Beware the Bear

DREWBEAR 63, the top-rated player, has quickly won 3 games in the ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament. Yesterday (see "Surprise!") we saw a theoretical novelty in defense against 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+. Here are 2 of his more prosaic wins, one with White and one with Black.

There are 15 players and 210 games in the tournament, but everyone is on alert: Beware the Bear!


DREWBEAR 63 - calchess10
JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Qf6 8.f5+ Ke7 9.Nc3 d6 [a slip: better 9...Kf8] 10.Nd5+ Kd7 11.Nxf6+ gxf6 12.c3 Ne7 [ 12...Nd3+ only +/-] 13.d4 Bxd4 14.cxd4 Nd3+ 15.Kd2 Nb4 16.Qf7 c6 17.Qe6+ Kd8 18.Qxf6 Re8 19.Qxd6+ Bd7 20.Qxb4 b6 21.f6 Black resigned


calchess10 - DREWBEAR 63
JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.a3 Qf6 6.Nc3 Nge7 7.d3 h6 8.h3 g5 9.b4 Bb6 10.Bb2 d6 11.0-0 g4 12.hxg4 Bxg4 13.Nh2 h5 [ 13...Bxd1] 14.g3 Qg6 15.Qd2 h4 16.Kg2 hxg3 17.fxg3+ Ke8 18.Rae1 Bh3+ [ 18...Rxh2+ 19.Kxh2 Qh5+ 20.Kg2 Qh3#] 19.Kh1 Bxf1 20.Rxf1 Qxg3 21.Ne2 Qxh2 checkmate

Surprise!

Games are already being won and lost in the ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, including the following game between two Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) veterans.

If this game is any indication of the creativity that players are putting into their preparation, the tournament should provide many new insights into the Jerome Gambit!


blackburne - DREWBEAR 63
JGTourney4 ChessWorld, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6

Usual here is 5...Nxe5 or 5...Kf8.

DREWBEAR 63's move comes as quite a shock – certainly it must have been played before, perhaps in the earliest days of the Jerome Gambit; but there are no games in my database with the move, no analysis, and not even a mention of it.

Now 5...Ke6 throws the game into a whirlwind. Rybka 3 suggests that best play involves White winning Black's Queen for three pieces, and that the resulting position is about even: 6.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.d4+ Bxd4 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kf7 10.Bxd8 Nxd8 11.Nc3 Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 Nf6.

analysis diagram

Also in need of investigation are 6.Nxc6 and 6.d4. It is not at all surprising that blackburne missed Rybka's line.

6.f4 6...Nxe5 7.fxe5

The danger mounts. Best, but not without difficulties, was 7.d4, hoping to transition into a more Jerome-like position.

7...Qh4+


8.Ke2 Qxe4+ 9.Kf1 Nh6 10.Nc3 Rf8+ White resigned


An exciting debut for the "DREWBEAR 63 variation"!

Bully

Sometimes I feel like a bully playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) or one of its relatives – in this case, a variant of the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 followed by Bxf7+). Too much "shock and awe" or something...



Still, the opening is worth a look, as it has its interesting features
perrypawnpusher - Butin
blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
4.0-0 Na5


Provocative!
I had never seen this move before, and was only able, later, to find two game examples – neither of which contained my next move.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke7

Although Rybka 3 and Fritz 8 will immediately recommend the Bishop sacrifice, finding the "safest" place for the Black King, and the best followup for White, now is not easy. Rybka 3 suggests that White can win the Rook, ramaining the exchange and two pawns up, with the exact 6...Ke6 7.Ng6 Rh7 8.Qg4+ Kf7 9.Ne5+ Ke7 10.Qg6 Qe8 11.Qxh7 Nf6 12.Qg6.

7.Qh5


Certainly the Jerome-ish play, but simpler and better was 7.Ng6+ followed by 8.Nxh8.

7...Kd6

Ouch. Game over.

With 7...Qe8 now Black can fight back, although after 8.Ng6+ Kd8 9.Qf3 Qxg6 10.Qxf8+ Qe8 11.Qxg7 Ne7 White has 3 pawns for his missing piece.

My opponent put up a fight for almost 30 more moves, but it seems unfair to do more than list them. (Play through the game on Chess Publisher, if you wish.)

8.Nf7+ Ke7 9.Nxd8 Kxd8 10.Qxa5 b6 11.Qc3 Nf6 12.d3 d6 13.f4 Ng4 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Bc5+ 16.d4 Be7 17.Qc6 Rb8 18.Qg6 Rg8 19.Nc3 Ba6 20.Rf7 c5 21.Qxg4 cxd422.Qxd4+ Ke8 23.Rxe7+ Kxe7 24.Qd6+ Ke8 25.Qxb8+ Kf7 26.Qxa7+ Kg6 27.Qxa6 Kh7 28.Qd3+ Kh8 29.Qh3 Re8 30.Bxh6 gxh6 31.Qxh6+ Kg8 32.Qg6+ Kf8 33.e6 Ke7 34.Qf7+ Kd8 35.Qd7 checkmated

A First Time Decline

"Theory" on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Declined (not 4...Kxf7) is rather sparse, as most players elect to take the first sacrificed piece.

perrypawnpusher - walkinthespirit

blitz 12 0, FICS, 2009

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

4.Bxf7+ Ke7

Perhaps out of surprise, perhaps out of a wish not to go along with White's plans, Black declines the opportunity to go two-pieces-up-for-two-pawns. White winds up a pawn ahead, playing against a displaced King – a considerable luxury.

5.Bb3 Nf6 6.Nc3 Na5

It appears that the Knight is taking things "personally". This will only lead to more misfortune.

7.Nxe5 Nxb3 8.axb3 d6 9.Nf3 Rf8 10.d4 Bb4 11.Bg5

11...Kf7 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.0-0 Bg4

On this move my opponent overlooked – as I did on my next move – that the Black Bishop is in a precarious position.

14.e5

This is ok, but look at what Rybka 3 found: 14.Nd5 (forking Queen and Bishop) Bxf3 15.Qd3 (avoiding the Queen swap on f3) Qd8 16.Qxf3+ Kg8 17.Qd3 (the uncovered attack by the Rook has to be dealt with) Ba5 18.Rxa5 (nabbing a piece, but it's not over yet) c6 (attacking the Knight and Rook) 19.Rfa1 cxd5 20.Rxd5 Qf6 21.f3 Qe6 22.Rb5 – so what was at stake was a pawn, not a piece.

14...dxe5

Capturing on f3 was again the right idea, as now White has Nxd5+.

15.dxe5 Qe6

The game now totally unravels.

16.Ng5+ Kg8 17.Nxe6 Bxd1 18.Nxf8 Bxf8 19.Raxd1 Re8 20.Rfe1 Bc5 My opponent is a fighter, but a Rook is a Rook.

21.e6 a5 22.Nd5 c6 23.Nc7 Re7 24.Rd7 Black resigned

Those folk over at ChessWorld are fast!

Just yesterday (see: "Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament: Hurry!") I mentioned that blackburne, of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde, was going to sponsor a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) tournament – and today the 15-player list is filled and the games have begun!

We will check in every now and then to see how the battles are progressing.

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws

Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament: Hurry!

True to his word (see Comments on "Searching, Searching, Searching") blackburne of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Gemeinde has organized a Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament at ChessWorld.

It will be a 15-player all-play-all event, for Chessworld members.

If you are interested in joining in the battle, check out "Jerome Gambit 4" (Tournament Number #132910). You might want to hurry, though – already a dozen players (including some battle-hardened Jerome Gambit veterans) have signed up.

The hurrieder I go...

The old saying "The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get" tends to be true for me when I play blitz games with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). I keep telling myself to "slow down" – but do I listen?? Here's a wild game, and for once the quickness of it – two minutes, with six second increments – put the heat on my opponent, not me. 

perrypawnpusher - Mences 

blitz 2 6, FICS, 2009 

  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

4.Bxf7+ 

It's always fun to see the time lag in my opponent's response after I play this.

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

Signalling the central-pawns-vs-piece game. 

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

10.0-0 Bd7 11.f4 Qe7 12.d3 Kf7 A standard formation. Black is near to castling-by-hand, White has the d3-e4-f4 pawn formation. Black is better, but he will need a plan.

13.Nc3 Rhf8 14.h3 Kg8 15.g4 Bxg4 16.hxg4 Nxg4Black has returned the piece for two pawns, and the game is roughly equal.

17.Qg3 Nf6 18.f5 Ne5 19.Bg5 Qd7 20.d4 Nc4 21.b3 Nb6

Things have progressed according to my plan of keeping the pawns rolling, although I should have prepared my next move with 22.Rad1. 

22.e5 dxe5 23.dxe5 Qd4+ 24.Qe3

Better was 24.Kg2. From here on out Black outplayed me, and I was lucky that his clock ran down. There's a lot for me to learn from studying the following moves.

24...Qg4

25.Kh2 Nfd5 26.Nxd5 Nxd5 27.Qg3

I didn't think that anything bad would happen to me if I got the Queens off of the board. I was not getting any cooperation, however.

27...Qh5+ 28.Kg2 Qe2+ 

Rybka 3 suggests instead 28...h6 29.c4 hxg5 30.cxd5 Rad8 31.d6 Qe2+ 32.Kg1 cxd6 33.e6 as being equal, saying that the text gives White the advantage – but only if he responds to this check with 29.Kg1. 

29.Rf2 Qe4+ 30.Kh3 Making things worse 

  30...Rxf5 31.Rxf5 Qxf5+ 32.Kh4 

From here to the end, my game slips bit-by-bit. 

32...Qg6 33.c4 Nb4 34.a3 Nc2 35.Rf1 Nd4 36.Qf4 Ne6

37.Qe3 h6 38.Be7 

Black forfeits on time 1-0

Good game by Mences!