Inspired by the Jerome Gambit: A True Story

I found the following game on the ChessKnot.com website, annotated by the winner. I've added a few notes, but mostly I'll let the game and the player of the White pieces speak for themselves.

csxrook  - bru39
Annotated by: csxrook
Chess opening: King's pawn game (C50)
GameKnot

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

I saved this game because it was an experimental game that worked, 5.b4 was the first time I ever implemented a successful gambit on the spur of the moment and linked it together to win this blitz game in under 60 seconds.

This move seemed a bit peculiar to me as it was preempting my dark-squared bishop from sitting at g5 w/o even knowing if I had planned to fianchetto it to b2. Plus it neglected development of the pieces.

4.Nc3 Nge7

Poor move, IMO, as it blocks in the bishop & queen, prolonging development & castling.

5.b4

Noticing a familiar setup and lack of developed pieces, I offer the pawn to draw the knight away from protecting e5, with a certain surprise awaiting.

5....Nxb4

He takes!

6.Bxf7+

Combined with a sacrifice I learned from the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+), except now there's no pesky knight covering the e5 pawn!

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Ke8

7...Kg8 would have held out longer 

[After 7...Kg8 Black has the usual beginning Jerome Gambit advantage, whereas after the text, he is busted. - Rick]

8.Qh5+

[I hate to interrupt the Jerome Gambit flow here, but the quickest kill was 8.Qf3 first then: 8...Nf5 9.Qh5+ Ke7 10.Nd5+ Kd6 and Black loses his Queen to 11.Nf7+ - Rick]


8...g6 9.Nxg6 Nxc2+

[Tempting, but Black should instead reinforce g6 with 9...Rg8 so that after 10.Nh4+ he can block with 10...Ng6, for example: 11.Nxg6 Qg5 12.Qxg5 hxg5 - Rick]


10.Kf1

I moved away from the knight in hopes of sacrificing the inactive rook for another critical tempo.

10...Nxg6

mate in 2...

11.Qxg6+ Ke7

stalemated king

12.Nd5

Mate

Another Miniature from Brazil

I was pleased to grab another Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game from Welton Vaz's "Chess, Science Fiction and Peace" blog. See also: "Xadrez, Ficção Cientifíca e Paz" and "Teach / Learn"

Ghandybh  - DVBLTTN 

Online Chess, 2009

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

The adventure begins!

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.Qf5+

An earlier game of Welton's went 7.f4 g6 8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxh8 Qh4+ 10.g3 Qh6 11.Qc3 b6 12.d4 Be7 13.Qc4+ Kf8 14.0-0 c5 15.f5 Qe3+ 16.Bxe3 Black resigned, Ghandybh - duboak, Chess.com 2009

7...Kd6 8.f4 g6

Not a common move, and not a good one, either. Refutations look like 8...Qh4+ or 8...Qf6, not just kicking the White Queen in the shins.

9.Qxe5+ Kc6 10.Qxh8

Yes!

In a previous game I went chasing after butterflies, and caught nothing but a half point: 10.Qd5+ Kb6 11.Nc3 c6 12.Na4+ Kc7 13.Qe5+ Bd6 14.Qxh8 Qh4+ 15.g3 Qg4 16.Qxg8 Qf3 17.Rf1 Qxe4+ 18.Kd1 b5 19.Nc3 Qd4 20.Qxh7 Bb4 21.Qxg6 d6 22.Qd3 Bg4+ 23.Ne2 Qxd3 24.cxd3 Re8 25.Re1 c5 26.a3 Ba5 27.b4 cxb4 28.axb4 Bb6 29.Bb2 Bf2 30.d4 Bxe1 31.Kxe1 Rxe2+ 32.Kf1 Rxd2 33.Bc3 Rxh2 34.Rxa7+ Kb6 35.Rf7 Bh3+ 36.Kg1 Rg2+ 37.Kh1 Rxg3 38.Rf6 Rxc3 39.Rxd6+ Kc7 40.Rd5 Kc6 41.Rh5 Bg4 42.Rg5 Bf3+ 43.Kh2 Bd5 44.f5 Rc4 45.Rg6+ Kc7 46.Rg7+ Kd6 47.Rg6+ Kd7 48.Rg7+ Kd6 49.Rg6+ Ke7 50.Rb6 Rxb4 51.Kg3 Rxd4 52.Rxb5 Kf6 53.Kf2 Kxf5 54.Ke3 Re4+ 55.Kd3 Re5 56.Kd4 Re4+ 57.Kxd5 Re5+ 58.Kc4 Rxb5 59.Kxb5 draw, perrypawnpusher - spontex, FICS, 2009

10...Qh4+ 11.g3 Qh3

White's move is more aggressive than duobak's Qh6 (above), because he plans to infiltrate the Kingside with his Queen. The problem is that Black's Kingside will fall apart faster.

12.Qxg8 Qg2 13.Qd5+ Kb6 14.Rf1

If Black's unsafe King isn't his undoing, being a Rook down will eventually finish him off.

14...Qxh2 15.Qb3+ Kc6 16.Na3 d5 17.Qb5+ Black resigned, as he is going to lose another piece (17...Kd6 18.e5+ followed by 19.Qxc5).

I can't believe I missed this...

I just bumped into Chess Chat, which bills itself as "Australia's Premier Chess Forum." The following series of exchanges is both entertaining and educational.


Ausknight
March 7, 2009
"How to defend against this Ruy Lopez Variation?"

At the moment I'm opening with the Ruy Lopez and whilst I personally use the classic line of 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc5, I've come across other white players online opening with the following instead : 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc5

It's a slight variation which puts immediate pressure the following turn with either sacrificing the Bishop with Bxf7+ (forcing the king to take and removing a castle from the equation - Is this actually worth the trade in material?) or threatening the potentially potent follow up with Nh5 (which leads to a nasty Nxf8).

Question is, how do you defend against this variation?

Cheers


Jono
March 7, 2009

I'm not sure what you're asking. 3. Bc4 can be answered well by 3... Bc5 or Nf6.


Zwischenzug
March 7, 2009

Actually, this opening is the Italian game. Anyway, sacking the bishop for a pawn so early in the game is a bad idea for white. Sure black can't castle but he can survive. 3...Nf6 or 3...Bc5 would be normal for black here.


The Snail King
March 7, 2009

As Jono (edit: and Zwischenzug) said, there are a couple of good moves.

I invariably play 3...Bc5 in that position, because when playing 3...Nf6 Black needs to know the theory after White's 4.Ng5 (Fried Liver Attack, IIRC) and for beginners that's not an easy line to play. With 3...Bc5 the diagonal from Black's Qd8 to the g5 square is not blocked, preventing the immediate 4.Ng5 by White.


 Rincewind
March 7, 2009

I haven't been an e4 or e5 player for several years but the line you give is not considered the Ruy Lopez. It is called both the Giuoco Piano (quiet game) and Italian Opening. There are many lines but generally the Bishop sac is not working just yet and Black normally plays 3...Bc5.

If 4.Bxf7 Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6! seems hair raising but black is better thanks to the material (although his king is exposed and so he has to be careful).

The usual lines after 3...Bc5 are either 4.b4 called the Evan's Gambit (which can be accepted) or the mainline 4.c3 Nf6 where White will usually play 5.d3 or d4. But things are pretty solid now since the knight on f6 defends the queen checking squares the Bxf7+ move is unlikely to cause any problems for a while.


Ausknight
March 7, 2009

Omg there's a line called the Fried Liver Attack?

That alone makes chess worth playing IMHO! HAHAHAHAHAAHA! LOVE IT!

Okay, so if my opponent pulls the pin and goes for Bxf7+ I just take back with the king? What then? It kind of leaves me a little exposed which as a beginner worries me a bit. Can I swing across the Rook from h8 to f8 and swing the king back in behind? With no pawn protecting on f7, I just feel like no matter what I do I'm dangerously exposed.

I guess I need more theory research on this line, or just learn a better response from the classic Ruy Lopez from white.

I have to admit I'm in the VERY early stages of learning opening lines, so a lot of what I see at the moment I mostly respond with tactical positioning with no theory behind me. I always worry about this because there's a lot of traps for the beginner in many opening lines and it's lead to more than one loss for me.

At present I generally only open with the Ruy Lopez as white and to be quite honest, respond with rubbish when playing as black. Looks like I need to stick my head into a few books and start a decent education on openings!


The Snail King
March 7, 2009

If you have a high-bandwidth internet connection, a lot of these openings are covered on YouTube (at least in a brief overview, including some of the usual traps to watch out for).

Beyond that, I can recommend the book series called "Starting Out ..." (e.g. Starting Out: Ruy Lopez) which can be purchased from all good chess retailers and/or Amazon Books. I have about a dozen of them and they give me at least a rudimentary understanding of the themes and usual plans for the major variations of each opening/defence.

There's also a good website (www.chessgames.com) that has an openings explorer. I am a member there, which allows me to delve into openings/games and see how "normal" most of the moves are in any position.

If you get really serious, ChessBase or Chess Assistant (I have the latter) gives you more than 3M games which are indexed by opening lines.


Ausknight
March 7, 2009

That's fantastic, thanks for the info!

I've just become a member of the ICC as well, is this sort of stuff covered there at all?


Jono
March 7, 2009

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5?! [5... Na5 gives Black a strong initiative for a P] 6. Nxf7 [the "Fried Liver"] [6. d4 first is probably even stronger] 6... Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 and a difficult game for Black

Okay, so if my opponent pulls the pin and goes for Bxf7+ I just take back with the king? What then? It kind of leaves me a little exposed which as a beginner worries me a bit. Can I swing across the Rook from h8 to f8 and swing the king back in behind?

Yes, that's called artificial castling or castling by hand.

With no pawn protecting on f7, I just feel like no matter what I do I'm dangerously exposed.

But exposed to what? White's just blown an attacking piece permanently for just minor temporary discomfort.

NB: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Ng5?! 0-0 6. Nxf7? Rxf7 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 is exceedingly bad play for White, because B+N will prove much stronger in the middlegame than the R+P which have little to do as yet.

I guess I need more theory research on this line, or just learn a better response from the classic Ruy Lopez from white.

Yes, the Ruy is a good opening for White to last a lifetime, unlike the Italian, and should guarantee an advantage against rubbishy Black lines.


Ausknight
May 7, 2009

Thank you so much for your help there Jono!

That Fried Liver Attack is something I've seen before actually (I just didn't know it had a name), although it was more of an accident than anything when I come across it

I personally don't like sacrificing material for positional advantage unless it leads to an overwhelmingly strong position (that's obvious as well).

As a beginner, the trade off for position is something that goes against our basic playing ethos. Before we have experience and knowledge of opening lines in our repertoire, we usually play hope chess and simple tactical play, of which one of the main priorities is maintaining a material advantage at all times.

So when the other noobies I play on ICC start throwing 'free' material at me in such a fashion, I start to wonder if the trade off in material for position early on like that is really worth it and these guys are ahead of me in thinking, or if they're simply trying too hard for a quick kill and fall on their swords? Sometimes, I can't see a tactical blunder like this for a well disguised trap, which is why I'm usually cautious about it.

It would seem that despite my initial confusion, my suspicions are correct - these early game spite checks more or less are just a ?? move.

On opening lines for black though, I've been checking out some of the easier defensive lines from the Sicilian (Najdorf variation) which seem a little safer, although they might be a little advanced for where I am now as it's a lot more moves. Still, it feels more comfortable a response to an e4 opening from white than e5. (As an aside, I really like the tutorials by Jrobichess, nicely presented for a beginner I've found)

The biggest problem I find with learning my opening lines at the moment is that because I play against a lot of new players at my level, they have virtually no concept of opening theory at all and play any old rubbish to get the action going as soon as possible, so more often than not I have to abandon playing classical opening lines a few moves in simply to defend something I'm not expecting that's throwing early pressure on.


The Snail King
March 8, 2009

Pre-empting Jono's reply perhaps, but the reason that there are tried-and-true opening lines is that the other lines don't work very well. So when someone goes "out of book lines" take a little time to try to work out why. There is a reasonable chance that its either a blunder or an inferior line, so if you can find the right follow-up move you will get an advantage. But I agree that its tough trying to figure that out when you haven't built up your own mental opening library of experience to draw on.


The Snail King
March 8, 2009

I thought I would give a little example of what I mean. In a game I am playing online at the moment: 1.e4 c5 2.Qh5 Nf6 3.Qxc5 Nxe4

I'm Black. I normally don't play the Sicilian, and I had never faced 2.Qh5 before. I don't know the theory, but I suspect its not played very often and the reason for that is that it is inferior (premature development of the queen exposes it to attack, "normal" 2nd moves by White are 2.Nf3, 2.Nc3, 2.c3, 2.Bb5 and so on). So I chose 2...Nf6 which develops a piece with tempo (Queen must move). After 3.Qxc5 Nxe4 the queen must move again. Most places it goes, I will follow up with 4...d5 and I have achieved a number of goals:

-- one of the main ideas of the Sicilian is that Black exchanges his c-pawn for a centre pawn, giving him a central pawn majority ... and I will have achieved something similar, exchanging my c-pawn for the (I think, very important!) e4-pawn.
-- White has been running around with his queen and has still not developed a minor piece
-- my d5-pawn gives me occupation/control of the centre and the opportunity for a later e5 pawn thrust to open lines

Now of course the stronger players here will no doubt expose my shallow thinking and give me 3 reasons why White is better(!), and if so I will take my medicine like a man, but I hope that little explanation gives you an idea of how to approach tackling an unexpected move in the opening.


Boris
March 8, 2009

Best way to avoid Bxf7 sacs is 1...e6.


Rincewind
March 8, 2009

Now of course the stronger players here will no doubt expose my shallow thinking and give me 3 reasons why White is better(!), and if so I will take my medicine like a man, but I hope that little explanation gives you an idea of how to approach tackling an unexpected move in the opening

I'm not that much of a stronger player than you and I don't think White is any better than Black in that line but by the same token I don't think Black has any huge advantage either (after 4.Qe3 say). However, rather than letting white take the c-pawn with the queen you could have defended it with some useful move like e6 or d6 and then get a tempo on his queen later with Nf6. For example after 1.e4 c5 2.Qh5 d6 3.Bc4 e6, and White's queen just looks plain silly. There is no way for White to get an attack on f7 and you are threatening to play Nf6 winning a tempo whenever you please.


Jono
March 8, 2009

Best way to avoid Bxf7 sacs is 1...e6

Why would you want to avoid an early Christmas gift? E.g. from an early age, I loved people trying the Double Muzio against me.


Jono
March 8, 2009

I think the lines suggested by Snail King and Rincewind are both sensible and good for Black. In SK's line, I might play 4. Qe3 Nf6 to advance the e-pawn with preparation. 4... d5 is not bad though, and should be compared with the exchange Caro Kann: 1.e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4

1.e4 c5 2. Qh5 Nf6 3. Qxc5 Nxe4 4. Qe3 d5 5. d4 Nc6 6. Bd3 Nf6 [6... Nd6 is probably even better, with ideas of ... Bf5 as well as supporting the minority attack better] 7. c3

In the game of GO, this sort of analysis, reversing move orders and making comparisons with known positions, is called Tewari. Comparing the above, we see that White's game is different from the genuine opening by having the Q misplaced on e3 instead of the B well developed on f4.


Mephistopheles
March 23, 2009

I'll happily venture it against anyone around my strength (i.e. not terribly strong) and, if I could be bothered learning the theory, I'd probably give it a crack against just about anyone.

Why would you want to avoid an early Christmas gift? E.g. from an early age, I loved people trying the Double Muzio against me.

As I understand it, White is generally regarded as OK-ish in the line. Mind you, my books o' King's Gambit theory might be out of date at around 8 years old.

Hardly relevant any more, as I play the King's Bishop's Gambit these days anyway. No chance of Philidor or Hanstein dullness.


 Useless Patzer
March 23, 2009

Thanks for this thread- very informative. The openings are my weakness and I need all the help I can get in learning theory, which is not so easy now I'm in my late 30's.


Igor Goldenberg
March 26, 2009

IMHO, learning the opening nowadays is much easier then it used to be with all the info available (I agree that separating seeds from weeds is still a difficult part, though).


The Snail King
March 26, 2009

Incidentally, here's how my 1.e4 c5 2.Qh5 game turned out ... I'm black ... in the end I decided against the d5 follow-up and played a bit more conservatively ... and my opponent gradually gifted me several pieces: 1.e4 c5 2.Qh5 Nf6 3.Qxc5 Nxe4 4.Qe3 Nf6 5.Bb5 a6 6.Ba4 g6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.O-O O-O 9.Bb3 Nc6 10.a3 d5 11.d3 Re8 12.Qd2 Bg4 13.Ng5 h6 14.h3 Bh5 15.Nc3 Qd7 16.Na4 Rad8 17.Nc5 Qc8 18.c3 hxg5 19.Qxg5 Nh7 20.Qd2 g5 21.d4 Bg6 22.Nd3 Na5 23.Bd1 Nc4 24.Qe2 e5 25.Qg4 Qxg4 26.Bxg4 Bxd3 27.Re1 e4 28.Bf5 Bf6 29.b3 Nd6 30.Bg4 Nf8 31.Bd2 Ne6 32.a4 Rd7 33.b4 Nc4 34.Bc1 Bd8 35.a5 Kg7 36.g3 Kg6 37.f3 f5 38.fxe4 fxg4 39.exd5 Rxd5 40.hxg4 Nc7 41.Rxe8 Nxe8 42.Ra2 Nf6 0-1


Useless Patzer
March 26, 2009

The young American GM Hikaru Nakamura is a bit of a fan of 2 Q-h5, but it can sometimes rebound on him....


Boris
March 26, 2009

I believe Smerdon may also have played it, or that might have been 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5, or then again I could be completely wrong.


Igor Goldenberg
March 30, 2009

In 1994 Rogers played Qh5 against Djuric (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 c6 3.Qh5)


Gunner Duggan
March 30, 2009

IN 1972, aged 6, I might have played 2.Qh5 against my father. Then again, I might not.


Igor Goldenberg
April 2, 2009

Where you also a GM at that time?


Gunnar Dugan
April 2, 2009

Yes, a Gunner Mini!


Nicholas D-C
April 23, 2009

Go to www.chessgames.com, use the opening explorer, and look up some games on the lines you have trouble with. This is a useful tool for learning an opening better.


Sheroff
May 2, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ is called the Jerome Gambit, and is unsound. A remember a nice brevity which from memory continued ...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 (Black can attack too!) 9.0-0 Nf6 10.c3 Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8 Qxh3+! 14.gxh3 Bxe4#. I think that's right - I'm just dragging that one out of my brain without a board while I'm sitting here.

If you're new to 3.Bc4, then ...Bc5 is probably a safer answer than ...Nf6, which can lead to a lot of tricky lines for the Guioco Piano newbie...

Good luck! 


Juno
May 2, 2009

Pretty good memory then! Yes, Blackburne won this one


Sheroff
May 4, 2009

Thanks Jono -

Yes, keeping useless games from yesteryear and obscure traps in my head is what I do best...

If only I knew how to play rook and pawn endgames as well...

No Letdown

I'm okay with the following game. I don't think that the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) let me down – I missed chances for a draw, which would have been a decent outcome against a higher-rated player. The fact is that my opponent outplayed me.

perrypawnpusher  - CorH
blitz FICS, 2009

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8

I've been here before (3-0-1), and a lot of analysis has been written – actually a little bit of analysis, re-written and re-written – so it was a bit of a disappointment to lose my way so quickly.

At first I thought to enter the Banks Variation with 6.Qh5, but then decided to go with the "proper" way of playing. Perhaps there is a lesson there?

6.Nxc6 dxc6

The better way to recapture – if you are going to recapture.

7.0-0 Be6

This is a new, but of course, good move.

8.Qf3+

A mindless choice. The sequence d2-d3, Nb1-d2, and Nd2-f3 would have prepared for the useful d3-d4.

8...Qf6 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6

This is not a line of play that any master would follow, as Black's extra piece is more valuable than White's two extra center pawns. The lack of safety for Black's King has been diminished by the exchange of Queens, and his two Bishops are helpful in an open position.

Still, I had been thinking about those in the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde who go willingly into a "Jerome endgame" and I decided to play hard and give them their due. If my opponent makes a series of small mistakes, and I make a series of smaller mistakes, eventually I should catch up...

10.d3 Kf7 11.Bg5 Rhe8 12.Bxf6 gxf6

13.Nd2 Bd4 14.c3 Bb6 15.d4 Rad8 16.f4

Accentuate the positive is my motto. Black is still clearly better, but I'm getting my trumps out, and I haven't blundered.

CorH's attack on my pawns should now be successful; however, while his idea is right, the execution of it is faulty.

16...c5 17.d5 Bd7 18.c4 c6 19.Rae1 cxd5 20.cxd5 Ba5 21.Rf2 Bb6 22.Nc4

This is a much better position than I deserved, and Black's dark-squared Bishop (which could have caused hassles before now) is under control.

I could see myself approaching a level, if complicated, game. This is why club players don't resign on move one.

22...Bc7 23.e5 fxe5

Stronger was 23...Bb5

24.fxe5+ Kg7

This is pretty close to equality, I think. "Triumph" of the "Jerome pawns"!

25.e6 Bb5 26.Rf7+ Kh8 27.Re4

This move looks pretty, but it is a bit superficial. White would do best to save his Knight with 27.Na3, and follow it up with the capture of one of Black's Bishops, for example 27...Rxd5 28.Rxc7 or 27...Bb6 28.Rxc7. White's e-pawn is probably doomed, but there is enough play to keep the game even.

27...Bxc4 28.Rxc4 Rxd5 29.Rh4

An interesting oversight, but a blunder nonetheless. Of course 29.Rxc7 was the correct move, but I was "seeing" all kinds of draws-by-repetition and even possible mates after my Rook move – which would be there if Black's dark-square Bishop had suddenly "disappeared".

29...Be5 30.Rhxh7+ Kg8

And now comes the realization: oops, the Bishop protects g7 and h8...

31.e7 Rd1+ 32.Kf2 Bd4+ 33.Ke2 Rc1 34.Kd2 Rf1 35.Rxf1 Kxh7

Yes, this is still a "Jerome endgame" with two pawns (for the moment) against a piece; and so I must fight on...

36.Re1 Bf6 37.Kd3 Rxe7 38.Rxe7+ Bxe7 39.Ke4 Kg6

40.b3 Kh5 41.a4 Bf6 42.Kf3 Bd4 43.g3 a6 44.h3 b5 45.axb5 axb5

46.Kf4 Kg6

Black would have saved himself a lot of time and trouble if he had played 46...c4 47.bxc4 bxc4. His Bishop would be perfectly positioned on the a1-h8 diagonal, to both protect his remaining pawn and thwart White's pawns.  

47.g4 Bc3 48.h4 Bd2+ 49.Ke4 Kf6 50.Kd5 Be3

I was comfortable with all this "dancing" to and fro, and I would have offered a draw here if I didn't think it impolite, being the lower-rated player.

51.Ke4 Bf2 52.Kd5 Bd4

This is a significant slip, but neither CorH nor I realized it at the time.

White can now play 53.b4, forcing the exchange of a pair of pawns: 53...Be3 54.bxc5. White's c-pawn is not long for this world, but capturing it (for example: 54...Kg7 55.c6 Bb6 56.c7 Bxc7) allows White to approach and then capture Black's remaining pawn, assuring a draw. 

53.Ke4 Kg6 54.Kd5

It is an interesting question as to whether b2-b4 still works here. It is possible to see 54.b4 Bf2 55.bxc5 Bxc5 56.Kd3 Bf8 57.Kc3 Bd6.

analysis diagram





It looks like White's King can shuttle back and forth on b3 and c3 (or b3 and c4, if the pawn advances) , forcing Black's Bishop to stay on the a3 to f8 diagonal in order not to lose the b-pawn.

In the mean time, if White's pawns advance to g5 and h4, they will keep the Black King busy blockading them.

I think it would be a draw.

54...Kf6

Again, the move for White now is 55.b4, with a draw.

55.Ke4 Ke6

With Black's King a step closer to the Queenside, the thematic b3-b4 now no longer works, as after 56.b4 Bf2 57.bxc5 Black can play 57...Bxh4 instead of 57...Bxc5, crippling White's pawn play. Black's King can both catch the White pawn on c5 and protect his b-pawn. 

56.g5 Bf2 57.h5 Kf7

58.Kd5 Be3 59.g6+ Kf6 60.Ke4 Bd4

Black's King has wandered over to the Kingside again, and this should make 61.b4 work – again.

61.Kf4 Be5+ 62.Ke4 Bd4

Repetition of position – and repetition of oversight.

63.Kf4 Kg7 64.Kf5

There's not much left in White's game, as Black shows.

64...Kh6 65.Kg4 c4 66.bxc4 bxc4

67.Kf3 c3 68.Ke2 Kxh5 69.Kd3 Bg7 70.Kc2 Kxg6 71.Kd3 Kf5 72.Kc2 Ke4 73.Kd1 Kd3 74.Kc1

One last gasp: now 74...c2 is stalemate.

74...Bh6+ White resigned.

Crime and Punisher

One nice thing about this blog is that people around the world read it.

Another nice thing is that not everybody reads it.

So, less than a week ago I played, analyzed, and posted a Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit game (see "Gorilla Chess") and today I played the same opponent in the same line and used my "improvement" – which readers would be aware of – confidently.

perrypawnpusher - PunisherABD

blitz FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6

6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxd4

We've been here before, PunisherABD and I.

8.d3

This is my improvement over 8.Nc3, which my opponent had answered with the uncomfortable 8...Qg5.

The next few moves were pretty easy to work out.

8...Ke5 9.Qh5+ Ke6 10.Qf5+ Ke7 11.Bg5+ Nf6 12.e5

Black's King has returned safely from his journey, and now, after 12...Kf7 13.exf6 gxf6 White will have a small edge in the position – not much larger than if the first player had played the more traditional 4.0-0, 4.d3, 4.Nc3 or 4.Nxd4. 

The difference is one of comfort. When a player is uneasy about a position, he is more likely to make an error, regardless of the "objective" evaluation of his situation.

12...Ke8

This is what I mean. Trouble follows quickly.

13.exf6 Kf7

Black could have chosen to go down swinging with 13...Bb4+ 14.Kd1 Rf8, although if White has faith in his advanced pawn and supports it with his Queen, all will be well: 15.Qe4+ Kf7 16.Qxh7 Rg8 17.Qh5+ g6 18.Qh7+ Ke6 19.f7, etc.

analysis diagram





Back to the game...

14.fxg7+ Kf7 15.Bxd8

I thought that this would be enough to end the game, but PunisherABD is made of stronger stuff. I kept collecting material and he kept playing on.

15...Kg8 16. Bf6 Bg7 17.Qg5 Kf7 18.Qxg7+ Ke6 19.Qxh8

19...b6 20.0-0 Bb7 21.Re1+ Kd6 22.Be5+ Kc6 23.Qf6+ d6

24.Na3 Re8 25.Rac1+ Kd7 26.Qf5+ Kd8 27.Bf6+ Black resigned

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, The Wizard of Draws