Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Jerome Gambit: Full Stop


I have just completed my first Jerome Gambit game in the ongoing "Italian Battleground" tournament at Chess.com (3 days / move). It was one of those not infrequent games that was very interesting - until it suddenly ended.

(For the record, it was a win for me.)

perrypawnpusher - Abhishek29
"Italian Battleground" tournament, Chess.com, 2018

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



4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6



I have always been glad to see this move, as it seems to me to be based upon common sense - block the check, keep the Black King off of the back rank to facilitate castling-by-hand, remove the Knight from danger, return one of the two sacrificed pieces, and be ready to kick the White Queen with ...d6 - which suggests that the defender is figuring the opening out as he goes along, rather than having studied an ultra-sharp line to strike back with (although 6...Ng6 can still be considered one of the "refutations" of the Jerome Gambit).

I was therefore surprised to see, after checking with The Database, that out of 127 games of mine that have reached this position, I scored 79% - versus the overall 82% that I scored in 318 games with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+.

More research with The Database led to more surprises.

Against the sharper 6...Ke6 - which usually means either that Black is unfamiliar with the Jerome Gambit and wants to hang on to every bit of his material (good for me), or that he is ultra-familiar with the Jerome, and has a nasty "surprise" in store for me (not so good) - I scored 85% in 78 games.  

Even moreso, against 6...g6 - either a reflex block by Black of the Queen check (good for me) or a segue into the Blackburne Defense (mixed; how much does my opponent know about Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884?), where I have scored 85% in 13 games, or Whistler's Defense ("objectively" very scary), where I have scored 83% in 3 games - I have done better than average: 89% in 46 games.

The biggest trouble I have had, in terms of main Jerome Gambit opening lines, has been with 6...Kf8, where I scored only 77% in 33 games. (The Four Knights versions have given me similar trouble: the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit has scored 78% for me in 58 games, while the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit has scored 74%.)

Now, with a caution concerning the above - Your mileage may vary - back to my recent game.

7.Qd5+ 

The "nudge". Good enough for Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, good enough for me. White uses a move go give Black a chance to spend some time puzzling over Why?. If Black is going to castle-by-hand, he will have to give the move back, anyhow, with ...Kf7.

7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O Qe7



Black's pieces put pressure on White's center. If only he could ...0-0, his advantage would be very clear.

On the other hand, a Black Queen on the e-file, in front of her King, is a signal for White to play Nc3 (with the idea of Nd5), and to think about opening the e-file with a Rook aiming at the royal couple.

11.Nc3 Rf8

Thinking about artificial castling on the Kingside.

Another plan was seen in perrypawnpusher - Vaima01, Chess.com, 2012, which is worth showing again: 11...Be6 12.f4 Bf7 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc6 15.Qd3 Kd7 16.e5 Ne8 17.e6+ Bxe6 18.fxe6+ Kd8 19.d5 Ne5 20.Qf5 h6 21.Bf4 Rf8 22.Qh3 Rf6 23.Ne4 Rf8 24.Bxe5 dxe5 25.Qg3 Nf6 26.Qxe5 Nxe4 27.Qxe4 Qc5+ 28.Kh1 Ke7 29.Rf7+ Rxf7 30.exf7+ Kxf7 31.Qe6+ Kf8 32.Rf1+ Qf2 Black resigned.

12.f4 Ng4 

Black tucked his King away in an earlier game: 12...Kf7 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Neg4 15.Qe2 Kg8 16.h3 Nh6 17.Bxh6 gxh6 18.e5 dxe5 19.dxe5 Qc5+ 20.Kh1 Nd5 21.Qh5 Nxc3 22.bxc3 Qxe5 23.Rae1 Qf6 24.Re3 Bxf5 25.Ref3 Qe6 26.Rxf5 Rxf5 27.Qxf5 Qxf5 28.Rxf5 Rd8 29.Rb5 Rd2 30.Rxb7 Rxc2 31.Rxa7 Rxc3 32.a4 Rc1+ 33.Kh2 Ra1 34.Rxc7 Rxa4 35.Rd7 Ra2 36.Re7 drawn, perrypawnpusher - chingching, FICS, 2011

The text move illustrates the atraction of attacking White's wayward and overactive Queen. "Objectively" it is not best, as it leads to a relatively balanced game, but it reminded me of a series of unfortunate games I played against a difficult opponent (see "Nemesis") - and one particular game (see below).

13.Qg3 Nf6 

Black retreats the Knight. I wondered for a moment: What if I played 14.Qe3? Would he play 14...Ng4, agreeing that the position had leveled out? I didn't think so.

Besides, I was heartened by the gift of two tempii, especially after my recent blog post about some lines of the Jerome Gambit being one tempo away from being playable.

To mention, a few years ago I had faced two alternative ideas:

13...Bd7 14.f5 N6e5 15.d4 d5 16.Nxd5 Qd6 17.dxe5 Nxe5 18.Bf4 Qc5+ 19.Kh1 Nf7 20.Nxc7+ Ke7 21.Nxa8 Rxa8 22.Bg5+ Ke8 23.c3 Bc6 24.Rae1 h6 25.Be3 Qc4 26.Qxg7 Bxe4 27.Qg8+ Kd7 28.Qxa8 Qc6 29.Rd1+ Kc7 30.Bf4+ Kb6 31.Qg8 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - obturator, FICS, 2012; and

13...Nxf4 14.Rxf4 Qe5 15.Rxg4 Bxg4 16.Qe3 Qf6 17.h3 Bd7 18.d4 Rf7 19.Bd2 Kf8 20.Nd5 Qd8 21.Rf1 Rxf1+ 22.Kxf1 Kg8 23.Qg3 Qf8+ 24.Kg1 c6 25.Nc3 Re8 26.Bf4 Re6 27.e5 dxe5 28.Bxe5 Rg6 29.Qe3 Qf5 30.Kh2 Qxc2 31.d5 Qxg2 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, FICS, 2010

14.f5 Ne5 15.d4 Nc4  

I suspect my opponent considered the better move, 15...Nc6, but figured that both moves guarded against White's threat e4-e5, and his choice threatened the pawn at b2 as well. 

16.Bg5

White can play this move, anyhow, because 16...Nxb2 would be answered by 17.e5.

16...h6

Black probably needed to play something more challenging, such as 16...Nh5!? suggested by Stockfish 9 after the game. After 17.Qh4 Qf7 18.e5 White's attack in the center, towards Black's King, will be very strong - but also very complicated, giving the defender chances.

17.Bh4 Bd7 18.Nd5 

White's pieces are causing all sorts of mischief, especially the Knight on d5 (recall the note to move 10!) After 18...Qf7 19.Nxc7+ Kd8 20.Nxa8 Kc8 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.b3 White will be the exchange and 3 pawns ahead. There is too much going on for Black to count on trying to balance things a bit more by grabbing the Knight on a8.

In fact, Black focuses on the upcoming Knight fork at c7, overlooking the Knight's greater threat.

18...Kd8 19.Nxe7 Black resigned

Ouch. Perhaps this is the result of the outside world intruding, providing more important things to think about than defending against the Worst Chess Opening Ever.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Dealing With the "Jerome Pawns"

The following game shows a classic Jerome Gambit matchup between Black's pieces and White's pawns. The defender is doing fine in diagram 3, but quickly destroys his chances with his 9th move. This is a familiar tale: Black needs to be wary if he is unfamiliar with the Jerome.

Wall, Bill - Pelk
PlayChess.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 


The Semi-Italian opening.

4.Nc3 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.Bxf7+ 


The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bd6 9.f4 


White adds another "Jerome pawn" to the center picture. Of course, he could also have played 9.dxe5 Bxe5 10.f4.

9...Nxe4 

What to do? What to do? What to do? Black would be doing fine after the retreat 9...Nc6. He is, after all, ahead two pieces. Instead, his bold move blows up the position.

10.fxe5+ Nf6 11.Nd5 Be7 



Black admits that he will have to give back a second piece. Perhaps he overlooks that there is already a forced checkmate. (Admittedly, it is a mate-in-14, but it is not difficult to work out.)

12.exf6 Bxf6 13.Qh5+ Kg8 14.Nxf6+ gxf6 15.Qg6+ Kf8 16.Rxf6+ Black resigned


Friday, March 2, 2018

LAPOC

Just bumped into the website LAPOC - Learn and Play Online Chess, where players are encouraged to "Trip up your opponent with a clever gambit".

Examples are given such as:

"Fry White's Liver in the Two Knights Gambit"

"Fried Liver Attack - Drag the Black King to the Center"

"Counter Attack White with the Dangerous Wilkes-Barre"


Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The Jerome Gambit: The Eternal Question of Draws

When you play a wild and crazy opening with White like the Jerome Gambit, are you willing to settle for a draw? When you defend against such a reckless attack with Black, will you be happy splitting the point? Is a draw winning or losing a half point?

These questions are spurred by the following game. 

Wall, Bill - Guest2236463
PlayChess, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 


4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qf6 8.Qc5 


White avoids the threatened ...Nf3+, winning his Queen.

8...Qe7 9.Qd5+ Qe6 10.Qc5 Nc6 


Black decides, at least for the time being, to avoid a draw by repetition. That is reasonable, as he has an "objectively" won positioni.

11.f3 d6 12.Qf2 

White always has the option of flipping roles, and challenging Black to become the attacker.

12...Nf6 13. Nc3 Rf8 14. O-O Bd7 15. Be3 Kg8 


16.h3

Come and get me.

16...Rae8 17.Rad1 Ne7 18. Rfe1 a6 19.a3


Attacking has its risks.

19...Nh5 20.f4 Qf7 21.f5 Bc6 22.Bd4 Nf6 


Black has rearranged his pieces, but hesitates to attack.

23.Re3 Nd7 24.Rg3 Ne5 25.Rd2 Kh8 26.Re3


Perhaps spurred by the clock, perhaps by nerves, Black now decides to go for the draw.

26...Nc4 27.Rg3 Ne5 28.Re3 Nc4 29.Rg3 Ne5


Drawn

Fascinating...

Monday, February 26, 2018

Jerome Gambit: Old Friends

The following game has a line of play that brings together "old friends" along the way to White's victory.

Wall, Bill - Guest901255
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 


The Semi-Italian opening. Black wants to keep a knight off of g5, even at the cost of a tempo and the possible weakening of his Kingside.

4.O-O Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ 


The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. (Welcome, Knights.)

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bxd4 9.Qxd4 d6 


I think I have been in this position almost 20 times. More to the point, Bill has been here several times as well.

10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 Rf8 12.Bd2 Kg8 13.Rae1 Bd7 14.Rf3 


"Jerome pawns"? Check.
Backed by White's two Rooks? Check.
Black castles-by-hand? Check.

14...Nb4

Impetuous attack on the White Queen? Check. (Oh, how we have missed you.)

15.Qc4+ d5 16.Qxb4 dxe4 17.Nxe4 Nxe4 18.Qxe4 


White is a pawn ahead. The opposite-colored Bishops hint at a possible drawn endgame - but in the current middle game they will benefit the attacker.

18...Bc6 19.Qe6+ Kh8 20.Rd3 Qf6 21.Qxf6 Rxf6 22.Re7


22...Rc8

Black does not want to give up another pawn, but this move allows White to put deadly pressure on g7.

23.Rg3 Bd5 24.Rgxg7 Be4 25.Bc3 Black resigned



Saturday, February 24, 2018

Back in the Battle Again

Medieval Knight Clipart   Clipart Panda   Free Clipart Images

I have signed up for the 24-player "Italian Battleground" tournament at Chess.com with hopes that after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 at least a few of my opponents (we are in groups of 6 and play 5 games simultaneously) will play 3...Bc5, allowing me to unleash the Jerome Gambit.

Curiously, I have Black in all 5 of my games to start. Perhaps that will allow me to keep my Jerome Gambit plans under cover for a while.

(So far I have won one of my games, but my opponent played 3...Nf6 in our second game. No Jerome Gambit, here.)

Of course, I will share my Jeromes as they are completed.


Thursday, February 22, 2018

Jerome Gambit Discovery: Success? Not Really

I was wandering the internet the other day, looking for some Jerome Gambit references that were new to me, when I decided to visit the ChessBase Live Database.

There I found the game Fejfar, Vlastimil - Chvojka, Jaroslav, CZE-Cup32 final email ICCF, 2015 which did not appear in The Database.

Success!

Not really, as you will see.

Of course, Vlastimil Fejfar is familiar to readers of this blog - see "Correspondence Play Parts 1, 2, and 3", "Climbing Sněžka" and "A Fierce Jerome Gambit Battle" for starters.

But I think there is something mixed up in the ChessBase Live Database...

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Ke7 



The first clue that something might be amiss. The Database has 44 games with this position, out of 13,090 games starting 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+. That turns out to be about 1/3 of 1% - a very rare move, indeed!

Of course, Black might be "experimenting", too, but it seems unlikely that he would turn his "won" game after White's move to a slightly worse game after his own move. 

5.Nxe5

Suspicious. White would have a comfortable "pull" after either 5.Bxg8 or 5.Bb3. I could see this move in a lightning game... maybe. In a serious correspondence game? No.

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5 

Again, raising eyebrows. Why not the straight-forward 6.Bxg8 Qxg8 7.d4 when 7...Qc4 8.dxc5 Qxe4+ 9.Qe2 Qxe2+ 10.Kxe2 is clearly good.

Feeling adventurous? Then 6.Bb3 was the move, and after 6...Nc6 or 6...Bd4 or 6...Bb6 White could test Stockfish 9's contention that the first player has an edge.

6...d6 

Strangeness from the other side of the board. Black is rated at 2295, and should have seen 6...Bxf2+ 7.Kxf2 Nxf7, with a better game, easily. 

7.Qh3

No, I don't think so.

7...Kxf7 

Missing something.

More likely, the "game" is bogus.

8.Qh4 

No. Not even blindfolded.

8...Qe7

Consistent, but absurd.

9.Qxe7+ Nxe7

And Black went on to win - in whatever alternate universe the battle was fought.

10.h3 Be6 11.d3 Rhf8 12.Ke2 Kg8 13.Be3 Nc4 14.d4 Rae8 15.e5 b5 16.dxc5 b4 17.Kd3 Rb8 



Very strange, indeed.

I went to ICCF website, looked up the event, and studied the crosstable: Fejfar came in 2nd to Chvojka, with 20.5 points to his opponent's 21.5. When I downloaded the PGN file of what appeared to be the game, however, it had only the outcome, not the moves.

I checked my copy of ChessBase's Big Database and could not find the game.

Another blow to the argument "But I saw it on the internet!"

(Years ago, when chess game databases began to proliferate, publishers were known to "seed" their databases with imaginary games, the better to use them as markers to show if others - publishers, players - later copied their work. I suppose that is one possibility, here.)