With thanks to our Russian correspondent Филидор1792 (Philidor 1792), another of the tales of the "large centre" marches on!
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bxf7+
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6 8.f4
The "large centre" reappears.
8...Nc6 9.e5 Re8 10.0-0 Bb4 11.d5 Bxc3 12.bxc3 Nxe5 13.fxe5 Rxe5
Black has exchanged some pieces and remains a piece ahead.
White decides to toss a pawn to delay his opponent's Queenside development, while he sets his sights on the enemy King.
14.d6 cxd6 15.Bf4 Re6 16.Bg5 Qb6+ 17.Kh1 Kg8 18.Bxf6 Rxf6 19.Rxf6 gxf6 20.Qg4+ Kf8 21.Rf1 d5
22.Qf5 Kg7 23.Qg4+ Kf7 24.Qh5+ Kg7 25.Qg4+ Kf7 26.Qh5+ Ke7 27.Qxh7+ Kd8
28.Qg8+ Kc7 29.Qxd5 Qc6 30.Qd4 b6 31.Rxf6 Qb5 32.Qd6+ Kb7 33.h4
Black has given back three pawns, and here, facing an advancing passer, he lost on time.
In another Jerome Gambit game from Филидор1792 (Philidor 1792; see "Attitude" and "Where Do Ideas Come From?" Part 1 and Part 2)) we see the further exploration of the "big centre" in a rough-and-tumble game where Black defends routinely and White misses a chance to take advantage. The second player then finishes decisively.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6 8.f4
The "big centre" position.
8...Nc6 9.e5 Re8
As in yesterday's game.
10.0-0 Bb4 11.d5 Bxc3 12.dxc6 Bb4 13.exf6 Qxf6
14.cxb7
Possibly underestimating the fork that he would have after the other capture, 14.cxd7, which would win a piece and give White a small edge.
The text leaves White with two pawns for his sacrificed piece, and allows him to fork Black's two Bishops; but there is a way for the defender to slip out and then counterattack.
14...Bxb7 15.Qxd7+ Re7 16.Qb5 Qb6+ 17.Qxb6 axb6 18.c3 Bc5+ 19.Kh1 Re2 White resigned
Филидор1792 (see "Attitude" and "Where Do Ideas Come From?") has sent me further Jerome Gambit games and ideas.
In "Attitude" I pointed out that "Feeling confident, even when playing a bluff, is essential."
Филидор1792 added "Of course it is important to feel confidence when bluffing, but more important is (I think you know this very well) to make others think you are bluffing, when in fact you are not."
How many times have our opponents looked at our Jerome Gambits and thought "There is nothing to this!" only to resign a dozen or two dozen moves later?
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6 8.f4
8...Nc6 9.e5 Re8
Differing from the previous game's 9...Bb4.
10.0-0 Bb4 11.d5 Nxe5 12.fxe5 Rxe5
Black has deftly returned a piece for two pawns, but he still has an extra one. White must continue to play with force.
13.Bf4 Re8 14.d6 cxd6 15.Nd5 Bc5+ 16.Kh1 Re6 17.Bg5 b6 18.Nxf6 gxf6 19.Rxf6+ Rxf6 20.Bxf6 Qxf6 21.Qd5+ Ke7 22.Qxa8
22...Ba6
Black is eager to show that his two Bishops and open lines are stronger than White's Rook. Unfortunately for him, the move he chooses shows just the opposite.
23.Re1+ Kf7 24.Qe8+ Kg7 25.Re7+ Kh6 26.Rf7 Qd4 27.Qf8+ Kg6 28.Qg8+ Kh6 29.Rxh7 checkmate
A baker's dozen games (about 6% of the total) remain to be completed in the ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament.
While AsceticKingK9 has taken first place, and a number of other finishing positions have been determined, martind1991 still can place anywhere from 8th to 15th place, depending how his games finish up.
For the time being, at least, Haroldlee123 has pulled off the two top upsets, beating players rated 411 and 329 points above him.
My Russian correspondent ("Филидор1792" or "Philidor 1792" at http://www.bereg.ru/) who sent yesterday's Jerome Gambit game (see "Attitude") has shared some more interesting information with me, starting with the game that inspired his "big centre idea."
I think that readers will enjoy his ideas.
[Event "Chinese Championship"]
[Site "Xinghua Jiangsu CHN"]
[Date "2009.06.02"]
[EventDate "2009.05.26"]
[Round "7"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Ni Hua"]
[Black "Chong Liang"]
[ECO "C48"]
[WhiteElo "2724"]
[BlackElo "2511"]
[PlyCount "55"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 Bd6 7. f4 Nc6 8. e5 Bb4 9. O-O Bxc3 10. bxc3 Ne4 11. Qg4 g6 12. d5 Qe7 13. Be3 Nxc3 14. Bc4 Qb4 15. Bb3 Ne7 16. a3 h5 17. Qh4 Qe4 18. Bc5 Ne2+ 19. Kh1 d6 20. exd6 Nf5 21. Qf6 O-O 22. dxc7 Bd7 23. Rae1 b6 24. Bxf8 Rxf8 25. d6 Kh7 26. Bxf7 Nxd6 27. Bxg6+ Qxg6 28. Qxf8 1-0
When playing a gambit, especially an unsound one like the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), attitude can be very important. Feeling confident, even when playing a bluff, is essential.
In the game below, for example, sent to me from a Jerome Gambit player in Russia, White seems to have ice water in his veins...
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6 8.f4
8...Nc6 9.e5 Bb4 10.0-0 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Nd5
12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qf3 Nb6 14.f5 Kg7 15.Bh6+
15...Kxh6 16.f6 g5 17.Qf5 Qe8 18.Rf3 g4 19.Qxg4 Qh5 20.Qg7 checkmate
Graphic by Jeff Bucchino. The WizardOfDraws
Here is the latest Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) from Bill Wall, who comments modestly
I played a tough one here. It was a 10-minute game for each side and he messed up in the end in time pressure. He let me in the game after 38...c6 and I think he panicked on the 40th move with Nxf6 instead of Ndb6. Up until then, I think he was winning
With all do respect to Mohandas Gandhi, who, as far as I know, never played the Jerome Gambit, the following game reminds me of something he spoke about: First they ignore... Then they laugh... Then they fight... Then you win ...
Wall,B - Tony7
blitz 10 0, Playchess.com, 2011
notes by Bill Wall [and Rick]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kx7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qf5+ Qf6
[An unusual move — there are only 5 examples in The Database. But, guess what? One of them is a Bill Wall game. Figures.]
8.Qxc5 Nf4
[An improvement over 8...N8e7 from Wall,B - Doantaung, Chess.com, 2010: 9.Qxc7 Rf8 10.d3 Kg8 11.0-0 Kh8 12.Nc3 Nh4 13.f4 Qd4+ 14.Rf2 d6 15.Qxe7 Ng6 16.Qg5 Nxf4 17.Bxf4 Be6 18.Raf1 Black resigned]
9.0-0 Ne6 10.Qc4 Ne7 11.Nc3 Rf8 12.d3 Kg8 13.Be3 a6 14.f4 b5 15.Qb3 Qf7
16.f5 Nd8 17.Qb4 Ndc6 18.Qb3 d6 19.g4 Ne5 20.g5 Qxb3 21.axb3 Bb7
22.f6 gxf6 23.gxf6 N7g6 24.Bh6 Rf7 25.Bg7 Nd7 26.Rf2 Ndf8 27.b4 Ne6
28.Bh6 Kh8 29.Raf1 Rg8 30.Rg2 Ne5 31.h3 Rxg2+ 32.Kxg2 Nd7 33.Nd5 Bxd5 34.exd5 Nef8 35.Bg7+ Kg8
36.h4 Ng6 37.h5 Nge5 38.Kh3 c6? 39.d4 Nc4 40.dxc6 Nxf6 41.Bxf6 Ne3
If 41...Nxb2 42.Rg1+ and 43.d5
42.Re1 Rxf6
Not 42...Nxc2?? 43.Re8+ Rf8 44.Rxf8+ Kxf8 45.c7 wins
43.Rxe3 Rf7 44.Re8+ Kg7 45.Rd8 Rf5 46.c7 Rxh5+ 47.Kg4 Rh1 48.c8Q Black resigned
