Chess is Difficult: All You Have To Do Is Win

Chess is difficult.

The following game quickly reaches a position which has a score of 72% for White in The Database. There is a rating difference of about 600 points between the players - favoring White.

You would think - especially in a blitz game - that the first player would have an overwhelming advantage. Indeed, he checkmates his opponent in 16 moves.

But - if you turn the game over to Stockfish 8 on its "blunder check" setting, the story quickly becomes more complicated.

Please note, I mean no offense to the players. None of us are computers. I use Stockfish 8 to show just how deep apparent shallow waters are... And to show how a checkmate attack can be either pursued or avoided.

lcuartas - diegogs
10 0 blitz, FICS, 2016

1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5 3.Bc4 Na5 

Anyone who plays the Jerome Gambit has to be prepared for this offside move. I usually recommend the typical Jerome response, although the alternative, 4.Nxe5, is fine, too.

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 

White has sacrificed a piece for two pawns, and the computer gives him a small advantage.

6.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.d4+ Kd6 

Black can afford to take the second piece, as scary as it seems, but he would choke on the d-pawn: 7...Kxd4 8.Be3+ Ke5 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.Bc5+ Kc6 11.Qd5+ Kb5 12.Nc3+ Ka6 13.Qd3+ Nc4 14.Qxc4+ b5 15.Qxb5 checkmate.

You can tell that Black's King is in danger, but working it out during the game can be quite a challenge - especially with the clock ticking. 

8.e5+ Kd5 

This is an error. Instead, the computer recommends a convoluted line to a surprising equality: 8...Kc6 9.d5+ Kb6 10.Be3+ c5 11.d6 Nh6 12.Qe4 Bxd6 13.exd6 Re8 14.Qd5 Qh4 15.Qxc5+ Ka6 16.Nc3 b6 17.Qb5+ Kb7 18.O-O-O Qc4 19.Qxc4 Nxc4 20.Bxh6 gxh6 21.Rd4 Na5 22.Rf4 Re6 23.Rd1 a6 24.b3.

I don't expect club level humans to be able to play that way. Note, though, the White pawn advance to d6 to keep the c7 square covered, to avoid allowing Black's King to escape. Also, that White seems to be scampering to keep the game even and avoid falling behind.

9.c4+ 

What is going on? White continues to harass the enemy King, overlooking a chance to acquire the enemy Queen: 9.Qf3+ Ke6 10.d5+ Ke7 11.Bg5+ Ke8 12.Bxd8 b6 13.e6 Nf6 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.d6 Bxd6 16.Qxa8 Kd8 17.exd7 Kxd7 18.O-O Re8 19.Qf3 Ba6 20.Rd1 Kc8 21.Qa8+ Kd7 22.Qd5 Kc8 23.Nc3 Kb8 24.Ne4 Rd8. Nice cooperation between pawns and pieces. 

9...Nxc4 

Now the pendulum has swung again. The King needed to move, it wasn't time for a pawn grab: 9...Kc6 10.Qd1 a6 11.c5 d5 12.Qa4+ b5 13.Qxa5 Kb7 14.a4 Bd7 15.Be3 Ne7 16.Qd2 Nf5 17.O-O Be7 18.Nc3 Bc6 19.axb5 axb5 20.Na2 Qe8 21.Nb4 Qg6 22.g3 Rxa1 23.Rxa1 Ra8 24.Rxa8 Kxa8 25.Qd3 and Black has an edge, as White has not been able to corral the enemy monarch. 

10.Nc3+ Kc6 11.d5+ Kc5 

Those pesky "Jerome pawns"! The King is now in a mating net.

12.a3 

Planning to add the b-pawn to the mix, but it could have been added directly, as capturing it would allow the White Rook into the game, too: 12.b4+ Kb6 13.Qxc4 c6 14.d6 Bxd6 15.exd6 Qe8+ 16.Be3+ Qxe3+ 17.fxe3 a5 18.Qc5+ Ka6 19.Qxa5 checkmate.

12...Nxe5 

This should lead to immediate disaster, as opposed to longer-term disaster.

13.b4+ 

As planned. Also 13.Qb4# 

13...Kb6 

Chess is not fair. Black continues along the path to destruction, while he had a chance to escape it: 13...Kd6 14.Qe2 c6 15.Bf4 Kc7 16.Bxe5+ d6 17.Rc1 Qg5 18.Nb5+ Kd8 19.f4 Qg4 20.Nxd6 Bxd6 21.Qxg4 Bxg4 22.Bxd6 cxd5 23.Bc7+ Ke8 24.Be5 Nf6 25.O-O Rc8 26.h3 Be6 27.Rxc8+ Bxc8 28.Rc1 Kd8 29.Bc7+ with advantage to Black. 

14.Be3+ 

A perfectly reasonable move, adding a piece to the attack. The soulless comuter says that the move leads to a Black advantage, however, and prefers: 14.Na4+ Kb5 15.Qe2+ Nc4 16.Nc3+ Kb6 17.Qxc4 Qe7+ 18.Be3+ c5 19.d6 Qxd6 20.bxc5+ Kc7 21.cxd6+ Kd8 22.Nb5 Nf6 23.Bxa7 Rxa7 24.Nxa7 Bxd6 25.Qxc8+ Ke7 26.Qxh8 Kf7 27.O-O Bc5 28.Nb5 b6 29.Rfe1 Kg6 White is winning.

14...Ka6 

Of course. Still, the silicon beast prefers: 14...c5 15.dxc6+ Kc7 16.Nb5+ Kb8 17.c7+ Qxc7 18.Qd4 Nc6 19.Bf4 d6 20.Qe3 Qb6 21.Qg3 Bg4 22.Nxd6 g5 23.Bxg5 Qc7 24.Nf7 Qxg3 25.hxg3 Bg7 26.Rc1 a6 27.Nxh8 Bxh8 28.Rxh7 Bb2 29.Bf4+ Kc8 30.Rc2 when Black is better. 

15.b5+ Ka5 16.Qa4 checkmate

There you have it. The result is exactly as expected. Another example of a bold, sacrificial attack winning. 

How often do we wander through life, feeling propelled, overlooking alternatives we are not even aware are there?

Chess is a peek at the multi-verse.

Fascinated by the Jerome Gambit

In the book review of The Art of the Checkmate by Georges Renaud and Victor Kahn at the online Chessentials site, the  Jerome Gambit game NN - Blackburne (given as taking place in "London tournament, 1880", but this is likely in error) was presented, with the note

The author calls this opening a Jerome’s Gambit. It is of course nonsense in modern chess, but I still remember how I played it almost regulary immediately after I read this book.

Of course, upon reading this I immediately left a note requesting to see any of the site master's games!

I suspect other chess players did not take Joseph Henry Blackburne's "lesson" to heart, and, instead, were fascinated by the play of "NN" and his Jerome Gambit.

I will share what games turn up.

Jerome Gambit: Winning Ugly is Still Better Than Losing Ugly (Part 2)

perrypawnpusher - IlToscano, Chess.com, 2017

Adopting a "Come and get me" attitude, I decided to let my opponent do the attacking. After all, he is playing against a refuted opening. Piece of cake, right?

16.h3 Be6 17.b3 Rhf8 18.Bd2 Rae8 19.O-O-O Kd7 20.Rhf1 Kc8

So, who is the Jerome Gambit "expert"? Black has developed all his pieces and has even castled-by-hand on the Queenside. He clearly is better.

It was hard for me to be patient (keep the psychological onus on my opponent) and keep the position as closed up as possible. With his next move, my opponent indicated he wanted to move on the Kingside.

21.Kc2 Nh5 22.Ng5

Starting my own incursion. Plus, I had been reading James Schuyler's Your Opponent Is Overrated, and he had been writing about the "superfluous piece" - and I decided that my Rook on d1 fit that category, so I thought a Rook exchange would help a bit.

22...Rxf1 23.Rxf1 Bg8 

So, the "extra" White Rook has "disappeared" from d1, and Black only has one developed Rook, instead of two. Actually, I'm not sure how much that matters - and see my 26th move.

24.c4 h6 25.Nf3 Ng3 26.Rd1

Black's Knight goes back to its old post, White's Knight goes back to its old post, and White's Rook goes back to its old post. So, what are we going to do next?

26...g5 27.Bc3 Be3 28.Re1 Bf4 29.Bd2 Bxd2 30.Kxd2 c6 

I couldn't figure out what to do with my dark-squared Bishop, and it seemed less effective on the a1-h8 diagonal than Black's Bishop on the c1-h6 diagonal, so I wound up trading them off. At least Black's remaining Bishop is limited by my pawn wall.

31.a3 Kd7 32.b4 a6 33.a4 Kc7 34.a5 Nh5 

Oh, bother, not again.

35.h4 

Either the Kingside will get closed up again, or a few pawns will get exchanged. Despite my earlier decisions, I took some comfort in the age-old recommendation: When ahead in material, exchange pieces; when behind in material, exchange pawns.

35...g4 36.Nd4 Nf4 37.Rf1 Nxg2 38.Rg1 Nf4 39.Rxg4 Ne6 40.Nf5 h5 

The Kingside is closed up again. If anything, it is more open to White's pieces infiltrating.

41.Rg6 Kc8 

An oversight. My opponent had taken several "vacations" from play, and may have come back to the board mixing up variations in his head. Or maybe he figured there wasn't much to the Jerome Gambit, so why sweat it...

42.Nxd6+ Kd7 43.Nxe8 Black resigned

Unfortunate in a couple of ways. Black had played very well up until his 41st move. He also missed a chance (he hardly could have known) to allow me to make a mistake, myself. After 43...Bf7!? I thought I would have to return the exchange, and had planned 44.Rxe6?!+ Kxe6 when White would be a couple of pawns ahead, but the game would still be interesting.

Looking deeper after the game, with the help of Stockfish 8, I know now that 44.Nf6+ Ke7 45.Rh6 would allow White to stay the exchange (plus a couple of pawns) up, but the locked-in position of the Rook had kept me from looking further at that line.

Jerome Gambit: Winning Ugly is Still Better Than Losing Ugly (Part 1)

Whew.

I just finished another Jerome Gambit game in the third round of the Giuoco Piano Thematic tournament at Chess.com, It was not pretty at all. You could say that I was losing - up until my opponent resigned. Of course, that is the "objective" evaluation of the Jerome, anyhow.

Yeah.

perrypawnpusher - IlToscano
Giuoco Piano Thematic, Chess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 

This defense is solid and good. It also avoids the complexities of 8...Qh4+, which I faced in perrypawnpusher - constipatedguru, blitz, FICS, 2017 (1-0, 20).

9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 

Staying away from 10.Qxe5+ which has given me mixed results, and a loss most recently: perrypawnpusher - djdave28, Italian Game Tournament, Chess.com, 2014, (1-0, 22); perrypawnpusher - djdave28, Italian Game Tournament, Chess.com 2015, (1-0, 32); and perrypawnpusher - Altotemmi, Giuoco Piano Tournament, Chess.com, 2016, (0-1, 51) 

10...Nf6 

Easily an improvement over 10...Ke7, which I faced in perrypawnpusher - gtomlinson, blitz, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 28) and 10...h6, which I faced in perrypawnpusher - paulpee, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 71).

11.d3 

About the same as 11.Nc3 as in perrypawnpusher - Dogyou, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 21). 

11...Kc6 

Black wishes to avoid the embarassment of getting his Queen pinned to his King - a trick that might work in blitz (see below) but this game was played at 3 days per move.

Or Black could play 11...Ke7 as in perrypawnpusher - PREMK, blitz, FICS, 2005, (1-0, 14); perrypawnpusher - karleinkarl, blitz, FICS, 2012 (0-1, 16);  and perrypawnpusher - vz721, Italian Game thematic, Chess.com, 2013 (1-0, 29); 

Or 11...Rf8 as in perrypawnpusher - BronxBoyII, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 18); perrypawnpusher - udofink, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 13);  perrypawnpusher - mconst, blitz, FICS,  2010 (1-0, 42); and perrypawnpusher - recreation, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 13);  

Or 11...Bb4+ as in perrypawnpusher - ViennaMike, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 19); 

Or 11...Re8 as in perrypawnpusher - Estebang, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 28) 

Or 11...Bd4 as in perrypawnpusher - Rossgil, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 26) 

12.c3 Bb6 13.Bf4 Qh5 14.Nd2 

I was not pleased to see the Queens leave the board, but I didn't have a better idea.

14...Qxf3 15.Nxf3 d6 

I added all of the game links above to show that I was supposed to be familiar with this line, and therefore supposed to know what I was doing against IlToscano. Yet, he has done very well, and the one pawn that I have for my sacrificed Bishop is clearly inadequate compensation.

I decided that I should again do what far better players than me have done in similar Jerome Gambit situations - abandon the "attack at all costs" idea, and let my opponent, who has the advantage, do the attacking. If he was not going to slip up when defending, perhaps he might err when atacking? Psychology is always a part of Jerome play.

[to be continued]

Lewis Gambit

I have been enjoying watching the series of "Dirty Chess Tricks" videos on YouTube, by Gunjan Jani, especially "Dirty Chess Tricks 13" on the Lewis Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.d4.

This is an opening line that I have touched upon in this blog, starting with "SOS", writing about Secrets of Opening Surprises, Volume 10, which contained an article by Jeroen Bosch on the Lewis Gambit.  

The earliest examples I have of the gambit are from an 1841 Staunton - Cochrane match, which makes it a possible inspration for Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in creating his Jerome Gambit, after the Lewis line 3...exd4 4.Bxf7+. The similarity to the Abrahams Jerome Gambit - 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ - is apparent. See "Proto-Jerome Gambits? (Part 4)".

There is also a similarity to a line in the Von der Lasa Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, as seen in J.H. Blackburne - E.J. Evelyn, blindfold, London, 1862 (1-0, 32). And let's not overlook the "Macbeth Attack".

Jani rightly points out the possibilities of the Lewis Gambit transposing to the Max Lange Gambit, the Max Lange Attack, and the Italian Gambit.

(GM Boris Alterman has a video on the Lewis Gambit as well. Dangerous Weapons: 1.e4 e5 by GM John Emms, GM Glenn Flear, and IM Andrew Greet has good coverage of where the Lewis Gambit can go if Black does not allow a Bxf7+.)

Jerome Gambit: Smitten

A bit of chess advice from C.J.S. Purdy: Examine moves that smite. In the following game my opponent shows some familiarity with the Jerome Gambit, and smites hard at my position - alas, at one point losing his footing, with less than successful results.

perrypawnpusher - constipatedguru
5 5 blitz, FICS, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 

Black ignores the (lack of) safety of his King as well as his attacked Knight, and plays a smiting move that is often dangerous to White.

9.g3 Nf3+

Again, a strong, attacking move.

10.Kf1 Nxh2+ 

Black can get away with this, but it is not best.

11.Kg2 Ne7 

But here he slips, although a number of my opponents have lost their way in the past as well:

11...Qe7 as in perrypawnpusher - intssed, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 12);

11...Qh6 as in perrypawnpusher - JTIV, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 32);

11...Qg4 (best) as in perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 68);

11...Nf6 as in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 12); and

11...Qf6 as in perrypawnpusher - IlToscano, Chess.com, 2016 (1-0, 18).

12.Qe5+ Kc6 13.gxh4 Ng4 14.Qc3 Kb6

Black has two pieces for his Queen. It is not enough.

15.d4 Bd6 16.e5 Nd5 17.Qb3+ Bb4 18.Qxd5 

You have to know that if Bill Wall were playing the White pieces he would have played something like 18.Nc3!?

18...d6 19.c3 c6 20.Qf3 Black forfeited on time

Jerome Gambit: Energetic, for A Refuted Opening

Why does Bill Wall continue to play the Jerome Gambit, an opening that has many refutations? Probably because of games like the following, that almost seem to play themselves...

Wall, Bill - Facundo
lichess.org, 2017

 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+ 

Black keeps playing this move, so White needs to keep aware.

7.c3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 Ng6 

The Knight went to c6 in Wall,B - Caynaboos, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 26) and Wall,B - ChessFlower, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 27). 

9.O-O d6 

Or 9...N8e7 as in Wall,B - NN, lichess.org 2016, (1-0, 18) and Wall,B - Jamato, lichess.org, 2017 (1-0, 55);

or 9...Nf6 as in Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 31) and Wall,B - FJBS, FICS, 2015 (1-0, 14). 

10.f4 Nh6

A novelty, keeping the Black Queen's diagonal open - but an error.

11.f5 Ne7 12.Qh5+ Kg8 13.f6

13...Ng6 14.Bxh6 gxh6 15.Qxh6 Kf7 16.Qg7+ Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Reputation Unchanged

I have not played a Jerome Gambit game at blitz speed since last year, so when I recently had the opportunity, I looked quite rusty. In the endgame in time trouble, I repeated the position, suggesting a draw - but my opponent, who might have been miffed at facing such a disreputable opening, declined, with a losing continuation.

It is not so much a game to be "proud" of as one to have survived. I provide it for historical reasons.

perrypawnpusher - Compani
5 5 blitz, FICS, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 Bb6 

Fascinating. There are only two other games with this line in my 55,000+ game Database.

8.d4

An immediate slip by me. Much better was 8.d3 as played in perrypawnpusher - Urumpel, blitz, FICS, 2011, (1-0, 23) 

8...d6 9.Qf4+ Qf6 10.c3 

I was not happy to see the Queens go off the board.

10...Qxf4 11.Bxf4 Kf7

White has two pawns for his sacrificed piece, but he will have to work hard to get something going in this Queenless middlegame.

12.Nd2 Nf6 13.O-O-O Rf8 14.Bg5 

Thematic, but to be considered was 14.f3, with the idea of challenging Black to make something out of his advantage, by attacking White's solid center.

14...Ng4 15.Bh4 Kg8

Black has castled-by-hand and is better.

16.Rdf1 c5 17.h3 Nf6 18.d5 a5 19.f4 

Putting  my faith  in the  "Jerome  pawns" after all. 

19...Bc7 20.g4 b5 21.Bg3 Re8 22.Re1 b4 23.c4 a4 

Black doesn't seem to mind that my Queenside pawns keep slipping by his. It is time for my center pawns to get moving in response.

24.e5 dxe5 25.fxe5 Nd7 26.d6 Ba5 27.e6 Nf6 28.d7 Bxd7 29.exd7 Rxe1+ 30.Rxe1 Nxd7 

31.Re7

The "Jerome pawns" have won back the sacrificed piece, and White may even be a bit better here. As will become clear, however, both I and my opponent were getting low on time.

31...Nb6 32.b3 axb3 33.axb3 Rd8 34.Bc7 Ra8 35.Re6 

Here 35.Be5 was the right move. 

35...Nd7 

Better was 35...Nxc4

36.Bxa5 Rxa5 37.Kb2 Ra8 38.Ne4 Rf8

The position is even. It is always possible to misplay an ending, however.

39.Rd6 Rf4 40.Rxd7 Rxe4 41.Rd3 Kf7 42.Kc2 Ke6 43.Kd2 g5 44.Rd8 Kf7 

Better than this retreat was 44...Rf4 keeping things even. 

45.Rd7+

45.Rd5!?

45...Kg6 46.Rd6+ Kf7 47.Rd7+ 

47.Rd5!?

47...Kg6 48.Rd6+ Kf7 49.Rd7+ Kg8 

My opponent does not want to settle for a draw through repetition of position, but this retreat further puts his King out of play and gives me a winning advantage, as a pawn will fall.

Remember, we were moving quite quickly at this point.

50.Rd5 h6 51.Rxc5 Rf4 52.Re5 Rf2+ 53.Re2 Rf3 54.Re3 Rf4 55.Kd3 Kf7 56.c5 Rf6 57.Kc4 Rc6 58.Kxb4 Re6 59.Rxe6 Kxe6 60.Kb5 Black resigned