Don't drive like my brother

Tom and Ray Magliozzi host the "Car Talk" program at NPR radio. They dole out auto advice in a humorous style, and they close each time with the exchange

"Don't drive like my brother."
"Don't drive like my brother."

That about sums up my opinion of the following funny game, as platel and I can each say

"Don't play like my opponent."
"Don't play like my opponent."

perrypawnpusher - platel
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

Declining the second piece is an acceptable strategy, but going back to e8 (where a follow-up Queen check by White is possible) has not been recommended.

6.Qh5+

At the time that I played this move, I knew that the "right" choice was 6.Nxc6, since either 6...dxc6 or 6...bxc6 would allow White to play 7.Qh5+ followed by capturing the Bishop; for example, as in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25) and Wall,B - Qwerty, chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9).

Looking at 6.Nxc6 now, I still think that it is best for White, but I wanted to point out two untested responses that might surprise the first player.

a) 6...Bxf2+ (as long as Black is going to lose this piece, he decides to get a pawn for it) 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Qf3 Qxc6 (avoiding doubled c-pawns) when White is a bit better. He has to be careful because of the loose pawn on c2 and the King and Queen being on the same file (vulnerable to ...Ne7 and ...Rf8).

analysis diagram








Black also has the untried counter-attacking

b) 6...Qh4, (which I mentioned about 3 years ago in this blog) may be better than the capture of the Knight at c6, as well. White's best response is 7.d4, and after 7...Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 material is even, i.e. 10.Nb4 Bxd4.

analysis diagram









I think that White may have a tiny edge after 11.Nd5, and he may have better chances with his Kingside pawn majority as opposed to Black's Queenside pawn majority; but, in reality, Black's two Bishops probably balance all that out.

6...Kf8

In light of my two 6th move recommendations for Black, I have to say that this was the move that got Black into hot water, not 5...Ke8.

After the recommended 6...g6, White has the thematic 7.Nxg6, but, again, things are far from rosy for him – unless he is faced with 7...hxg6, when White plays 8.Qxh8 with advantage, as in Petasluk - Trasimene, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 18).

Black takes a step forward by interjecting 7...Nf6, so that after 6...g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qxc5 he can then grab the Knight at g6 with 8...hxg6. White has three pawns for his sacrificed piece, but Fritz 8 is pretty stubborn about giving Black a slight edge.

The biggest challenge to White's 7th move Knight sac at g6, however, is 7...Bxf2+ – followed, in due course, by ...Nf6 and then the capture of the White Knight, e.g. 8.Kxf2 Nf6 (much better than the 8...Qf6+ of  Hultgren,R - Harrow, Campbell, CA 1960 and Blackstone - Dommeyer, skittles game, California, USA 1960 [1-0, 13] ) 9.Qh4 Rg8. White's Knight cannot retreat and will be lost (10.Nf4 Nxe4+).

It may be that White should refrain from sacrificing his Knight, and meet 6...g6 with 7.Nxc6 (anyhow), although after 7...gxh5 8.Nxd8 Kxd8 he has to hope that he can gather in one (or both) of the h-pawns in order to reach equality.

Which is a long way of saying that while 6.Nxc6 leads to "only" an even game, that's still  a better outcome than can be expected after 6.Qh5+.


By the way, the silly 6...Ke7 (in response to 6.Qh5+) got a workout in my games against a weak computer several years ago – see "One (or both) of us needs help" Part I and Part II.

7.Qf7 checkmate

I won the game, but I thought it would be fair to let my opponent "win" the analysis.

Jerome Gambit: Update -> Unplayed

Some recommended moves in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), despite their playability, don't find their way to the chessboard. 

There is one in particular, mentioned on this blog 13 1/2 years ago, which has yet to make it into play, remaining a "secret".

v-trash - P-H-Pearse

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 

As I mentioned about 2 1/2 years ago, in "Jerome Gambit: Disease 1, Cure 0"

The major problem with this move is that it leads to a position that Black is not prepared to deal with. He may have planned to "take White out of his book" by refusing to play the "normal" 5...Nxe5, but this is one of the cases where the "cure" is worse than the "disease".

6.Nxc6 

The Database has 60 games with this move, with White scoring 65%. Bill Wall has 9 wins against 0 losses.

By comparison, The Database has 87 games with the more aggressive (if "objectively" not quite as strong) 6.Qh5+, which leads to messy positions (dangerous for Black) where White scores 75%.

Personally, I am 1 - 0 - 1 with 6.Nxc6 (perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz 2 12, FICS 2008 [1-0, 25] and perrypawnpusher - zsilber, 2 12 blitz, FICS, 2010 [1/2 - 1/2, 43]) and 2 - 0 with 6.Qh5+ (perrypawnpusher - platel, 10 3 blitz, FICS, 2011 [1-0, 7] and perrypawnpusher - schachix, 5 3 blitz, FICS, 2013 [1-0, 10).

6...bxc6  

This is a reasonable response.

Recently there has been 6...Bxf2+, getting a pawn for the Bishop that is going to be lost, anyhow: mwafakalhaswa - Ashkan -estemmm, 10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2020 : 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Qf3 Qxf3+ 9.gxf3 dxc6 10.Nc3 Be6 11.Rg1 g6 12.d4 Ne7 13.Bg5 Rf8 14.Bxe7 Kxe7 15.Rad1 Rad8 16.d5 cxd5 17.Nxd5+ Bxd5 18.Rxd5 c6 19.Rxd8 Rxd8 20.Ke2 Ke6 21.Rd1 Rxd1 22.Kxd1 Ke5 23.Ke2 Kf4 24.c4 b6 25.b4 a6 26.a4 b5 27.axb5 axb5 28.cxb5 cxb5 29.Kf2 h5 30.h4 g5 31.hxg5 Kxg5 32.Kg3 h4+ 33.Kh3 Kh5 34.f4 Black resigned.

Likewise, we have seen 6...Qf6, as in chessmaster512 - jonjons, ultrabullet, lichess.org, 2020: 7.Ne5 Qxe5 8.d4 Qf6 9.O-O Bxd4 10.Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Be3 Qf6 12.Nc3 Ne7 13.Rad1 Ng6 14.Bd4 Qe7 15.Bxg7 Rg8 16.Nd5 Qxg7 17.Nxc7+ Kd8 18.Nxa8 Qf6 19.e5 Qc6 20.e6 b6 21.exd7 Bxd7 22.Rxd7+ Kxd7 23.Nxb6+ Kc7 24.Rd1 Qxb6 25.c4 Kc6 26.Rf1 Kc5 27.Kh1 Kxc4 28.Kg1 Kb4 29.Kh1 Qxf2 30.Rxf2 Ne5 31.Re2 Ng4 32.Re4+ Kc5 33.Rxg4 Rf8 34.h3 Rf1+ 35.Kh2 Rd1 36.Kg3 Rc1 37.Kh2 Rc2 38.Kh1 Rxb2 39.Kh2 Rxa2 40.Kh1 Ra1+ 41.Kh2 Rb1 Black won on time

The strongest reply, however - one first mentioned in "You, too, can add to Jerome Gambit theory", later "Jerome Gambit Secret #3" - is 6...Qh4. The game might continue 7.d4 Qxe4+ 8.Be3 (8.Qe2 is also possible) when things would remain quite complicated, but a bit in White's favor.

7.Qh5+ Black resigned

White will win the Bishop at c5 and be 2 pawns up. 

Jerome Gambit: Mis-Match

In a tournament with 250 players, there are bound to be rating mis-matches, especially in the early rounds.

That is pretty much the story of the following game. I like to think, though, that the Jerome Gambit helped add some confusion to my opponent's task.

perrypawnpusher - m2mkiss

"Giuoco Fun" tournament, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 

6.Qh5+ 

Not the strongest move, but I was hoping for complications.

Instead, 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qxc5 as in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, 2 12 blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25). 

6...g6 

Long ago:

6...Kf8 7.Qf7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - platel, blitz, FICS, 2011;

6...Ke7 7.Qf7+! Kd6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Nxc6+ Kf6 10.Qf5 checkmate, Kennedy - WeakDelphi, blitz 2 12, 2008 .

7.Nxg6 Qf6 

Stockfish 16 likes 7...Bxf2+, a move that is as old as Hultgren,R - Harrow, Campbell, CA 1960. 

8.Nxh8+ Ke7 

Or 8...Kd8 9.Qxc5 Qxh8 10.Qf8 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - schachix, 5 3 blitz, FICS, 2013.

9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qc3 

At this point I was happy to exchange Queens. 

10...Ne5 11.Qxc7+ Bd7 12.Nc3 Qxh8 

White is up the exchange and 4 pawns. It is time to finish off the enemy King.

13.f4 Nc6 14.Nd5+ Ke8 15.Qxd6 Qg7 

Another day, another time, going after White's Rook at h1 might be a good idea. Right now, there is not enough time.

16.Nc7+ Kd8 17.Ne6+ Kc8 18.Qc7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: A Short Game, For Fun

Sometimes it is nice to present a short Jerome Gambit game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), just because it is fun.

Cristopher_Sonido13 - Stefcho2020

SuperBlitz Shield Arena, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qf7 checkmate

For the record, this position has occured in 5 other games in The Database, including perrypawnpusher - platel, blitz, FICS, 2011.

A Second Chance to Decline

Here is a recent game played by Philidor 1792, from a cache of games he sent not long ago. His opponent declines the offer of a second piece with an inaccuracy that is worth knowing - and punishing. 

Philidor 1792 - Guest834593
3 0 blitz, PlayChess.com, 02.11.2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

While declining the second piece is as old as Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29), the safest place for Black's King to retreat to is f8, not e8.

6.Qh5+

It's possible that 6.Nxc6 is stronger, but who can resist checking the King?

On the other hand, White's Knight capture is tricky, as 6...bxc6? is not the correct response - see perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25); perrypawnpusher - zsilber, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2-1/2, 42); Wall,B - Qwerty, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 9); and Wall,B - LFTN, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 20).

Neither is 6...dxc6? the right move - see Wall,B - Gebba, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 11).

Although I have suggested the untried 6...Bf2+ in "Don't Drive Like My Brother", the best response for Black, still untried as far as The Database is concerned is 6...Qh4!?, as after 7.d4 Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 10.Nb4 Bxd4 11.Nd5 Kd8 Black has an equal game. (Of course, he turned down a second piece to get there.)

6...g6

Silly alternatives: 6...Kf8 7.Qf7 checkmate,  perrypawnpusher - platel, blitz, FICS, 2011  and 6...Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Nxc6+ Kf6 10.Qf5 checkmate, Kennedy - WeakDelphi, 2 12 blitz, 2008.

7.Nxg6 Bxf2+

Instead, 7...Qf6 was no solution in perrypawnpusher - schachix, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 10).

8.Kxf2 Qf6+

Black goes astray: 8...Nf6  was the way to keep an edge.

9.Nf4+ Kd8 10.d3 Nge7

Or 10...d6 11.Rf1 Qd4+ 12.Be3 Qf6 13.c3 Black resigned, Hultgren,R - Harrow, Campbell, CA 1960. 

11.Nc3 d6 12.Rf1 Ng6 13.Kg1

Usually it is Black who has to castle-by-hand. White is two pawns ahead, with a safer King.

13...Qd4+ 14.Kh1 Nge5 15.Nfd5 Be6 16.Be3 Black resigned

Black's Queen is trapped in the middle of the board!

The Database: The Long And The Short Of It (Part 3)

 

After looking at long and short Jerome Gambit games - see the previous posts, Part 1 and Part 2 - I got to wondering about how my own games from The Database fit in.

After all, I am supposed to be somewhat knowledgeable about the Jerome, right?

It turns out that my longest game was

perrypawnpusher - alsuarezdi

9 3 blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.O-O Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Qxd4 d6 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Re8 12.Bd2 Qe7 13.Rae1 Kg8 14.Nd5 Qd8 15.Bc3 Nxd5 16.exd5 Rxe1 17.Rxe1 Bd7 18.dxc6 Bxc6 19.Qg6 Qf8 20.Re3 Be8 21.Qg4 c5 22.Rg3 Bb5 23.Qxg7+ Qxg7 24.Rxg7+ Kf8 25.Rxb7 a6 26.Bg7+ Kg8 27.Bxh6 Re8 28.f5 Re1+ 29.Kf2 Re2+ 30.Kg3 Rxc2 31.f6 Be8 32.Rg7+ Kh8 33.Rb7 Kg8 34.Rb8 Kf7 35.Bg7 Re2 36.h4 Bc6 37.Rf8+ Kg6 38.h5+ Kxh5 39.Rh8+ Kg6 40.Rh2 Rxb2 41.Kh4 Rxg2 42.Rxg2+ Bxg2 43.Bf8 d5 44.Bxc5 Kxf6 45.Kg4 a5 46.Kf4 a4 47.a3 Ke6 48.Ke3 Ke5 49.Bd4+ Kd6 50.Kd2 Kc6 51.Kc3 Kb5 52.Be5 Bf1 53.Bd4 Bc4 54.Be3 Bb3 55.Bd4 Kc6 56.Kb4 Kd6 57.Kc3 Ke6 58.Kb4 Kf5 59.Kc3 Ke4 60.Bc5 Kf3 61.Bd4 Ke2 62.Bc5 Kd1 63.Bd4 Kc1 64.Bc5 Kb1 65.Bd4 Ka1 66.Bc5 Ka2 67.Bb4 Bc4 68.Bc5 Kb1 69.Bb4 Ka2 70.Bc5 Kb1 71.Bb4 Ka2 72.Kd4 Kb3 73.Bc5 Kb2 74.Bb4 Kb3 75.Bd6 Kb2 76.Bb4 Kb3 77.Be7 Kb2 78.Bb4 Kb3 79.Ke3 Kb2 80.Kd4 Kb3 81.Ke3 Kb2 82.Kd4 Kb3 83.Bf8 Kb2 84.Bb4 Kb3 85.Bf8 Kb2 86.Bb4 Kb3 87.Bf8 Kb2 88.Bb4 Kb3 draw

My shortest game was, of course

perrypawnpusher - Roland_Bollinger

3d/move, "Piano Piano" tournament, Chess.com, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Black lost on time

My quickest checkmate was

perrypawnpusher - platel

10 3 blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qf7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: A New Look at an Older Line

I recently ran across a very short Jerome Gambit game, which allowed me to update some assessments I made of the line, years ago.

Cristopher_Sonido13 - Stefcho2020

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qf7#

Checking The Database showed that I had found 5 previous games that ended the same way.

I was surprised to see that perrypawnpusher - platel, 10 3 blitz, FICS, 2011 was one of them.

Was that covered on this blog? Indeed, yes, 13 years ago.

It is interesting to review what I wrote back then. Modern comments are in red.

6.Qh5+

At the time that I played this move, I knew that the "right" choice was 6.Nxc6, [today's The Database shows 102 games, White scores 73%] since either 6...dxc6 or 6...bxc6 would allow White to play 7.Qh5+ followed by capturing the Bishop; for example, as in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25) and Wall,B - Qwerty, chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9).

Looking at 6.Nxc6 now, I still think that it is best for White, but I wanted to point out two untested responses that might surprise the first player.

a) 6...Bxf2+ (as long as Black is going to lose this piece, he decides to get a pawn for it) 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Qf3 Qxc6 (avoiding doubled c-pawns) when White is a bit better. He has to be careful because of the loose pawn on c2 and the King and Queen being on the same file (vulnerable to ...Ne7 and ...Rf8).

analysis diagram




[Today's The Database shows 4 games with 6...Bxf2+, all wins for White, including one by mwafakalhaswa and two by chessriddler. Stockfish 16.1 shows White to have a winning position.]

Black also has the untried counter-attacking

b) 6...Qh4, (which I mentioned about 3 years ago in this blog) may be better than the capture of the Knight at c6, as well. White's best response is 7.d4, and after 7...Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 material is even, i.e. 10.Nb4 Bxd4.

analysis diagram




[Today's The Database shows 9 games with 6...Qh4, with White winning 4 of them - 44%. Stockfish 16.1 agrees that 7.d4 is White's best response, although after 7...Qxe4+ it slightly prefers 8.Be3 over 8.Qe2, while it still gives White an edge after 8...Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6.]

I suppose Black can side-step some of this excitement by capturing the Knight with 5...Nxe5, or by retreating his King to f8, instead of e8, as in the game.

 

Do As I Say...

Readers are encouraged to enjoy the following quickie game, while recalling the charge: Do as I say, not as I do...

perrypawnpusher - schachix
blitz, FICS, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 

When declining the Knight, usually Black's King retires to f8.

6.Qh5+

The Queen check was irresistible, but not best. I had been trying to get a Jerome Gambit all week, and this was my first opportunity.

The proper way to play this, as I should have remembered, is 6.Nxc6 when after 6...Qh4 (no examples in The Database) 7.d4 Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 10.Nb4 Bxd4 11.Nd5 Kd8 the game would be equal.

For the record, 6.Nxc6 bxc6 was seen in Wall,B - Qwerty, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9) and Wall,B - LFTN, FICS 2012 (1-0, 20) while 6...dxc6 was dispatched in Wall,B - Gebba, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 11).

6...g6

I had already pulled off 6...Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Nxc6+ Kf6 10.Qf5 checkmate, Kennedy - WeakDelphi, blitz 2 12, 2008 and 6...Kf8 7.Qf7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - platel, blitz, FICS, 2011 (which probably influenced my choice of 6.Qh5+). 

7.Nxg6 

7...Qf6 

Here is where my opponent lost his chance. Houdini recommends 7...Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Nf6 9.Qh4 Rg8 10.Rf1 Rxg6 11.Kg1 Qe7 with advantage to Black.

Only 5 games in The Database have Black's counter-sacrifice of the Bishop, and 4 of them are wins for White, for example 7...Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ (8...Nf6 was correct) 9.Nf4+ Kd8 10.d3 d6 11.Rf1 Qd4+ 12.Be3 Qf6 13.c3 Black resigned, Hultgren,R - Harrow, Campbell, CA 1960.

8.Nxh8+ Kd8 9.Qxc5 Qxh8 10.Qf8 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: We Have Been Here Before

In the following game, Black resists the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) with interesting play, but he ultimately turns down his King - perhaps a bit prematurely. 

joker0909 - Papi_Chulo111

3 2 blitz, 2025

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 

From "A Second Chance to Decline" 

While declining the second piece is as old as Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1/2-1/2, 29), the safest place for Black's King to retreat to is f8, not e8.

6.Qh5+ 

Here is a whole lot from "A Second Chance to Decline" 

It's possible that 6.Nxc6 is stronger, but who can resist checking the King?
On the other hand, White's Knight capture is tricky, as 6...bxc6? is not the correct response - see perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25); perrypawnpusher - zsilber, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2-1/2, 42); Wall,B - Qwerty, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 9); and Wall,B - LFTN, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 20).
Neither is 6...dxc6? the right move - see Wall,B - Gebba, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 11).
Although I have suggested the untried 6...Bf2+ in "Don't Drive Like My Brother", the best response for Black, still untried as far as The Database is concerned is 6...Qh4!?, as after 7.d4 Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 10.Nb4 Bxd4 11.Nd5 Kd8 Black has an equal game. (Of course, he turned down a second piece to get there.)
6...g6
Silly alternatives: 6...Kf8 7.Qf7 checkmate,  perrypawnpusher - platel, blitz, FICS, 2011  and 6...Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Nxc6+ Kf6 10.Qf5 checkmate, Kennedy - WeakDelphi, 2 12 blitz, 2008.
7.Nxg6 Bxf2+
Instead, 7...Qf6 was no solution in perrypawnpusher - schachix, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 10).
8.Kxf2 Qf6+

Black goes astray: 8...Nf6  was the way to keep an edge.

9.Nf4+ Kd8 10.d3 Nge7
Or 10...d6 11.Rf1 Qd4+ 12.Be3 Qf6 13.c3 Black resigned, Hultgren,R - Harrow, Campbell, CA 1960. 

Whew.

6...g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+ 

Black figures that he should get something for his at-risk Bishop.

8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 

Only one game in The Database has the correct follow-up, 8...Nf6, with advantage to Black.

9.Nf4+

Pretty. 

9...Kd8 10.d3 Qd4+ 

Reversing roles: It is White's turn to decide if he should offer the b-pawn, with Be3.

11.Be3 Qxb2 12.Nd5 Nge7 

Black decides not to take two Rooks, with 12...Qxa1 13.Nbc3 Qxh1, since with 14.Qf7, White would have a mate-in-six.

13.Bg5 Qxa1 14.Bf6 

This Bishop fork was enough to cause Black to resign.

Possibly the clock was at play here, as Black now has the pin 14...Rf8, after which White's best followup might well be 15.Qh6 (or 15.Qg5), when 15...Rxf6 16.Nxf6 Ng6 17.Nxh7 Qd4+ 18.Ke1 would lead to a dynamically equal position.

Jerome Gambit: Giddyap! (Part 1)

 

As I mentioned earlier (see "The Jerome Gambit Rides Again?!"), I have gotten involved in "new, weekly, weekend, casual play at the local library".

Today, I was back again, and this time I was able to play a Jerome Gambit.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

I have played well over 500 Jerome Gambits online, but this was the first time that I played an over-the-board game with a human.

My opponent was already looking at me with wariness.

I told him that back in the '40s, the opening was known as the Ashcan Opening. Someone pointed out that I probably wasn't playing chess in the '40s. I agreed, with a smile: I started playing in the '50s - which is actually the decade when the Ashcan (aka the Headless Chicken) Opening was played. How soon we forget!

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 

Played with a face full of suspicion, figuring that he had already "fallen into it".

He probably would not have felt any better if the game had gone, instead, 5...Ke6 6.Qg4+!? Kxe5 7.d4+!? Bxd4 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+, etc. See Wall, Bill - Guest4105968, PlayChess.com, 2018, (1/2-1/2, 50).

6.Qh5+ 

Ah, yes, How soon we forget.

Correct was 6.Nxc6, as in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25); and perrypawnpusher - zsilber, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2-1/2, 42).  

After the game, Stockfish 16.1 agreed. Of course, in the earlier games I was getting post-game advice from the Rybka engine. 

As I ruminated over a dozen years ago in "Don't Drive Like My Brother" 

At the time that I played this move, I knew that the "right" choice was 6.Nxc6, since either 6...dxc6 or 6...bxc6 would allow White to play 7.Qh5+ followed by capturing the Bishop; for example, as in perrypawnpusher - rodrigojalpa, blitz, FICS, 2008 (1-0, 25) and Wall,B - Qwerty, chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 9). 

Looking at 6.Nxc6 now, I still think that it is best for White, but I wanted to point out two untested responses that might surprise the first player. 

a) 6...Bxf2+ (as long as Black is going to lose this piece, he decides to get a pawn for it) 7.Kxf2 Qf6+ 8.Qf3 Qxc6 (avoiding doubled c-pawns) when White is a bit better. He has to be careful because of the loose pawn on c2 and the King and Queen being on the same file (vulnerable to ...Ne7 and ...Rf8). 

Black also has the untried counter-attackingb) 6...Qh4, (which I mentioned about 3 years ago in this blog) may be better than the capture of the Knight at c6, as well. White's best response is 7.d4, and after 7...Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 Bb6 material is even, i.e. 10.Nb4 Bxd4.

I think that White may have a tiny edge after 11.Nd5, and he may have better chances with his Kingside pawn majority as opposed to Black's Queenside pawn majority; but, in reality, Black's two Bishops probably balance all that out.

6...Kf8

In light of my two 6th move recommendations for Black, I have to say that this was the move that got Black into hot water, not 5...Ke8.

After the recommended 6...g6, White has the thematic 7.Nxg6, but, again, things are far from rosy for him – unless he is faced with 7...hxg6, when White plays 8.Qxh8 with advantage, as in Petasluk - Trasimene, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 18).

Black takes a step forward by interjecting 7...Nf6, so that after 6...g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qxc5 he can then grab the Knight at g6 with 8...hxg6. White has three pawns for his sacrificed piece, but Fritz 8 is pretty stubborn about giving Black a slight edge.

The biggest challenge to White's 7th move Knight sac at g6, however, is 7...Bxf2+ – followed, in due course, by ...Nf6 and then the capture of the White Knight, e.g. 8.Kxf2 Nf6 (much better than the 8...Qf6+ of  Hultgren,R - Harrow, Campbell, CA 1960 and Blackstone - Dommeyer, skittles game, California, USA 1960 [1-0, 13] ) 9.Qh4 Rg8. White's Knight cannot retreat and will be lost (10.Nf4 Nxe4+). 

It may be that White should refrain from sacrificing his Knight, and meet 6...g6 with 7.Nxc6 (anyhow), although after 7...gxh5 8.Nxd8 Kxd8 he has to hope that he can gather in one (or both) of the h-pawns in order to reach equality.

Which is a long way of saying that while 6.Nxc6 leads to "only" an even game, that's still  a better outcome than can be expected after 6.Qh5+.

6...g6 

A long time ago, a couple of opponents folded easily

6...Kf8 7.Qf7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - platel, blitz, FICS, 2011; and 

6...Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.Nxc6+ Kf6 10.Qf5 checkmate, Kennedy - WeakDelphi (computer), 2 12 blitz, 2008. 

7.Nxg6 Bxf2+ 

Wow! If only I had read my own blog (see above, "The biggest challenge..."), then this wouldn't have come as a surprise...

I have faced 7...Qf6, in perrypawnpusher - schachix, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 10) and perrypawnpusher - m2mkiss, Giuoco Piano Game, Chess.com, 2023 (1-0, 18).

[to be continued]