The Killing Blow (Part 2)

Yesterday (see "The Killing Blow (Part 1)") we saw how well-timed carelessness can turn a simple walk in the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) park into a nightmare.

Picking up the action in perrypawnpusher - KenWhitaker, blitz 6 12, FICS, 2010:

17...b6

KenWhitaker had a wild idea that he wanted to add to my misery.

18.Bxh6

This is the move that I had been dreaming up. It doesn't save White, but it complicates things enough to allow for an escape.

18...Ba6

Winning the exchange.

Still, Black should have stayed with the program: 18...gxh6 19.Qg3+ Ng4 20.hxg4 Bb7 21.Qd3 Qg5 22.g3 Ng6 when White's two extra pawns do not balance out Black's extra piece. 

analysis diagram






19.Qg3

There is no time to save the Rook on f1 – and no need.

19...Nh5

Black's other defensive try was 19...Qe7. White can scramble to keep things busy: 20.Rf2 Nh7 21.Nd5 Qd7 22.Qxh4 gxh6 23.Rf6 and White is holding his own in the mess.

analysis diagram






20.Qg4 Bxf1 21.Rxf1

I imagine about now my opponent was thinking, even as his clock ticked on: What does a defender have to do to win this game?? White is down a Rook! What are my Knights doing over there? Can't I get rid of that annoying Bishop?

21...Re6

Oh, no!!

A Rook move was the right idea, but not that one. 

After 21...Rf8 22.Rxf8+ Qxf8 23.Qxh4 Qf6 24.Qxf6 Nxf6 25.Bg5 White's Knight and two pawns would be a match for Black's Rook.

analysis diagram







22.Qxe6+

22...Kh7 23.Be3 Nf6 24.Bg5 Ng6 25.Bxf6 gxf6

White's advantage is much greater than a few pawns.

26.Rxf6 Nf8

The final let down.

27.Qf7+ Black resigned

Who was it that said "Good luck is better than a license to steal"?

The Killing Blow (Part I)

It is annoying to play a familiar opening line – only to slip and end up in grave danger. There is little margin for error in any variation of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

While I awaited the killing blow, I consoled myself with something IM Gary Lane wrote in one of his "Opening Lanes" columns at ChessCafe:

It is always fun to find an opening which can cause confusion with something unusual. The psychological impact can be huge and the hapless opponent is obliged to consume large amounts of time coping with the new situation.

ICCF Senior IM Tim Harding was equally philosophical in one of his "The Kibitzer" columns, also at ChessCafe

One of Black's (psychological) problems is that... looks so obviously unsound that it is hard to decide which "refutation" to adopt. Psychologically, opponents often don't play in a stable and rational way when they believe their game is won from a very early stage and they tend to underestimate their opponents

Lane and Harding were not writing specifically about the Jerome Gambit, but they could have been.

perrypawnpusher  - KenWhitaker
blitz 6 12, FICS, 2010

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

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6

Counting this game, I have had this position 10 times, and scored 9 1/2 points. I was feeling comfortable, while my opponent was already eating into his time.

8.Qd5+

It is, of course, possible to capture the Bishop directly with 8.Qxc5, (see RomanDurdis - ifufocop, FICS, 2005, abhailey - cumelen,mm Open Fast #1, net-chess.com, 2008 and Black Puma - TWODOGS, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009) but I prefer the "nudge" to give my opponents more to think about.

8...Ke8

Alternatives: 8...Kf8 9.Qxc5+ d6 (9...N8e7 10.Nc3 b6 11.Qe3 Bb7 12.f4 d5 13.f5 d4 14.fxg6+ Kg8 15.Qf4 dxc3 16.Qf7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - sarBear, blitz FICS, 2009) 10.Qe3 N8e7 11.d4 Kg8 12.Nc3 Kh7 13.f4 Rf8 14.f5 Nh8 15.g4 Kg8 16.g5 hxg5 17.Qxg5 Nf7 18.Qg3 Nc6 19.f6 g5 20.Bxg5 Nxg5 21.Qxg5+ Kf7 22.Qg7+ Ke6 23.d5+ Ke5 24.Qg3+ Kd4 25.Qd3+ Ke5 26.Qg3+ Kd4 27.Qd3+ Ke5 28.Qg3+ Kd4 29.Qd3+ Ke5 30.Qg3+ Kd4 31.Qd3+ Ke5 32.Qg3+ Kd4 draw,  perrypawnpusher - pascalwilliams, blitz FICS, 2007; and
 
8...Kf6 9.Qf5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ Ke8 11.f4 d6 12.Qe3 Qf6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qg3 Qxd4+ 16.Kh1 Kd7 17.Nc3 b6 18.Bf4 Ba6 19.Rad1 Qc5 20.Qxg7+ Ne7 21.e5 Rag8 22.e6+ Kc6 23.Qxe7 Re8 24.Qd7+ Kb7 25.b3 Nd2 26.Bxd2 Bxf1 27.Rxf1 Qd4 28.f6 Rhf8 29.Nb5 Qxd2 30.Qxc7+ Ka6 31.Qxa7+ Kxb5 32.Qd7+ Ka6 33.e7 Qe2 34.Rg1 Rxf6 35.Qxe8 Rf1 36.Qa8+ Kb5 37.e8Q+ Qxe8 38.Qxe8+ Kb4 39.Rxf1 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - episodeninetynine, blitz FICS, 2009.

9.Qxc5 d6

Not quite as good is 9...Qe7, as in 10.Qe3 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 b6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Ba6 15.dxe5 Qxe5 16.Re1 Kf7 17.Qf3 Rhe8 18.Bf4 Qc5+ 19.Be3 Qb5 20.Bd4 Qxb2 21.e5 Nd5 22.e6+ Kg8 23.Qg4 Nxc3 24.Qxg7checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Cibola, blitz FICS, 2009.

Creative alternatives are : 9...b6 10.Qe3 Bb7 11.Nc3 Nf6 12.f4 Qe7 13.d3 d6 14.f5 Nf8 15.Bd2 Kd7 16.Rae1 Re8 17.Qd4 Kc8 18.Qa4 Kb8 19.Nb5 Ba6 20.Qxa6 Qd8 21.Qxa7+ Kc8 22.Qa8+ Kd7 23.Qxd8+ Kxd8 24.Bc3 N8d7 25.Nd4 c5 26.Ne6+ Ke7 27.Nxg7 Reg8 28.Bxf6+ Kxf6 29.Ne6 Re8 30.Re3 b5 31.Rg3 b4 32.Rg6+ Black lost on time, perrypawnpusher - BHAseagull, blitz FICS, 2010; and

9...N8e7 10.f4 d6 11.Qe3 Rf8 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Ng4 14.Qg3 h5 15.h3 Nf6 16.e5 Ne4 17.Qe3 d5 18.f6 gxf6 19.exf6 Nc6 20.Qh6 Rf7 21.Bg5 Nxd4 22.Nc3 Nxg5 23.Qxg5 Ne6 24.Qg8+ Rf8 25.f7+ Ke7 26.Qg6 Qd7 27.Rae1 c6 28.Qf6+ Kd6 29.Qe5+ Ke7 30.Qf6+ Kd6 31.Qe5+ Ke7 32.Qxh5 a6 33.Qg5+ Kd6 34.Qe5+ Ke7 35.Qg7 Kd8 36.Rxe6 Qxe6 37.Qxf8+ Kc7 38.Qe8 Bd7 39.Qxe6 Bxe6 40.f8Q Rxf8 41.Rxf8 b5 42.g4 Kd7 43.Kg2 Ke7 44.Ra8 d4 45.Ne2 b4 46.Rxa6 Bc4 47.Rxc6 Bxe2 48.Kf2 Bb5 49.Rb6 Ba4 50.b3 Bd7 51.Rxb4 Kf6 52.Rxd4 Bb5 53.a4 Be8 54.a5 Kg5 55.Kg3 Bc6 56.a6 Bh1 57.h4+ Kf6 58.a7 Ke5 59.Rd8 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - apinheiro, blitz FICS, 2010.

10.Qe3 Nf6

Or 10...Qf6 11.f4 N8e7 12.Nc3 c6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qd3 b5 16.b3 Nb6 17.Bf4 Nd7 18.Rae1 Qf7 19.Bxd6 Nf6 20.Bxe7 Kxe7 21.e5 Nd5 22.f6+ Kf8 23.fxg7+ Kxg7 24.Rxf7+ Kxf7 25.Qf3+ Ke7 26.Nxd5+ Kd8 27.Qf6+ Kd7 28.Qe7checkmate, perrypawnpusher - saltos, blitz FICS 2009.

Provocative was 10...Ne5 11.d4 Ng4 12.Qg3 N8f6 13.Nc3 Be6 14.h3 Bc4 15.Re1 Qd7 16.hxg4 Nxg4 17.f3 Nf6 18.e5 Nh5 19.exd6+ Kf7 20.Qh2 g6 21.Re7+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka, blitz FICS, 2009

11.d4

Slightly better might have been 11.f4 Qe7 12.d3 d5 13.e5 Nd7 14.Nc3 Nb6 15.Qg3 Nh4 16.Bd2 Nf5 17.Qg6+ Kd8 18.Rae1 Nd4 19.f5 Bxf5 20.Rxf5 Nxf5 21.Qxf5 Rf8 22.Qg4 c6 23.b3 Kc7 24.Bf4 Rae8 25.d4 Qe6 26.Qxg7+ Kb8 27.Na4 Nxa4 28.bxa4 Rxf4 29.Rb1 Rg8 30.Qxb7 checkmate perrypawnpusher - LeifPetersen, blitz FICS, 2010.

11...Kf7 12.f4 Re8 13.Nc3 Kg8

Here we have a familiar type of position: Black has castled-by-hand and brought his Rook to the e-file; while White has his "Jerome pawns" ready to advance.

I've taken about a minute of thinking time; my opponent, a good bit more.

It should be like taking a stroll in my own back yard...

14.f5 Ne7

15.h3

Preparing for g2-g4, but without much thought. Later, Rybka pointed out the right way to accomplish this: 15.Qg3 Kh7 16.Qh4 Rf8 17.Bg5 Qd7 18.Rad1 Qc6 19.Bxf6 Rxf6 20.g4

analysis diagram







Black would still have an edge, but White would have his thematic pawn play.

15...Nxf5

Ouch! The e-pawn is pinned... Even worse would have been: 15...d5, when White would have to give up the exchange, either by 16.e5 Nxf5 17.Rxf5 Bxf5 or (according to Rybka) 16.Qg3 dxe4 17.Bxh6 Qxd4+ 18.Kh1 Nh5 19.Qg5 Nxf5 20.Rxf5 Bxf5 21.Qxh5 Rf8 22.Bf4.

16.Qd3 Nh4

At this point I started using up thinking time. I found a way to complicate things, and made my move. 

17.Bf4

Oh, no! Where did that come from?? That wasn't what I was thinking about at all...

[to be continued]

Throwing Away A Half-Point

Playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against a higher-rated player, I found myself up 2 pawns. I became careful – then careless. I did not play well enough to escape the drawishness of the ending – or poorly enough, either.

perrypawnpusher  - Raankh
blitz FICS, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

7.Qxe5 Qf6

My opponent plays "part" of the Blackburne Defense (see "Half a defense is worse than none at all..." for another example), and then errs.

Curiously, there are 18 games with this position in the updated New Year's Database, with White scoring a lackluster 64%.

Blackburne's Defense called for 7...d6. Whistler's Defense called for 7...Qe7.

8.Qxc5 d6

Black's best is 8...Qe7 9.Qxe7+ Nxe7 when he is simply down two pawns.

An earlier game of mine continued instead: 8...c6 9.Nc3 Nh6 10.0-0 b6 11.Qe3 Ng4 12.Qg3 d6 13.h3 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.b3 Na5 16.Be3 h5 17.f4 h4 18.Qf3 Bb7 19.e5 dxe5 20.fxe5 Qxf3 21.Rxf3+ Ke6 22.Rf6+ Ke7 23.Raf1 Raf8 24.Rxf8 Rxf8 25.Rxf8 Kxf8 26.Bg5 c5 27.d5 Bc8 28.e6 Nb7 29.Ne4 Ke8 30.Kf2 b5 31.c4 bxc4 32.bxc4 Na5 33.Nd6+ Kf8 34.e7+ Kg7 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Saveurking, blitz FICS, 2010.

9.Qc3

I was so excited with my good fortune that I leaped to force the exchange of Queens. I should have recalled one of Bill Wall's recent games: 9.Qxc7+ Black resigned, Wall - Cheesepie, Chess.com, 2010

9...c5 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6

Black has very little compensation for his lost pawns. His only hope is to out-play me – which, to my embarassment, he does. This was not the first time Raankh schooled me (see "Kersplat!").

11.Nc3 Be6 12.d3 h6 13.0-0 Rhf8

This should lose another pawn. Perhaps Raankh was trying to open up a line of attack on my King? It all is guesswork, as I didn't even consider the move 14.Bxh6. Careless!

14.f4 Kg7 15.Bd2 d5 16.exd5 Nxd5 17.Nxd5 Bxd5

I should have been at least a tiny bit suspicious that my opponent was being cooperative with my exchange-down-to-the-extra-pawns strategy.

18.Bc3+ Kh7 19.Rae1 Rae8 20.Rxe8 Rxe8

21.Re1

A mistake: the resulting endgame is notoriously drawn, providing that both players understand the strategy involved (we did).

The only "positive" aspect of the move is that losing my extra pawns – plus another one – will not matter, as the game will remain a draw.

21...Rxe1+ 22.Bxe1 Bxa2

Each player will now post his pawns on the same colored squares as his Bishop, and the enemy pawns will be blockaded. My extra pawn is meaningless. So are the next thirty moves.

23.b3

Losing a pawn, but locking up the Queenside.

23...Bb1 24.Bf2 b6 25.d4 cxd4 26.Bxd4 Bxc2 27.b4 Bd3

I still hoped that my opponent would make a mistake.

28.Kf2 g5 29.g3 Kg6 30.Ke3 Bb1 31.Be5 Kf5 32.Bb8 a6 33.Ba7 b5

34.Bb8 Kg4 35.fxg5 hxg5 36.Bc7 Kh3 37.Kf3 g4+ 38.Ke3 Kxh2

39.Kd4 Kh3 40.Kc5 Bf5 41.Kb6 Bc8 42.Kc6 Bf5 43.Kb6 Bc8

Here my opponent offered me a draw. I declined, because I wanted to try one more thing...

44.Kc6 Bf5 45.Kb7 a5 46.bxa5 b4 47.a6 b3 48.Be5 Be4+ 49.Kb8 b2 50.Bxb2 Kxg3

51.Be5+ Kf3 52.a7 g3 53.Bxg3 Kxg3 54.a8Q Bxa8 Draw

 

The Mysterious kingmaple

In yesterday's post (see "King of the Hill") I mentioned that the player kingmaple had 619 entries in the updated 18,000 game New Year's Database of Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+), and Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3/4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) games – and yet he had not been mentioned previously in any post on this blog.

A closer examination of kingmaple's games shows why: he plays a variation of the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.c3 dxc3 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Qd5+) which can arise, after a fashion, from a "modern" form of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.c3 dxc3 7.Qd5+).

(Of course, Black and White have alternative ways of playing in both the Scotch Gambit and the Jerome Gambit that would not lead to this position.)

In my researching, kingmaple's efforts got scooped up with the other Jerome Gambit and Jerome-ish games.

Readers who find this position interesting and who would like to follow in kingmaple's footsteps can start by checking out two "Kibitzer" columns on the Scotch Gambit (1, 2) by ICCF Senior IM Tim Harding in the Archives at ChessCafe.

King of the Hill

I noticed today that I (perrypawnpusher) have almost 170 Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and related games in the updated New Year's Database.

That's not quite as many as Petasluk (175). We're both getting closer to UNPREDICTABLE (213). 

Still, I have a good way to go before catching drumme (248) and stretto (270). For the time being, Darrenshome (376) and yorgos (534) are out of reach.

I have no idea how kingmaple can have 619 games in the Database and not have been mentioned on this blog (until now).

Of course, we all trail DragonTail, the "king of the hill" with 1,213 games included.

Half a defense is worse than none at all...

Joseph Blackburne's play against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) makes a powerful impression: it is a dangerous opening for White to play, one that may lead to a counter-sacrifice and a scintillating checkmate by Black.

But, it is helpful for those who wish to follow in The Black Death's footsteps to know the whole Blackburne Defense, not just the first few moves or the general idea...

perrypawnpusher  - saltos
blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

Last year our game went: 3...h6 4.0-0 (4.c3 Na5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8 7.Qh5+ Ke7 8.Ng6+ Kd6 9.Qd5 checkmate, Ghandy - saltos, blitz FICS, 2009) Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6 8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qe3 Qf6 11.f4 N8e7 12.Nc3 c6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qd3 b5 16.b3 Nb6 17.Bf4 Nd7 18.Rae1 Qf7 19.Bxd6 Nf6 20.Bxe7 Kxe7 21.e5 Nd5 22.f6+ Kf8 23.fxg7+ Kxg7 24.Rxf7+ Kxf7 25.Qf3+ Ke7 26.Nxd5+ Kd8 27.Qf6+ Kd7 28.Qe7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - saltos, blitz FICS, 2009.

4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

This can be the beginning of the Blackburne Defense, or it can be a knee-jerk reaction by Black to the Queen check.

7.Qxe5 d6

Likewise, this can be Blackburne's brilliant offer of a Rook – or the quick protection of the Bishop on c5, with thought for little else (after all, how can White's opening be any good?).

8.Qxh8 Be6

Okay... It's not Blackburne's Defense, which would continue 8...Qh4.

9.Qxh7+ Kf8 10.Qxg6

White's Queen grabs some pawns – the extra material is nice – while making sure that Her Majesty will not be trapped behind enemy lines.

An alternative: 10.d4 Bxd4 11.Bh6+ Ke8 12.Nc3 Qf6 13.0-0 Bf7 14.Nd5 Qe6 15.Nxc7+ Kd8 16.Nxe6+ Black resigned, Petasluk - cuadriculas, FICS, 2008.

10...Qf6 11.Qxf6+ Nxf6

The exchange of Queens has removed any danger from Black's King, but White is the exchange and four pawns ahead in the late middlegame / early ending.

12.d3 Ke7 13.Be3 Bxe3 14.fxe3 Rf8 15.Rf1

White simply plans to exchange pieces and then get a passed pawn moving – while trying to avoid a blunder.

15...Ng4 16.Rxf8 Kxf8 17.h3 Nxe3 18.Na3 Nxg2+

19.Kf2 Nf4 20.h4 Kg7 21.Rh1

A little beter was 21.Nb5

21...c6 22.Nc4 d5 23.Nd2 dxe4 24.Nxe4 Bd5 25.Kf3 Ne6

26.c4 Nd4+ 27.Ke3 Nf5+ 28.Kf4 Be6 29.Ng5 Bd7 30.Nf3 c5

31.Rg1+ Kh6 32.Ne5 Be6

A slip.

33.Rg6+ Kh5 34.Rxe6 Nxh4 35.Re7

35...Ng2+ 36.Kf3 Nh4+ 37.Ke4 Kg5 38.Nf3+ Nxf3 39.Kxf3 Kf6 40.Rxb7 Black resigned