Riddle Me This, Fat Man

The following game can be looked at as a series of riddles posed to the "hero" (that would be me, I guess) on his way to an unexpected victory - isn't that the only kind of win for White that comes in the Jerome Gambit?

Sadly (for him), my opponent could not solve his own final riddle...

I have given game references for early in the play, to see how to deal with riddle #1 (7...Qe7, the Jerome Defense to the Jerome Gambit, by the way) and riddle #2 (9...Nh6), but after that you are largely on your own - as I was.

perrypawnpusher - Kleini
blitz, FICS, 2013

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+

I would rather not exchange Queens at this point.

8...Qf6 

The alternative 8...Nf6 is as old as two Jaeger,D - Jerome,A correspondence games from 1880, wins for Black in 14 and 40 moves.

At a faster time control, I have been more successful: perrypawnpusher - ERICOLSON, blitz, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 33);  
perrypawnpusher - frencheng, 10 5 blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½ , 31); perrypawnpusher - jonathankochems, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 39); and perrypawnpusher - Chesssafety, Chess.com, 2012 (1-0, 25). 

9.Qg3 

Not 9.Qxc7? Qxf2+ 10.Kd1 d6. 

9...Nh6 

An interesting novelty of questionable value. 

Previously seen have been 9...d6 in Wall,B - Guest340293, Playchess.com, 2012 (1-0, 41), perrypawnpusher - JoseSoza, Chess.com, 2012 (0-1, 37), and Wall,B - Josti, Playchess.com, 2013 (1-0, 26); and 9...Bd6 in perrypawnpusher - molerat, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 23). 

10.Nc3 d6 11.Nd5 Qf7 12.0-0 c6 

13.Nc3 

Houdini 3's solution to the riddle of this position is 13.d4!? The silicon superstar sees White drawing by repetition after 13...cxd5 14.dxc5 dxe4 (14...dxc5 15.Bxh6 gxh6 16.Qd6+ Kg7 17.Qg3+ etc.) 15.Bxh6 gxh6 16.Qxd6+ (16.f3!? is an interesting attempt for more, e.g. 16...e3 17.Rfe1 Bf5 18.Rxe3 Qf6 19.Qf4 Rg8 20.cxd6 ) Kg7 17.Qg3+ Qg6 18.Qc7+ Qf7 19.Qg3+, etc.

It's all  a bit over my head. Okay, more than "a bit". 

13...Be6 14.d3

Again, 14.d4!? seems to be the key to the position, 14...Bb4 15.a3 Bxc3 16.Qxd6+ Qe7 17.Qf4+ Kg8 18.bxc3 and Black's edge is minimal.

14...Qg6 

15.Qxg6

By now the alternative (according to Houdini 3) should be predictable: 15.d4!? Bb4 16.a3 Bxc3 17.Qxd6+ Kg8 18.bxc3 Nf7 with a small edge to Black.

15...hxg6 

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece. 

The Knight escapade that I started with my next move was a bad idea, and led to a lost position. I should have moved the piece to the Kingside with 15...Ne2.

16.Na4 Bd4 17.c3 Bf6 18.b3 b5 19.Nb2 Bxc3

20.Rb1 Ke7 21.Nd1 Bd4 22.Ne3 Ng4 23.h3 Nxe3 24.fxe3 Be5 25.d4 Bg3 26.Rf3 Bh4 

Black's two Bishops are scary. He just has to be careful, and he can bring home the point.

Of course, that was true 20 moves ago, too.

27.Ba3 Rhf8 28.Rbf1 a5 

I don't blame you if you didn't shout "He should have exchanged Rooks before playing that move!" I didn't realize that it was that critical, either.

29.Bxd6+

Exchanging Rooks, too, here is supposed to be stronger, according to Houdini 3. I was just glad to have a shot at bringing the game closer to equal.

29...Ke8 

Wow. Surprised by my move, my opponent stumbles hard. That's blitz for you.

Instead, after 29...Kxd6 30.Rxf8 Ra7!? Houdini 3 believes Black's two Bishops balance out White's Rook and two extra pawns. Play would remain tricky, but if White can collect and/or exchange some pawns, he should be able to split the point.

30.Rxf8+ Black resigned

Persistence

I met JoseSoza in the first round of our Chess.com tournament. I played the Jerome Gambit. He beat me.

I recently met JoseSoza in the second round of our Chess.com tournament. I played the Jerome Gambit again. He beat me again.

I am waiting to see if I will make it to the third round of our Chess.com tournament. I already know that JoseSoza will advance. If I meet him again, I will play the Jerome Gambit again.

perrypawnpusher - JoseSoza
"Italian Game" Thematic, Chess.com, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

The same answer LeeBradbury offered in my other Jerome Gambit game in this round.

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ Qf6 9.Qg3 d6 

I decided not to play the Queen exchange this time.

After 9...Bd6 I was able to outplay my opponent in  perrypawnpusher - molerat, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 23).

10.Nc3 

Instead, Bill Wall was successful with 10.c3, in Wall,B - Guest340293, Playchess.com, 2012 (1-0, 41). 

10...Ne7 11.d3 Be6 12.0-0 Qg6 13.Be3 Bxe3 14.Qxe3 a6 

JoseSoza has beaten my Jerome Gambit before, so he is not terribly concerned in this game. Still, he has allowed me to exchange off his dark-squared Bishop, keep my Queen, and prepare for f2-f4. Black's piece-for-two-pawns gives him an advantage, but the game is not unfamiliar to a Jerome Gambit player with white. 

15.f4 Bf7 16.Rae1 Qe6 17.f5 Qd7 18.e5 

The game is effectively over at this point.

That may surprise you.

What happened is that I spent hours and hours with my pocket chess set, looking at 18.f6!? I then studied the position further, and decided that I could play the text move first, as long as I followed it up properly.

So I played the text.

Then I realized that I had not written any of my analysis down, and I could not remember any of it at all! I played the rest of the game like a zombie.

For the record, after the game Rybka suggested that after 18.Rf2 Kg8 19.Ref1 Rf8 20.Qg3 Qe8 21.b3 h6 22.f6 Ng6 23.d4 Rh7 24.Qe3 White would have a tiny edge.

18...dxe5 19.Qxe5 Nc6 20.Qc5+ Qd6 21.Qxd6+ cxd6 

Exchanging Queens was not a good idea. Black now has a slight advantage, and he outplayed me the rest of the game.

22.f6 Re8 23.fxg7+ Kxg7 24.Ne4 Rd8 25.a3 Rhe8 26.Ng5 Rxe1 27.Rxe1 Rd7 28.Nxf7 Kxf7 

29.c3 Re7 30.Kf2 Rxe1 31.Kxe1 Ke6 32.Ke2 Ke5 33.Ke3 d5 34.d4+ Kf5 35.a4 Na5 36.b4 Nc4+ 37.Kf3 b6 White resigned

Sound So Easy

Here is the latest Jerome Gambit that I received from Bill Wall, with the comment: It looks like an interesting game as I threw everything I could on the Kingside to expose his King.  I found a way to swap some pieces for his Queen.  I almost missed getting mated by his doubled Rooks, or at least a draw by perpetual check if I didn't find 30.h3 (I think 30.h4 draws after 30...Rg3).  After that, my Queen picks up pieces and I push a pawn to get another queen, forcing his resignation.

He always makes it sound so easy...

Wall,B - Guest1718599
playchess.com, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

From Bill:  Here is my most recent Jerome Gambit on playchess.  He played 6...Kf8?! rather than 6...Ke6, the stronger move.  I can almost say that if my opponents do not find ...Ke6, they are not going to win.  

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ Nf6 

Continuing to offer the exchange of Queens with 8...Qf6, was seen in perrypawnpusher - molerat, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 23) and Wall,B - Guest340293, playchess.com, 2012 (1-0, 41) as well as elsewhere.

8...Ke8, as in perrypawnpusher - Chesssafety, Chess.com, 2012 (1-0, 25), seems riskier, but has the benefit of vacating the f-file for Black's Rook 

9.Nc3 c6 

It seems necessary to mention 9...d6, from Wall,B - Davis,A, Chess.com, 2010 (½-½, 65), as it was one of the few games where Bill "lost" even a half-point while playing the Jerome Gambit. The game is in The Database.

10.0-0 Kg8?! 

Bill recommends, instead, 10...Bd6 11.Qh4. 

The tempo surrendered by the text allows White to advance his "Jerome pawns". 

11.e5 Ne8 

Or 11...Nd5 12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.d4

12.Qc4+ Kf8 13.d4 Bb6 

14.Be3 d5 

Black's pawn gets a foothold in the center, at the cost of giving White a protected, passed pawn – not a bad price, as he opens up the game for his two Bishops (one of them is "extra", too).

Readers should cue the squeaky violins in the background, as a form of foreshadowing, however. A White pawn at e5 in a Jerome Gambit game often means that a pawn storm is coming on the Kingside, and Black's King should remain aware.

15.Qd3 Be6 16.f4 g6 17.f5 

This may have come as a surprise to Black, having just played a move that was supposed to prevent it. There is no need for the second player to panic – yet – but the wall of "developed" pieces that blocks his King from escape has to be a bit unsettling.

17...gxf5 18.Ne2 Ng7 19.g4 Qd7 

Instead, 19...Ke8 20.gxf5 Nxf5 21.Rxf5 Bxf5 22.Qxf5 would leave Black up an exchange for a pawn.

The text leads to an equal game, if followed up correctly.

20.gxf5 Bxf5?! 

Better was 20...Nxf5 21.Ng3, which leads, after 21...Rg8 22.Rxf5+ Bxf5 23.Rf1 Ke7 24.Rxf5 to a similar exchange-for-a-pawn material advantage, although White would have some interesting tactical tries against the enemy King.

21.Ng3 Ke7 22.Nxf5+ Nxf5 23.Rxf5 Rhg8+ 

Black tries to show that he has the attack, but it is not so.

24.Kh1 Raf8 25.Bg5+ 

The text move is good, but Bill pointed out that better was 25.e6 which causes Black's game to unravel, for example. 25...Kxe6 26.Re1 Rxf5 27.Bg5+ Kf7 28.Re7+ Qxe7 29.Qxf5+ Ke8 30.Bxe7 Kxe7.

25...Ke8 26.e6 Qxe6 27.Re5 Qxe5 28.dxe5 Rxg5 

White's Queen is stronger than Black's Rook and Bishop, but the second player is not ready to surrender.

29.Qxh7 Rfg8 

Bill points out that this threatens 30...Rg1+ 31.Rxg1 Rxg1 mate 

30.h3 

Just so. The more "energetic" 30.h4?! would allow Black to draw with 30...Rg3!, when the checkmate threats would force White to repeat the position either with King moves or Queen checks (or both).

Now White's Queen gobbles up some pawns, which make his own footsoldiers even more dangerous.

30...R8g7 31.Qh8+ Kd7 32.Re1 Bc5 33.Qb8 Ke6 34.Qc8+ Kf7 35.Qxb7+ Kg8 36.Qxc6 Bb6 37.Qxd5+ Kh7 

38.Qe4+ Kh8 39.Rf1 Rg1+ 40.Rxg1 Rxg1+ 41.Kh2 Rg7 42.e6

42...Bc7+ 43.Kh1 Bd6 44.Qd4 Be7 45.c4 a5 46.c5 Kh7 47.c6 Rg3 48.c7 Rxh3+ 49.Kg2 Rh4 50.Qd3+ Kg7 51.Qg3+ Kf8 52.c8Q+ Black resigned

Hallucinations

A positive hallucination is when you see something that is not there.

A negative hallucination is when you do not see something that is there.

That's my best explanation for the following game.

perrypawnpusher - molerat
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

 7.Qxe5 Qe7

Played twice by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, defending against his own gambit, in correspondence games with Jaeger in 1888.

8.Qf4+ Qf6 9.Qg3 Bd6 10.Qe3 b6

11.Nc3 Bb7 12.d3 Bf4

Continuing to harass my Queen, Black makes an oversight, hanging the Bishop. Instead, 12...Re8 would retain Black's advantage.

13.Qe2

Negative hallucintation: simply 13.Qxf4 won a piece.

13...Bxc1 14.Rxc1 Ne7 15.0-0 d6

16.f4 Ke8 17.e5 dxe5 18.fxe5 Qe6 19.d4 Nd5 20.Qf3 Ke7 21.Qg3 Qg6 22.Qh4+ Kd7 23.Qh3+ Qe6 Black resigned

It is not clear why Black gave up: the game seems to be even,  but maybe he saw something that I didn't...