 14.Ne4 Bxg5 15.Qxg5 Qxg5 16.Nxg5 White's edge is not great.

For some reason the response was that FICS aborted the game. Nonetheless, I consider it drawn.