The relentless ticking of the chess time clock brings a simple message: decide the game over-the-board, or it will be decided by the passage of time, regardless of what is actually happening in the game. In the following contest, White, with the Jerome Gambit, had a significant advantage – except on the clock.
ubluk (1531) - DeDrijver (1373)
Play The Jerome Gambit Quad
Chess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.c3
There are almost a thousand examples of this move in The Database, with White scoring 44%.
More significantly, De Drijver played the move twice in this tournament, so ubluk is turning it back against him.
5...d6 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 Qf6 9.0-0 h6 10.Qb3+
An unusual slip for ubluk in this tournament. Instead, 10.Nd5 Qg6 11.Nxb4 Nxb4 12.Qb3+ Be6 13.Qxb4 would win a piece.
10...Ke8 11.Nd5 Qf7 12.Qa4 Bd7
Black has taken care of the threat to his Bishop on b4 by preparing a series of exchanges that will leave him with a slightly better Queenless middle game: 13.Nxb4 Nxd4 14.Qd1 Nxf3+ 15.Qxf3 Qxf3 16.gxf3.
Unfortunately, he has overlooked the Knight fork check at c7, costing him a Rook.
However, even more unfortunately for White, his opponent claimed a win on time.
After a long break, during which one player used up many "vacation" days, very little happened at the otherwise rather exciting Chess.com "Play the Jerome Gambit Quad."
Now, there has suddenly been some "action" – two games won on time, not surprisingly.
The current standings, with one game left to conclude
billwall 5-0-1
ubluk 2-2-1
DeDrijver 2-4-0
bfcace 1-4-0
The recently completed games will soon appear here.
Here is another game from the ongoing "Play the Jerome Gambit Quad" at Chess.com. It is clear that White was not on his game, and has been playing better in other contests. Black's final move creates an interesting end to the encounter.
DeDrijver (1476) - ubluk (1951)
Play the Jerome Gambit Quad
Chess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.c3
One of the "modern" Jerome Gambit variations, where White avoids 5.Nxe5+.
5...Nf6 6.Ng5+
This kind of move leaves me feeling skeptical, in principle, but, as recent posts have shown, White occasionally gets "lucky" with it.
6...Kg8 7.d3 d5
Safe King, better development, break in the center.
8.h3 h6 9.a4 hxg5 10.b4 Be7 11.Bxg5 dxe4 12.dxe4 Qxd1+ 13.Kxd1 Nxe4
14.Be3 Be6 15.Kc2 Rd8 16.Nd2 Nxd2 17.Bxd2 Bf5+ 18.Kc1 Rh4 19.Kb2 Rxd2+ 20.Kb3 Rxb4+ 21.Ka3 Rbb2 checkmate
The most interesting game so far in the ongoing "Play the Jerome Gambit Quad" at Chess.com took place between the two top-rated players Bill Wall and ubluk.
ubluk (1884) - billwall (2488)
Play the Jerome Gambit Quad
Chess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4
6...Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Qb3 Qh4
Black wastes no time in his counter-attack.
10.Nc3 Ng4 11.g3 Qh5 12.Nd5 N8f6 13.f3 Nxh2 14.Bf4 Nxf3+
Rybka 3, running in blunder check mode with 5 minutes per move, had only two suggestions in this game. The first was here: 14...Qxf3 15.Rxh2 Qxe4+ 16.Ne3 Bg4 returning a piece for two pawns, and an advantage for Black in a complicated position.
15.Kf2 Nxe4+ 16.Kg2 Qf5
Here the silicon beast in its post mortem preferred 16...Qf7. White is now able to conjure up all sorts of trouble along the f-file.
17.Raf1 Be6 18.Bxd6+ Ke8 19.Nxc7+ Kd7 20.Nxe6 Ned2
21.Nxg7 Nh4+ 22.Kh2 Nxf1+ 23.Kg1
Black is a Rook ahead, but his uneasy King gives White drawing chances.
23...Nf3+ 24.Kf2 Nd4+ 25.Nxf5 Nxb3 26.axb3 Rac8 27.Rxf1 Rxc2+
Leading to an ending where Black's Rook plus pawn probably balances Whites' Bishop and Knight.
28.Ke3 Rxb2 29.b4 Rg8 30.Kf4 b6 31.Rd1 Ke6 32.Re1+ Kd5 33.g4 Rg6 34.Bf8 draw
A modern Jerome Gambit classic.
At the end of last month I posted the famous Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4Bxf7+) game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885, which had been published in The Newcastle Courant of Saturday, December 3, 1898, with the admonition that Students would do well to commit it to memory, as strong players have a peculiarity of springing the opening upon the unwary.
"Students" who have not chosen to "commit it to memory" but who have, instead, relied on retaining a general idea of Blackburne's plan, have repeatedly learned, however, that often "half a defense is worse than no defense at all."
The newest example is from the ongoing "Play The Jerome Gambit Quad" at Chess.com.
ubluk (1864) - bfcace (1572)
Play The Jerome Gambit Quad
Chess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6
Black's "generous" counter-offer of material.
8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Qxe4
A key move in Blackburne's Defense is 9...Nf6, working on trapping White's Queen. If she escapes, as in this game, Black will regret his counter-sacrifice of a Rook.
10.Qxh7+
Or 10.d3 Qe5 11.Qxh7+ as in AlgozBR - khuizen, FICS, 2009 (1-0,17)
10...Kf8 11.d3
A bit better than 11.Nc3 as in perrypawnpusher - LtPoultry, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 12) and DREWBEAR 63 - blackburne, Jerome Gambit Thematic, ChessWorld, 2009 (1-0, 16).
11...Qe6
Previously seen was 11...Qf5 in obviously - dmyze, GameKnot.com, 2004 (1-0, 20).
12.Qxc7 Bb6 13.Qc3 Nf6
Black is down three pawns and the exchange (plus an unsafe King). This should tell as soon as White completes his development.
14.Bh6+ Kf7 15.Nd2 Bd7 16.Rae1 Qf5 17.Ne4 Rh8 18.Nxd6+
A final slip. Black resigned
