Declined Becoming More Accepted??

I peeked in on a blackburne game at ChessWorld.net the other day, and was surprised to see his opponent respond to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) by declining the sacrificed Bishop.

While this is well in line with a recent game of mine (see "Here's My Plan...") as well as all of the "Jedi Mind Tricks" that I have been observing in the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+), where Black also declines the Bishop, it can hardly be called more than a psychological ploy.

It is as if Black declined being given "Jerome Gambit odds" and offered, instead, odds of "pawn and two moves" himself!

Watchwords for White in such cases must be: The price of victory is eternal vigilance...

blackburne - Talwhu
Chess.com, 11.2010

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

4...Kf8

A hint from the updated New Year's Database: If Black is going to decline the Bishop, this is probably how he should do it. In 161 games, White scored only 54% as opposed to when Black played 4...Ke7, when, out of 26 games, White scored 71%.

5.Bb3 Nf6

Instead, perrypawnpusher - ibeje, blitz, FICS, 2010 continued in exciting fashion with 5...h6 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.d4 Qh4  although I blundered in the endgame and lost (0-1, 46). 

6.Nc3 d6 7.d3 Bg4

blackburne had an earlier battle with some similar themes: 7...Bd4 8.Bg5 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 h6 10.Be3 Bg4 11.0-0 Qe7 12.h3 Bh5 13.Kh2 a5 14.a4 Nd7 15.Qd2 Bxf3 16.gxf3 Nf6 17.Rg1 Rd8 18.Rg2 g5 19.Rag1 d5 20.Bxg5 hxg5 21.Rxg5 Rd7 22.Rg7 Qd6 23.R7g6 Ne7 24.Rg7 Rh7 25.Rxh7 Nxh7 26.exd5 Nxd5 27.Bxd5 Qxd5 28.Qh6+ Ke8 29.Rg7 Rxg7 30.Qxg7 Nf8 31.Qxc7 Ng6 32.Qc8+ Kf7 33.Qc7+ Kf6 34.Qb6+ Kf5 35.Qe3 Nh4 36.Qe4+ Qxe4 37.fxe4+ Ke6 38.Kg3 Ng6 39.c4 b6 40.c3 Nf4 41.d4 Nd3 42.h4 exd4 43.cxd4 Nb4 44.Kf4 Na6 45.d5+ Kd6 46.h5 Nc7 47.h6 Black resigned, blackburne - BrainFreeze, Chessworld.net, 2008.

8.Bg5 Nd4

This move should fail due to the tactical shot 9.Nxd4, as 9...Bxd1 is well answered by 10.Ne6+ Ke7 11.Nxd8 Bxc2 12.Nxb7 Bxb3 13.Nxc5 Bf7 14.Na6 when White remains a piece up.

9.0-0

9...Nxf3+ 10.gxf3 Bh3 11.Re1

This move seems okay to me, but Rybka was uncomfortable enough with it to suggest instead an exchange sacrifice: 11.f4 Bxf1 12.Qxf1 even giving White an edge after 12...Qd7 13.f5 c6 14.Be6 Qe8.

11...h6 12.Bxf6

It seems risky to invite the enemy Queen to join the party.

Rybka suggests 12.Be3 Bxe3 13.fxe3. Blackburne may have been wary of a further 13...Nxe4, as 14.fxe4? (or 14.dxe4?) loses quickly to 14...Qg5+. Still, 14.Nxe4 would provide a defense, e.g. 14...d5 15.Ng3 h5 16.f4, covering the critical g5 square.

12...Qxf6

13.Re3

Again, jettisoning the exchange with 13.Kh1 Bxf2 14.Rf1 Bxf1 15.Nd5!? was probably the best way to get some counterplay, even thought Black would have an edge in the resulting position. 

13...Qg5+ White resigned

Quite Ill

Readers should not take the wrong lesson from the following game. My opponent declined the Bishop sacrifice in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and later won the game.

Following the recent three straight losses to MRBarupal (see "Nemesis") and relieved only by a he-blundered-more-than-me rematch (see "Recovering A Measure of, er, Self-Respect"), an "optical illusion" win against Jeffgazet (see Comment to "Disdainful Defender Defense") and a pathetic draw against SkypeFro (see "Tactics Galore"), I have to say that this left me quite ill.

Of course, my opponent's opening strategy actually left White with a much better position after 4 moves, the exact opposite of what usually happens in the Jerome Gambit. Only later, tactical errors, gave Black the win.

perrypawnpusher  - ibeje
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

4...Kf8 5.Bb3 h6

This looks like a time-waster and a position-weakener, but my opponent was actually preparing a surprise for me.

6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.d4 Qh4

This position resembles one from a Jerome Gambit accepted: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4 something that I have referred to as a "pie-in-the-face variation". 

analysis diagram







Of course, in the current game, I still have my light-squared Bishop.

8.dxc5

Note that 8.0-0, a good response to the above line with 6...Qh4, is also fine here.

8...Qxe4+ 9.Qe2

Playing this game over, this move leaves me feeling quite ill. It has all of the markings of the psychological errors that I am prone to in my chess games, starting with: I'm a pawn up, time to exchange everything...

The text move is an error that gives Black the edge. The fact that my opponent overlooked the best response (9...Qxg2 10.Qf1 Nf3+) doesn't let me off the hook.

With 9.Kf1 White would have that edge.

9...Qxe2+ 10.Kxe2

10...b6 11.cxb6 Ba6+ 12.Ke1 Re8 13.Be3

13...cxb6 14.Nc3 Nc4 15.Bxc4 Bxc4 16.Rd1 Nf6

White is a comfortable pawn ahead.

17.b3 Ba6 18.Nd5 Ng4

Black should have exchanged Knights.

19.Nc7 Nxe3 20.Nxe8

A tactical error. With 20.fxe3 Rxe3+ White would come out better: 21.Kf2 Re2+ 22.Kf3 Rxc2 23.Nxa6 Rxa2 24.Rxd7 Kg8 25.Nc7.

20...Nxd1

Black errs as well. With 20...Nxg2+ he would have been better.

21.Kxd1

After this move I looked up and saw that I was going to be a piece down after my opponent's next move. What happened?  After 21.Nc7 Bb7 22.Kxd1 Bxg2 the game would have been even. 

21...Kxe8

Tactics, tactics, tactics. Black gave this game to White on a silver platter, and White dropped it in the mud...

Twenty-five more moves don't erase this fact.

22.Re1+ Kd8 23.c4 Rf8 24.f3 b5 25.cxb5 Bxb5

26.Re5 a6 27.Ke1 Re8 28.Rxe8+ Kxe8 29.a4 Bc6 30.Kd2 d5

31.Ke3 Ke7 32.Kd4 Kd6 33.f4 Bd7 34.g3 g5 35.fxg5 hxg5 36.h4 gxh4 37.gxh4

37...Be8 38.a5 Bf7 39.b4 Be8 40.h5 Bxh5 41.b5 axb5 42.a6 Be8 43.a7 Bc6 44.Kc3 Kc5 45.Kb3 d4 46.Kc2 b4 White resigned

White's resignation was long overdue.

graphic by The Wizard of Draws