Returning to the game MrJoker - Melbourne, blitz, 2 12, Internet Chess Club, 2012, which has so far gone 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6
6.Qg4+
In an earlier game against the same opponent, MrJoker, instead, played va banque with 6.Nf7!?, and Black was immediately stupified 6...Kxf7 (best was 6...Qh4) and the second player lost in due course: 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qd5+ Qe6 10.Nc3 Nb4 11.Qxe6+ Kxe6 12.Kd1 a6 13.d4 b5 14.a3 Nxc2 15.Kxc2 Bb7 16.Bf4 d6 17.Rae1 Kf7 18.f3 Ne7 19.g4 Nc6 20.Be3 Na5 21.b3 Rhe8 22.Bd2 Nc6 23.Kd3 Rab8 24.h4 Na5 25.Kc2 Nc6 26.Ne2 a5 27.h5 Ne7 28.Bxa5 Black resigned, MrJoker - Melbourne, Internet Chess Club, 2011;
6.Nxc6 was seen in the fiasco perrypawnpusher - johnde, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 41); while
6.Qh5 received more good luck than it deserved in perrypawnpusher - crayongod, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 10); and
6.f4 reached an unfortunate end in blackburne - DREWBEAR 63, JGTourney4, ChessWorld 2009 (0-1,10).
6...Kxe5 7.Qf5+
Winning a piece and settling into a typical two-pawns-for-a-piece Jerome Gambit middle game. As we have seen in the past few days, the theoretical line is 7.d4+ Bxd4 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kf7 10.Bxd8 winning Black's Queen for three pieces. It is not immediately apparent that White is better in this line, and there are no game examples, yet.
7...Kd6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qe3 Nf6
11.0-0 Re8 12.d3 Kf8 13.f4 Kg8
Melbourne has faced the Jerome Gambit before in the hands of MrJoker, and he knows the value of castling-by-hand.
14.h3 b6 15.Nc3 Ba6
16.g4
It was probably better to get the Queen off of the e-file with 16.Qf2.
16...Nb4 17.Qe2 Nd7 18.a3 Nc6 19.Be3 Qh4 20.Qg2 Nc5
21.Bf2 Qf6 22.Nd5 Qd8 23.b4 Nd7 24.c4 Bb7
25.Rae1 Ne7 26.Ne3 Ng6 27.Bg3 c5 28.Nf5 Nf6 29.b5 a6 30.Qf2 axb5 31.e5 dxe5 32.fxe5 Nd7 33.e6 Nf6 34.Nd6 Re7
A complicated mess has arisen.
35.Nf7 Rxa3 36.Nxd8 Black disconnected and forfeited
Black was no doubt unhappy at dropping his Queen. More troubling is that 35...Qxd3 would have given him a winning game.
My first game experience with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5 Ke6,
was a bit embarassing, as I annotated perrypawnpusher - johnde, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 41) in "Stinkin' up the Chessboard".
Part of the problem was that I had forgotten all of the analysis that I had shared with Readers!
Progress on the line was summarized in early 2010 in "Looking Backwards".
My second experience with 5...Ke6 came not much later, in perrypawnpusher - crayongod, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 10), although again I forgot my preparation and played 6.Qh5. This was chronicled in "Yes! Er, no..."
White's best chance comes from the sharp 6.Qg4+!?, when 6...Kxe5 7.d4+ Bxd4 (other captures are worse, including 7...Kxd4 which leads to mate) 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kf7 10.Bxg8 and White has an edge, as his Queen and Black's unstable King are good compensation for Black's pieces after either 10...Nxd8 or 10...Bxb2 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Bxc7 Bxa1 13.Na3 Nf6 14.0-0.
That should be plenty of introduction, so we shall return to MrJoker - Melbourne, ICC, 2012, in tomorrow's post.
With the time control being a speedy 5 5, the following "Delayed Jerome Gambit" game was more of a brawl than anything like serious chess. I'm glad that I got the last clout in.
perrypawnpusher - Tlslevens
blitz 5 5, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 a6
Okay, this is not a "proper" Jerome Gambit, but there is always the possibility of a "Delayed Jerome Gambit," should my opponent choose.
4.0-0 Bc5
Other delayed Jerome Gambits arrived after 4...Bb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.Bxf7+ (perrypawnpusher - dabbling, blitz, FICS, 2009); and
4...h6 5.Nc3 Nf6 (5...Bc5 6.Bxf7+ perrypawnpusher - angelosgoulianos, blitz, FICS, 2007) 6.d3 Bc5 7.Bxf7+, perrypawnpusher - tschup, blitz, FICS, 2010.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke6
I've looked at this move in the regular Jerome Gambit, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6, in "A Strange, But Intriguing, Path (Part 1)", "(Part 2)" and "(Part 3)".
It's funny that in two subsequent games (perrypawnpusher - johnde, blitz, FICS, 2010 and perrypawnpusher - crayongod, blitz, FICS, 2010) I forgot my recommended continuation, 6.Qg4+!?.
It should come as no surprise that I forgot it in the current game in the Delayed Jerome Gambit, too...
7.Qh5
White gets the advantage with 7.Qg4+ Kxe5 8.d4+, whereas the text allows Black to keep his advantage – and transpose back into more "normal" Jerome Gambit lines.
7...Nxe5 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.d4
The position is similar to one from the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit, where Black has played 3...h6 instead of the 3...a6 in this game. Because the Black Bishop is still alive at c5, White has to make the less effective d-pawn move, instead of being able to play f2-f4.
9...Bxd4 10.Rd1 c5 11.c3 Nh6
Who invited him to the fight? Black chooses an "aggressive" move, when he should have stayed with the more purposeful 11...Kc7.
12.Qh3
White would have an edge after the complex 12.Bxh6 Rf8 13.Bg5 g6 14.cxd4 gxf5 15.dxe5+ Kxe5 16.Bxd8 Rxd8 instead.
12...Kc6 13.cxd4 cxd4 14.Rxd4 d6
White has a pawn for his sacrificed piece, but Black's vulnerable King makes the game close to even.
15.Qc3+ Kd7 16.Bf4 Nhg4
This Knight can provide its support more effectively from f7.
17.h3 Nxf2
A wild sacrifice – but this kind of thing can be successful in fast games, where attacking is everything.
After the game Fritz8 recommended 17...Qf6 18.Bg3 Nh6 19.Bxe5 Qxe5 20.Nd2 Qe7 when White is better.
18.Kxf2
Sloppy. Best was 18.Bxe5, as the Knight on f2 has nowhere safe to go. After 18...Qh4 19.Bg3 Nxh3+ 20.gxh3 White is up a piece and clearly better.
18...Qh4+
Swinging wildly. The proper way to counter-attack was 18...Qf6 leading to a balanced game.
19.g3
Better 19.Bg3.
19...Qxh3 20.Bxe5 Rf8+ 21.Ke2
As smart as poking myself in the eye. Instead, 21.Bf4 kept White's advantage, while now Black has a forced checkmate.
21...Qg2+
Now Black is landing the punches, but he missed 21...Qf1+ 22.Ke3 Rf3+ 23.Kd2 Rf2+ 24.Ke3 Qe2 checkmate. We were moving quickly.
22.Kd3 Rf3+ 23.Kc4 Rxc3+ 24.Nxc3
White has only a Knight and a Rook for his Queen, and his King is in more danger than Black's.
24...Qxb2 25.Rxd6+ Ke7
A blitz slip.
26.Nd5+ Kf7 27.Bxb2
Whew! Now I'm winning again.
27...Be6 28.Rf1+ Black resigned
Lately I have been playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against stronger competition, but the following game was played in a "giving Jerome Gambit odds" mode against a weaker player – and a good thing, too. It can be embarassing to do a whole lot of analysis on a particular position, only to forget it while playing over the board!
perrypawnpusher - crayongod
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6
Yes! Not long ago, I took a deep look at this position!
Uh, what did I recommend here? I forget...
6.Qh5
No, that's not right.
White's best chance comes from the sharp 6.Qg4+!?, when 6...Kxe5 7.d4+ Bxd4 (other captures are worse, including 7...Kxd4 which leads to mate) 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kf7 10.Bxg8 and White has an edge, as his Queen and Black's unstable King are good compensation for Black's pieces after either 10...Nxd8 or 10...Bxb2 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Bxc7 Bxa1 13.Na3 Nf6 14.0-0.
I mis-remembered theory: 6.Qh5 is the best move to answer 5...Kf6.
6...Qf6
Chances are that if you give the position after 5.Qh5 to your computer, it will recommend 5...Nxe5 for Black, unwittingly returning the game to a Jerome Gambit main line, i.e. 5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6.
Black's move in the game, however, threatens White's weak f2 square, and also keeps his advantage.
7.Nxc6
A horrible oversight, still believing that I was following theory.
After 7.Nf3 d6 8.Nc3 White would have his typical two-pawns-for-a-piece disadvantage.
7...Qxf2+ 8.Kd1
I made my move confidently. Truly, ignorance is bliss.
8...Qxg2 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.Qd5 checkmate
Yes!
Er, no...
Black's 8th move, designed to inflict more damage by going after my Rook, was an error. Had he played 8...dxc6 first, he would have safe-guarded his King and left me with little option other than 9.Qf3 Qxf3 10.gxf3 Nf6, when Black would have had a piece for a pawn, better development, open lines for attack and the two Bishops...
