Nibbled to Death...

I recall reading somewhere the phrase "nibbled to death by ducks" as a way of describing a slow end. In the following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), Black is "nibbled to death" by a duck-billed platypus – on a motorcycle...



perrypawnpusher - dkahnd
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 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

This position shows up 66 times in the updated New Year's Database, with White scoring 68%.

10.f4 Ng4

Alternatives were seen in Fritz 8 - RevvedUp, 2006: 10...Kf7 11.0-0 Rf8 12.Qb3+ Be6 13.Qxb7 Ne7 14.f5 Bd7 15.Qb3+ Ke8 16.Nc3 c6 17.Kh1 Qb6 18.Qa3 c5 19.d3 Bc6 20.Bf4 Kd7 21.b3 Ng4 22.Qc1 Ne5 23.Bxe5 dxe5 24.Qg5 Rg8 25.a3 a5 26.Qg3 Qc7 27.Qh3 Rh8 28.f6+ Kd6 29.fxg7 Rhg8 30.Rf6 checkmate; and

perrypawnpusher - blackburne, JG3 thematic, Chessworld, 2008: 10...Rf8 11.0-0 Kd7 12.Nc3 b6 13.d4 c6 14.f5 Ne7 15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Nfd5 17.e6+ Kc7 18.Qe5+ Kb7 19.Qxg7 Nf6 20.Bg5 Nfg8 21.f6 Qd4+ 22.Kh1 Rxf6 23.Bxf6 Nxf6 24.Qxe7+ Nd7 25.exd7 Qxd7 26.Qxd7+ Bxd7 27.Rf7 Kc7 28.Rd1 Rd8 29.Ne4 Kc8 30.Nf6 Be6 31.Rxd8+ Kxd8 32.Rxa7 Bf5 33.Nxh7 Bxc2 34.h4 Ke8 35.h5 Bxh7 36.Rxh7 Kf8 37.h6 Kg8 38.Rb7 Black resigned

11.Qg3

11...Rf8

Played as an attacking move along the f-file, not as part of castling-by-hand. An alternative was 11...Qh4.

12.0-0 Qf6 13.d3 Qd4+ 14.Kh1 N6e5

A cute move, based on the fact that White's f-pawn is pinned.

Best was a line that smartly exchanged down to a pawn plus endgame: 14...Nxf4 15.h3 Nxd3 16.Rxf8+ Kxf8 17.cxd3 Qf2 18.Qxf2+ Nxf2+ 19.Kg1 Nxd3 20.Nc3.

analysis diagram







15.h3 Nh6 16.Nc3

The Black pawn at g7 (and possibly the one at c7, after that) was available, but I wanted some development – and to connect my Rooks.

16...Ng6 17.Be3 Qb4

Looking for more, my opponent finds less. White's development has improved, and Black should not be pawn-hunting. Safer was 17...Qf6.

18.Nd5 Qa4

Compounding the error.

19.Nxc7+ Kd8 20.Nxa8 Qxc2

21.Qg5+

Good, but even sharper was 21.f5.

21...Ne7 22.Rad1

This is a safe move that keeps White's advantage.

Crushing, instead, was 22.Rac1.

22...Qxb2 23.Rd2 Qf6 24.Qa5+ Ke8 25.Nc7+ Kf7 26.Nd5 Nxd5 27.Qxd5+ Be6

White is nibbling away at Black's position – with sharp teeth (and up the exchange).

28.Qxb7+ Kg8 29.Qxa7 Qh4 30.Bd4 Bf7 31.Kg1 Rd8

It is Black's turn to shore up the defenses and look for an attack.

32.Rb2 Qh5 33.Rb8 Rxb8 34.Qxb8+ Be8 35.Qxd6

Ahead by 4 pawns, White is in no hurry.

Black slips.

35...Nf7 36.Qe6 Kh8 37.Qxe8 checkmate

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws

Another Refutation, Another Win (And Another*)

Players with a favorite opening find themselves constantly defending against new attacks.

This is especially true with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) where so many refutations are ready-made.


perrypawnpusher  - ohforgetit
blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4

7...Bb4

This defense was new to me (recommended is 7...Bd6 8.dxe5 Bxe5).

There are 23 other games with this position in the updated New Year's Database, with White scoring 61%. That statistic is misleading, though: Black should get an even game, maybe a slight edge.

8.dxe5 Bxc3+

(*Ten days later, I played perrypawnpusher - kezientz, blitz FICS, 2010, skipping this piece exchange and reaching the same outcome from a different move order: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.d4 Bb4 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qd5+ Resigns.)

9.bxc3 Nxe4

Here is Black's error.  

He could have tried 9...Re8 instead, or followed yorgos - thunderbomb, FICS, 2009, an up-and-down game, which continued: 9...Ne8 10.Qd5+ Kf8 (10...Kg6 is a bit stronger) 11.0-0 c6 12.Qc5+ Qe7 13.Qe3 Nc7 14.Bb2 d5 15.Qf4+ Qf7 16.Qg3 dxe4 17.f3 Qc4 18.Rad1 Be6 19.f4 Ke7 20.f5 Bd5 21.Qh4+ Kd7 22.e6+ Kd6 23.Rd4 Qe2 24.Ba3+ c5 25.Rdd1 Qe3+ 26.Kh1 Rae8 27.c4 g5 28.Qh6 Rhg8 29.cxd5 Nxd5 30.e7+ Kxe7 31.Rxd5 Kf7 32.Rd7+ Re7 33.Qxh7+ Rg7 34.Rxe7+ Kxe7 35.Qxg7+ Kd6 36.Rd1+ Black resigned 

10.Qd5+

Black resigned here, as he will lose his Knight.

In all fairness to forgetit, he should probably have played on, as White has some sickly pawns. This was our third game in a row, and we had played even in the first two until an unfortunate slip in each cost my opponent a piece. He played those games out, but probably felt with this game it was time for a different opponent to change his fortunes.

Learning from the Jerome

I like to think that playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4Bxf7+) will improve my tactics, or at least point me in that general direction. I think it did in the following game.

perrypawnpusher  - Banassi

blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7

The Hungarian Defense. No Jerome Gambit this time. (I know that some Jerome Gambit Gemeinde members – DragonTail and sTpny come to mind – fire off 4.Bxf7+ here, anyhow.)

4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.Nc3 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Bf5

9.Re1 Bf6 10.Ba3 Na5

Courting danger.

11.Bxf7+

There is something funny about this Jerome-style move, which I will get to later.

11...Kxf7 12.Nxe5+ Bxe5

This capture only helps White's attack. 12...Kg8 led to an even game.

13.Rxe5 g6 14.Rxa5 c6

15.Rxf5+

Of course.

15...gxf5 16.Qh5+ Ke6

Black's best move was 16...Kg7, but after the powerful 17.Bc5!? (intending to move to d4) he is in trouble whether or not he returns the exchange.

17.Re1+ Kd7 18.Qxf5+ Kc7 19.Re7+ Kb8

Moving in front of the pawns was no cure: 19...Kb6 20.Qc5+ Ka6 21.Qc4+ b5 22.Qxc6+ Qb6 23.Qe4 and White has too many threats.

analysis diagram







20.Qe5+ Kc8 21.Qe6+ Kb8 22.Bd6+ Black resigned

A Bishop sacrifice at f7... A Knight capture at e5... A King-hunt started with Qh5+... The game ended up Jerome-ish, after all.

And the funny thing about 11.Bxf7+ – it wasn't the strongest move on the board.

White's best was to take the e5 pawn for free with 11.Nxe5 and offer to sacrifice the Bishop a different way: if Black played 11...Nxc4, White's best would be 12.Nc6+!? winning Black's Queen.

Disdainful Defender Defense

There is something very strange about the Optical Illusion Variation of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). I am happy for the wins that it has brought me, even if it is probably more correctly termed the "Disdainful Defender Defense."

perrypawnpusher - mconst
blitz FICS, 2010

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

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

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6

This is a very reasonable defense. Black gives back one of his two extra pieces, and threatens to kill White's attack by trading Queens.

9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3

A quick look at the updated New Year's Database shows that in the 15 games featuring the exchange of Queens, 10.Qxe5+, White won 8, lost 6 and drew 1, so maybe that move needs further investigation.

10...Nf6

Black develops a piece and strikes at White's center, forcing...

11.d3

11...Rf8

With a 4-to-1 lead in piece development (the King is a strong piece!) my opponent develops yet another piece, threatening an uncovered attack on my Queen... But he has missed something.

As pointed out "In The Beginning...", Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's first analysis of his gambit, appearing in the April 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal, noted of White's 11th move: "Compelling either K or Q to move as White threatens Bf4; or Black can play ...g5".

Sound advice.

12.Bf4 Qxf4 13.Qxf4+ Kc6

Black has two Bishops against White's Queen and extra pawn. Up until now, all of my opponents resigned quickly. Much to his credit, mconst decided to fight it out.

14.e5

Since I am likely to run into this position again, it is probably worth remembering that 14.Nc3 is stronger, possibly followed by Queenside castling. 

14...Nd5 15.Qe4 d6 16.c4

Even stronger was 16.Nc3

16...Bf5 17.Qxd5+ Kd7 18.Qxb7 Bxd3

19.exd6 Bxd6 20.Qb5+ Kc8

21.Qd5 Re8+ 22.Kd2 Rb8 23.Qxd3

White is now ahead a Queen – and I admit that I had grown impatient at my opponent's unwillingess to resign. This was a bad mental state for me to be in, as it gave extra force to Black's counter-attack...

23...Rxb2+ 24.Kd1

24...Rd8 25.Nd2 Bb4

26.Qf5+ Kb8 27.Qb5+ Ka8 28.Qc6+ Kb8 29.Qb5+

It was embarassing to consider forcing a draw while a Queen ahead... I calmed down enough return (a lot of) material to break the attack.

29...Ka8 30.Qxb4 Rxb4 31.Kc2

I was pretty sure that an extra piece would be enough...

31...Rb6 32.Rab1 Rbd6 33.Rhd1 Rh6 34.Nf3 Rf8 35.Rd7 Rc6 36.Kc3 a6

This mistake simplifies things.

37.Rxg7 Rf4 38.Nd2

38...Rf2 39.Rf1 Rxf1 40.Nxf1 Rf6 41.Ne3 Kb7

42.Rxh7 Black resigned

"The Worst Chess Opening Ever" – Warning or Menace??

 A number of months ago (see "The Worst Chess Opening Ever") I mentioned to readers that I had submitted an article on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), titled "The Worst Chess Opening Ever", to the United States Chess Federation's magazine Chess Life for Kids, which runs my regular "Arabian Knights" stories.

If the editor doesn't die laughing, I'll let you know if he accepts it for publication.

Let me assure you that Chess Life for Kids Editor Glenn Petersen is very much alive, and he has a great sense of humor.

So – the June 2010 issue of the magazine is out, and within its pages is the first part of my article.

Oh, yes, as it says

In Part 2 we will take a closer look and analyze the Jerome Gambit

Is exposing young chess-playing minds to such folly a good idea? Will it teach them bad habits and steer them away from studying the Catalan Opening? Or will they learn to crush such outrageous violations of chessic common sense?

Only time will tell...