An Okay Game

I don't think that I will ever play a "great" or "wonderful" game (especially as long as I play the Jerome Gambit), but I sometimes aspire to play "an okay game" of some sort or another. With the following game, I'm getting a bit closer, I think.


perrypawnpusher - Tjofs
blitz, FICS, 2012


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

The Italian Four Knights Game. 


Instead, 4...Nxe4 would have initiated the "fork trick". Now I get to play the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.


5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Qe7 

Black has a 4:1 advantage in development, plus two extra pieces. The game is practically won...


8.dxc5 Qxc5 9.Be3 


Sharp, and suggesting that I know what I am doing.


Previously 9.O-O was tried in perrypawnpusher - barbos, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 49).


9...Qb4

Or 9...Qd6 as in perrypawnpusher - braunstein, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 54) or 9...Qe7 as in perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 37).


My opponent was pretty sure it was time to counter-attack.


10.O-O Nxe4


Consistently "moving forward", but erronious. 


11.Qd5+ Kg6 12.Qxe5 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Qg4 

14.f3


Stronger was the more direct 14.Bd4 Rg8 15.Qxc7


14... Qe6 


I think that time was already beginning to affect us. Simplest was 14...d6


15.Qg5+ Kf7 16.Rfe1 


Likewise, getting the Bishop to d4 right away was the correct idea.


16...Qg6 17. Qf4+ Kg8 18.Qxc7 h6 19.Bd4 Kh7 

Well, I've played the "right" moves, even if not in the "right" order. 


Even though White's material advantage is only one, isolated, pawn (and this against the background of a possible Bishops-of-opposite-colors drawish endgame) Black's lag in development and unsafe King clearly gives the first player the advantage.


20.Re7 Rg8 21.Qe5 d6 22.Qg3 


Looked like a good idea at the time. Cutting off counterplay??


22...Qxg3 23.hxg3 Bf5 

24.Rxb7 a6 25.Re1 Bxc2 26.Ree7 Kg6 

White's pieces are in place, and this escape only helps.


27.Rxg7+ 


Fair enough, although 27.g4 would lead to mate.


27...Rxg7 28.Rxg7+ Kf5 29.g4+ Kf4 30.Rf7+ 


Again, quicker would be: 30.Kf2 Bg6 31.Rxg6 Rh8 32.g3#


30...Kg3 31.Bf2 checkmate

I had my chances...

I had my chances in the following game. The opening that I chose, the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit (a form of the "modern" Jerome Gambit) was odd and new enough to get me a very playable position. My opponent, however, was the one who played well enough to win.


perrypawnpusher - braunstein
blitz, FICS, 2010


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


The Italian Four Knights Game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

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

7...Qe7 8.dxc5 Qxc5 9.Be3 Qd6

Or 9...Qc6, as in the tortured and tortuous perrypawnpusher -barbos, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 49)

10...a6

Protecting the Queen from attack by Nc3-b5, but probably a developing move like 10...Re8 was better. White cannot afford to waste time on such simple threats.

11.f4 Neg4 12.e5 Qe6 13.0-0 Nxe3 14.Qxe3 Ng4 15.Qc5

15...Qb6 16.Qxb6 cxb6 17.Rae1 Re8

White has about equalized. Any troubles from now on are not the fault of the Jerome Gambit.

18.h3 Nh6 19.Nd5 Ra7 20.Nxb6 Nf5 21.c3 a5 22.g4 Ne7 23.f5 Nc6

White even has an edge here. His plan should be to advance his pawns, starting with 24.e6, with the idea of infiltrating both Rooks to the 7th rank.

24.Nxc8 Rxc8 25.e6+ dxe6 26.fxe6+ Kg8 27.Rf7 Re8

By exchanging his active Knight for Black's passive Bishop, White removed an attacker as well as a target. The more simplified position holds little prospect for advantage.

28.Ref1

White needed to be precise: 28.Rc7 instead prevents Black's next move and allows for Re-d1-d7, abandoning the e-pawn for doubled Rooks on the seventh.

After this move, I was steadily out-played by my opponent.

28...b6 29.Rxa7 Nxa7 30.Re1 Nc6

 

With the e-pawn about to fall, and with little counter-play as compensation for the Knight, the game is essentially over. I played on for a couple dozen more moves in the vain hope that my opponent might slip up. That never happened.

31.Kf2 Kf8 32.Kf3 Nd8 33.e7+ Rxe7 34.Rxe7 Kxe7 35.Ke4 Ke6 36.c4 Nf7 37.b3 Ng5+ 38.Kf4 Nxh3+ 39.Kg3 Ng5 40.Kf4 h6 41.a3 Nf7 42.b4 axb4 43.axb4 Nd6 44.c5 g5+ 45.Kf3 bxc5 46.bxc5 Nc4 47.Ke4 Ne5 48.c6 Nxc6 49.Kf3 Ne5+ 50.Kg3 Kd5 51.Kh3 Ke4 52.Kg3 Nd3 53.Kg2 Kf4 54.Kh3 Ne5 White resigned

A very steady game by my opponent!