I apologize, Jerome Gambit

One of the "benefits" of playing an off-beat opening like the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is that it has a built-in excuse for any loss: Of course I would have crushed him if I had been playing the Catalan...

Sometimes, though, even a disreputable opening like the Jerome – given enough cooperation by the opponent, of course – delivers a game that is quite playable, if not downright winable; and at that point, success or failure depends upon the player, not the opening. For the following game, I have to say: I apologize, Jerome Gambit...

perrypawnpusher - peroneal
blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009

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

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8

Worth mentioning here is the game perrypawnpusher - hogmaster, chessworld, 2008 which is referred to in the note after move 10: 7...Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.0-0 b6 11.f4 Bb7 12.d3 Qe7 13.Nc3 Re8 14.Bd2 h6 15.h3 Qd7 16.Qg3 Ne7 17.e5 Nfg8 18.Rae1 Nf5 19.Qf2 Nge7 20.g4 g6 21.gxf5 gxf5 22.Re3 Rg8+ 23.Rg3 Kf7 24.Ne2 h5 25.Kh2 Rg6 26.Rfg1 Reg8 27.Nd4 dxe5 28.Rxg6 exd4 29.Rxg8 Nxg8 30.Qg3 Ne7 31.Qg7+ Ke6 32.Re1+ Kd6 33.Qe5+ Kc6 34.Qxe7 Qxe7 35.Rxe7 Kd6 36.Re5 Bc8 37.Kg3 Black resigned

8.Qxc5 d6

Also relevant to the next note, perrypawnpusher - Lark, blitz, FICS, 2009 continued: 8...N8e7 9.0-0 b6 10.Qe3 Rf8 11.f4 d6 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc4 14.Qg3 Rf7 15.Nc3 Kf8 16.Bg5 h6 17.Bc1 Bb7 18.f6 Rxf6 19.Rxf6+ gxf6 20.Bxh6+ Ke8 21.Qg7 Kd7 22.Qg4+ Ke8 23.Qg7 Nd2 24.Qxf6 Bxe4 25.Nxe4 Nxe4 26.Qh8+ Kd7 27.Qxd8+ Rxd8 28.Re1 Nf5 29.Rxe4 Nxh6 30.Rh4 Nf5 31.Rh7+ Kc6 32.c3 Re8 33.Kf2 a5 34.b3 Rf8 35.Ke2 Re8+ 36.Kd2 Ne3 37.Rg7 Nf1+ 38.Kd3 Nxh2 39.g4 Nf3 40.g5 Nh4 41.c4 Nf5 42.d5+ Kb7 43.Rh7 Re7 44.Rxe7 Nxe7 45.Ke4 Ng6 46.Kf5 Nh4+ 47.Kf6 Kc8 48.g6 Nxg6 49.Kxg6 Kd7 50.Kf6 c6 51.Kf7 cxd5 52.cxd5 b5 53.a3 Kc7 54.Ke7 b4 55.a4 Kb6 56.Kxd6 Ka6 57.Kc6 Ka7 58.Kc7 Ka6 59.d6 Black resigned

9.Qe3 Nf6

Okay, I've been here before. This is my 6th game (up until now 3-1-1) with this position which was first seen, according to my database, in Charlick - Mann, correspondence 1881 (1-0, 71).

10.0-0 Bd7

A new move, with the idea of putting the Bishop on the a8-h1 diagonal, to pressure the e4 pawn. Other players, like hogmaster and Lark (above) have fianchettoed the Bishop at b7.

11.f4 Qe7 12.Nc3 Bc6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4

This kind of Knight attack on the Queen has happened a lot recently: see my games against DysonLin, episodeninetynine, Joejox and Lark.

15.Qd3

Where should the Queen go? Probably 15.Qe2 was a bit better. Proper positioning of the heavy pieces behind the "Jerome pawn" center will be an important test of the middlegame play – a test that I barely passed, with a "D".

15...Bb5 16.b3

Shoot. Me. Now.

Just like in my previous game, my opponent hangs a piece – and I miss it!

16...Ne3 17.Qxb5+ c6 18.Qd3 Nxf1 19.Kxf1 Rd8

White has two pawns for the exchange. Considering Black's King stuck in the center of the board, White has to have the advantage.

20.Bg5 Rf8 21.Qe3

In this position Fritz8 prefers 21.Re1, if only to answer 21...h6 with the surprising 22.Nd5 – after 22...cxd5 23.e5 dxe5 24.dxe5 hxg5 25.exf6 Rxf7 26.Rxe7+ Kxe7 White should have the advantage. I think 21.Re1 is good for calmer lines, too.

21...h6 22.Bh4 Qd7

It might have been time to put the King on that square, instead, and continue with him to c8 – castling-by-hand on the Queenside.

23.Kg1 Rc8 24.e5

Breaking in the center – probably too early. White's Rook could have gone to f1 or e1 first.

24...Nd5

After 24...dxe5 25.dxe5 Ng4 26.Qxa7 White would be better – for example, after 26...Rxf5 27.Rd1 followed by Nc3-e4 – but things would be messy; and the result would be better than after the text.

25.Nxd5 cxd5 26.exd6+ Kf7

What now?

White should be winning, and there should be some kind of "killer" move here – but I couldn't find it during the game.

Fritz 8 suggests 27.Be7! Then, if 27...Rfe8, White calmly plays 28.Re1 and his threat to infiltrate with the Queen forces Black to liquidate to a lost ending: 28...Rxe7 29.Qxe7+ Qxe7 30.Rxe7+ Kf6 31.Rxb7. Totally beyond my calculation at the time, as well, was if Black played the odd 27...Ke8 (Fritz 8's second choice) then White has 28.f6. All a bit too beyond me.

My move leads to an equal game.

27.Qe6+ Qxe6 28.fxe6+ Kxe6 29.Re1+ Kxd6

Wait a minute! With 29...Kd7 Black probably keeps the game a draw. The text move returns a favor.

30.Be7+ Kd7 31.Bxf8 Rxf8

All Rook endgames are drawn, right? Actually, I thought I had good chances to win this one.

32.c3 Rc8 33.Re3 Kd6 34.Kf2 a6 35.Ke2 b6 36.Kd3 g6 37.c4 dxc4+ 38.bxc4 Rf8

So far, so good. My extra pawn is protected and passed.

39.d5 Rf2 40.Re2

White's job is simplified if he can exchange Rooks.

40...Rxe2 41.Kxe2 b5

Black's last gasp.

I looked at 42.cxb5 Kxd5 43.bxa6 and even though Black can catch the forward White a-pawn, there's still the other a-pawn to be distracted by, while White's King feasts on the Kingside pawns... With only that amount of thought, I played

42.cxb5

only to see instead

42...axb5

Oooops...

The game is now drawn. The winning move, of course, was 42.Kd3.

43.Kd3 Kxd5 44.a3 Kc5 45.Kc3 g5 46.g4 Kb6 47.Kb4 Kc6 48.h3 Kb6 49.Kb3 Kc5 50.Kc3 Kb6 51.Kb4 Kc6 52.Kb3 Kb6 53.Kb4 Kc6 54.Kb3 Kc5 55.Kc3 Kb6 56.Kb4 Kc6 Game drawn by repetition

Nice work, peroneal!

Another game like my last two, and the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde might suspend my membership!

Ugly

The other day I got in a couple of blitz Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) at FICS (Free Internet Chess Server). The first game I shared with readers yesterday (see"Diagnosis: Misplaced Knight"). The second one, well, er, um... I guess I can say that there's "winning ugly" and "losing ugly," and it's better to win ugly...

perrypawnpusher - Lark
blitz 2 12, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5
It turned out that this game was the third time that I'd played the Jerome Gambit against Lark. Our first game continued: 5...Kf8 6.Nxc6 dxc6 7.0-0 Bd6 8.f4 g6 9.d4 Bd7 10.Nc3 Nh6 11.f5 Qh4 12.e5 Nxf5 13.exd6 cxd6 14.g4 Re8 15.gxf5 Bxf5 16.Qf3 Qxd4+ 17.Kh1 Kg7 18.Qf2 Black forfeited on time, perrypawnpusher - Lark, FICS, 2009

6.Qh5+ Ng6


My second game with Lark lasted a bit longer than the first: 6...Kf8 7.Qxe5 Bd6 8.Qc3 Nf6 9.d3 Qe7 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 Bc5 12.0-0 d6 13.d4 g5 14.dxc5 gxh4 15.cxd6 Qxd6 16.Nd2 Rg8 17.f4 Bh3 18.Qxh3 Qxd2 19.Rf2 Qd4 20.Qf5 Qxb2 21.Re1 Qb6 22.e5 Rg7 23.exf6 Rf7 24.Re6 Qb1+ 25.Rf1 Qxa2 26.Rfe1 Qb2 27.Qg6 Qd4+ 28.Kh1 Qxf4 29.Re7 Rxe7 30.fxe7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Lark, blitz FICS, 2009

7.Qd5+ Ke8

A game in the current Chessworld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament continued: 7...Ke7 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qg5+ Nf6 10.d3 Qf8 11.Nc3 Be6 12.Be3 Ne5 13.h3 Kd7 14.f4 h6 15.Qg3 Nc6 16.0-0-0 Rd8 17.f5 Bf7 18.Qf3 Ne5 19.Qf2 a6 20.b3 b5 21.d4 Nc6 22.g4 Kc8 23.Qf3 b4 24.Na4 a5 25.d5 Ne5 26.Qe2 Nfd7 27.Qa6+ Kb8 28.Ba7+ Ka8 29.Bb6+ Kb8 30.Qa7+ Kc8 31.Qxc7 checkmate, stampyshortlegs - calchess10, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009

8.Qxc5 Another, not-quite-completed game in the same Chessworld JG tournament has gone: 8.d4 N8e7 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qh5 c6 11.f4 d5 12.f5 dxe4 13.fxg6 Nxg6 14.c3 Qe7 15.Bg5 Qe6 16.0-0 Kd7 17.Na3 Kc7 18.Bf4+ Kb6 19.Qc5+ Ka6 20.Nc4 b6 21.Qa3+ Kb7 22.Nd6+ Kc7 23.Nf7+ Nxf4 24.Nxh8 Ne2+ 25.Kh1 Bb7 26.Rae1 a5 27.Rxe2 Rxh8 28.Qb3 Qxb3 29.axb3 b5 30.Rf7+ Kb6 31.Rxe4 g6 32.Ree7 Bc8 33.Rxh7 stampyshortlegs - Luke Warm, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009
8...N8e7 9.0-0 b6
An alternative: 9...d6 10.Qe3 Rf8 11.d4 c5 12.c3 Bd7 13.f4 Rc8 14.f5 Bxf5 15.exf5 Rxf5 16.Rxf5 Qd7 17.Rf1 cxd4 18.cxd4 Rc2 19.Nc3 Qg4 20.Qf3 Qxd4+ 21.Be3 Qe5 22.Rae1 Nh4 23.Qf7+ Kd7 24.Bf2 Qg5 25.Rxe7+ Kc6 26.Rc7 checkmate, guest6567 - guest4702, Internet Chess Club, 2004.

10.Qe3 Rf8

Or 10...Bb7 11.f4 Rf8 12.d4 d6 13.f5 Nh8 14.g4 Qd7 15.c4 Nf7 16.Nc3 Kd8 17.b3 h6 18.h4 g5 19.h5 Nc6 20.Ba3 Qe8 21.Rad1 Kd7 22.e5 Nfxe5 23.dxe5 Qxe5 24.Qd3 Rae8 25.Rde1 Qd4+ 26.Qxd4 Nxd4 27.Rxe8 Rxe8 28.Bb2 Nf3+ 29.Kf2 Nh2 30.Rg1 Bf3 31.Rg3 Bxg4 32.Rg2 Bxf5 33.Rxh2 c6 34.Kf3 Rf8 35.Kg3 Be6 36.Ne2 c5 37.Bg7 Rf1 38.Bxh6 Ra1 39.Nc3 Rg1+ 40.Kf2 g4 41.Kxg1 g3 42.Rg2 Bg4 43.Rxg3 Bxh5 44.Ne4 Kc6 45.Rg5 b5 46.Rxh5 bxc4 47.bxc4 a5 48.Bf4 a4 49.Rh6 Kb6 50.Rxd6+ Ka5 51.Bd2 checkmate, guest1730 - guest1656, Internet Chess Club, 2001

Louis Morin of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde was the "guest" playing White in the two aforementioned games.

11.f4 d6 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc4 14.Qg3
14...Rf7 15.Nc3 Kf8 16.Bg5

I spent way too much time trying to figure out if 16.f6 worked here. It does – but I didn't play it. The line is complicated, but leads to White's advantage: 16.f6 gxf6 (not 16...Rxf6 17.Bg5 Ng6 18.Nd5 winning) 17.Bh6+ Ke8 18.Nd5 f5 19.Rae1 Kd7 20.Qb3 Nxd5 21.Qxc4 Bb7 22.exd5 a6.

16...h6 17.Bc1
It looks like 17.f6 was playable, too.

17...Bb7 18.f6 Rxf6
I guess I wasn't the only player having trouble with this position. Better was 18...gxf6, although after 19.b3 Na5 20.Bxh6+ Ke8 21.Rae1 my position is beginning to look better.

19.Rxf6+
Sigh. 19.Bxh6 was the move.
19...gxf6 20.Bxh6+ Ke8 21.Qg7
Inviting another piece to the party with 21.Rf1 was stronger.

21...Kd7 22.Qg4+ Ke8 23.Qg7
Repeating the position, and considering a draw, which was silly: 23.Qh5+ Kd7 24.Qb5+ instead would have won a piece.

Now both my opponent and I seem to have been mesmerized by the clock.
23...Nd2 24.Qxf6
Or, well, just take the gift Knight at d2...

24...Bxe4 25.Nxe4

Or, well, 25.Bxd2...

25...Nxe4 26.Qh8+
At this point my nerves got the better of me (clock ticking) and I decided to swap to an endgame where I thought I had at least drawing chances. Wrong. Plus: 26.Qe6 instead was still strong.

26...Kd7 27.Qxd8+ Rxd8 28.Re1 Nf5
29.Rxe4 Nxh6 30.Rh4 Well, my intentions are clear: play the two pawns against the Knight. At my level of play there are "drawing chances" but as they say on television, "don't try this at home, folks!"

30...Nf5 31.Rh7+ Kc6 32.c3 Re8 33.Kf2
This move and next, I would have done better to start my pawns rolling with g2-g4.
33...a5 34.b3 Rf8
35.Ke2 Re8+ 36.Kd2 Ne3 37.Rg7 Nf1+ 38.Kd3 Nxh2

Not so good (for me).

39.g4 Nf3 40.g5 Nh4 41.c4 Nf5 42.d5+ Kb7 43.Rh7 Re7 44.Rxe7 Nxe7
Things are going just as I planned – except that Black still has a won game. Lucky for me, neither one of us seemed to notice.

45.Ke4 Ng6
The win for Black comes after he busts up White's Queenside pawns and then infiltrates with his King: 45...b5 46.cxb5 Kb6 47.Kd4 Kxb5
46.Kf5 Nh4+ 47.Kf6
White has a draw here either playing tag with the Black Knight – 47.Kg4 Ng6 48.Kf5 Nh4+ 49.Kg4, etc. – repeating the position; or by advancing toward the enemy pawns with 47.Ke6, so that the ...b5 break is not good enough to win.

The text is "playing for the loss".
47...Kc8
Of course 47...b5 wins.
48.g6 Nxg6 49.Kxg6 Kd7 50.Kf6
The position is drawn. White's King cannot make progress toward attacking Black's pawn base at c7 (as long as the Black King is dilligent), and if he is foolish enough to try entry through a3, a4 and b5, Black's King will follow him and pick off the White pawns.
50...c6
Dear Readers, let this be a lesson to you: eat your vegetables, get daily exercise – and study your chess endings!
51.Kf7 cxd5 52.cxd5 b5 53.a3 Kc7 54.Ke7 b4 55.a4


55...Kb6 56.Kxd6 Ka6 57.Kc6 Ka7 58.Kc7 Ka6 59.d6 Black resigns 1-0

Diagnosis: Misplaced Knight

It has been said that if one piece sits poorly in a chess game, the entire position becomes poor for that player.

I think that remark usually refers to games played above the level of those involving the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), but it does appear true that in the following game, my opponent's Queen Knight (and to some extent, his King Knight) caused him a lot of difficulty.

Of course, I was cooperative: as Genrikh Chepukaitis said “You need not play well - just help your opponent to play badly”

perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka

blitz 6 5, FICS, 2009

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

The Semi-Italian.

4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Transposing to a Jerome Gambit, of course. I think the extra 0-0 helps White more than the extra ...h6 helps Black.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6

8.Qd5+

I continue to prefer Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's "nudge" here, instead of the direct capture of the Bishop.

An alternative, from the current Chessworld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, is 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc4+ Be6 10.Qe2 Nf4 TN 11.Qf3 g5 12.d3 Nf6 13.Bxf4 Bg4 14.Qe3 gxf4 15.Qxf4 Qd7 16.Nc3 c6 17.f3 Be6 18.Qe3 Rag8 19.Rf2 Rg6 20.f4 Ng4 21.Qf3 Ke8 22.f5 Rf6 23.fxe6 Qxe6 24.Qh3 Rxf2 25.Qh5+ Kd7 26.h3 Rxg2+ 27.Kxg2 Ne3+ 28.Kf2 Nxc2 29.Rc1 Rf8+ 30.Ke2 Nd4+ 31.Kd1 Rf1+ 32.Kd2 Nf3+ 33.Kc2 Rxc1+ 34.Kxc1 Ng5 35.h4 Qh3 36.Qxh6 Qf1+ 37.Kc2 Qf2+ 38.Kb3 Qb6+ 39.Kc2 Qf2+ 40.Kb3 Qb6+ 41.Kc2 Qf2+ 42.Kb3 Draw, Black Puma - TWODOGS, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009

8...Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6

Earlier this year I faced 9...Qe7 10.Qe3 Nf6 11.Nc3 c6 12.f4 b6 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Ba6 15.dxe5 Qxe5 16.Re1 Kf7 17.Qf3 Rhe8 18.Bf4 Qc5+ 19.Be3 Qb5 20.Bd4 Qxb2 21.e5 Nd5 22.e6+ Kg8 23.Qg4 Nxc3 24.Qxg7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Cibola, FICS, 2009

10.Qe3 Ne5

I am sometimes surprised that my opponents think so little of the Jerome Gambit that they act as if anything can be played against it. White is close to having an equal game after this move.

11.d4 Ng4 12.Qg3 N8f6

This unnecessarily complicates things.

13.Nc3

The position is trickier than I thought when I was playing. For example, after 13.f3, Black's Knights prance around: 13...Nh5 14.Qe1 Ngf6 15.g4 Nxg4 16.fxg4 Bxg4 17.Nc3 Kd7 and the game is about even.

13...Be6

Fritz8 prefers 13...Nh5 14.Qd3 Ngf6 15.f4, giving White a small advantage.

14.h3 Bc4

Black needed to complicate things with something like 14...Nh5, for example 15.Qf3 (eye on the Knights!) Rf8 16.Qe2 (the same) Ngf6 17.e5 Kf7 (castling-by-hand!) 18.exf6 Nxf6 19.Re1 Qd7 20.Ne4 Kg8 and White is a pawn up, but things are still challenging: if 21.Nxd6 then 21...Bxh3.

15.Re1 Qd7 16.hxg4

Gathering in the wayward Knight.

16...Nxg4 17.f3 Nf6 18.e5 Nh5

19.exd6+

A bit better was 19.Qh4 Qf7 20.exd6+ Kf8 21.Re7 Qg6 22.d5, snaring the Black Bishop; but the text is sufficient.

19...Kf7 20.Qh2 g6 21.Re7+ Black resigned

Not Quite the Jerome Gambit - Addendum

Readers of yesterday's post "Not Quite the Jerome Gambit" may have noticed that the line played by leif41no and Namecheck – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 – did not have to be Jerome-ized at all with 4.Bxf7+. Instead, White had at his disposal 4.d4, which, after 4...exd4 would transpose to The Urusov Gambit – very well covered by Michael Goeller at his website (check links: Kenilworthian).