Sith still and don't move...

I have posted on the "Jedi Mind Tricks" that may (or may not) have occured in my chess game and rematch with – Darth Zadox? Pleased was I, too long ago not, finding a similar effort unsuccessful...

djham - zadox
blitz FICS, 2010

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. Maybe.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Ke7

Highly irregular. There can be only one reason that my opponent (rated higher than me) would do this...

In perrypawnpusher - zadox, blitz FICS, 2010 our game continued 5.Bxg8 Ke8 6.Nxe5

No, no, no, no, no... This is the only move that gives the BSG any power!

Clearly, this is some kind of Jedi "mind trick"!

In this current game djham was not to be fooled. (You don't think he saw the earlier posts here, do you?)

5.Nxd4

5...exd4 6.Bd5

6..Nf6 7.0-0 Nxd5 8.exd5 d6

9.Re1+ Kd7 10.Qg4 checkmate

I think I detected a slight giggling in the Force...

Bad Penny

Like the proverbial bad penny, the 5...Ke8 variation of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) turns up here and there – most recently in two games played against Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Bill Wall.

 Wall,B - Gebba
chess.com, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

There are not a lot of positive things to say about this move, except perhaps that it has confused the chess computer program Rybka (see "Rybka deals with the Jerome Gambit") and that it takes White out of "book" – even that second point is of dubious value, as "book" favors Black, and therefore he should be playing "book" moves for as long as possible.

The move 5...Ke8 was championed (unsuccessfully) by the WeakDelphi program in a match I played against it a couple years ago: see "One (or both) of us need help (Part I)" and "(Part II)".

6.Nxc6

Both Hultgren - Harrow, California, 1960 and Blackstone - Dommeyer, skittles game, California, 1960, continued: 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Nf4+ Kd8 10.d3 d6 11.Rf1 Qd4+ 12.Be3 Qf6 13.c3 Black resigned. See "You, too, can add to Jerome Gambit theory!"

6...dxc6

Capturing with the d-pawn prevents White from playing d2-d4. The alternative capture was seen in Wall - Qwerty, Chess.com, 2010: 6...bxc6 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qxc5 Ne7 9.Qc3 Black resigned

Surprisingly, best for Black, keeping White's advantage to a minimum, was 6...Qh4

7.Qh5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+

8...Qd6 9.Qe3 Nf6

This hastens the end.

10.e5 Ng4 11.Qf4+ Black resigned

 

Chandler Unbound

If the posting at the Chandler Cornered website is not an April Fool's joke (what next – radio shock jock Howard Stern playing in the US Chess Championship??), then it looks like chessfriend-of-all and Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Geoff Chandler has finished his 400th and final column for Chess Edinburgh.

Of course, the "Obituary" and the picture of the gorilla likeness that accompany the announcement (I always thought Geoff was taller) make it hard to take things totally seriously.

Yet he writes

It was brilliant fun and I really enjoyed doing them all...Don't know what I'll do now. I won't do a blog, perhaps write a chess book, perhaps not. Who Knows.

I hope Who – or Geoff, or WhoEver – keeps in touch. His puckish wit and insight into the Royal Game as we commoners play it will be sorely missed.

Two/Three Knights Game

I've mentioned that my son, "Kennedy Kid" Jon [left], is a teacher in Haiti. His exciting times – including when the earthquake struck in January – can be read about at his blog, jbkhaiti.blogspot.com. Today Jon's big brother (another "Kennedy Kid") Matt [below] starts a two week trip to Haiti, to put his physical therapy skills to work, assisting in a medical step-down facility and working with earthquake victims.

Matt will be accompanied by a colleague, an occuptational therapist [picture currently unavailable] who also plans on being very, very busy. 

Technical Difficulties (Part 5)

Just when I was certain that the recent rash of going online chess-playing "technical difficulties" had ended – I was the cause of one, myself.

Pity, it was a good game, and I was winning handily.


perrypawnpusher - Angstrem
blitz 2 12 FICS, 2010

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

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.

 6.Bxf7+

Of course.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bb4

Fascinating.

If you look at Matt Pullin's fine "fork trick" video, which focuses upon a similar strategy in the regular Italian Four Knights Game – 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nxe4 d5 5.Bb5 –you will see that Angstrem here is using an idea that Pullin refers to as "quite sharp, but bad if Black [in this case, White] knows what to do".

9.dxe5 Nxe4

Now 10.Qg4 would analagous to Pullin's suggestion in the "fork trick", but the move has little meaning with Black's King protecting g7. However, White doesn't have to go that far...

10.Qf3+ Kg8 11.Qxe4

White is now a pawn ahead, with the safer King.

11...c5

12.Nd5 Ba4 13.Be3 b6 14.Rad1

Just putting pressure on the position, although Black's next move allows for a tactical shot.

14...Bb7

15.Nf6+

This is not White's strongest move – that would be 15.c3, intending b2-b4, trapping and winning Black's Bishop in a5 – but it is the most surprising one.

15...gxf6

Better was 15...Qxf6 16.Qxb7 Qc6 17.Rxd7 and White would be a clear two pawns up.

16.Qxb7

There was a checkmate with 16.Qg6+, but I could not work it out in my head at the time:  16...Kf8 17.exf6 d6 18.Bxh6+ Rxh6 19.Qg7 (a nice move I overlooked) Ke8 20.Rfe1+ Bxe1 21.Rxe1+ Be4 22.Rxe4+ Qe7 23.Qxe7 mate.

The move that I played was also good, especially after my opponent's inaccurate reply.

16...fxe5

Here the followup move 17.Rxd7 will win Black's Queen.

However, it was not to be. My wife had gotten up to answer the telephone, and, becoming dizzy, had taken several steps before tripping over our dog, subsequently falling hard to the floor.

Neither of us are young kids any more. I needed to go to her aid, and as a result I lost this game on time. That was unfortunate, but as they say: into each life, some falls must reign...

I messaged my opponent later, to explain my sudden disappearance from the board.

Technical Difficulties (Part 4)

It seems that I have had a bad run of "technical difficulties" in my online play lately. I hope that today's game is the last one, for a long, long time.

If a chess player makes a poor move, it is no surprise that he or she might get frustrated. How about "Win with grace, lose with dignity," as Susan Polgar suggests?

perrypawnpusher  - foreverblackman
blitz 10 0, FICS, 2010

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. The updated New Year's Database has 2,365 games with this position, with White scoring 56%.  (I have scored 88%. Remember: when it comes to statistics, Your Mileage May Vary.)

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6

7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxg6+

This is a safer capture for White than 8.Qxh8 Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxh8 Qg5, when Black grabs the initiative.

8...Ke7 9.Qg5+ Nf6 10.Qc5+ d6 11.Qxd4

White has four pawns for his sacrificed piece, and a lot of practical chances for advantage.

11...c5 12.Qe3 Bh6 13.Qe2

I didn't like having my Queen pushed around like this, but White has to come up with a way to keep his King safe before he can think about advancing his "Jerome pawns" against Black's King.

13...Bg4 14.f3 Bh5 15.Nc3 a6

After the game Rybka suggested play that also kept the game even: 15...Bf7 16.g4 d5 17.e5 Nd7 18.0-0 d4 19.Ne4 Bf4 20.d3 Rxh2 21.Rf2 Rxf2 22.Qxf2 Bxc1 23.Rxc1 Qh8 24.Re1 Be6 25.Qg3 Rg8 .

analysis diagram







I like Black's position a bit better, but what do I know?

16.d3 Bxc1 17.Rxc1 Qb6

18.Rb1

Still keeping the position closed.

18...Rag8 19.g3

After the game Rybka suggested blowing the game open for a slight advantage for White, but too much of the recommendation felt like "computer chess": 19.g4 Bf7 20.h4 d5 21.g5 Rxg5 22.hxg5 Rxh1+ 23.Kd2 Rxb1 24.Nxb1 Nd7 25.exd5+ Kf8 26.Qh2 Bxd5 27.Nc3 Be6 28.Qh6+ Kg8 29.Qg6+ Kf8 30.Qe4 Bf7 31.Kc1.

analysis diagram







19...Qc6

Rybka's sound-and-fury-signifying-nothing suggestion was that Black go, instead, for the draw by sacrificing his Queen with: 19...Bf7 20.Qf2 Qa5 21.Qd2 Qc7 22.g4 d5 23.g5 Qg3+ 24.hxg3 Rxh1+ 25.Ke2 Rh2+ 26.Ke1 Rh1+ etc

analysis diagram







20.Nd5+ Nxd5

Oops. 

Of course, 20...Kf7 keeps the position balanced and the game uncertain.

21.exd5+

Here, seeing that his Queen was destined to leave the board, Black disconnected.

Best was 21...Kf6 22.dxc6 Re8 when Black can win White's Queen – at the cost of a Rook. White will be the exchange and several pawns ahead.

White was later awarded the win by adjudication

Technical Difficulties (Part 3)

As a parent and a long-time child therapist, I have learned that for many young kids there are only two outcomes to a game that they are playing: either #1 "I win!" or #2 "You cheated!!"

Some adults' attitudes are not much different.

With that in mind, I'd like you to take a look at the following diagram, from a recent internet game that I played at FICS.

There's nothing particularly unusual about it, except that it is not a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and I am playing the Black pieces.

The tactical questions are: Should White play d2-d4? Why, or why not?

The solution is not difficult: White should not play d2-d4, as he will lose the pawn – and he might be tempted to do something even worse.

For example, here is the position after 1.d4 cxd4 2.Nxd4 Nxd4 3.Qxd4, which my opponent played.

Black now has the simple tactical shot 3...Bxh2+ (which I played), exposing an attack on White's Queen and winning it on the next move.

Who amongst us hasn't fallen for this kind of thing on occasion? Cuckle or sigh, tip your King, start another game...

However, myy opponent's response was to post the message is everybody on this site a grimy rat bastagescumbag cheater?????????????????????????// and then disconnect...

(Much to FICS's credit, my request for an adjudicated win was granted almost instantaneously.)