Whew.
I just finished another Jerome Gambit game in the third round of the Giuoco Piano Thematic tournament at Chess.com, It was not pretty at all. You could say that I was losing - up until my opponent resigned. Of course, that is the "objective" evaluation of the Jerome, anyhow.
Yeah.
perrypawnpusher - IlToscano
Giuoco Piano Thematic, Chess.com, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6
This defense is solid and good. It also avoids the complexities of 8...Qh4+, which I faced in perrypawnpusher - constipatedguru, blitz, FICS, 2017 (1-0, 20).
9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3
Staying away from 10.Qxe5+ which has given me mixed results, and a loss most recently: perrypawnpusher - djdave28, Italian Game Tournament, Chess.com, 2014, (1-0, 22); perrypawnpusher - djdave28, Italian Game Tournament, Chess.com 2015, (1-0, 32); and perrypawnpusher - Altotemmi, Giuoco Piano Tournament, Chess.com, 2016, (0-1, 51)
10...Nf6
Easily an improvement over 10...Ke7, which I faced in perrypawnpusher - gtomlinson, blitz, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 28) and 10...h6, which I faced in perrypawnpusher - paulpee, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 71).
11.d3
About the same as 11.Nc3 as in perrypawnpusher - Dogyou, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 21).
11...Kc6
Black wishes to avoid the embarassment of getting his Queen pinned to his King - a trick that might work in blitz (see below) but this game was played at 3 days per move.
Or Black could play 11...Ke7 as in perrypawnpusher - PREMK, blitz, FICS, 2005, (1-0, 14); perrypawnpusher - karleinkarl, blitz, FICS, 2012 (0-1, 16); and perrypawnpusher - vz721, Italian Game thematic, Chess.com, 2013 (1-0, 29);
Or 11...Rf8 as in perrypawnpusher - BronxBoyII, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 18); perrypawnpusher - udofink, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 13); perrypawnpusher - mconst, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 42); and perrypawnpusher - recreation, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 13);
Or 11...Bb4+ as in perrypawnpusher - ViennaMike, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 19);
Or 11...Re8 as in perrypawnpusher - Estebang, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 28)
Or 11...Bd4 as in perrypawnpusher - Rossgil, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 26)
12.c3 Bb6 13.Bf4 Qh5 14.Nd2
I was not pleased to see the Queens leave the board, but I didn't have a better idea.
14...Qxf3 15.Nxf3 d6
I added all of the game links above to show that I was supposed to be familiar with this line, and therefore supposed to know what I was doing against IlToscano. Yet, he has done very well, and the one pawn that I have for my sacrificed Bishop is clearly inadequate compensation.
I decided that I should again do what far better players than me have done in similar Jerome Gambit situations - abandon the "attack at all costs" idea, and let my opponent, who has the advantage, do the attacking. If he was not going to slip up when defending, perhaps he might err when atacking? Psychology is always a part of Jerome play.
[to be continued]
Here is another travelogue through the landscape of the Jerome Gambit, disguised as a blitz chess game... So much to see, so much to think about, so much to evaluate, so much to try to understand...
perrypawnpusher - paulpee
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6
As long as Black avoids the "optical illusion variation", this is a very steadfast defense for Black. White scores 55% in the games in The Database, but that statistic is misleading.
9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 h6
Chess is a constant battle of ideas, and here Black comes up with a new move that has an old idea: keep his Queen in the center and White's Bishop off of the f5 square.
The move changes the nature of the position, however, and the tempo would be better spent on 10...Nf6, with the game continuing 11.d3 Kc6 (avoiding the skewer) 12.c3 and Black is clearly better.
11.d3
"Business as usual", ignoring the opportunities given by 10...h6. After the game Rybka suggested the pawn sac 11.d4, and it looks good. After 11...Qxd4, 12.Nc3 arrives with all kinds of threats, keeping the game even.
11...g5 12.h4
I am not quite sure where this idea came from, but Rybka's post mortem suggestion is almost as goofy: 12.Rf1 b6 13.c3 Ba6 14.d4 Qe6 15.e5+ Ke7 16.Qxa8 Bxf1 17.Be3 Ba6 18.Qf3 Rh7.
12...Qf6 13.hxg5 Qxf3 14.gxf3 b6
Black has managed the exchange of Queens, and feels comfortable handling the "two Bishops" against the "Jerome pawns."
15.c3 Kc6 16.d4 Bf8 17.Be3 d6 18.Nd2 Bd7 19.0-0-0 Kb7
20.f4
Probably better was 20.Rdg1.
20...Bg7 21.f5 hxg5 22.Rxh8 Bxh8 23.Rh1 Nf6 24.Bxg5 Bg7
25.Bxf6
An odd idea. Better was the straight-forward 25.e5, although it looks like Black will be able to blockade the two advanced, passed, "Jerome pawns".
25...Bxf6 26.Rh7 Rd8 27.Nf3 Kc8 28.e5
Simply a tactical oversight that my opponent overlooked.
28...dxe5 29.dxe5 Bh8
Without the ticking clock, 29...Bxf5 is not hard to see.
30.e6
Rybka's preference was 30.f6, instead, no doubt because it stifle's Black's Bishop at h8. It sees the game, then, as slightly better for White, but its suggestions have the "Jerome pawns" stay where they are after that. I was trying to get something out of the pawns, instead, which meant, of course, that I made moves Rybka did not like.
In the meantime, my opponent's time was slipping away.
30...Bc6 31.e7 Re8 32.Nd4 Bxd4
An understandable error, as when time is in short supply it is tempting to make moves that lead to predictable positions.
33.cxd4 Be4 34.Rf7 Kd7 35.f6 Bd5
36.Rf8 Rxe7
A very interesting idea. Black exchanges his Rook for three pawns, believing that he can hold the pawn-for-the-exchange endgame. Rybka's suggestion was to grab the a-pawn instead, and then, a few moves later, start repeating the position.
37.fxe7 Kxe7 38.Rh8 Bxa2
39.Kc2
Rybka's suggestion would win a pawn, but would not change the game much: 39.Ra8 a5 40.Ra7 Kd7 41.b4 a4 42.Rxa4 Bb3 43.Ra3 Bc4 44.Rg3 Kd6 45.Kd2 c6 46.Rg7 Kd5 47.Kc3 b5.
39...Bd5 40.Rh7+ Kd6 41.Kc3 Kc6 42.Kb4 a5+ 43.Kc3 Kb7
Around here my opponent made a series of draw offers, which I declined. Although it could probably be said that the game now is probably "objectively" drawn, it could also be said the it was "objectively" won for Black after four moves...
However, I thought I would see if I could find a few helpful ideas before I split the point, especially since my client had about 20 seconds to play, plus the 12 second increment, and I had a couple more minutes than that.
44.Rd7 Bc6 45.Rh7 a4 46.Kc4 Be4 47.Re7 Bc2 48.Kb5 Bb3
49.d5
Showing that up to this point, I had not found any good ideas. Instead, 49.Rg7 would have brought about a zugzwang position where Black would have to shed a pawn with 49...a3, although I do not think that would have changed much.
49...Bxd5 50.Kxa4 Bc6+ 51.Kb4 Kc8 52.Kc4 Kb7
Black is convinced (correctly) that the game is drawn, and repeats moves to make his point. Had he not been short on time, I would have taken the "hint", but, as it was, his moves gave me an idea...
53.Kd4 Kc8 54.Ke5 Kb7 55.Ke6 Kc8 56.Rg7 Kb7
Missing my point.
57.Ke7 Bd5 58.Kd8 Ka6
The first real sign of lack of faith (or time). I think Black should have played the stoic 58...Kc6 59.Rxc7+ Kb5 and shaken off the loss of a pawn.
59.Rxc7
Capturing with the King was much stronger.
59...b5
Returning the favor. After 59...Kb5 White's win, if there is one, is still a long way off.
60.b4 Kb6 61.Rc5 Bc4 62.Kd7
My first thought was to exchange my Rook for Black's Bishop and pawn, and then Queen the b-pawn.
62...Kb7 63.Kd6 Kb6 64.Ke5 Kb7 65.Kd4 Be2 66.Re5 Bf1 67.Kc5 Bd3
68.Re7+ Kc8 69.Kc6
Combining a checkmate threat with the threat on the pawn (and a thinly-veiled threat on the Bishop).
69...Kd8 70.Rd7+ Ke8 71.Rxd3 Black resigned
Whew! This was my longest Jerome Gambit win, although I have lost to CorH in 84 moves and drawn alsuarezdi in 88.
