Improve Your Chess

Readers who have checked the Links on this site (lower right side) have no doubt visited "Bruno's Chess Problem of the Day". The site now has a link to this one, pleasantly placed in the "Improve Your Chess" section. But, of course!

Struggling

I have seen games where a player gives odds of pawn, Knight, Rook or Queen and then wins brilliantly. I do not know how many games where the odds-acceptor's wins have been published. Here is one I gave "Jerome Gambit odds" and lost.


 perrypawnpusher  - pblond
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

Of course, White does not have to sacrifice. He can keep a small edge with 5.c3 d6 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb6 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.h3 0-0.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ke6

I have played this position a number of times. The deeper I get into the game, the more it feels like I am walking through a junkyard, and I keep expecting to see myself amongst the wrecks.

8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.d4 Bxd4

The capture seems best, but has not always been played:

9...Qf6 10.dxe5+ Qxe5 11.Rd1+ (11.Bf4 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - joejox, FICS 2009) 11...Bd4 12.Qf8+ Ke6 13.Qe8+ Kf6 14.Qf8+ Ke6 15.Qe8+ Kf6 draw, perrypawnpusher - Joyus, blitz, FICS, 2007 ;

9...Ne7 10.Qxe5+ Kc6 11.Qxc5 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - GabrielH, blitz, FICS, 2010 & perrypawnpusher - StockholmMoskva, blitz, FICS, 2010.

10.Rd1 c5

A reasonable move, but not actually necessary, as my opponent showed in perrypawnpusher - richardachatz, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2-1/2, 71) by playing 10...Ke7. Remember, Black is two pieces up. In that game I was lucky to swindle my way to a draw.

Also good for Black is 10...Qf6 11.Rxd4+ Ke7.

11.c3 Ne7

12.Qh3

I have played this move successfully before, but I think that 12.Qh5 as in perrypawnpusher - Lakritzl, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 20) and perrypawnpusher - tuffmom, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 26) or 12.Qf4 as in perrypawnpusher - Xasquete, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 46) might be better.

In truth, all still leave White struggling for even equality.

12...Kc7

Stepping out of the pin, although also good for Black was 12...N7g6 as in perrypawnpusher - Repunante, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 17). [Hmmm... doesn't look like I've posted this game here yet - RK]

13.cxd4 cxd4

Or 13...d6 14.Qc3 Nd7 15.dxc5 Nxc5 16.Bf4 b6 17.b4 Kc6 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - tuffmom, blitz, FICS, 2010.

14.Rxd4 d6

perrypawnpusher - Jantra, blitz, FICS, 2010 continued with 14...N7c6 (1-0, 26) Black probably should have played 14...Kb8 first.

15.Qc3+ N7c6 16.Bf4

After the game Rybka recommended 16.f4, giving Black an edge after 16...Nf7 17.Be3 g5

16...Qf6

Black's defense is now solidly in place. He is even threatening to win the exchange after 17.Bg3 Nf3+ 18.gxf3 Qxd4.

17.Bxe5 Qxe5 18.Rc4 Be6

Black is ready to finish up.

19.Qxe5 dxe5 20.Rc1 Rac8 21.b4

Hope springs eternal, but Black is even able to castle-by-hand on the Queenside. White has nothing for his sacrificed piece (the extra pawn is meaningless).

21...Kb8 22.Nd2 Nd4 23.a4 Ne2+ White resigned

Whew! This was a very good game by pblond, and it certainly shows what a struggle the Jerome Gambit can sometimes deliver – for White.

Pathbreaking

Exploring an opening variation has its excitements and its drawbacks. Often it is best, once the end of the trail is reached, to reflect on the path travelled – in case you go that way again.


AMITAF - aditikalpesh
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.f4

Common, but perhaps not best. This move allows Black chances that he does not take advantage of in this game.

6...Bd6

An odd sideline that puts Black at great risk. He needed to play 6...Qh4+ 7.g3 Qh3 with possibilities of infiltrating on the Kingside.

7.c3

Solid.

Next time White can come armed with 7.Qg4+ Kf6 (or 7...Ke7, jamci - tpg, FICS, 2009 [1-0, 26]; Handlangari - PlatinumKnight, FICS, 2007 [1-0, 9] and bushytail - PlatinumKnight, FICS, 2009 [1-0, 9]; or 7...Nf5 8.Qxf5+ Cyberkid - PlatinumKnight, FICS, 2009 [1-0, 8]) 8.Qg5+ wayaut - tomcatx, FICS, 2010 [1-0, 8] and Pandolfl - screaminghead, FICS, 2005 [1-0, 15]

7...Nc6

Lost.

Better: 7...Bxe5 while he has the chance. (Hint: White's best response would be 8.0-0, and he would be worse.)

8.d4

Again, the short cut next time would be 8.Qb3+ Ke7 9.Qf7 checkmate 

8...Nb8

Danger.

Again, 8...Bxe5 was the choice, with White only slightly better.

9.f5+

This leads to White's advantage. 

So, too, would 9.Qb3+ Kf6 10.Qf7 checkmate. 

9...Ke7 10.Bg5+ Nf6

The brutal pin on the Black Knight at f6 and the possibility of forking the Knight and Bishop with a pawn (once White's Knight is out of the way after 11.Ng4) give White a clear advantage.

11.Nd2 h6

Certainly Black should have tried to remedy the ills mentioned above with 11...Kf8 12.Nd3 Be7 13.e5 h6 14.Bh4 Nd5 15.Bxe7+ Qxe7 16.Qf3 Qf7 17.0-0 Nc6 18.Rae1 Kg8, although White would still be for choice.

Now the wilderness swallows him up.

12.Ng6+ Kf7 13.Qb3+

13...Ke8 14.Nxh8 hxg5 15.Qf7 checkmate

A Dubious Move

Recently I found the April/May 1983 issue of CHESS 'n stuff which contains the very first chess story that I had ever had published. It was fun to read through it again, although it made me groan as much as when I wrote it.

A Dubious Move

The Grandmaster had played the move. The Master, as his second, had recommended it. The Patzer, in a blaze of glory, had invented it.

It had cost them the World Championship.

Each now faced a very certain future in a country that tolerated no failure: the firing squad.

The Grandmaster eyed his executioners with ill-concealed contempt. As they raised their rifles, his eyes flew to the snow-covered mountains, and he bellowed "Avalanche!"

The troops scattered in disarray. When some thought to look back, they saw nothing – save a set of new foot prints disappearing into the deep woods. The GM was gone.

The Master, in turn, took his place. No sooner had the recovered men shouldered their weapons than they heard the ringing, fear-laden phrase, "Earthquake!"

The ranks did not hold. As they returned in their embarassment, the soldiers noted a new set of treacks, and one less pawnpusher.

It was the Patzer's turn, but he was prepared. At the appointed time he confidently gaped at the forest, gesticulated wildly in its direction, and conjured up his own natural disaster.

"Fire!"

That was the first thing that anyone got right all day.

Dizziness Due to Success

Alexander Kotov, in his classic Think Like A Grandmaster, wrote about players who were

over-confident, complacent in their recognition of the fact that they had a marked advantage, and so their vigilance was blunted.
We call this widespread complacency when the win is near 'Dizziness due to success' .

perrypawnpusher - bnxr
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.O-O Kf7

Black returns the tempo that I spent on "the nudge" (see "Nudge 2.0")

11.f4 Re8 12.f5 Rxe4

While analyzing my game against stcamillis (see "Stand up! Fight back!") where I had played 12.d3, I had realized that 12.f5 was playable – in fact, it had been played as early as Vazquez - Carrington, Mexico, 2nd match, 1876, because the immediate threat against the pawn at e4 was an illusion.

That my opponent grabbed the pawn (his plan from move 10) is one more example of the negative "halo effect" that surrounds the Jerome Gambit: If White blunders so badly in the opening, he is going to blunder throughout the game. So any move that appears bad [like 12.f5], must be bad.

13.fxg6+ hxg6

An unfortunate reflex action. Black needed to play 13...Kg8, when 14.gxh7+ Kh8 15.Qd3 would have left White with a pawn advantage.

14.Qxe4

14...Bf5 15.Rxf5

The position looked messy after 15.Qxb7 Bxc2, so I decided to return a bit of my extra material (Rook for Knight + pawn) to reach a quieter position.


15...gxf5 16.Qxf5 Qe7 17.Qf1

This borders on anxiety, however. Simply 17.Nc3 was fine.

17...Rh8 18.d3 Qe5 19.Nc3

Up  a piece, a little bit of development – what could go wrong?

19...Qxh2+

Well, that's annoying.

The game would have been much simpler after the alert 19.h3. Now my opponent had chances to make my life uncomfortable, and I was fortunate that he did not torture me as much as he could have.

20.Kf2 Qh4+

After the game Rybka preferred 20... Re8, and showed that White would be fine after 21.Ne2 Nd5 22.Ke1+ Kg8 23.Bd2 b5 24.Rc1 c5 25.Kd1 Rf8 26.Qg1 Qe5 27.Rb1 Re8 28.Qf1 c4 29.dxc4 bxc4 30.Ng1.

analysis diagram








Uh, right...


21.Ke2 Kg8

I was very happy to see Black block his Rook from the e-file.

22.Bd2 Qg4+ 23. Qf3 Qe6+ 24.Kf2 Ng4+

Enter: the Knight.

25.Kg3 Nh2

I would not be surprised to learn that my opponent was feeling a bit dizzy, himself. This move allowed me to exchange Queens – and win the Knight.

26.Qd5 Qxd5 27.Nxd5 c6

This move is a slight distraction from the fact that Black's Knight has no safe retreat.

28.Nc3 Kf7 29.Rh1 Black resigned

(Horse)fly in the Ointment

The Blackburne Defense to the Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6, is probably the best known of the Jerome Gambit refutations, considered to be either winning for Black, better for White, or leading to a drawn game, depending upon your resource.

It was showcased in the most widely-known Jerome Gambit game, Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885 (see "Nobody expects the Jerome Gambit!", "Mars Attacks!" and "One More Time"), which featured a scintillating attack by Black(burne), topped off by a Queen sacrifice and a jaunty checkmate.

The opportunity to pull off The Black Death's coup de grâce is an irresistible attraction...

KONB - elmflare
standard game, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6

Here we go! Black offers to return material. White can take the Rook if he knows how to defend and counter-attack. Sometimes he does, and sometimes he doesn't...

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6

[Sound of a door slamming shut on the White Queen...]

10.Nc3

Amateur - Blackburne, London 1885 continued with the similarly ineffective 10.c3 Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8 Qxh3+ 14.gxh3 Bxe4 mate.

analysis diagram








The escape hatch for White is 10.Qd8.

Now Black pours it on. 

10...Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8

Here, take the other Rook, too!

13...Qxh3+

And now... Wait, wait a minute – there's a fly in the ointment here...

14.gxh3 Bxe4+ 15.Nxe4

Oh, yeah, that's right, White played 10.Nc3, not 10.c3. It makes a difference.

Black resigned.

I'm sure he immediately saw that 13...Qg3 would have forced checkmate.

Nudge 2.0

The other day Bill Wall told me that there were 5 Jerome Gambit games (out of over 4.8 million) in the new Big Database 2011 from ChessBase. It turns out that 2 of them were unknown to me. Here's one.

Kitzler,G - Schloeffel,C
Karl Mala Memorial FICS, 2009

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

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

7.Qxc5

Instead of this direct capture, I prefer the "nudge" 7.Qd5+ which usually pushes Black's King to the back rank, where it can interfere with the development of his King Rook. It costs me an extra tempo, but Black returns it with a later ...Kf7 or ...Ke7.

7...d6 8.Qd5+

I suppose that this move could be a "nudge 2.0" as it either moves Black's King, or the Queen's check is blocked by Black's light-squared Bishop, which in turn makes the b7 pawn available for capture.

How good is the move? Well, there are 127 games with it in The Database, and White scores only 37%. On the other hand, the move has been played by Jerome Gambit stalwarts blackburne, AAlekhine and Bill Wall, and was chosen by computers Crafty 19.19 and Yace Paderborn in their games against RevvedUp.

8...Be6 9.Qxb7

Black willingly gives up the pawn and White happily takes it. At least one of them apparently remembers what happens to one who takes the Queen's Knight pawn...

As in many Jerome Gambit positions, Black is "objectively" better, but if White can consolidate his position (he is behind in development and his King is not safe) then in casual or club games White's extra 3 pawns may be able to balance out Black's extra piece.

9...Nf4

Two other possibilities:

9...Nf6 10.d4 Re8 11.Nc3 Qc8 12.Qb5 Bd7 13.Qd3 Nxe4 14.0-0 Kg8 15.Bg5 Nxg5 16.Rae1 c6 17.Qc4+ d5 18.Qd3 Rxe1 19.Rxe1 Bf5 20.Qd2 Ne4 21.Nxe4 Bxe4 22.f3 Bf5 23.g4 Bxg4 24.fxg4 Qxg4+ 25.Kh1 Nh4 26.Qe2 Qxe2 27.Rxe2 Rf8 28.h3 Kf7 29.Re3 Re8 30.Rxe8 Kxe8 31.c3 Ke7 32.Kg1 Ke6 33.Kf2 Kf5 34.Kg3 g5 35.a4 h5 36.b3 Ke4 37.Kf2 Kd3 White resigned, blackburne - meliam, ChessWorld, 2004; and


9...Nh4 10.0-0 Qg5 11.Qxc7+ Ne7 12.g3 Nf3+ 13.Kh1 Qh6 14.h4 Bh3 15.Rd1 Qe6 16.Qa5 Bf1 17.Qh5+ Ng6 18.Qxf3+ Kg8 19.Rxf1 Qh3+ 20.Kg1 Ne5 21.Qb3+ d5 22.Qxd5+ Nf7 23.Qxa8+ Black resigned, Wall - CheckMe, Chess.com, 2010.


Players who return to this line also need be aware of the unplayed 9...Qg5!? Trust me, the Black Rook on a8 is poisoned. White has to try 10.g3. 

10.0-0

This move seems prudent, but it actually opens up Pandora's box. White had to find 10.Rg1 and hold on, as Black has both quiet and wacky responses (try 10...Bd5!?) to try to increase his advantage.

10...Bh3

Okay, take a deep breath.

Black, as is the case in many Jerome Gambit games, has missed the killing stroke 10...Qg5, as 11.g3 causes horrible weaknesses on the white squares around White's King, i.e. 11...Ne2+ and 12...Qh5.

Instead, Black has gone in for flash (taking the Bishop now leads to a quick mate), and that means White has an extra chance. He should try 11.Qb3+, hoping for something like 11...d5 12.d4 Qg5 13.Qg3 Ne2+ 14.Kh1 Nxg3+ 15.fxg3+ Qf6 16.Rxf6+ Nxf6 17.gxh3 Nxe4 when White has two pawns for the exchange and Black will have to work for a win.

After 11.Qb3+ Ke8 12.Qb5+ White should probably exchange Queens if he has the opportunity and otherwise work on his development, again hoping that his 3 extra pawns will come to his rescue.

11.e5

Opening the route to g2 for his Queen, but now his game completely collapses. It is probably time to draw the curtain on this tragedy.

11...Bxg2 12.Qb3+ Bd5 13.e6+ Kf8 14.Re1 Bxb3 15.e7+ Nxe7 16.axb3 Nf5 17.Kh1 Nh3 18.d3 Qh4 19.Rf1 Nxf2+ 20.Kg2 Re8 21.Rxf2 Qg4+ 22.Kf1 Qh3+ 23.Rg2 Qf3+ White resigned

White's undeveloped Queenside tells the tale.


graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the WizardofDraws