We can study and practice our chess all that we want, but unless we pay attention to the emotions that accompany our deliberations, we are always going to risk falling into traps that our feelings (and our opponents) set for us.
kroehna - Heffay
FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kf8
Declining the Bishop may be a form of "psychological warfare" (see "The Anti-Bill Wall Gambit" for another bit of psy ops) but it remains objectively dubious: accepting the piece is part of many Jerome Gambit refutations. 'Nuff said.
5.d4
Of course, retreating the Bishop with 5.Bb3 is strongest, but with the text White tosses another log onto the gambit fire.
5...exd4 6.Bxg8 Rxg8
7.Ng5
White does his own bit of mind-bending. Black's proper response is to move his Rook back to its home base, un-develop it as it were. No, no, no, responds Black, I will kick that impudent piece away instead.
7...h6 8.Qf3+ Qf6
How sad. If Black plays 8... Ke7, instead, he discovers that after 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Bf4+ Ne5 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qxe5+ Kf8 13.Qf5+ he has lost his Knight and still has to play 13...Qf6.
analysis diagram
9.Nh7+ Black resigned, as he must lose his Queen – and another piece shortly thereafter.
Hats off to kroehna: in three games in The Database the position after Black's 7th move had been reached, but he was the first to play the killer move 8.Qf3+.
As I pointed out in "Once A Year" it seems that about that often the following Jerome Gambit gamelet gets played.
It is early in the year, so perhaps there is still time for some late "New Year's resolutions" that might eliminate this kind of thing from happening again.
We can hope. After all, it was a lightning game.
Teterow - Neca
lightning, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. d4 Qf6 7. dxe5 Qxf2 checkmate.
According to George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Not everyone who plays the Blackburne Shilling Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4) has read the blog post here, "Clearly Unclear", so I should probably add "Those who do not know the past are likewise condemned to repeat it."
Pity. More points for the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde.
richiehill - XGrandMaster
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Nc6
This is a very reasonable alternative to the line that goes 6...Kxe5 7.cxd4+. I used games played by GOH and SotoG to look into this line last year.
7.Qg4+
White can withdraw his Knight, 7.Nf3, with an even game; but the recommended move is 7.d4 with a poisoned pawn in the follow-up: 7...Nxe5 8.dxe5 Kxe5? 9.Qd5+ Kf6 10.Bg5+ Black resigned APe-Sali, blitz, FICS, 2009
7...Kxe5
Taking the piece is the right move (7...Ke7 is only even), but it must have unsettled Black to do so. After all, White is not throwing all of this material around just to bluff, is he?
8.d4+
8...Kf6 9.Bg5+ Black resigned
Ouch.
After 8...Kd6 9.e5+ Ke7 10.Bg5+ Nf6 11.0-0 Kf7 12.exf6 gxf6 Black's King would have still been uncomfortable, but he would have had an extra piece to console himself. I wonder where someone could have learned about that ?
I have slowly come to the conclusion that there is more to the play of the "Jerome pawns" that White gets for his sacrificed piece than simply racing them up the board, hoping to frighten my opponent into error. The game is not as wild, but it seems more solid, with more realistic winning chances.
perrypawnpusher - parlance
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
In an recent game against this opponent I faced a different defense, raced my pawns forward, and watched my game fall apart: 6...Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ng6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ Ke8 11.0-0 d6 12.Qe3 N8e7 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Ng4 15.Qg3 h5 16.h3 Nf6 17.Qxg7 Rf8 18.e5 dxe5 19.Bh6 Qxd4+ 20.Kh1 Rf7 21.Qh8+ Neg8 22.Nc3 Rh7 White resigned, perrypawnpusher - parlance, blitz, FICS, 2011.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.0-0 Qe7
I just saw this move a few days ago, against mikelars. Hmmm, I wonder if I have learned anything...?
11.Nc3 Kd7
Wow.
perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 50) continued with the active 11...Ne5.
Black's choice in the current game is even more provocative: apparently he plans to swing his King's Rook over to the e-file. Just the kind of move to stir me to over-reaction.
12.f4 Kd8
More psychological warfare?
This is all very interesting. White can now play 13.d4, and after 13...Re8 he can advance with 14.e5, although this is met with the too-familiar 14...Ng4 and it is not clear what the first player has accomplished.
13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Neg4
Who was it that said: I can resist anything but temptation ?
15.Qf3
This move is okay, but with Black's King on d8 I might have done better to try 15.Qd3.
15...Re8 16.h3 Nh6 17.Bg5
This has to be better than 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Qxe5 19.Re1+ Bd7 20.Qxb7 Qc5+ 21.Kh2 Ke7!? when things are unclear, but tilting Black's way.
On the other hand, an improvement probably is 17.Bxh6 gxh6 18.Rae1 Bd7 when it is almost time to advance the e-pawn, i.e. 19.Qf2 Bc6 20.e5.
17...Qf7
Black attends to two issues: the pin along the d8-h4 diagonal, and the pressure on f6. Still, he would have done better with 17...Nf7, which attacks the pinning Bishop and removes White's chance to double pawns on the h-file.
18.Nd5
I assure you, my e-pawn was screaming that it wanted to advance. Instead, I attended to the pin of the Knight at f6. I could have both prepared the advance and threatened the Knight at h6 with 18.Qf4.
18...Nhg8
Quick! He's reinforcing f6. Do something!
19.Rae1
Yawn...
19...h6 20.Bh4 g5
Just when it gets time to play e4-e5, my opponent distracts me. If he had played 20...c6 I would have calmed my "Jerome pawns" with 21.Nxf6 gxf6 22.e5 with compensation for my sacrificed piece, maybe even an edge.
With his move Black tries to break the pin along the diagonal, but by capturing en passant (maybe he overlooked this) I can add a pin along the f-file, too.
21.fxg6 Qxg6 22.Nxf6 Black resigned
It is not just that White has won back his piece. After 22...Nxf6 23.Qxf6+ Qxf6 24.Rxf6 Black will have to deal with the discovered check when White's Rook moves; 24...Kd7 25.d5 does not improve his situation.
I am thrilled that so many players are trying out the Jerome Gambit and using various Jerome-ish themes in their opening play. That is one way to learn about development, open lines, tempos and an attack on the King. It also can be a lot of fun.
On the other hand, while Bxf7+ can have an unsettling psychological effect upon a defender who is both surprised and unprepared, if the move is not backed up by further, planned action, the sacrifice can prove very dangerous – for the gambiteer. Thus, the warning in the title of today's post, which often shows up in small print on television commercials that show cars being driven wildly and with great excitement...
NN - perrypawnpusher
blitz 3 0, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6
This position can be reached via the Center Game: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nf6 4.Bc4 Nc6. Cochrane - Staunton, London 1842, continued 5.Qd1 (5.Qe3 is also possible) Bc5 6.Nf3 0-0 7.0-0 Nxe4 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Bg5 Nxg5 10.Nxg5 Ne5 11.Re1 d6 12.h4 h6 13.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 14.Kxf2 Qxh4+ 15.g3 Qh2+ 16.Ke3 Qxg3+ White resigned.
(For a Cochrane - Staunton - Jerome Gambit intersection, check here.)
My opponent now played a move, then asked to take it back (which I agreed to) and tried something completely different.
5.Bxf7+
Wow!
5...Kxf7 6.Qc4+
This move illustrates White's problem – how to continue the attack?
6...d5 7.exd5 Qxd5 8.Qxd5+ Nxd5
What is the object of playing a gambit opening?...To acquire a reputation of being a dashing player at the cost of losing a game
Siegbert Tarrasch
9.Nf3 Bc5 10.0-0 Bg4 11.Ne1 Rhe8
Here I could have taken advantage of the blocked White Rook by playing 11...Be2, winning the exchange; but I was focusing on getting all my pieces active.
12.Be3 Nxe3 13.fxe3+ Kg8
Castled (by hand) and everything...
14.Rf4 Bxe3+ 15.Rf2 Rf8 White resigned
I have had many duels with Knights that have used the e5 square for a resting place before hopping off (usually to the g4 square) to harass my Queen. This time I avoided my usual knee-jerk f2-f4 and still found a way to effectively deliver the boot.
perrypawnpusher - mikelars
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+
The "nudge". White invests a move to drive Black's King back. If the second player is going to ever develop his Rook currently sitting on h8, he will eventually have to return the move with ...Kf7 or ...Ke7.
7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
I have had this position in 24 games previously, and scored 77%.
In an earlier game my opponent had challenged me with 9...Ne5, either a provocation or a heavy-handed way of preventing e4-e5. Our game continued 10.0-0 Nf6 11.f4 Neg4 (11...Nfg4 12.Qg3 Ng6 13.f5 N6e5 14.d4 c6 15.dxe5 Qb6+ 16.Kh1 Nxe5 17.Qxg7 Rf8 18.f6 Be6 19.Qe7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka, blitz, FICS, 2010) 12.Qe2 Qe7 13.d3 Rf8 14.Nc3 Nh5 15.Nd5 Qd7 16.f5 Ngf6 17.Bg5 h6 18.Bxf6 Nxf6 19.Nf4 Qb5 20.c3 Bd7 21.Rae1 Qa5 22.a3 Bb5 23.e5 dxe5 24.Qxe5+ Kd7 25.Qe7+ Kc8 26.Qxf8+ Black forfeited on time, perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS, 2010.
10.0-0 Qe7
I noticed in The Database that mrjoker (Louis Morin) had this position 5 times in 2009, playing 11.d3 four times (2-1-1) and 11.Nc3 once (1-0),
11.Nc3 Ne5
Again (see our earlier game, above) mikelars' Knight seems to scream "Kick me!"
12.d4 Nc4 13.Qd3 Na5
This did not look right to me: the steed must retire instead to b6. I forced myself to spend time to analyze my next move, as this was an opportunity that I did not want to miss.
14.Qb5+ Nc6 15.d5 a6 16.Qa4 b5
I had anticipated this, but less bad was 16...Bd7, i.e. 17.dxc6 Bxc6 and White is up a pawn.
I think my opponent's incomplete analysis of this tactical position may have been another example of the negative "halo effect" that the Jerome Gambit inspires – if my early moves are bad, many of my later moves must be bad, too, (and they can be defeated with little thought or effort).
17.Nxb5 Ne5
Again, Black needed to bail and concede the piece with 17...Kf7 18.dxc6 Rb8 19.Nc3 although my three extra pawns will then keep me better.
18.Nxc7+ Kf7 19.Nxa8 Bd7
White is going to come out of this up the exchange and a handful of pawns. The next few moves I focused on exchanging pieces to reduce counter-play; then I played "simple" moves to avoid throwing the game away.
20.Qxa6 Nxe4 21.Nb6 Nc5 22.Qe2 Rb8 23.Nxd7 Ncxd7 24.f4 Ng6 25.Qxe7+ Nxe7 26.c4 Nf5 27.b3 Ra8
A visual assessment is that the pawns win, but I wanted to have my time a bit more under control, too, so I continued to play simply.
28.Bb2 Ne3 29.Rf2 Nc5 30.Bd4 Nd3
My opponent believed that I had overlooked the loss of the exchange, but he was really giving up two pieces for a Rook.
31.Bxe3 Nxf2 32.Kxf2 Kf6
33.g4 h6 34.Bd4+ Kf7 35.h4 Re8 36.Re1 Ra8 37.Re2 Rf8 38.Kf3 Kg6 39.a4
The outside passed pawn wins, but so does 39.Re7 or 39.Re6+.
39...Rb8 40.Re3 h5 41.Re6+ Kh7 42.gxh5 Rf8 43.Rxd6 Rf5 44.Rd7 Rxh5 45.Rxg7+ Kh6 46.d6 Rxh4 47.d7 Rh3+ 48.Ke4 Rxb3 49.d8Q Rh3 50.Qh8 checkmate
There's nothing quite like a good mind-swarm of worries to degrade a player's chess abilities.
(For me, lack of appropriate levels of caffeine in my blood system runs a close second.)
perrypawnpusher - Abatwa
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
Opting for the Two Knights Defense.
A couple of games by my opponent continued with the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: 3...Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 (5...Ke7 6.d3 h6 7.Ng6+ Ke8 8.Nxh8 Nf6 9.0-0 Bd6 10.Re1 Bxh2+ 11.Kh1 Be5 12.c3 Nc6 13.Qb3, Black resigned, Abatwa - yeabro, FICS, 2010) 6.c3 Nc6 7.d4 Nce7 8.Qg4+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.
4.Nc3 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game.
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit. My opponent and I have been here before.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
7...Bxd4
The most popular response, and stronger than my opponent's earlier, creative, efforts: 7...Bb4 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxe4 Qe7 11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 d6 13.Ba3 c5 14.Qf4+ Ke8 15.exd6 Qd7 16.Rfe1+ Kd8 17.Qg5+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010; and
7...Rf8 8.dxe5 Ne8 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Bg5+ Nf6 11.exf6+ gxf6 12.Qxc5+ d6 13.Nd5+ Kd7 14.Qd4 fxg5 15.Qg7+ Kc6 16.Qc3+ Kd7 17.0-0-0 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Abatwa, blitz, FICS, 2010.
8.Qxd4 Re8 9.0-0 Nfg4
My opponent was spending a lot of time thinking, and this move gave me a bit of a start: my worries started to multiply, even though, objectively 9...d6 was better.
What was there to worrry about?
I would normally play 10.f4 here, but I imagined that Black would respond to the move with 10...Qh4, threatening mate. Of course, I could play 11.h3, but then he would have 11...Qg3, and if I took off the advanced Knight with 12.hxg4 he could replace it with 12...Nxg4.
After some thought, I played
10.Bf4
Not enough thought, of course.
My worried thoughts were faulty.
For starters, after 10.f4 Qh4 White would be able to remove the backup Knight with check either on his 11th or 12th moves.
Even after the hallucinated 10.f4 Qh4 11.h3 Qg3 12.hxg4 Nxg4 White can defend, with an even game, after 13.Qd5+ Kf8 14.Qh5.
Pretty sad.
Best was simply 10.h3, and after 10...Nf6 then 11.Bg5 d6 12.f4 Nc6, with Black still better.
One positive thing did come out of my odd Bishop move: I don't think it made sense to my opponent, either. What was I up to?? He continued to eat up thinking time.
10...Qf6 11.Qd2 Qg6
12.Bg3
I still wasn't sure what I was doing, either.
The straight-forward 12.h3 Nf6 13.Bxe5 Rxe5 14.f4 followed by 15.e5 would have given White the initiative and positional compensation for his material deficit.
12...d6
This certainly looks good: with four pieces aimed at my Kingside (let's not count the Black King) my opponent opens a line for a fifth.
I decided, though, that the pressure on the wing needed counter-pressure in the center.
13.Nd5 Rb8 14.Nxc7 Re7 15.Nd5 Re8 16.f3 Nf6 17.Nf4 Qh6 18.Qxd6
With three pawns for the piece, White is now probably even. It was nice to be forcing the pace of the game, making my opponent react.
18...Bd7 19.Nd5 Nxd5 20.Qxd5+
This keeps the game even, while 20.Bxe5 gives White the edge. How big an edge is not clear, as there is always the possibility of things devolving into a drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame if I am not careful.
20...Kf8
Unfortunately time had now become very much a factor for my opponent, and he missed the stronger 20...Qe6 which would have kept things level.
21.Bxe5 Qe3+ 22.Kh1 Black lost on time
Three extra pawns should be enough for White to win.
