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
If a tree falls in the forest, and there is no one around to notice, does it make a sound?
Is a bad move in chess a blunder, if it never is punished?
perrypawnpusher - tuffnut
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
Before this game tuffnut had 7 wins, 6 losses, and a draw against the Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+
An exciting alternative was seen in workingdead - tuffnut, FICS, 2011 5.b4 Bxb4 6.c3 Be7 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 d6 9.0-0 Bg4 10.Qb3+ Ke8 although Black prevailed in 72 moves.
On the other hand, the specious 5.Ng5+ earned a split decision against my opponent in three games: carlbecker - tuffnut, FICS, 2005 (½-½, 69); neni - tuffnut, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 7); and Lommel -tuffnut, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 15).
Like the above, I would hardly have known until my research, after our game was over, that my opponent had also dispatched 5.d4 (Handlangari - tuffnut, FICS, 2005, 0-1, 22) and 5.d3 (pettypete - tuffnut, FICS, 2004, 0-1, 21).
5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+
It turned out afterward that my opponent was only 1-3 against 6.d4, but that is a move that I do not play.
6...Ng6
A number of years ago, perrypawnpusher - tuffnut, blitz, FICS 2007 saw 6...g6 (1-0, 33).
7.Qd5+
The "nudge".
Later, I chuckled to note that my opponent was 2-0 against the "pure" 7.Qxc5.
7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qe7
10.0-0 Nf6 11.Nc3
Or 11.d3 as in perrypawnpusher - Edvardinho, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 57). (Hmmmm, it looks like I have never posted this game - Rick.)
11...Be6
Not overlooking the possible pawn fork, but planning to put pressure on White's center and his Rook at f1.
Either 11...Rf8 (e.g. perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010, 0-1, 31) or 11...Kf7, looking to castle-by-hand, could be a bit stronger.
12.f4 Bc4 13.d3 Ba6 14.Bd2 b6
15.Rae1 Kd7 16.Qh3+ Kd8 17.g4
Searching for an improvement over 17.Nd5 of perrypawnpusher - ZhekaR, blitz, FICS 2011 (0-1, 36), but this is not it.
After the game Rybka preferred 17.e5 dxe5 18.fxe5 Nd7 but I don't think that I would have seen the followup 19.Ne4, leading to an edge for White.
17...Bc8 18.f5 Ne5 19.g5 Ne8 20.Qg2 Qd7 21.f6
With Black's King and pieces huddled in the middle of the board, it looks like the ideal time to open things up, but White ignores the dangers to his King and Queen along the g-file. 20.d4, with the idea of e4-e5 was a better way.
21...gxf6 22.gxf6 Qf7 23.Bg5
Instead of this move (and for the next few moves) Rybka's post-game analysis focuses on 23.Re3, so that White will have some kind of an answer to Black's ...Rg8.
23...Be6
24.b3 c6 25.Kh1 Kc7 26.d4 Ng6 27.e5 dxe5 28.dxe5 Bd5
In blitz, you can sometimes not see something that is there (like the threats along the g-file), and then see something that is not there.
I don't know if tuffnut thought that he was pinning and winning my Queen with this move, or if he decided that his extra piece would give him the advantage with Queens off of the board; but, suddenly, my "Jerome pawns" can spring to life.
29.Nxd5+ Qxd5 30.Qxd5 cxd5 31.h4
More straight-forward was 31.f7.
31...h6 32.Bf4 Nxf4 33.Rxf4 Kc6
Better was 33...Rf8 right away, with plans to include the Rook in a blockade of the pawns.
34.e6 Nd6 35.f7 Rhf8
36.e7 Rxf7 37.Rxf7 Nxf7 38.e8Q+ Rxe8 39.Rxe8 Nd6
White's "Jerome pawns" have disappeared, by they have taken their toll: White is up the exchange. Further, his h-pawn will cost Black his Knight.
Can Black's King advance and cause problems on the Queenside?
40.Re6 h5 41.Rh6 Kc5 42.Rxh5 Ne4 43.Rh7 a5 44.h5 Kb4 45.Rb7 b5 46.h6 Ng5 47.h7 Nxh7 48.Rxh7 Kc3
49.Rc7+ Kb2 50.a4 bxa4 51.bxa4 Ka3 52.Kg2 Kxa4 53.Kf3 Kb4 54.Ke3 a4 55.c3+ Kb3 56.Kd4 a3
57.Rb7+ Kc2 58.Ra7 Kb2 59.Ra5 a2 60.Rxa2+ Kxa2 61.Kxd5 Kb3 62.c4 Black resigned
White's endgame play was rough-hewed, but good enough.
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!
