Tightrope Walker

When a player is given "odds" he is presented with what is objectively a "winning" or "won" game. All he has to do is walk the proper path to victory – sometimes it's as "easy" as walking a tightrope


Wall,B - Gorodetsky,D
chess.com, 2010

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

Bill Wall offers his opponent "Jerome Gambit odds."

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

Black is off to a good start, playing the sharpest reply to what was once Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's favorite variant, 6.d4.

7.0-0 Qxe4

Not yet a mis-step, but strongest was continuing the attack with 7...Ng4.

8.dxc5 Nf6 9.Nc3 Qc6 10.Re1 d6 11.cxd6 Qxd6 12.Bf4 Nf3+

Thinking to catch his opponent in a surprise tactic (13.gxf3 Qxf4 breaking up White's Kingside), Black overlooks something and slips. He could have continued making his way across the tightrope with 12...Qxd1 13.Raxd1 Ng6 when after 14.Bxc7 he will still have a piece for two pawns.

13.Qxf3 Qb6 14.Nd5

This move gives Black an additional push.

14...Nxd5 15.Bxc7+ Qf6 16.Qxd5+ Be6 17.Qxb7

The prevailing breezes are now too difficult to stand in.

17...Rhe8 18.Bd8+ Black resigned

Starting the Year Off, Strangely

Bill Wall sent me a collection of his games played in 2010, and I was especially interested in those with Jerome Gambit and Jerome-ish openings. The following contest has a certain level of strangeness...

Wall,B - GuestDLNJ,
FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 a6

I'm sure that this kind of thing shows up in "respectable" games, but it seems a bit provocative against a member of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde.

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0-0

Sang-froide.

5...h6

Black does not want a Knight to check from g5. (Perhaps he is not yet ready to play ...Bc5 yet, either.) These "safety moves" have a certain amount of danger in them.

6.Nc3 Nd4

Another diagram is indicated.

This looks for all the world like a delayed Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit that Black has prepared for with ...a6 and ...h6 and that White has prepared for with 0-0 and Nc3.

Doesn't seem fair, does it?

7.Nxe5+ Ke8

And that is that.

Black's only chance to prolong the game was with 7...Kf6, which is not the most frequently chosen (but certainly playable) move in the "normal" Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. White follows this with 8.Qh5 and Black's defense is very difficult.

For example, 8...Ne7 looks reasonable, but it does not prevent the intended 9.Nd5+ since after 9...Nxd5 (instead 9...Ke6 10.Nf7 and the Queen goes) 10.exd5 and Black's Knight at d4 is a goner (even 10...Nxc2 is a horror, as it leads to a delicious problem-mate: 11.Re1 Nxe1 12.d4 Qe8 13.Qxe8 Nf3+ 14.gxf3 d6 15.Qf7#).

Maddeningly, the alternate 8...c6 is met by the placid 9.d3 – what can Black do? Look at the mesmerizing line as White's d-pawn advances like an unstoppable zombie: 9...Ne6 10.d4 g6 11.Qxg6+ Ke7 12.d5. Instead, 9...g5 10.f4 opens deadly lines to the King.

None of this is any longer a worry for GuestDLNJ.

8.Qh5+ Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Nc4+ Kc6 11.Qd5 checkmate

Victory, if not "instant".

Welcome to the Club!

Going through the latest selection of Jerome Gambit and Jerome-ish games from the FICS database, I noticed that themavz had played quite a few attacking games with the Bxf7+ theme. Later, when he challenged me, I wasn't in the mood to defend a gambit, but he insisted..

thmavz  - perrypawnpusher
blitz 3 0, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6

Really, I'd like to play a boring Philidor Defense.

3.Bc4 Be7

See, I don't want your Knight coming to g5.

4.Bxf7+

Oh, well.

4...Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.Qd2

This looks like a mouse-slip for 6.Qxd4, which puts an additional burden on the attacker.

6...Nd7

Sure, I could have protected the pawn on d4 with 6...c5, but I wanted piece development, not more material.

7.Qxd4 Ngf6 8.e5

Never let it be said that themavz hesitates to attack. This is a 3-minute game and he brings it asap.

8...dxe5 9.Nxe5+ Nxe5 10.Qxe5 Re8

My first step toward castling-by-hand to relieve my aggrieved King. Tactical maniacs will note that 10...Bb4+ followed by 11...Re8 would have been much stronger. 

11.0-0 Bd6 12.Qc3 Kg8 13.Qb3+ Be6 14.Qxb7

Recall what is said about those who take the Queen's Knight's pawn...

14...Bd5 15.Qa6 Ng4 16.g3

Necessary was 16.h3, although White can still break through with 16...Nxf2.

16...Nxh2

Missing 16...Qh4, mating; but the text wins.

17.Kxh2

After 17.Nc3 Nf3+ White's King remains in grave danger.

17...Qh4+ 18.Kg1 Qh3

Or 18...Qh1#.

19.f3 Qxg3+ 20.Kh1 Qh2 checkmate

I admit that may not have been the friendliest "Welcome" to the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde, but I look forward to many more interesting games from thmavz!

Happy New Year & The Database

Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy, prosperous and safe 2011.

As I mentioned in "Looking Toward the New Year" I am offering interested Readers a free PGN database of  over 22,600 Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+), and Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3/4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) games; as well as games following the so-far-unnamed order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+.

I should mention that a good number of the games in The Database are either Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) or Semi-Italian Four Knight Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Nc3 / 5.0-0 Bc5 6.Bxf7+)

If you are interested, email me at richardfkennedy@hotmail.com.

Rampaging

Black's 3...h6 in the Semi-Italian Opening suggests a wish for a calm, safe game. In reply, in the following game, White, instead, goes on a rampage, playing the Jerome Gambit with wild abandon. Is it sound? Perhaps not. Did it win? Yes, quickly.


Manishsprasad  - TimJonez
standard game, FICS, 2010

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

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

Despite my preference for 4.0-0, I noticed that the New Year's Database has twice as many 4.Nc3 games.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ke6 8.Qf5+ Kd6

This position is similar to one from the main line classical Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6. White's extra move, Nc3, seems more helpful to him in the current game than Black's extra move, ...h6.

9.Nb5+ Kc6 10.d4

Forking two pieces and opening lines. White gets away with it this time, but perhaps next time he might try the less flashy 10.Qxe5.

10...Kxb5

In the games of the old Masters we see many an opponent grab the offered material, only to regret it soon after. Here, 10...d6, protecting the attacked pieces and counter-attacking the Queen, was the proper defense. But, where's the fun in that?

11.Qxe5 d6 12.Qd5 Ne7

Visceral chess. Get that Queen out of here!

Is there a defense for Black, however?

Rybka suggests 12...a5 giving the King some breathing room, and after 13.dxc5 it likes 13...Nf6. At that point White has to retreat his Queen with 14.Qd3+ Kc6 (14...Kxc5 allows a draw by repetition after 15.Be3+; other moves lose) and after a flurry of tactics the computer sees Black as slightly better with a Knight for four pawns: 15.a4 b6 16.cxb6 Ba6 17.bxc7Qxc7 18.Qc3+ Kd7 19.Qxc7+ Kxc7 20.f3 Rhe8

13.a4+ Ka6 14.Qc4+ b5 15.Qxb5 checkmate

Running Into A Wall

Here's the latest Jerome Gambit game from Bill Wall, reminding us all that our opponents may often be unwilling or unable to understand what is happening and thus find preparing a defense to be too much of a challenge.

Wall,B - ChrSav
FICS, 2010

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

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

6...Bb4+

I was surprised to see over 100 examples of this move in The Database. Most adventurous is 6...Qh4.

7.c3 Be7 8.dxe5 Nh6

Fritz8 now happily informs me that White can force a draw by repetition with 9.Qh5+ Kg8 (or 9...Kf8) 10.Bxh6 gxh6 11.Qxh6 followed by a lot of Queen checks.

Not surprisingly, Bill wants more.

9.Qf3+ Ke6

Wow.

White pretty much has the same drawing chances after 9...Kg8 and 9...Ke8, but all other responses – including the text – lose for Black.

10.Bxh6 gxh6 11.Qf5 checkmate

It is fun to point out that Black's last chance at defense, 10...Qf8, is met with 11.Qd3 and the Bishop is still poison as 11...gxh6 allows the mirror mate 12.Qd5. Of course, after something rational like 11...d6 12.exd6 Bxd6 White retreats his Bishop with 13.Be3 and remains two pawns ahead with a much safer King. 

A World-Wide Phenomenon

The folks at Blogger.com who host this blog have installed a nifty "Stats" feature that provides me with useful data, such as which pages have been seen how often, for the day, week, month, or the whole life of the blog.

The list of the top pageviews by country, for "all time", for instance, is quite interesting. Number 1 is the United States which is not too surprising. It is followed by the United Kingdom and Canada.

After that, Number 4 is France and Number 5 is Russia. Number 6, is Brazil. There follow Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea and Italy.

This list varies somewhat from the data that I get from Google Analytics, my regular stat provider, which gives the following list:

1. United States
2. Brazil
3. United Kingdom
4. Canada 
5. Denmark
6. France
7. Germany
8. Poland
9. Italy
10. Belgium

25. Russia

59. South Korea

Whichever source is "right", it is clear that interest in the Jerome Gambit is a world-wide phenomonon!