The Anti-Bill Wall Gambit

Bill Wall may be the strongest human (2200+ USCF) playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) on the internet. He has been contributing games to this blog, and his latest is more unusual than his usual unusual...

Wall,B - Buster
Chess.com, 2010

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

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

7.f4 Bf2+

Since the only other game that I have in the updated New Year's Database with 7...Bf2+ is Wall - Equa, Chess.com, 2010, I'm tempted to title it the "anti-Bill Wall gambit"!

The whole notion of ...B(x)f2+ seems to be "backatcha": Black says I really don't know what you're planning on getting out of that Bishop sac at f7, but whatever it is, here's the same thing back at you!

Of course, the irony is that from an objective point of view, what the Jerome Gambiteer gets out of that Bishop sac at f7 is "a lost game" so he is usually delighted for Black to offer to claim that outcome back for himself.

8.Kxf2

In all fairness to Buster, he would still have an uncomfortable edge in the game if he now played 8...Nc6.

Instead, he returns a Knight, and then a Rook.

8...g6 9.Qxe5+ Kf7 10.Qxh8 Qh4+ 11.g3

and White won

Idées Fixes et Manqués

The following game shows that I have not yet conquered the underlying ambivalence that I have for playing gambits, as mentioned in "More Than Seen At First Glance (Part 1)" and worried about elsewhere (see "Nothing Happened"): once I have "escaped" to an even position, my brain gets stuck on "play safe!" and "simplify!" I overlook many other options in play...

perrypawnpusher  - vlas
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ Ke7

I have met this move before (see "Jedi Mind Tricks", "Jedi Mind Tricks / Rematch", "Sith Still and Don't Move", "Never Mind" and "Platinum Mind Tricks". ), and whatever advantages it has are slight and purely psychological.

So it is embarassing to see how effective it is in this game.

In the past my opponent had captured the Bishop, with mixed results: 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 (5...Ke7 6.Qh5 g6 7.Nxg6+ hxg6 8.Qxh8 Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 Qe8 11.b3 Kd8 12.Bb2 Be7 13.Qxe8+ Kxe8 14.Bxa1 d6 15.d4 Bd7 16.Nd2 Rd8 17.h4 Kf7 18.h5 gxh5 19.Rxh5 Bg4+ 20.f3 Bxh5 21.Ke2 c5 22.g3 cxd4 23.Bxd4 Bf6 24.Bxa7 Re8 25.Kd3 Bg6 26.f4 d5 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - vlas, blitz, FICS, 2009) 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 (7...Nxc2+ 8.Kf1 Nxa1 9.Nxh8+ Ke7 10.Qe5 checkmate, simplyknight - vlas, FICS, 2009) 8.Qxh8 Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 Qf6 11.Qc4 Bd6 12.f3 a6 13.Nc3 b5 14.Qd3 c5 15.Nd5 Qg5 16.g3 c4 17.Qb1 Nb3 18.axb3 cxb3 19.d4 Qh5 20.Nf6+ Black resigned, brazucanl - vlas, FICS, 2010.

5.Bc4

White is a pawn up, and Black's King is awkwardly placed and possibly at risk.

5...d6

6.d3 Bg4

This is "business as usual" and is therefore risky. Necessary was 6...Nxf3+.

7.Bg5+

A silly move, as it it highly unlikely that my opponent will blunder with his response by moving his King and allowing me to capture his Queen. He'll just block the check with his Knight.

Wait a minute! What if White plays 7.Bxg8, eliminating the interfering Knight, first, and then checks the King?

Ooops.

7...Nf6 8.Nbd2 h6 9.Bxf6+ gxf6 10.c3 Nxf3+ 11.Nxf3 a6

12.h3 Bh5 13.g4 Bg6 14.Nh4 Bh7 15.f4 b5 16.Bb3 exf4 17.Qf3 Kd7 18.Qxf4 Kc8 19.Rf1 Bg7

Another example of "Nothing Happened" disguised as strategic play. (White has tamed the "two Bishops" though.)

20.Nf5 Qf8

This costs another pawn. Black had to swap the Knight off with 20...Bxf5.

21.Nxg7 Qxg7 22.Qxf6 Qg6

An incomprehensible move which may have been a mouse-slip for an intended 22...Qxf6.

23.Qxg6

??????

Swap those Queens, keep the game safe... 

The game would have been immensely safer if I had just taken the Rook on h8.

I tell you, it makes me think of "Jedi Mind Tricks" all over again...

23...Bxg6 24.Rf6 Be8 25.Kd2 Kb7 26.Raf1 Bc6 27.Rf7 a5 28.Re7 a4 29.Bc2 a3 30.b3 d5 31.Rff7 Rac8

Despite my uneven play, I have a battery on the 7th that should lead to a win.

32.e5 Be8 33.Rf6 Rd8 34.d4 h5 35.Bf5

Adequate, but too safety-minded. Releasing another "Jerome pawn" with 35.g5 Rg8 36.h4 seems more to the point. 

35...hxg4 36.Bxg4 Bh5 37.Bxh5 Rxh5 38.Rf3 Rdh8 39.Ref7

Lamely acquiescing to the loss of a pawn, which brings the game closer to a draw. Certainly stronger was 39.Rff7 Rc8 40.Rh7, keeping the h-pawn.

39...Rxh3 40.Ke3 Rh2 41.Rf2 Rh1 42.e6 Re8 43.e7 Ra1 44.Kd3 Rb1 45.Re2 Rb2

In some endgame positions this kind of a maneuver is deadly. Here, it should just lead to the exchange of Rooks and the loss of a pawn. 

46.Rf8 Rxe7

Likely an over-appreciation of his coming advanced passed a-pawn. Best was 46...Rxe2.

47.Rxe7 Rxa2 48.Rff7 Rb2

Down a Rook, a resourceful Black appears to have manufactured counterplay and perhaps a draw.

Actually, White now has a mate in 7 moves, but I could not find it. With the clock ticking, again and again I could not find the checkmate and I eventually had to fall in with vlas' plans.

49.Rxc7+ Kb6 50.Ra7

The game would end with 50.Rce7 Ka5 (50...a2 51.Re6+ Ka5 52.Ra7#; 50...Rd2+ 51.Kxd2 b4 52.Rf6 etc as in the main line) 51.Rf6 b4 52.Ra7+ Kb5 53.c4+ dxc4 54.bxc4 checkmate. 

50...a2 51.Rfb7+ Kc6 52.b4 a1Q 53.Rc7+ Kb6 54.Rcb7+ Kc6 55.Rc7+ Kb6 56.Rcb7+ Kc6

I was horrified that I had not been able to win, a Rook up; at this point I was seriously considering forcing the draw out of fear that I had actually acheived a worse position.

Part of this was time pressure, but part of this was the bad mind set induced by 4...Ke7. Strange chess psychology. Amazing! 

57.Rxa1 Kxb7

For all practical purposes, the game is drawn here.

Having embarassed myself from here to Sheboygan, however, I decided to give the game one more try.

58.Re1 Rf2 59.Re7+ Kc6 60.Re6+ Kd7

Here is the last opportunity that my opponent gave me, one I wasn't going to overlook. (I am reviewing GM Nigel Davies' 10 Great Ways to Get Better at Chess, and, not surprisingly, #2 is "Study the endgame".)

61.Rb6 Rf3+ 62.Kc2 Rf2+ 63.Kb3 Rf1 64.Rxb5 Kc6 65.Rc5+ Kd6 66.b5

The plan.

66...Rb1+ 67.Ka4 Ra1+ 68.Kb4 Rb1+ 69.Ka5 Ra1+ 70.Kb6 Rc1 71.Kb7 Re1 72.b6 Re7+ 73.Rc7

73...Re3 74.Kb8 Re8+ 75.Rc8 Re7 76.b7 Re1 77.Rd8+ Kc6 78.Kc8 Re7 79.b8Q Re8

A cute move: if now 80.Rxe8 it is stalemate.

On the other hand, 80.Qb7 is mate.

80.Qc7+ Kb5 81.Rxe8 Ka6 82.Kd7 Kb5 83.Rb8+ Ka6 84.Qb6 checkmate

Finally. Another game made much more difficult by my inability to see checkmate. I guess I know what I need to study more of.

Feeling Lucky

A couple of months ago I faced a defense similar to the one played in today's game. When I annotated that older effort for this blog, I suggested an improvement for White, should anyone ever pass that way again.

The suggestion quickly proved its worth.

perrypawnpusher - gmann
blitz, 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+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Ng6

This move is a bit unusual, but still keeps Black's advantage. How nice to be two pieces up!

9.dxc5 Re8 10.f4

This is a move that I suggested in my notes to perrypawnpusher - richardachatz, blitz, FICS, 2010, as an alternative to 10.Re1, to be tried if one were "feeling lucky".

10...Nxe4

All right! 

Anyone who plays the Jerome Gambit regularly is familiar with the negative "halo effect" that affects some skeptical opponents. They think: If White blunders so badly in the opening, he is going to blunder throughout the game. So any move that appears bad, must be bad.  

11.Nxe4 Rxe4 12.Qd5+ Re6 13.f5

This should leave White ahead the exchange. Black's next move, hoping to dislodge the pinning Queen, only makes matters worse.

13...c6 14.fxe6+ Kg8 15.e7+

15...cxd5 16.exd8Q+ Kh7 17.b4

Preparing to put the Bishop on b2, when the attack on g7 will become overwhelming.

17...b6 18.cxb6 Bb7 19.Qxd7 Ba6 20.Bb2 Rg8 21.Rf7 Black resigned

I don't know that I will have any future success with 10.f4, but I will play it again – when I am feeling lucky.

Another Disaster Comes to Haiti

"Kennedy Kid" Jon has been at Louverture Cleary School in Haiti, before, during, and after January's devastating earthquake. He was there for the recent hurricane, as well.

The people of Haiti are resilient. They have survived many disasters and are already overcoming the recent ones.

The other day, however, Jon told me in a phone call that he had been teaching the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) to one of the LCS volunteers.

We can only hope that everyone is prepared for that.

An Empty Sac

In the following game I had a great idea for what I thought was a winning, "passive" sacrifice. Black could decline the piece and stay in trouble, or take it and get into worse. Or so I thought...


perrypawnpusher - AdamRou
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

I have scored 93% against this counter-gambit, according to the updated New Year's Database; yet still they come...

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6

6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxd4

Taking the pawn is risky for Black, yet out of 77 games in the updated New Year's Database, when he did so, White scored only 49%.

8.d3 Bb4+ 9.Nc3

I had recently looked at this and the possible pawn sacrifice at c3 and was sure that White would checkmate the enemy King in response.

After the game Rybka indicated a preference for 9.Ke2 Ke5 10.Qb3 winning the Bishop on b4.

9...Bxc3+ 10.bxc3+ Ke5

Or 10...Kxc3 11.Qb3+ Kd4 12.Qd5+ Kc3 13.Qc4#

11.Qh5+ Ke6 12.Qf5+ Ke7 13.Bg5+ Nf6 14.e5

Black's King has returned home, but his adventure will cost a piece. He should now play 14...Kf7 and after 15.exf6 gxf6 16.Be3 try to hang on.

14...Rf8 15.exf6+ gxf6 16.0-0

Aggressive play, offering the Bishop, but Black has a defense that I had overlooked!

16...Rf7

I had checked only as far as 16...fxg5 17.Rfe1+ Kd6 18.Qe5+ Kc6 and figured that with the open b-file available to let White's other Rook join the fight, the sac was winning. I guess my opponent didn't look further, either, as he declined the piece.

Yet, after 19.c4 a6 20.Rab1 d6  Black's King is safe,

analysis diagram







and White has nothing better than repeating the position with 21.Qe4+ Kd7 22.Qe6+ Kc6 25.Qd5+ etc.

Black's chosen move, however, allows White to add fuel to the fire.

17.Rfe1+ Kf8 18.Bh6+ Kg8 19.Re3

19...d6 20.Rg3+ Kh8 21.Qd5

The Queen would have been even more powerful at h5.

21...Qe7 22.Re3

One more thing for my opponent to worry about, as I'm targeting the back rank as well as his Queen. Now Black's game collapses.

22...Qd7 23.Rae1 Qe6 24.Rxe6 Bxe6 25.Qxe6 Raf8 26.Bxf8 Rxf8 27.Qe7 Rg8 28.Qxf6+ Black resigned

Nothing Happened

In my second post-break game, pretty much nothing happened. My opponent decided to take the game into a pawn-down Queenless middle game where, presumably, he thought he would be okay. I decided to take the game into a pawn-up endgame, where I thought I would be okay...

perrypawnpusher - Edvardinho
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

Standard Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5

Now 7...d6 would be Blackburne's Defense, and 7...Qe2 would be Whistler's Defense.

7...Bxf2+

There are 55 examples of this "calming variation" in the New Year's Database, with White scoring 71%. See "Jerome Gambit Strikes in Denmark!"

8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6

10.Nc3 Rf8 11.Rf1 Kg7 12.Kg1 d6 13.d3

13...Bg4 14.Bg5 Nd7 15.Rxf8 Rxf8 16.Rf1 Rxf1+ 17.Kxf1

17...Ne5 18.Kf2 Be6 19.h3 h6 20.Be3 c5 21.b3 a6 22.a4 g5

The pawn formations suggest that this will not be a prosaic Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame.

23.Nd5 Bxd5 24.exd5 Kf6 25.d4 Nd7 26.dxc5 Nxc5 27.Bxc5 dxc5 28.c4 Ke5

It's only one extra pawn, but it will be enough.

29.Ke3 b5 30.axb5 axb5 31.g3 bxc4 32.bxc4 h5 33.g4 h4

34.Kd3 Kd6 35.Ke4 Kc7 36.Kf5 Kd6 37.Kxg5 Ke5 38.Kxh4 Kd4

39.d6 Kxc4 40.d7 Kc3 41.d8Q c4 42.Qd1 Black resigned

It is hard to tell from this game if I have made any progress. The danger is that in such situations I tend to allow the game to "play itself" and that leads to overlooking important tactics for both players.

grapic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws