Saturday, September 26, 2009

Were they talking about the Jerome Gambit again?


It's time for another collection of quotations...

Adequate compensation for a sacrifice is having a sound combination leading to a winning position: adequate compensation for a blunder is having your opponent snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - Bruce A. Moon


Careful. We don't want to learn from this. - Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes)


Short of actual blunders, lack of faith in one's position is the chief cause of defeat. To be sure, it is easy to recommend faith and not so easy to practice it. - Fred Reinfeld



Half this game is ninety percent mental - Danny Ozark, Philadelphia Phillies manager



"There are only two kinds of moves in the opening," Tartakower once remarked. "Moves which are wrong and moves which could be wrong."



Like every great chess player, Franklin K. Young was well aware of the superiority of certain opening moves. "Always deploy," Young once advised, "so that the right oblique can be readily established in case the objective plane remains open or becomes permanently located on the centre or on the King's wing, or that the crochet aligned may readily be established if the objective plane becomes permanently located otherwise than at the extremity of the strategic front." Young later clarified the passage as follows: "The best initial move for white is 1. P-K4."


Cardinal Borromeo was once censured for the inordinate time he spent playing and practicing the game of chess. "What would you do if you were busy playing and the world came to an end?" he was asked one day. "Continue playing," he simply replied.



Any opening is good enough, if its reputation is bad enough. - Tartakower



The judicious violation of general principles marks the master-mind. - Löwenthal



I keep on fighting as long as my opponent can make a mistake.– Emanuel Lasker



I make errors, therefore I am!– Saviely Tartakower



My problem with chess was that all my pieces wanted to end the game as soon as possible. - Dave Barry


A chess game is divided into three stages: the first, when you hope you have the advantage, the second when you believe you have an advantage, and the third... when you know you're going to lose!- Tartakower


Chess is thirty to forty percent psychology. You don't have this when you play a computer. I can't confuse it.- Judith Polgar


I don't want to make the wrong mistake. - Unknown


In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is. - Jan L.A. van de Snepscheut


To all other chessplayers, the mistake, not the pawn, is the soul of chess. Without mistakes no wins. Long live the blunder! What would chess be without all the hung pieces, the mates in one, the blindness, the Fingerfehler, the mix-ups of move-order, the Nf5xd6 of Amsterdam 1956 or the d4-d3 of Havana 1965? - Tim Krabbé


Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. - Napoleon Bonaparte


Less than fifteen per cent of the people do any original thinking on any subject.... The greatest torture in the world for most people is to think. - Luther Burbank


There are only two ways by which to rise in this world, either by one's own industry or by the stupidity of others. - Jean de la Bruyere


If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.- Lewis Carroll


If you're not making mistakes, you're not taking risks, and that means you're not going anywhere. The key is to make mistakes faster than the competition, so you have more chances to learn and win. - John W. Holt, Jr.



The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come. - C.S. Lewis






(These are just a few of the humorous chess quotes at Got Chess Quotes? at Stan's NetChess Message Board. Check them all out!)



Friday, September 25, 2009

Photo Finish?

It's beginning to look like the 15-player, double-round robin Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) Thematic Tournament at ChessWorld will go down to the wire before a winner is determined.

Currently, stampyshortlegs holds the lead, with 20.5 points out of 26 games completed. He has leap-frogged over Piratepaul, who has 20 points out of 25 games completed.

Sir Osis of the Liver (19 points out of 28 games completed), is secure in third place.

Fourth place is occupied by DREWBEAR 63 (17 points out of 28 games); although he could be joined there by GladtoMateYou (16 points out of 27 games) or Haroldlee123 (14 points out of 25 games) – but not both, as they are playing a game against each other.

Luke Warm is sitting still with 15 points out of 28 games, as is Eddie43 with 14.5 points out of 28 games.

The Jerome Gambit has kept its score of 39%. stampyshortlegs has gained 9.5 points with the gambit, while PiratePaul and Sir Osis of the Liver have gained 9 points.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

That Strange Move Again



Playing through a new (to me) Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, I encountered an unusual line, with a strange improvement/recommendation that I'd seen sometime before...



UNPREDICTABLE - Sanomis
blitz FICS, 2009

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8


This is not one of the usual Jerome Gambit refutations, and a pretty rare choice of move, although it's been touched upon in "You, too, can add to Jerome Gambit theory!" and "Ooops..."

6.Nxc6

Of course, this is White's best move.

Black has a strange response here that is both thematic and counter-intuitive (you gotta love the Jerome Gambit!): 6...Qh4!?




analysis diagram








Best play now seems to be 7.d4 Qxe4+ 8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 when, after a dance of the pieces, 9...Bb6 10.Nb4 Bxd4 11.Nd5 Kd8 the position is equal.





analysis diagram







This is not the thunder-and-lightning play of Whistler's Defense, which is clearly better for Black, but it's probably not the kind of position that White was hoping for when he sacrificed his Bishop.

Instead, Black simply captures the Knight on c6, and then realizes that he will be two pawns down with an uncastled King and no counterplay.

6...dxc6 7.Qh5+ Black resigned

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

One More Bit of Advice...

If you are going to be playing or facing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) or one of its cousins, probably the best piece of advice I can offer – to avoid untold heartbreak – is the standard offering from every teacher: Pay Attention! Witness the following short games from my database...

AlgozBR - AbdiAshirta
blitz FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Nf6?? 9.Qxd8 1-0

AlgozBR - Coxybleue
blitz FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ Ke7 [ 6...g6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7=/+] 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Nc4+ Kc6 [ 8...Kc5 9.Qd5+ Kb4 10.a3+ Ka4 11.Nc3#] 9.Qd5#

AlgozBR - nikolasa
blitz FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qf6 8.Qc4+?? Nxc4 0-1

CesarDK - moadib
blitz FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 6.Qh5 Nh6 7.d4 d6 8.Bg5+ Ke6 9.Bxd8 1-0

UNPREDICTABLE - DAVIDSTEINFELD
blitz FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 Qe7 8.d3?? Qxc5 0-1

UNPREDICTABLE - ViveLaVie
blitz FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 Qe7 8.d3?? Qxc5 White resigns 0-1

UNPREDICTABLE - papin (1361)
blitz FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Nf6?? 9.Qxd8 Ng8 1-0

itajuba - barcellos
blitz FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.c3 Nf6 6.b4 Bb6 7.Qb3+ Kf8 8.Ng5 Ng4?? 9.Qf7#

richiehill - PlatinumKnight
blitz FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Nc4 Qg5 7.0-0 Bd6 8.d3 Ne7?? 9.Bxg5 1-0

yorgos - MichaelOlsson
blitz FICS, 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Kg8 7.Qe2 h6 8.Qc4+ Kf8?? [ 8...d5 9.exd5 b5 10.Qxc5 Nd4-/+] 9.Qf7#

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

An Early Lewis Gambit

As a follow-up to yesterday's post on the Lewis Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.d4) (see "S.O.S.") I thought I'd pass along another early game, along with the same advice that I've given to those who defend against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+): If someone offers you a Bishop, Take it!

De Con - Amateur
correspondence, 1913

1.e4 e5 2.d4
exd4 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 4...Kf8


It's not clear what Black gains by declining. Perhaps he is just trying to be difficult.

5.Bb3 Nf6

Hebert - Dumesnil, Masters - Juniors, 1997 continued 5...Qe7 6.Ne2 Qxe4 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Nd2 Qg4 9.h3 Qh5 10.Nf3 Ne5 11.Nxe5 Qxe5 12.Bf4 Qf6 13.Bxc7 d6 14.c3 d3 15.Qxd3 Ne7 16.Rad1 Bf5 17.Qg3 Nc8 18.Bd5 a5 19.Bxb7 Ra7 20.Bxc8 Rxc7 21.Bxf5 Qxf5 22.Nd4 Qf6 23.Rfe1 Re7 24.Rxe7 Qxe7 25.Qf3+ Qf7 26.Qa8+ Qe8 27.Qxa5 g6 28.Qc7 Qe7 29.Qc8+ Kg7 30.Ne6+ Kf6 31.Qxh8+ Black resigned



6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Ne8



8.Nf3 d6


The kind of error that a Jerome Gambit player can appreciate.


9.Bg5 Qd7 10.e6 Qc6 11.e7 checkmate


graphic by Jeff Bucchino, The Wizard of Draws

Monday, September 21, 2009

S.O.S.


It was fun to see that one of the articles in S.O.S. #10Secrets of Opening Surprises, Volume 10 – by Jeroen Bosch, was on the Lewis Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.d4. It is an old line (the earliest examples I have are from an 1841 Staunton - Cochrane match) and, of course, a piece of it is reminiscent of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

While the critical response for Black has to be 3...Bxd4 (Bosch recommends 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.0-0 with compensation) after 3...exd4, the recommendation – by the author (and Rybka 3, for that matter) is 4.Bxf7+.

We've seen this before, in the blindfold game Blackburne -Evelyn, London 1862 (1-0, 32), starting out 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Bc4 Bc5.

After 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.d4 exd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Qh5+ g6 6.Qxc5 Nc6 Bosch sees

...an interesting position. The material is equal, White's queen has been developed rather early and black's king is not entirely safe. Play could continue 7.Nf3 (7.Ne2). Well, at least this is a fun position to play.

Bosch's ultimate assessment is

Black certainly has chances to equalize after 3..exd4, but there are more than enough practical chances for white, and this is clearly not the refuataion of 3.d4

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Poisoned by the Jerome Gambit

When I play a chess game with the White pieces, I don't always reach a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), but I am happy if some of those times I can reach the Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit (see"If not a Jerome Gambit..." and "Jerome Gambit... Jerome Gambit... Jerome Gambit...") which I am trying to learn. Sometimes, however, ideas from the Jerome spill over into my thoughts about the Boden-Kieseritzky, and that can lead to a severe case of brain poisoning... 
 perrypawnpusher - anonymous 
blitz, FICS, 2009 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 Oh, well. No Jerome. We'll try for a B-K.

4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 d6
This is not the best defense for Black. Pity I couldn't remember the right response...

7.Re1

White gets the advantage, instead, with 7.Ng5 Be6 8.Nxe6 fxe6 9.Bxe6.

7...Bg4
8.Bxf7+

Hey, it works in the Jerome, right? No need to think it through, right?
Wrong.
It's embarassing to have missed the correct execution of the underlying idea: 8.Nxe5 dxe5 (8...Bxd1? 9.Bxf7+ Ke7 10.Bg5 mate) 9.Qxg4 with advantage.

8...Kxf7 9.Ng5+
9...Ke7

Yeow! Instead, Black had 9...Qxg5 (so much for the "protection" of the Bishop), coming out a piece ahead after 10.Bxg5 Bxd1 11.Raxd1.
In truth, after 

10.Qxg4 I went on to win the game in 30 more moves, but it was a lesson learned – I hope. And I still need to brush up on my Boden-Kieseritzky.