My Turn to Blunder

When playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) I like to have a regular routine: I play the gambit, my opponent is surprised or shocked and plays a series of second-best moves, I gain the advantage – and then I either beat my opponent, or benefit from a timely error on his part.

You'll see most of that in the following game – except the part after "I gain the advantage", where I'm the one who comes up with the blunder. How awkward! 

perrypawnpusher - thehunterrjames blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009 

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

Here we go! 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

A safe and solid defense. 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

10.0-0 Kf7 11.f4

A bit better than 11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 Rf8 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qd3 Nb6 16.Bg5 Kg8 17.g4 Nbd7 18.Rae1 Qb6 19.Na4 Qb4 20.b3 Nxg4 21.Bd2 Qa3 22.Bc3 b5 23.Bb2 Qb4 24.Bc3 Qa3 25.Bb2 Qb4 26.Bc3 Qa3 27.Bb2 draw perrypawnpusher - joejox, blitz, FICS, 2009 11...Re8 12.d3 I thought the right move was to advance the f-pawn, but I couldn't remember (or figure out) why Black couldn't respond with 12...Rxe4. (Answer: White captures the Knight with check, then moves his Queen.) Better was 12.f5 Ne5 13.Nc3 (13.d4 Neg4 14.Qb3+ Kf8 15.h3 Rxe4 16.hxg4 Rxg4 17.Qf3 c6 18.Nc3 d5 19.Bf4 Kg8 20.Be5 h5 21.Rae1 Bd7 22.Re3 Qb6 23.b3 Rf8 24.Na4 Qb4 25.Nc5 Bc8 26.c3 Qb6 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Qh3 Rg5 29.Ne6 Bxe6 30.fxe6 Qc7 31.e7 Re8 32.Qe6+ Kh8 33.Qxf6+ Rg7 34.Qf8+ Black resigned Vazquez - Carrington, Mexico, 2nd match, 1876) 13...Nc4 14.Qd4 Ne5 15.d3 Kg8 16.Bg5 h6 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Qd5+ Be6 19.fxe6 c6 20.e7+ Kg7 21.exd8Q Raxd8 22.Qd4 c5 23.Qf2 Black resigned perrypawnpusher - DysonLin, blitz, FICS, 2009 12...c5 Two alternatives: 12...Kg8 13.Nd2 Ng4 14.Qe2 Qh4 15.Nf3 Qh5 16.h3 Nf6 17.Bd2 Bxh3 18.gxh3 Qxh3 19.Rf2 Ng4 20.Rg2 h5 21.Ng5 Qh4 22.Rf1 Nxf4 23.Bxf4 Rf8 24.Ne6 Rf7 25.Bg5 Rxf1+ 26.Kxf1 Qh1+ 27.Rg1 Qh3+ 28.Ke1 Nh2 29.Qg2 Nf3+ 30.Kd1 Nxg1 31.Qxg1 Qxe6 32.Kd2 Rf8 33.Be3 Qg4 34.Qe1 h4 35.Kc3 h3 36.Kb3 Qg2 37.Qc3 h2 38.Qxc7 h1Q 39.Qxd6 Qh5 40.Qe6+ Kh8 White resigned guest435 - guest1150, Internet Chess Club, 2002; 12...Ng4 13.Qe2 Qh4 14.h3 Nf6 15.Qf3 Kg8 16.Nc3 Nh5 17.Nd5 Rf8 18.g4 Ne5 19.Qg2 c6 20.Ne7+ Qxe7 21.gxh5 Qh4 22.fxe5 Bxh3 23.Rxf8+ Rxf8 24.Bg5 Qxh5 25.Qg3 Rf3 26.Qh4 Qxh4 27.Bxh4 dxe5 28.Kh2 Be6 29.Bg3 h5 30.Kg2 Rf6 31.Bxe5 Rg6+ 32.Kh2 Rg5 33.Bc3 Bg4 34.Rg1 Kf7 35.Rf1+ Ke6 36.Rf8 Bd1 37.Rf2 g6 38.Rd2 Bg4 39.Rg2 b5 40.Kg1 c5 41.Bd2 Re5 42.Bf4 Bf3 43.Rf2 Black resigned guest2660 - guest2731, Internet Chess Club, 2004 13.Nc3 Ng4 14.Qg3 h5 A strange echo of my second game against TJPOT. 15.f5 N6e5 16.h3 Nf6 17.Bf4 This is the wrong idea: the Bishop should pin at g5 and then the Knight should go to d5. 17...b5 18.Bxe5 I should have admitted my mistake and played 18.Bg5. (I almost did.) 18...Rxe5 19.Qg6+ 19...Kf8 20.g4 hxg4 21.hxg4 Nxg4

Okay, Black obliges me by giving back a piece, and I will have the advantage. 22.Qxg4 Qf6 23.Nd5 Qh6 24.f6 Simply losing the Queen. Unbelieveable. No excuse.

Was it too hard to find 24.Rf3? 24...Bxg4 25.fxg7+ Rybka 3 later said this led to a mate in 19. I'd had enough and resigned here.

Take the advantage and run...

Sometimes the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) leads to messy positions. In those situations, it's better to have more material and more time; but it's equally important to have an idea what to do and what not to do.
perrypawnpusher - LethHansen
blitz game 3 12 FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian game.

4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ 5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Kf8 New to me. I have seen 4 other moves: 7...Kf6 (Bergeruw), 7...Ng6 (pascalwilliams, cibola), 7...Ke6 (Joyus, joejox), and 7...g6 (Islanderchess, wadada).

8.Qxe5 Bd6

A new kind of counter attack. I like it.

9.Qd4 Qh4 10.g3

A nervous move, since the thematic 10.f4 was ok, i.e. 10...Bxf4 11.g3.

10...Qh5 11.Qe3 c6
Black has the advantage of a piece for two pawns. He needs to develop quickly and safeguard his pawn. If White is to have a chance, he needs to develope even quicker.
12.d4 b6 13.e5 Bc7 14.f4

This pawn play is all very Jerome-ish, but Rybka 3, after the game, suggested instead 14.b3 followed by 15.Ba3 with more attention to the Black King.

14...Ne7 15.Nc3 b5

Probably 15...d5 was better, although that would give White an advanced, protected passed pawn.

16.Ne4 Bb7 17.Nc5 Bc8 18.f5 d6 19.Ne6+ Kg8


Black has a defense, but it begins with 19...Bxe6. This oversight swings the game towards White.

20.Nxc7 Nxf5 21.Qf4 Rb8 22.exd6 Bd7


23.Bd2 Rf8 24.Rae1 Kh7

The clocks are ticking. LethHansen is untangling. I'm hoping not to blunder.

25.Qe5 Qh3 26.Bf4 Black lost on time.

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws"

Let's Play Two...

Like in my 4-game set with Joejox – see "Dropping A Half-Point (Part 1) and (Part 2)" – I was reeling off a series of games with tejeshwar when the "real world" intruded and I had to sign off. Too bad: I was able to get in a couple of Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and if we had gone on to a 5th game, well, you know what I would have played... 

  perrypawnpusher - tejeshwar blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009 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 9.d3 d6 10.Qe3 Kf7 It is only here that Black varies from my game against steelrfan44 (see "Pleasant..."). Black will castle-by-hand and maintain his advantage. White will have to do something with his extra pawns. 

11.0-0 Rf8 12.f4 Kg8 13.Nc3 d5 14.Qg3 

A bit stronger was 14.f5 

14...d4 15.Ne2 

Ditto. 

15...Nh5 16.Qf3 Qd6 A simple blitz oversight: with all eyes on f4, who's watching h5? Now my opponent gets rattled, and his game suffers. 

17.Qxh5 Nxf4 18.Bxf4 Qf6 19.Be5 Qg6 20.Rxf8+ Kxf8 21.Rf1+ Kg8 22.Qxg6 hxg6 The smoke has cleared somewhat, and it is now White with the extra piece. 

23.Bxd4 Be6 24.Nf4 Bxa2 25.b3 Rd8 

Black resigned

When it came my turn again to play the White pieces, I replayed:

perrypawnpusher - tejeshwar

blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

Known as Blackburne's (or Whistler's) move: a good idea.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Black resigned

I guess my opponent was unfamiliar with the defense (see "Nobody expects the Jerome Gambit!", "Flaws (Part I)" and "Flaws (Part II)"), after all, or had just plain had his fill of the Jerome Gambit!

Dropping A Half-Point (Part 2)

After a slug-fest with the Black pieces in my second game with JoeJox – for our first game, see "Dropping A Half-Point (Part 1)" – I was very glad to get the White pieces back for game three, and, of course, the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) was still on my mind...

perrypawnpusher - joejox
blitz 5 10, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5
Staying away from the Semi-Italian Game with 3...h6, because of the mess it got him into last time. I found that to be a bit ironic.

4.Bxf7+
The Jerome Gambit proper (if such a thing may be said).

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
A solid defense.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
Black is better.

10.0-0 Kf7
Preparing to castle-by-hand. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to challenge Joejox twice with the Jerome.

11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 Rf8 13.f5
White has to use his center pawns to make mischief.
13...Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qd3 Nb6 16.Bg5 Kg8
An interesting position. Black has "castled," but play against his wayward Knight (Nc6-e5-g3-e5-b6) has given White extra tempos, and he is near equalizing – especially after the thematic 17.Rae1.
17.g4 Nbd7 18.Rae1
Black has a fairly good counter to this move now. Better was 18.Bf4 d5 19.e5 Ne8 20.Rae1 Qh4 and Black has an edge.

18...Qb6

19.Na4
Instead, White should offer the b-pawn and g-pawn with an unclear position to follow: 19.Kg2 Qxb2 20.e5 dxe5 21.dxe5 Nxg4 since after 22.Qc4+ Kh8 23.Nd1 Qb5 24.Qxg4 Nxe5 he has play.
19...Qb4 20.b3 Nxg4 The g-pawn was sitting just ready to be plucked; but the consistent move was not to be distracted and play 20...b5, allowing both Queensides to become untangled after 21.a3 Qa5 22.Nc3 Qb6. Black would still have the edge.
21.Bd2 Qa3
After 21...Qb5 White can re-activate his pawns with 22.Qg3 Ngf6 23.Qxd6 with about equal chances. The text allows a draw by repetition.
22.Bc3

Not this way, though! White should play 22.Bc1 and if 22...Qxa2 then 23.Bb2 when 23...b5 24.Ra1 Qxa1 25.Rxa1 bxa4 26.Ba3 gives him at least an equal game.
It looks like Joejox was ready to split the point, though.
22...b5
Too bad: 22...d5 gave Black chances, by playing sharp defense and by returning his piece for a couple of pawns – 23.Qd2 a5 24.Qg2 Ngf6 25.e5 Ne4 26.f6 Rf7 27.e6 Rxf6 28.exd7 Bxd7 29.Nb6 Rd8 30.Nxd7 Rxd7 31.Qf3 Nxc3 32.Qxc3 Rf7, with an extra pawn.
23.Bb2 Qb4 24.Bc3 Qa3 25.Bb2 Qb4 26.Bc3 Qa3 27.Bb2 Drawn

Dropping A Half-Point (Part 1)

The other day at FICS I grabbed four games against a pleasant opponent who would certainly have played more with me if I didn't have to excuse myself to be elsewhere.

It wasn't the same as being in a club and actually sitting across-the-board for a game, but it was much more enjoyable than the "opponent disconnects" or "You &%$$#!" that I sometimes encounter when I accidentally achieve an advantage...

Here are a couple of my games with Joejox. Of course, they touch on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)

perrypawnpusher - joejox
blitz 5 10, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The cautious Semi-Italian Game. See "Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit", "Pulling A Rabbit Out of A Hat" and "Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit Encore".
4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

Jerome-izing the game. I think adding 0-0 to White's position in the Jerome is at least as helpful as adding ...h6 to Black's.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ke6

Probably best. I've played 5 previous games in this line, and Black answered 7...Kf6, 7...Ng6, 7...Ke6, and 7...g6 (twice).
8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.d4
Now the proper response for Black is the straight-forward 9...Bxd4, with advantage.
My opponent apparently knows something about the Jerome Gambit and ...Qf6, however; and, as Josh Billings said, "The trouble with people is not that they don't know but that they know so much that ain't so."
9...Qf6 10.dxe5+ Qxe5 11.Bf4 Black resigns

As a post-script, I'd like to add that following the advice of the masters ("analyze your own games") helped me here: in an earlier game against Joyus I had played the rash and weaker 11.Rd1+.