Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit Encore

Sometimes, in the pursuit of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) I encounter a player who suspects something, and who therefore plays the more circumspect "Semi-Italian" game: 3...h6. I have learned that if I am patient, however, and play a neutral move such as 4.0-0 or 4.Nc3, I may be rewarded with 4...Bc5 (see "Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit" and "Pulling A Rabbit Out of A Hat") and the opportunity to play 5.Bxf7+.

perrypawnpusher - wadada

blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ g6

A reasonable defense, although 7...Ke6, while looking scarier for the second player, is stronger.

8.Qxe5 Nf6

If you are pretty well convinced that the opening being played against you is rubbish, you are more likely to choose a "solid" move against it, confident that that it will give you good play. That seems to be the case with my opponent here, who would have had a wonderful game after finding the retro move 8...Bf8 (9.Qxh8? Bg7). The text, though, will simply leave him behind two pawns.

9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qe3 Qe8

11.Nc3 c6 12.d3 Be6 13.f4 Ke7

Perhaps anticipating 15.e5 and planning to answer with 15...Nd5; but the lineup of Black King and Queen on the same file with the White Queen should have set off alarms in my opponent's head.

14.f5 gxf5

Choosing to go out with a "bang" rather than with a "whimper." Rybka 3 later showed a grim alternate line where White gets two passes on the 6th: 14...Bd7 15.e5 Ng4 16.exd6+ Kd8 17.Qxe8+ Bxe8 18.f6 Ne5 19.Bf4 Nf7 20.Rae1 g5 21.Bg3 Bd7 22.Re7 Rf8 23.Rfe1 h5 24.h3 b6 25.Bh2 Kc8.

15.exf5 Kd7 16.Qxe6+ Qxe6 17.fxe6+ Kxe6

I willingly returned a pawn for the piece-up endgame. My opponent's heart no longer seemed in the game.

18.Bd2 Kd7 19.Rxf6 Black resigns

Coffee house

Comment 2004[Chess_Improvement - Tyrin Price]http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Chess_Improvement/message/2043

From: "Tyrin Price"

Date: Sat Jun 26, 2004 5:41 pm

Subject: Starbucks 8x8, Anyone?

Coffee house chess has a lot of interesting ideas; more often than not unsound, but invariably interesting. I don't know if you could label the Italian Gambit unsound, though or even legitimately hang the "coffee house" label on it.

The Jerome Gambit ... now *that* is coffee house ... fully caffeinated - extra strength (use only as directed for prompt temporary relief of quiet games [if conditions persist seek professional guidance]). :-) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 .Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ *

If I write all this, and someone reads it...

If I write all this (today is my 250th daily post to this blog, by my count) and someone reads it and remembers it, doesn't it mean that one of these days my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e4 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) will meet a misfortune of my own doing?

perrypawnpusher - DysonLin

blitz 14 0, FICS 2009 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 Even though I am giving "Jerome Gambit odds" here, my opponent quickly finds a safe and effective defense.

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

This certainly looks good for the second player, and he has the standard advantage against the Jerome.

10.0-0 

Avoiding the "oops" that smoothmoves06 experienced after 10.f4 Nxe4

10...Kf7 11.f4 Re8

Not bad, not bad at all: now he gets ready to castle-by-hand. Perhaps he is familiar with the jeromegambit.blogspot.com blog? 

12.f5 Ne5 13.Nc3 Only here does the game break from Vazquez - Carrington, 2nd match, 1876: 13.d4Neg4 14.Qb3+ Kf8 15.h3 Rxe4 16.hxg4 Rxg4 17.Qf3 c6 18.Nc3 d5 19.Bf4 Kg8 20.Be5 h5 21.Rae1 Bd7 22.Re3 Qb6 23.b3 Rf8 24.Na4 Qb4 25.Nc5 Bc8 26.c3 Qb6 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Qh3 Rg5 29.Ne6 Bxe6 30.fxe6 Qc7 31.e7 Re8 32.Qe6+ Kh8 33.Qxf6+ Rg7 34.Qf8+ Black resigns 

13...Nc4 14.Qd4 Ne5 15.d3 Kg8 Mission accomplished.

16.Bg5 h6 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Qd5+ Be6 Now my opponent resorts to the standard return-the-piece-for-pawns defensive maneuver. What to do, what to do, what to do?

19.fxe6 c6 20.e7+ Using a strategy of my own: moving into a pawns-up endgame. It appears to have surprised DysonLin, who then, unfortunately and unfairly, makes Black's first real mis-step of the game.

20...Kg7 21.exd8Q Raxd8 22.Qd4 c5 23.Qf2 Black resigns

Keep reading. You'll get me next time.

London Calling... Nine Months of Blog

Dear Jerome Gambit Gemeinde,

Many "thank yous" again, to all readers and members of the Gemeinde, world-wide, who have sent games, analysis, and Comments to this blog. Your support has been quit gratifying – feel free to continue contributing.

My hope is that the sense of adventure and enjoyment that embodies the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) carries over to your chess play in general – and that if you get a chance to play bold, attacking chess, that you do so with gusto!

Certainly, playing Jerome's Double Gambit has made its mark on my games – which will continue to appear here on this blog on a daily basis, along with more Jeromiana and whatnot. (That includes more chapters from Jerome Gambit for Dummies, too.)

I hate chess...

I hate chess.

Well, not exactly. Not yet. But, almost. Some days...

Take a look a the following position that arose in a recent game of mine on FICS.That's me with the white pieces, stumbling around with what should have been an attack. Reminds you a bit of that comment by Harry Bird, no?

Place the contents of the chess box in a hat, shake them up vigorously, pour them on the board from a height of two feet -- and you get the style of Steinitz.

What a mess! Chess masters who say that they talk to their chess pieces, or that their pieces talk to them: what would they be hearing now??

17.Bxe6

Light-squared White Bishop: I suppose you're all wondering why I called you together today...

Dark-squared Black Bishop: Excuse me, I think that there's something you left off of the agenda...

17...Bxd6

You see, things like this shouldn't happen.

Stumble-bum players like me shouldn't knowingly sacrifice their Queens like this.

It's just not natural.

18.Bxf7+ Kh6 19.Nxd6 g6

You have no idea how much better I felt when I learned that Black's last move is not best. If he had played 19...Qe5 instead, he could have returned the Queen with 20.Ne6+ Qxf4 21.Nxf4; or he could have tried 19...Qf6 20.Nge4+ g5 21.Nxf6.

In both cases, though, White would have still been better. The problem is, my Queen sac was correct.

20.Nxf5+ gxf5

Tossing in the towel. He could have delayed the mate with 20...Kh5 21.h3 Ne5 22.Ng7+Kh6 23.N5e6+ g5 24.Bxg5 checkmate.

21.Ne6 checkmate

I'm glad I got that out of my system.

To belabor a point...

Endgames.

What I know about them would fill a thimble. Almost.

And most of what I know concerns endings featuring Rook pawns. See "One good blunder deserves another" and "All's well that ends well". Mickey Mouse stuff.

So why do I keep running into that stuff in my games??

Case in point: the following position comes from a recent typical FICS blitz game where I am getting destroyed by a much better player.

Ho-hum. White has only to play 58.Qa1, blocking my pawn, and then find the inevitable mate-in-ten-(or whatever)-moves that follows.

Instead, my opponent shows an unfamiliarity with another odd Rook-pawn ending, playing the Queen check 58.Qb8+.

Alas for him, it turns out that this allows a crucial tempo for Black to get his King to the second rank, 58...Kc2 and now the game is drawn.*

The usual strategy in Queen + Rook vs an advanced King + pawn-on-the-seventh/second rank is for the Queen to approach the enemy king by making a zig-zagging series of checks while threatening to win the pawn.

Eventually the defending monarch (dodging the checks and protecting the pawn) will need to step in front of his pawn, blocking its promotion. At that point, the White King can make a move toward where the action is.

The Black King will then move and unblock his pawn – but the White Queen will check him back there, using the found tempo to then move her King another step closer.

This takes a bit of time, but it is as relentless as the tides. Eventually the pawn will be captured, or the White King checkmated.

Unless the pawn is a Rook pawn or a Bishop pawn. Then, there is the possibility of a stalemate.

59.Qc7+ Kb1 60.Qb6+ Ka1

61.Qg1+ Kb2 62.Qf2+ Kb1 63.Qe1+ Kb2 64.Qd2+

Hoping for 64...Ka1 Qc1 checkmate!

64...Kb1 65.Qb4+ Ka1

Frustrating, isn't it?

66.Qc3+ Kb1 67.Qb3+ Ka1 But for a tempo!

68.Qa3 Kb1 69.Kf5 a1Q 70.Qxa1+ Kxa1 draw

(*This was a 3 0 blitz game, and my opponent had an advantage in time by move 60. Had he been more familiar with this endgame and simply played out his moves quickly – despite being aware that such a strategy would lead to no advantage – he would likely have won the game on time. I considered his 69th move a sporting, gentlemanly gesture.)

One good blunder deserves another...

I'm not an endgame maven.

I have plenty of endgame books, but I have worked my way through only two or three of them.

Still, I know a few little things about endgames. Especially the ones that "haunt" me.

Take the following position. It's from a recently completed FICS blitz game of mine, and it's pretty simple.

Despite the fact that it was snowing outside, I had some food on the grill and I was taking a break inside to warm up. Why not a quick online game of chess before dinner?

When I reached this position, I thought "My opponent's played well, I should force the draw, split the point, and get back to the chops."

Wrong!

Of course I played 36.c5 – which does lead to a draw – but in my careless "thinking" I overlooked that the alternative 36.b5 wins.

After the game's simple 36...bxc5 37.bxc5 things were clear: I can trade my c-pawn for Black's e-pawn, and then capture his h-pawn, but my remaining passer will not be able to get to its queening square (see "All's well that ends well" for a similar theme) without stalemating the enemy King – or being stalemated myself


About 25 years ago I played in a small tournament that saw, in the final round, a similar position. The odd thing was that if Black could have held the draw back then, 8 out of 10 (or 12) of us would have tied for first place (and probably each would have won enough prize money to spend on a call home from a public phone booth).


37...Kd5 38.c6 Kxc6 39.Kxe4 Kd6 40.Kf4 Ke6 41.Kg4 Ke5 42.Kxh4 Kf4

Of course, Black can, instead, race to h8 and keep the pawn from getting there. In this position, he can keep the White King from getting out from in front of the pawn by shadowing him up and down their respective files.

43.Kh5 Kg3

Huh?

44.h4

The cat is out of the bag.

44...Kf4 45.Kg6 Kg4 46.h5 Kf4 47.h6 Black resigns

(Dinner was great, too.)