The other day I was having fun with a Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 d5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nc4 4.Bxf7+) and looked at a sideline that I had not analyzed before. I felt like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Well, not quite.
perrypawnpusher - JokeritT
blitz 6 12, FICS, 20101.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
4.Bxf7+
A good look at this line can be found in "Please, don't do that..." and "It's a good thing I read this blog".
4...Kxf7
No Jedi Mind Tricks.
5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6
7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Qxg6+
Taking the pawn is more prudent than taking the Rook: 8.Qxh8 Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa8 10.Qxg8 Qg5, when White's King is in more danger than Black's.
analysis diagram
8...Ke7 9. Qg5+ Nf6
I've analyzed this position enough to know that now after 10.Qc5+ d6 11.Qxd4 White has 4 pawns for his piece – and that computers give Black the edge, while humans are okay with the compensation.
But what about the other sharp move in the position? I didn't remember looking at that one. I thought I'd give it a try.
10. e5
Down two pieces, White offers a Rook!
10... Nxc2+
And Black goes for it – which turns out to be a mistake.
As much fun as this line is, I have to admit that if Black had not been greedy, but played 10... Kf7 instead, I'd have nothing more to work with than 11.Kd1, and then it looks like Black has good responses in 11...Rg8, 11...Bg7 and 11...Be7.
For example, 10...Kf7 11. Kd1 Rg8 12. Qxf6+ Qxf6 13. exf6 Rxg2 14. d3 d5 15. h3 Kxf6 and White's two Kingside pawns do not make up for the missing piece, especially since Black has the two Bishops.
analysis diagram
More encouraging for White (and thus, misleading) was for Black to decline the Rook offer with 10...Rg8, as in GOH - NightEagle, lightning, FICS, 2009: 10...Rg8 11.exf6+ Ke8 12.Qh5+ Rg6 13.Qxg6 checkmate.
I'm glad that I was not aware of GOH's game at the time I played JokeritT.
11. Kd1
11...Nxa1
Black needed to reconsider his chances and play 11... Ke6. White's best choice would likely then be to let the air out of the position with 12.Kxc2, when 12...Rg8 13.Qxf6+ Qxf6 14.exf6 Rxg2 was a likely followup.
The position would be similar to the analysis diagram after Black's 10th move, although Black and White would have the same number of pieces, and White can develop his while Black scoops up the loose pawns on the Kingside.
analysis diagram
In a game that I was unaware of until I was writing this post, I discovered that the alternative 11...Ke8 led to a disastrous outcome for the second player: 12.Qg6+ Ke7 13.Qxf6+ Ke8 14.Qg6+ Ke7 15.Qxc2 d5 16.exd6+ cxd6 17.Qe4+ Kd7 18.Nc3 a6 19.d4 Kc7 20.Bf4 Qf6 21.Nd5+ Black resigned, themuppeteer - risbo, blitz, FICS, 2005
I wish I had seen that game before taking on JokeritT.
12.Qxf6+
This is what I offered the Rook for.
12...Ke8 13.Qg6+ Ke7 14. d4
14...d6 15. Bg5+ Kd7 16. Bxd8 Kxd8
17.Qf6+ Be7
Slightly better was 17...Kd7, although after 18.Qxh8 White would have a Queen and a handful of passed pawns against Black's two Bishops.
18. Qxh8+Kd7 19. exd6 Bxd6 20. Qg7+ Be7
21. Re1 Kc6 22. Qxe7 Bg4+ 23. f3 Bf5 24. Qc5+ Kd7 25. Qxf5+ Kc6 26. Qc5+ Kd7 27. Re7+ Kc8 28. Qxc7 checkmate
Tah dah!
