Only Pieces of the Puzzle

If a chess game is like a puzzle, the following contest shows that my opponent and I could find only pieces of it, never quite putting together the full picture.


perrypawnpusher - richiehill
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+

Last year my opponent tried his hand with this opening and scored quickly: 6.Ng5+ Ke7 7.d4 exd4 8.Nd5+ Nxd5 9.exd5 Kd6 10.Nf7+ Black resigned, richiehill - SullenKhan, FICS, 2009.

He also had a successful go with the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, richiehill - PlatinumKnight, FICS, 2009.

6...Nxe5 7.d4

7...Nxe4

An interesting defensive idea that I've looked at in "Nothing Much Happened" and "Navigating On One's Own".

Most often seen is 7...Bxd4 and best is 7...Bd6.


My opponent once tried 7...Bb4 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxe4 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 d5 12.Qf4+ Kg8 13.0-0 c6 14.Qg3 Bf5 15.Bg5 Qd7 16.f4 Bxc2 17.Qe3 Bf5 18.Rf3 Re8 19.Rg3 g6 20.Bf6 Kf7 21.Bxh8 Rxh8 22.Qd4 Re8 23.Qxa7 Be4 24.Qe3 Kg8 25.Rg5 Rf8 26.Rf1 Ra8 27.c4 Rxa2 28.cxd5 cxd5 29.Qb3 Rc2 30.Re1 h6 31.Rg3 Qc6 32.Rxe4 Rc1+ 33.Kf2 Rc2+ 34.Re2 Qc5+ 35.Rge3 Rxe2+ 36.Kxe2 Black resigned, jfhumphrey - richiehill, FICS, 2009.

8.Nxe4 Bb4+

This is actually better than either 8...Bxd4 (yorgos -josephjorkens, FICS, 2009, [1-0,45]), 8...Be7 (perrypawnpusher - sdockray, blitz, FICS, 2010 [1-0, 28] or 8...Bb6 (perrypawnpusher - BallsOfFire, blitz, FICS, 2010, [aborted by adjudication, 9]).

9.c3 d5

10.Ng5+ Kg6

The King would be safer at g8. 

11.dxe5 Bc5

Since Black removes a piece from danger and points it at f2, it is not immediately clear that this move makes his situation worse. 

After the game Rybka suggested 11...h6 12.Nh3 Bxh3 13.gxh3 Bc5 14.Rg1+ Kh7 15.Qd3+ Kg8 16.Be3 Bxe3 17.Qxe3 c6 18.0-0-0 Qe7 when White is stll better, but his advantage is less than after the text.

12.h4

I was so happy with the "boldness" of this move that it took me a while to realize that I had actually moved the wrong pawn.

After 12.g4, Black has no time for 12...h6, as 13.Qd3+ Bf5 14.Qxf5 is mate. His best defense, 12...Qf8, still would lose a piece to 13.Qc2+ and after 13...Bf5 White can even throw in the gnarly 14.h4! just to see if Black is paying attention.

  



analysis diagram







Of course, if Black now takes the Queen it is 15.h5 mate. However, after 14...h5 the King is okay for the moment, and White has to settle with winning the Bishop after all with 15.gxf5+.

12...h5

13.0-0

Rybka prefers 13.Qd3+ but there are still some fireworks left in the position. 

13...Bg4

My opponent understandably guards against dicovered checks.

Again, Rybka, which, after the game, understood more than either richiehill or I did, suggested 13...Bf5. After 14.Qf3 Be7 White has the leap 15.Nf7 which either wins the exchange or, after 15...Kxf7 16.Qxf5+ Kg8 allows White to build the pressure with 17.Bg5.

analysis diagram







14.Qd3+ Bf5 15.Qg3 Bg4

Again, the Bishop shields the King. Against what? Rybka gives a peek: if instead 15...Qe7, then 16.Bf4 Rhf8 17.Ne4+ Kh7 18.Bg5 Bxe4 19.Bxe7 Bxe7 and White has won the Queen for two pieces.

16.Be3

Still worrying about that Bishop on c5!

It turns out that there was another Knight leap available to White: 16.Ne6 Qe7 17.Nxc5 Qxc5 18.Be3 Qe7 19.f3 and the shield (Black's Bishop) has become the target!

16...Qe7 17.f4

Hoping to get something going by advancing the "Jerome pawns", but Black's heroic Bishops can again thwart much of that with 17...Bxe3+ 18.Qxe3 Bf5.

17...c6

Taking a breath to shore up his position, Black lets the pawn distract the powerful prelate...

18.f5+ Bxf5

If 18...Kh7 then 19.f6 rips the position open. The text move finally allows a discovered check, winning a piece.

19.Ne4+ Black resigned

Here's my plan...

In chess it has been said that from a practical point of view "a bad plan is better than no plan at all". This may be true, but it will more often be the case that "a good plan is better than a bad plan."


perrypawnpusher - walkinthespirit
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

4...Ke7

Possibly played with the idea: If you want me to take the Bishop, then I won't take the Bishop.

5.Bc4

I had forgotten that last year we had contested the same line: 5.Bb3 Nf6 6.Nc3 Na5 7.Nxe5 Nxb3 8.axb3 d6 9.Nf3 Rf8 10.d4 Bb4 11.Bg5 Kf7 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.0-0 Bg4 14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5 Qe6 16.Ng5+ Kg8 17.Nxe6 Bxd1 18.Nxf8 Bxf8 19.Raxd1 Re8 20.Rfe1 Bc5 21.e6 a5 22.Nd5 c6 23.Nc7 Re7 24.Rd7  Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - walkinthespirit, blitz, FICS, 2009.

Earlier still, the idea had been successful for my opponent: 5.Bd5 Nf6 6.Bc4 Nd4 7.Nxe5 Nxe4 8.0-0 Qe8 9.Re1 Nxc2 10.Qxc2 Bxf2+ 11.Kh1 Bxe1 12.Qxe4 Kf8 13.Qxe1 d6 14.Qf1+ Ke7 15.Bf7 Rf8 16.Qe1 Qb5 17.Nc3 Qxe5 18.Nd5+ Kxf7 19.Qf2+ Kg8 20.Qxf8+ Kxf8 21.Ne3 Qf6 22.d3 Qf2 23.b3 Qe1+ 24.Nf1 Qxf1 checkmate, tintagel - walkinthespirit, blitz, FICS, 2008

5...Nf6 6.Nc3 Bxf2+

Again, more psychology, similar to the "Anti-Bill Wall Gambit": Whatever White gets from his sacrifice at f7, Black will now get from his sacrifice at f2.

Of course, what White typically gets from his sacrifice at f7 is a lost game.

Except in this case, Black did not capture the Bishop at f7. I am not going to make the same mistake, so I will be ahead in material.

Still, from a practical point of view, I have already been shown to be vulnerable to psychological attacks, so there is still a little bit of hope for my opponent.

7.Kxf2 Ng4+ 8.Kg1 Rf8 9.h3 d6

Counting on the attack at f3 to regain material, but this is a mistake.

10.hxg4 Bxg4 11.d3 Nd4

This is Black's plan: look at the concentration of forces on my King's Knight.

12.Bg5+

This is what my opponent missed.

12...Kd7 13.Bxd8

I suppose that it is being picky to point out that Rybka preferred 13.Nxe5+ dxe5 14.Qxg4+ first snaring a pawn, followed by capturing the Queen. 

13...Nxf3+ 14.gxf3 Bxf3 15.Qf1 Raxd8

Black has some uncomfortable pressure against my King and Kingside, but, after all, I am up a piece and a Queen...

16.Qh3+ Kc6 17.Bd5+ Kc5 18.Rh2 Rf6 19.Rf2 Rg6+

20.Kf1 Rf8

Black keeps pressing. He has to. He is facing checkmate in a dozen or so moves.

21.Ke1

Once again (see "Idées Fixes et Manqués"), I start missing checkmates. If I had found 21.Qd7 (not that difficult to discover) then whatever loss of material I would have experienced on the Kingside would have been meaningless. 

21...Rh6 22.Qxh6

Coming to my senses. Although the proper move was still 22.Qd7 the text is a reasonable choice: by giving up my Queen for a Rook and a Bishop, I put an end to my opponent's aggression once and for all.

22...gxh6 23.Kd2 h5 24.Raf1 h4 25.Rxf3 Rxf3 26.Rxf3

Now the game winds down to its inevitable conclusion.

26...c6 27.Bb3 b5 28.Rh3 a5 29.a3 a4 30.Ba2 b4 31.axb4+ Kxb4 32.Rxh4 a3 33.bxa3+ Kxa3 34.Rh6 Black resigned

The Anti-Bill Wall Gambit

Bill Wall may be the strongest human (2200+ USCF) playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) on the internet. He has been contributing games to this blog, and his latest is more unusual than his usual unusual...

Wall,B - Buster
Chess.com, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.f4 Bf2+

Since the only other game that I have in the updated New Year's Database with 7...Bf2+ is Wall - Equa, Chess.com, 2010, I'm tempted to title it the "anti-Bill Wall gambit"!

The whole notion of ...B(x)f2+ seems to be "backatcha": Black says I really don't know what you're planning on getting out of that Bishop sac at f7, but whatever it is, here's the same thing back at you!

Of course, the irony is that from an objective point of view, what the Jerome Gambiteer gets out of that Bishop sac at f7 is "a lost game" so he is usually delighted for Black to offer to claim that outcome back for himself.

8.Kxf2

In all fairness to Buster, he would still have an uncomfortable edge in the game if he now played 8...Nc6.

Instead, he returns a Knight, and then a Rook.

8...g6 9.Qxe5+ Kf7 10.Qxh8 Qh4+ 11.g3

and White won

Idées Fixes et Manqués

The following game shows that I have not yet conquered the underlying ambivalence that I have for playing gambits, as mentioned in "More Than Seen At First Glance (Part 1)" and worried about elsewhere (see "Nothing Happened"): once I have "escaped" to an even position, my brain gets stuck on "play safe!" and "simplify!" I overlook many other options in play...

perrypawnpusher  - vlas
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ Ke7

I have met this move before (see "Jedi Mind Tricks", "Jedi Mind Tricks / Rematch", "Sith Still and Don't Move", "Never Mind" and "Platinum Mind Tricks". ), and whatever advantages it has are slight and purely psychological.

So it is embarassing to see how effective it is in this game.

In the past my opponent had captured the Bishop, with mixed results: 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 (5...Ke7 6.Qh5 g6 7.Nxg6+ hxg6 8.Qxh8 Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 Qe8 11.b3 Kd8 12.Bb2 Be7 13.Qxe8+ Kxe8 14.Bxa1 d6 15.d4 Bd7 16.Nd2 Rd8 17.h4 Kf7 18.h5 gxh5 19.Rxh5 Bg4+ 20.f3 Bxh5 21.Ke2 c5 22.g3 cxd4 23.Bxd4 Bf6 24.Bxa7 Re8 25.Kd3 Bg6 26.f4 d5 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - vlas, blitz, FICS, 2009) 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 (7...Nxc2+ 8.Kf1 Nxa1 9.Nxh8+ Ke7 10.Qe5 checkmate, simplyknight - vlas, FICS, 2009) 8.Qxh8 Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 Qf6 11.Qc4 Bd6 12.f3 a6 13.Nc3 b5 14.Qd3 c5 15.Nd5 Qg5 16.g3 c4 17.Qb1 Nb3 18.axb3 cxb3 19.d4 Qh5 20.Nf6+ Black resigned, brazucanl - vlas, FICS, 2010.

5.Bc4

White is a pawn up, and Black's King is awkwardly placed and possibly at risk.

5...d6

6.d3 Bg4

This is "business as usual" and is therefore risky. Necessary was 6...Nxf3+.

7.Bg5+

A silly move, as it it highly unlikely that my opponent will blunder with his response by moving his King and allowing me to capture his Queen. He'll just block the check with his Knight.

Wait a minute! What if White plays 7.Bxg8, eliminating the interfering Knight, first, and then checks the King?

Ooops.

7...Nf6 8.Nbd2 h6 9.Bxf6+ gxf6 10.c3 Nxf3+ 11.Nxf3 a6

12.h3 Bh5 13.g4 Bg6 14.Nh4 Bh7 15.f4 b5 16.Bb3 exf4 17.Qf3 Kd7 18.Qxf4 Kc8 19.Rf1 Bg7

Another example of "Nothing Happened" disguised as strategic play. (White has tamed the "two Bishops" though.)

20.Nf5 Qf8

This costs another pawn. Black had to swap the Knight off with 20...Bxf5.

21.Nxg7 Qxg7 22.Qxf6 Qg6

An incomprehensible move which may have been a mouse-slip for an intended 22...Qxf6.

23.Qxg6

??????

Swap those Queens, keep the game safe... 

The game would have been immensely safer if I had just taken the Rook on h8.

I tell you, it makes me think of "Jedi Mind Tricks" all over again...

23...Bxg6 24.Rf6 Be8 25.Kd2 Kb7 26.Raf1 Bc6 27.Rf7 a5 28.Re7 a4 29.Bc2 a3 30.b3 d5 31.Rff7 Rac8

Despite my uneven play, I have a battery on the 7th that should lead to a win.

32.e5 Be8 33.Rf6 Rd8 34.d4 h5 35.Bf5

Adequate, but too safety-minded. Releasing another "Jerome pawn" with 35.g5 Rg8 36.h4 seems more to the point. 

35...hxg4 36.Bxg4 Bh5 37.Bxh5 Rxh5 38.Rf3 Rdh8 39.Ref7

Lamely acquiescing to the loss of a pawn, which brings the game closer to a draw. Certainly stronger was 39.Rff7 Rc8 40.Rh7, keeping the h-pawn.

39...Rxh3 40.Ke3 Rh2 41.Rf2 Rh1 42.e6 Re8 43.e7 Ra1 44.Kd3 Rb1 45.Re2 Rb2

In some endgame positions this kind of a maneuver is deadly. Here, it should just lead to the exchange of Rooks and the loss of a pawn. 

46.Rf8 Rxe7

Likely an over-appreciation of his coming advanced passed a-pawn. Best was 46...Rxe2.

47.Rxe7 Rxa2 48.Rff7 Rb2

Down a Rook, a resourceful Black appears to have manufactured counterplay and perhaps a draw.

Actually, White now has a mate in 7 moves, but I could not find it. With the clock ticking, again and again I could not find the checkmate and I eventually had to fall in with vlas' plans.

49.Rxc7+ Kb6 50.Ra7

The game would end with 50.Rce7 Ka5 (50...a2 51.Re6+ Ka5 52.Ra7#; 50...Rd2+ 51.Kxd2 b4 52.Rf6 etc as in the main line) 51.Rf6 b4 52.Ra7+ Kb5 53.c4+ dxc4 54.bxc4 checkmate. 

50...a2 51.Rfb7+ Kc6 52.b4 a1Q 53.Rc7+ Kb6 54.Rcb7+ Kc6 55.Rc7+ Kb6 56.Rcb7+ Kc6

I was horrified that I had not been able to win, a Rook up; at this point I was seriously considering forcing the draw out of fear that I had actually acheived a worse position.

Part of this was time pressure, but part of this was the bad mind set induced by 4...Ke7. Strange chess psychology. Amazing! 

57.Rxa1 Kxb7

For all practical purposes, the game is drawn here.

Having embarassed myself from here to Sheboygan, however, I decided to give the game one more try.

58.Re1 Rf2 59.Re7+ Kc6 60.Re6+ Kd7

Here is the last opportunity that my opponent gave me, one I wasn't going to overlook. (I am reviewing GM Nigel Davies' 10 Great Ways to Get Better at Chess, and, not surprisingly, #2 is "Study the endgame".)

61.Rb6 Rf3+ 62.Kc2 Rf2+ 63.Kb3 Rf1 64.Rxb5 Kc6 65.Rc5+ Kd6 66.b5

The plan.

66...Rb1+ 67.Ka4 Ra1+ 68.Kb4 Rb1+ 69.Ka5 Ra1+ 70.Kb6 Rc1 71.Kb7 Re1 72.b6 Re7+ 73.Rc7

73...Re3 74.Kb8 Re8+ 75.Rc8 Re7 76.b7 Re1 77.Rd8+ Kc6 78.Kc8 Re7 79.b8Q Re8

A cute move: if now 80.Rxe8 it is stalemate.

On the other hand, 80.Qb7 is mate.

80.Qc7+ Kb5 81.Rxe8 Ka6 82.Kd7 Kb5 83.Rb8+ Ka6 84.Qb6 checkmate

Finally. Another game made much more difficult by my inability to see checkmate. I guess I know what I need to study more of.

Feeling Lucky

A couple of months ago I faced a defense similar to the one played in today's game. When I annotated that older effort for this blog, I suggested an improvement for White, should anyone ever pass that way again.

The suggestion quickly proved its worth.

perrypawnpusher - gmann
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.

6.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Ng6

This move is a bit unusual, but still keeps Black's advantage. How nice to be two pieces up!

9.dxc5 Re8 10.f4

This is a move that I suggested in my notes to perrypawnpusher - richardachatz, blitz, FICS, 2010, as an alternative to 10.Re1, to be tried if one were "feeling lucky".

10...Nxe4

All right! 

Anyone who plays the Jerome Gambit regularly is familiar with the negative "halo effect" that affects some skeptical opponents. They think: If White blunders so badly in the opening, he is going to blunder throughout the game. So any move that appears bad, must be bad.  

11.Nxe4 Rxe4 12.Qd5+ Re6 13.f5

This should leave White ahead the exchange. Black's next move, hoping to dislodge the pinning Queen, only makes matters worse.

13...c6 14.fxe6+ Kg8 15.e7+

15...cxd5 16.exd8Q+ Kh7 17.b4

Preparing to put the Bishop on b2, when the attack on g7 will become overwhelming.

17...b6 18.cxb6 Bb7 19.Qxd7 Ba6 20.Bb2 Rg8 21.Rf7 Black resigned

I don't know that I will have any future success with 10.f4, but I will play it again – when I am feeling lucky.