This is my 636th consecutive daily post. I would like to think that I remember everything on this Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) blog, but clearly I have forgotten some things.
The other day I was looking back at my earlier posts and I found an amusing thread that has worked its way forward.
Remember the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 from perrypawnpusher - johnde, blitz FICS, 2010?
In my post "Stinking up the Chessboard" I mentioned that I had covered this rare move earlier this year in "A Strange, But Intriguing, Path (Part 1)", "(Part 2)" and "(Part 3)".
This closer look came because I had done an Opening Report on the New Year's Database and concluded about 5...Ke6 that it "needs more analysis on behalf of White."
That was not my first encounter with the move, however. At the end of June, 2009, in analyzing the game blackburne - DREWBEAR 63, JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009 I had commented on it.
DREWBEAR 63's move [5...Ke6] comes as quite a shock – certainly it must have been played before, perhaps in the earliest days of the Jerome Gambit; but there are no games in my database with the move, no analysis, and not even a mention of it.
Of course, that was before I had access to the gazillion game database of FICS games, and before the advent of the New Year's Database.
Also, I hadn't looked in my own blog, where, about a year earlier, in a note to my analysis of Blackstone - Dommeyer skittles game, California, USA 1960, I had written
Of course, if you opponent springs the "Theoretical Novelty" 5...Ke6 on you, you'll be prepared with 6.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.d4+ Bxd4 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kf7 10.Bxd8 Nxd8 (or 10...Bxb2 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Bxc7 Bxa1 13.Nd2 – a mess, but Black's uncertain King gives White the edge) and although the position is roughly even Black may not recover from "losing" his Queen.
All is new that has been forgotten...
As host of this blog, I am committed to showing all of my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) adventures, not just the "good" games. The following embarassment has a few interesting points to it, but can easily be skipped over without losing much.
Two lessons: 1) don't play online blitz when the Olympics are on the TV; and 2) time pressure on the opponent is often the "secret weapon" when it comes to the Jerome Gambit.
perrypawnpusher - johnde
blitz 3 12, FICS 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6
I covered this rare move in "A Strange, But Intriguing, Path (Part 1)", "(Part 2)" and "(Part 3)".
6.Nxc6
Ooops! In playing this game I forgot that I had recommended the win of Black's Queen with 6.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.d4+ Bxd4 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kf7 10.Bxd8.
6...dxc6 7.O-O Nf6 8.d3 Qd4
This keeps my dark-squared Bishop home temporarily, but more consistent would have been 8...Re8 and then ...Ke6-f7-g8, castling-by-hand.
9.c3 Qd7 10.d4 Be7
11.e5
This looks aggressive, but more to the point was 11.Qb3+, winning a piece.
11...Ne8 12.f4 Rf8
I suppose that it should be encouraging to all who play the Jerome Gambit that this position – arrived at even after White missed the "best" line – is better for White.
13.Qh5
After 13.f5+ Rxf5 14.Rxf5 Kxf5 15.Qh5+ Ke6 White pretty much just develops his Queenside: Bc1-e3, c3-c4, Nb1-c3, Ra1-f8 with a better game. Amazing.
13...Kd5
This is way too bold.
14. c4+
Any reader with tactical skills probably sees the overwhelming power of 14.e6+ here. Too bad I didn't.
14...Kxc4 15.Na3+ Kd5
Better was 15...Bxa3 although after 16.Qe2+ White still has a smashing attack on the King.
16. Qxh7
Anyone for 16.e6+ instead?
16...Qg4 17.Be3
Turning the advantage over to Black.
We now both stumble along for a while.
17...Bf5 18.Qh3 Qe2 19.Qg3 Be4 20.Rfe1 Qxb2 21.Bf2
This is a complicated position, but Black is up a piece, and can soon be up two. His King's position does not offset this: Black is winning.
21...Nf6
Well, Black was winning, but this move should drop a piece.
If I had noticed.
22. Qb3+ Qxb3 23.axb3 Ng4 24.Nc4 Rxf4 25.Rf1 Bb4 26.Rad1 Raf8
Black's position grows stonger and stronger.
Lucky for me, his time grows shorter and shorter.
27.Be3 Rxf1+ 28. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 29. Kxf1 Nxh2+ 30. Kg1 Ng4 31. g3 Nxe3 32.Nxe3+ Kxd4
White's position is hopeless.
33.Kf2 Be1+ 34.Ke2 Bxg3 35.e6 Kc3 36.e7 Bg6 37.Nf5 Be5 38.Nh4
38...Bd3+
Too little time? Too little patience?
Now Black is no longer winning.
39.Ke3
I was amazed to discover after the game that Rybka sees this move as inaccurate – in fact, as allowing Black to draw. It suggested that after 39...g5 40.e8=Q Bd4+ 41.Kf3 gxh4 42.Qe1+ Kc2 43.Qxh4 Bb6 44.Qb4 c5
analysis diagram
that White has nothing better than to repeat moves for a draw with 45.Qa3 a6 46.Kf4 a5 47.Qa2+ Kc3 48.Qa3 Kc2 49.Qa2+ Kc3 etc. Wow!
analysis diagram
39...g6 40. e8=Q
40...Bd4+ 41.Kf4 Black resigned
White's Knight is enough to overcome Black's two-Bishops-plus-pawns fortress for his King with threats of mate.
