Between the Refutation and the Resignation...Part 1

I've mentioned the discussion going on at Chess.com about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Some find it to be an interesting opening, some find it to be a poor one.

Jerome Gambit Gemeinde (and Chess.com) member Bill Wall has been positive about possible uses of the gambit ("it's the type of opening I like in blitz chess and I have had fun and success with it. My success this year has been 18 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss").

Chess.com Kacparov has been more skeptical ("The Jerome gambit can be easily refuted."). 

Both are relatively strong club players, and I'd like to present a Jerome Gambit game by each.

Wall - Rajiv

Chess.com, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4

The Nibs Variation, which received a serious look in the series "Repairing a Variation (Part 1)", "(Part 2)", "(Part 3)" and "(Part 4)". It is a wild, but dangerous, refutation.

Between the refutation and the resignation, however, the chess gods have placed the middle game (and sometimes the endgame).

7.0-0 Ng4

This is the traditional move, although Wall has also met 7...Qxe4, recommended by Rybka: 7...Qxe4 8.dxc5 Nf6 9.Nc3 Qc6 10.Re1 d6 11.cxd6 Qxd6 12.Bf4 Nf3+ 13.Qxf3 Qb6 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Bxc7+ Qf6 16.Qxd5+ Be6 17.Qxb7 Rhe8 18.Bd8+ Black resigned, Wall - Gorodetsky, Chess.com, 2010 

8.h3 Bb6

9.hxg4

Less successful was 9.Qf3+ N4f6 10.e5 Bxd4 11.exf6 Nxf6 12.c3 Bb6 13.Nd2 Rf8 14.Ne4 Qxe4 15.Qd1 d5 16.Re1 Qf5 17.Be3 Bxe3 18.Rxe3 Bd7 19.Rf3 Qe5 20.Qd2 Rae8 21.Re3 Qd6 22.Rxe8 Rxe8 23.b3 Qe5 24.Rf1 Bc6 25.Kh1 Qe2 26.Qc1 d4 27.cxd4 Qe4 28.d5 Qxd5 29.f3 Kg8 30.Rd1 Qe6 31.Qf4 Nd5 32.Qd4 Ne3 33.Rc1 Bxf3 34.Kg1 Nxg2 35.Rxc7 Qe3+ 36.Qxe3 Nxe3 37.Kf2 Bc6 38.b4 Nd5 White resigned, Sir Osis of the Liver - perrypawnpusher, JG3 thematic, Chessworld.net, 2008.

9...d6 10.f3 Be6

11.Be3 Bc4 12.Re1 Ne7

13.f4

The "Jerome pawns".

13...Rhe8 14.Nd2 Ba6 15.Nf3 Qg3

16.a4 Ba5 17.c3 Kf8 18.b4 Ng6

19.f5 Nf4 20.Bxf4 Qxf4 21.Qc2 c5

White seems to be holding on remarkably well, given that his opening has been refuted.

22.bxa5 Qxg4

I asked for Rybka's input on how the game was going, and I received it in a series of evaluations that looked like increasing pressure readings in a boiler that is about to blow up. Here White was rated 2.04 pawns ahead.

23.Rad1 cxd4

2.61 pawns 

24.Rxd4 Qg3 25.Qb3 Qf4

3.67 pawns

26.Qb1 Qg3

5.04 pawns

27.e5 g6

8.72 pawns.

28.Rxd6 Re7

12.28 pawns

29.f6 Ree8

From this position White can see mate. 

30.Qb4 Bb5 31.Rd8+ Kf7 32.e6+ Kxf6 33.Qd4+ Black resigned

Stinkin' up the Chessboard

As host of this blog, I am committed to showing all of my Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) adventures, not just the "good" games. The following embarassment has a few interesting points to it, but can easily be skipped over without losing much.

Two lessons: 1) don't play online blitz when the Olympics are on the TV; and 2) time pressure on the opponent is often the "secret weapon" when it comes to the Jerome Gambit.

perrypawnpusher - johnde
blitz 3 12, FICS 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6

I covered this rare move in "A Strange, But Intriguing, Path (Part 1)", "(Part 2)" and "(Part 3)".

6.Nxc6

Ooops! In playing this game I forgot that I had recommended the win of Black's Queen with 6.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.d4+ Bxd4 8.Bf4+ Kf6 9.Bg5+ Kf7 10.Bxd8.

6...dxc6 7.O-O Nf6 8.d3 Qd4

This keeps my dark-squared Bishop home temporarily, but more consistent would have been 8...Re8 and then ...Ke6-f7-g8, castling-by-hand.

9.c3 Qd7 10.d4 Be7

11.e5

This looks aggressive, but more to the point was 11.Qb3+, winning a piece.

11...Ne8 12.f4 Rf8

I suppose that it should be encouraging to all who play the Jerome Gambit that this position – arrived at even after White missed the "best" line – is better for White. 

13.Qh5

After 13.f5+ Rxf5 14.Rxf5 Kxf5 15.Qh5+ Ke6 White pretty much just develops his Queenside: Bc1-e3, c3-c4, Nb1-c3, Ra1-f8 with a better game. Amazing.

13...Kd5

This is way too bold.

14. c4+

Any reader with tactical skills probably sees the overwhelming power of 14.e6+ here. Too bad I didn't.

14...Kxc4 15.Na3+ Kd5

Better was 15...Bxa3 although after 16.Qe2+ White still has a smashing attack on the King.

16. Qxh7

Anyone for 16.e6+ instead?

16...Qg4 17.Be3

Turning the advantage over to Black.

We now both stumble along for a while.

17...Bf5 18.Qh3 Qe2 19.Qg3 Be4 20.Rfe1 Qxb2 21.Bf2

This is a complicated position, but Black is up a piece, and can soon be up two. His King's position does not offset this: Black is winning.

21...Nf6 

Well, Black was winning, but this move should drop a piece.

If I had noticed.

22. Qb3+ Qxb3 23.axb3 Ng4 24.Nc4 Rxf4 25.Rf1 Bb4 26.Rad1 Raf8

Black's position grows stonger and stronger.

Lucky for me, his time grows shorter and shorter.

27.Be3 Rxf1+ 28. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 29. Kxf1 Nxh2+ 30. Kg1 Ng4 31. g3 Nxe3 32.Nxe3+ Kxd4

White's position is hopeless.

33.Kf2 Be1+ 34.Ke2 Bxg3 35.e6 Kc3 36.e7 Bg6 37.Nf5 Be5 38.Nh4

38...Bd3+

Too little time? Too little patience?

Now Black is no longer winning.

39.Ke3

I was amazed to discover after the game that Rybka sees this move as inaccurate – in fact, as allowing Black to draw. It suggested that after 39...g5 40.e8=Q Bd4+ 41.Kf3 gxh4 42.Qe1+ Kc2 43.Qxh4 Bb6 44.Qb4 c5

analysis diagram





that White has nothing better than to repeat moves for a draw with 45.Qa3 a6 46.Kf4 a5 47.Qa2+ Kc3 48.Qa3 Kc2 49.Qa2+ Kc3 etc. Wow!

analysis diagram







39...g6 40. e8=Q

40...Bd4+ 41.Kf4 Black resigned

White's Knight is enough to overcome Black's two-Bishops-plus-pawns fortress for his King with threats of mate. 

  

I am not Bill Wall...

The other day I was hanging around the FICS web site, trying to get in a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game or two, or come up with something related to the Jerome Gambit, at any rate.

I wasn't having any luck.

Rats! I thought. If only I were Bill Wall. He gets to sac his King Bishop against almost anything!

Of course, I had my thinking all backward. It took me a few moves to straighten it out.

perrypawnpusher - Alquinte
blitz FICS, 2010

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

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Nf6

I was hoping for 4...Bc5, so I could play the Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit with 5.Bxf7+.

5.Nc3 Bc5

Here we have the Italian Four Knights Game, where White has added 0-0 and Black has added ...h7-h6.

6.Bxf7+

Here we go! Fortune favors the bold.

I've never played (or even studied) this move, but I figured it had to be an improvement over the sac in the regular Italian Four Knights. (I was wrong: I found out later that in 42 games in the New Year's Database, White scored only 27%!)

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4

Okay, what do we have here? A surprised opponent, and one or two pawns for the sacrificed piece (after I recapture). An uneasy enemy King that I have to attack quickly.

8...Nc6

This helps a bit. Stronger and more straight-forward was 8...Bxd4.

9.dxc5 d6 10.cxd6 Qxd6

11.Qf3

After the game Rybka recommended exchanging Queens and going into the endgame, with Black better. I thought I'd take my chances in the middle game.

11...Nd4 12.Qd3 Bg4

13.f3 Bh5 14.Be3 Nc6 15.Qc4+

15...Kf8

A slip that we both missed at first.

Insisting on exchanging Queens with 15...Qe6  was fine, for example 16.Qb5 b6 17.Rad1 Rhd8 and Black can be pleased with his small advantage – especially since White's "Jerome pawns" aren't going anywhere.

16.Rad1 Qe7

Ouch. Ouch.

Luckily, I had a second chance to wake up.

17.Bc5

17...Qxc5+ 18.Qxc5+ Kf7 19.Nd5 Nd7 20.Qe3 Nb4

This would lose a piece, but I didn't want to be distracted.

21.Qf4+

Leading to mate, although Black could have held out a little bit longer.

21...Kg8 22.Ne7+ Black resigned

This was not a game that "proved" that the Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit was "sound" – only that it was fun to play, and at least once, worth the risk.

Witam!

I am always impressed by the people who visit this Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) blog.

I recently learned that in November there was a short discussion of the Jerome Gambit ("Gambit Jereme'a ") at the Forum Szachowe, Poland, with one of the posters, jacprz, linking to this site. Dziękują, przyjaciel.

A quick visit to Google Analytics shows that in the last month readers have visited here from Sopot (the most visits), Gdynia (the longest average visit), Warsaw, Opole, Krakow, Nowy Targ, Katowice and Lublin.

Over at Chess.com, Bill Wall has set up a discussion of the Jerome Gambit, and we have been exchanging opinions with a number of players, including Kacparov, of Toruń, Poland (birthplace of Copernicus).

Small world.

Do zobaczenia później.

Hypermodern Defense

To simplify things: classical chess play in the center revolves around occupation by pawns, while hypermodern play involves control from the wings, by pieces.

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is a classical opening which often features a battle between White's "extra" center pawns and Black's "extra" piece, so it is not surprising that a "hypermodern" response has been developing of late.

perrypawnpusher - jdvatty
blitz FICS, 2010

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

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 N8e7

This is a relatively unusual placement for Black's Knight (instead of going to f6), but jdvatty wants to use the f-file for his Rook.

9.0-0 b6

An alternative was seen in guest6567 [Louis Morin / mrjoker] - guest4702, blitz 2 12, ICC, 2004: 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

10.Qe3 Bb7

Or 10...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, perrypawnpusher - Lark, blitz FICS, 2009

11.f4 Kf7

Even the hypermodern strategist has to move a central pawn sometime, and now would have been good: after the game Rybka suggested 11...d5 and after 12.f5 (12.e5 allows the manic 12...d4 13.Qg3 d3 - check it out) Nh4 13.d3 Rf8 14.Qf2 dxe4 15.dxe4 Nexf5 16.exf5 Rxf5 White's center is gone and Black, if anyone, has an edge.

analysis diagram






Black also continued without the center pawn thrust in guest1730 [Louis Morin / mrjoker]- guest1656, blitz 2 12, ICC 2001 : 11...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

12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc4 14.Qf4

A better place for my Queen was d3.

The battle of pieces vs pawns is very clear.

14...Rf8 15.b3 Nd6 16.Nc3 Kg8

17.Ba3 Ng6

Provocative. Safer was 17...Ne8.

18.Qg4 Ne7

Black might have taken advantage of the opportunity his last move gave him to play 18...Qh4, as after 19.Qxh4 Nxh4 White has to slow down his pawn roller with 20.d5 and play positionally; or support it with 20.Rae1, and watch it be destroyed, as 20...Ba6 leads to active play and an even game, e.g. 21.Rf4 Ng6 22. Rg4 Nxf5 23.exf5 Rxf5. 

analysis diagram

19.f6 g6

Here my opponent decided to give the piece back. More in line with his hypermodern play would have been 19...Ng6 (again; Nimzovich would have loved it) 20.e5 c5 when White would destroy his own center and the game would become quite unclear after 21.exd6 Rxf6.

20.fxe7 Qxe7 21.Rae1 Rxf1+ 22.Rxf1

Now White is a pawn ahead, but Black can continue to induce complications after 22...Qe6, un-pinning his Knight and planning to pile up further on the e-pawn. Rybka suggests that White then swap Queens and exchange off Black's Knight: 23.Qxe6 dxe6 24.Bxd6 cxd6.

analysis diagram

It will be a long time, if ever, before White can make something out of his extra pawn.

One more point: if after 22...Qe6 23.Qxe6 dxe6 White tries 24.e5 instead, the Black Knight dances with 24...Nf5 and the pressure on White's center is intense.

22...Nxe4

Celebrating too soon. Yes, the e-pawn is attacked 3 times and only defended 2 times, but White left it to "hang" because one of Black's attackers was pinned to the other.

23.Bxe7 Nxc3

Black has played well and doesn't want to give the fight up yet.

I set my sights on checkmate.

24.Qxd7 Ba6 25.Bf6 Ne2+ 26.Kh1 Ng3+ 27.hxg3 Bxf1 28.Qg7 checkmate

I take my hat off to jdvatty for a fascinating game!