Disassembled

I share my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games – wins and losses – because I like the renegade opening. Given the right circumstances White can win. Of course, he can lose, too. (That's a joke.)

In the following game my opponent does not blow up the Jerome Gambit (which would have been bad enough) but takes it apart piece-by-piece.

perrypawnpusher  - Nadante
blitz FICS, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

Black's most popular response, according to the New Year's Database.

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

Before this game I was 7-1-2 from this position, certainly not a cause for alarm.

10.0-0 Kf7 11.f4

In the past I liked this move a bit better than 11.Nc3.

11...Re8

12.d3 Kg8

This move is a clear improvement over Comunista's 12...Nd5 (1-0, 29) and thehunterjames' 12...c5 (0-1, 25).

13.f5

This move is new to me. To recover from this game I will be studying the alternatives played by Louis Morin (mrjoker): 13.Nc3 (3 times), 13.h3 (2 times), 13.Nd2 and 13.Qf3.

13...Ne5 14.Nc3 c6

Black's Knights are sitting there like great big targets for the "Jerome pawns." It doesn't seem right for the White d-pawn to have to take two steps to get to d4; but h2-h3, preparing for g2-g4 (and dreaming of g4-g5) also seems slow.

15.d4

After the game Rybka recommended 15.h3, instead, although Black was still on top after: 15...Qb6 16.a4 Qxe3+ 17.Bxe3 d5.

15...Nc4

A bit stronger was 15...Nf7.

16.Qf3

Likewise, 16.Qd3 was a stronger move for White.

16...Qb6 17.Qd3 d5

Thematic, but 17...Nxb2 18.Bxb2 Qxb2 won a pawn.

18.e5

Both my opponent and I temporarily overlooked the fact that the White d-pawn is pinned by Black's Queen, and therefore it does not protect the pawn at e5.

White's best was 18.b3 Ne5 19.Qd1 Nxe4 20.Na4 Qc7 21.dxe5 but  Black would still have been better.

18...Nd7

Simply 18...Nxe5.

19.b3

It was time for White to escape the pin with 19.Kh1, after which he would have an even game after Black returned his extra piece: 19...Ndxe5 20.dxe5 Nxe5.

19...Ncxe5 20.Qd1

I was not going to find the "computer-like" move 20.Qe3 in a blitz game, but it would have helped:  20...Nf6 21.dxe5 Rxe5 22.Qxb6 axb6 23.Bf4 Rxf5 and Black's advantage has not grown further.

20...Nf7

A person could get severe eyestrain looking for White's compensation for his sacrificed piece.

21.Na4 Qd8 22.Qh5

The Kingside is where the action is going to have to be if White wants to win, but it looks like the rest of his pieces didn't get the memo.

22...Nf6 23.Qh4 Ne4 24.Qg4

24...b5 25.Nc5 Nxc5 26.dxc5 Qf6 27.Bd2 Re4 28.Qf3 Ne5 29.Qh3 Ba6

30.Bc3 Re8 31.Rae1 b4 32.Rxe4 dxe4 33.Bxe5 Qxe5 34.Re1 Qf6

At this point, only a flat-out blunder by Black or severe time trouble for the second player will jeopardize my loss.

35.g4

Hope springs eternal...

35...Bc8 36.Qe3 Qh4 37.h3 Qf6

38.Kg2 Qe5 39.h4

If we had ham, we could have ham and eggs – if we had eggs.

39...Qd5 40.Kg3 a5 41.Re2 Qf7

My opponent was in no hurry.

42.Qd4 g6 43.Rxe4 Rxe4 44.Qxe4 gxf5 45.gxf5 Bxf5 46.Qxc6 Qg7+

47.Kh2 Qe5+ 48.Kg1 Qg3+ 49.Qg2 Qxg2+ 50.Kxg2 Bxc2

The rest of the game is "just a matter of technique."

51.Kf3 Kf7 52.Kf4 Ke6 53.c6 Kd6 54.c7 Kxc7 55.Ke5 Bb1 56.Kd5 Bxa2 57.Kc4 Kc6 58.h5 Bb1 59.h6 Bc2 White resigned

Why, I oughta...

When I started writing this blog (not quite a year and a half ago), I decided to post every one of my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf4+) and Jerome-related games, win or lose, good or bad. Three good examples of my bad play are perrypawnpusher - thehunterjames, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 25), perrypawnpusher -james042665, Chess.com, 2008 (0-1, 18), and perrypawnpusher - drewbear, JG3 thematic, chessworld, 2008 (0-1, 10).

The following game is not a loss, but in light of my experience with the Blackburne Shilling Gambit – especially the recent "Gorilla Chess", but also, for example "Keep the shilling..." – I sure looked pretty comical.

perrypawnpusher - MNUNP

blitz FICS, 2009

1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5 3.Bc4 Nd4

4.Bxf7+

Of course.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6

6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxe4

Here I felt a little foolish. I knew that capturing the e-pawn was bad for Black (7...Kxd4 was roughly even), but I couldn't remember why, or how to prove it. Black should have thought of King safety: 7...Ke6 8.Nc3 Kf7 9.0-0 c6 10.d3 g6 11.Be3 Kg7 and if anyone has an advantage, it is the second player.

8.Qg4+

Okay, I not only didn't remember the right path, I didn't figure it out over-the-board, either.

The correct move was 8.Qh5, boxing-in the King, which Black should answer with 8...g5. Then a King-hunt starting with 9.Qf3+ either succeeds or allows White's Queen to get to e5 with check, followed by the capture of the h8 Rook.

An alternative to 8.Qh5 g5 was quickly dealt with: 8...Kxd4 9.d3 Bb4+ 10.Nc3 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3+ Kxc3 12.Qc5+ Kxd3 13.Qd5+ Kc3 14.Bd2+ Kb2 15.Qb3+ Kxa1 16.0-0 checkmate, Melao Jr.,H - Danilo, Centro Cultural 1996;

Or 8.0-0 Qf6 9.Qc2+ Kxd4 10.b4 Kd5 11.Bb2 Qg6 12.Qb3+ Kd6 13.Re1 b6 14.Be5+ Kc6 15.Rc1+ Kb7 16.Rxc7+ Kb8 17.Rc6+ Black resigned was fidotopdog - Krait, FICS 2009

8...Kd5 9.Nc3+ Kd6

This is very dangerous. The King should, instead, go to c6 when the game is still in balance.

10.0-0

I admit that I played this move with a sense of resignation: I wasn't sure what to do next, and figured that castling couldn't go too far wrong: I would have three pieces developed to his none (or one, if you count his King). 

Next time I'll know to play 10.Qe4. White can build a good attack on the dark squares after 10...a6 11.d3 g5 12.Qe5+ Kc6 13.d5+ Kb6 14.Be3+ c5 15.dxc6+ Kxc6 16.Qd5+ Kc7 17.Qa5+ and Black loses his Queen.

analysis diagram

Another way to play the position was 10.b3 Qe7+ 11.Ne2 Kc6 12.d5+ Kb6 13.d3 c5 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.Be3+ Kb7 16.Rc1 Qb4+ 17.Qxb4+ Bxb4+ 18.Nc3 Nf6 19.Ke2 Bxc3 20.Rxc3 Nd5 21.Rc4 Nxe3 22.fxe3 d5 23.Rb4+ Kc7 Black resigned, ibenrooked - ironhorse1056, GameKnot, 2005.

10...Nf6 11.Qf4+

Again, I told myself "the win has to be there" – but I couldn't find it. I'm not sure that it was there, any more.

11...Ke6 12.Re1+ Kf7 13.Nd5

13...d6 14.d3

Now Black can play 14...c6 and 15...d5 and be assured that he has weathered the attack. Instead, he gets careless (and not a moment too soon, as far as I was concerned).

14...Be7 15.Rxe7+

15...Kg8

If Black wanted to fight on, he needed to surrender his Queen for a Knight and Rook with 15...Qxe7.

16.Nxf6+ gxf6 17.Qg3+ Kf8 18.Qg7 checkmate

Perhaps it is true that "fortune favors the bold"!

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.