The Equalizing Injustice of Chess

Blitz. You can play a refuted opening against an opponent who has out-prepared you. You can make tactical mistakes and fall even further behind in material. You can be a move or two away from being summarily executed. And then you can win.

It's not fair.
 

perrypawnpusher  - dkahnd
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

I was pretty sure that I had played my opponent before, but after the game I consulted The Database and found that this was our fourth matchup.

Last year dkahnd had chosen 6...Kf8 against me in perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 20).

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

dkahnd was taking his time on his moves. He was not going to do anything silly.

10.0-0 Rf8 11.f4 Ng4

Or 11...Rf7 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Neg4 as in perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 30).

12.Qg3 h5

Varying from 12...Qf6 as in perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 37)


I had expected 12...Qh4 like perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 47).

It appears that in the current game, ...Rh8-f8 was not a preparation for castling-by-hand but a move in support of a Kingside attack!

13.h3

Fritz10 sees this as a tiny improvement over 13.d4, but it would have been nice to be able to answer 13...h4 with 14.Qd3 as I did in perrypawnpusher - lorecai, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 47).

My opponent continued to play slowly, seriously and strongly. 

13...h4 14.Qb3

I had no idea how terrible this move was at the time. Of course, I had no idea how terrible my position had become, too.

After the game Rybka 3 recommended 14.Qe1, when White is barely able to survive Black's attack: 14...Nxf4 15.d4 (instead, 15.hxg4 can be answered by 15...Qf6 and 16...Nxg2) Qf6 16.e5 Nxh3+ (As someone once said: I'm up a piece? Great! Then I have two that I can sacrifice!) 17.gxh3 Qxf1+ 18.Qxf1 Rxf1+ 19.Kxf1 Nh6 20.Kg2 dxe5 21.dxe5 Bd7 22.Nc3 Bc6+ 23.Kf2 Ke7 24.Bxh6 Rf8+ 25.Ke2 gxh6 26.Rg1 Rf3 27.Rg7+ Kf8 28.Rxc7 Rxh3 29.Rh7 Rg3 30.Rxh6 h3.

analysis diagram





With luck, White might be able to grovel himself to a draw... Or not.

14...Nxf4 15.hxg4

Overlooking Black's response. Actually, for a move, Black overlooked his response, too.

15...Bxg4

This is good. As Black discovers a move later, ...Ne2+ is even better.

16.d4

I was still pretty clueless, but Rybka 3 later showed a tortuous route to completing my development: 16.Kh2 Be6 17.Qf3 h3 18.g3 Ng6 19.Qe2 Ne5 20.Rxf8+ Kxf8 21.d4 Bg4 22.Qf2+ Nf3+ 23.Kh1 Kg8 24.Be3 Qe7 25.Nc3 Rf8

analysis diagram







Gruesome, Black is still better. As if I could think as strong or as quick as a computer, anyhow...

16...Ne2+ 17.Kh2 Rxf1

I was now down a Rook. Could my Queenside look any more ridiculous?

My only "hope", such as it was, as my opponent prepared to wrap up the game, was that he had used up a lot of time and was now playing on the increments.

18.Qg8+ Rf8 19.Qxg7 Be6 20.Bg5 Qd7 21.Qg6+ Bf7 22.Qf6

Certainly not the objectively best move, but when your only chance left is an opponent's time error, you go for concrete threats. 

22...Ng3 23.Nc3 Qg4

Zeitnot.

24.Qe7 checkmate

Whew! This game is going to get a lot of in-depth study from me before I try the Jerome Gambit again!

Greed Is Not Good

In a simple Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit game, Black realizes that just as his counter-attack relies on his opponent's greed for success, his own play crashes when he starts looking for "too much."


Ghandy - marlbo
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. White can safely play 4.Nxd4, 4.c3, 4.d3 or 4.0-0 with advantage. He just has to stay away from the complications that come with the greedy 4.Nxe5.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. At best White should only get an even game out of it, but he gets a game where he is attacking, not Black.

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

Recommended as best is 6.c3 (see "Crime and Punisher", "Read This Blog" and "Scared to Death" for starters), but the text can stir up some trouble, especially if Black is greedy.

6...Nxc2+

Going after the big fat Rook at a1. Instead, 6...Nf6 led to a complicated, but better game for Black.

7.Kf1 Nxa1

This seems simple and consistent enough, but 7...Nf6 or 7...g6 were the right way to go. In blitz, though, it can be tempting to grab material and then sort it all out later.

8.Qf5+ Kd6

Already Black has to avoid 8...Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Nc4+ Kc5 11.Qd5+ Kb4 12.a3+ Kb3 13.Ne3+Ka4 14.Nc3 checkmate. This kind of finish should be familiar to those who have read "Instant Victory" and "Instant Victory Redux".

9.Nf7+ Black resigned

Black is losing his Queen, and after 9...Ke7 10.Nxd8 Nf6 (not 10...Kxd8 11.Qxf8 checkmate) 11.e5 Kxd8 12.exf6 Black has only a Bishop and a Rook in exchange – and the safety of his Knight on a1 is not assured yet, to boot.

A Day in the Life of the Jerome Gambit

After the quite unusual checkmate that ended niddrieboy's Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game at Chess.com (see "Jerome Pawns Triumphant"), I thought it might be fun to walk through one of his games that readily illustrates the highs and lows, attractions and pitfalls of that offbeat opening.

niddrieboy - paul_kowtun
Chess.com, 2010

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

As Max said in Where the Wild Things Are, "Let the rumpus begin!"

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8

The Jerome Variation (see "Jerome Gambit Nomenclature").

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.e5

In two 1880 correspondence games against Daniel Jaeger, Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, playing the Black pieces against "his" gambit, continued 9.Nc3 c6 10.d3 d6 11.h3 h6, winning both.

It should be remembered that Jerome did not believe that the gambit won by force, only that it was

a pleasant variation of the Giuoco Piano, which may win or lose according to the skill of the players, but which is capable of affording many new positions and opportunities for heavy blows unexpectedly.

9...Ke8

This looks like Black's original plan was to make room for his Rook at f8, facing off with the White Queen – an idea he subsequently discarded. He would have done well simply to have attacked and won the e-pawn with 9...d6 10.d4 dxe5 11.dxe5 Bd6 12.0-0 Bxe5 when White's pawn and Black's displaced King are not sufficient compensation for White's sacrificed piece.

The second player's judgement is being clouded by the unusual play, something that Jerome Gambiteers love to see.

10.d4 Nd5 11.Qe4 Nf6 12.Qd3 Bb6 13.0-0 Ng8

Black's Knight retires from the field out of either frustration or confusion.

14.c3

Bolstering his center. He might even have tried the aggressive 14.c4.

14...Qf7 15.Be3 d6 16.exd6 Nf6 17.dxc7 Bxc7

Black has cleared his head and decided that it was worth a pawn to get his pieces, especially the Bishop pair, more active. He still has to be careful about his King (that is why 17.Re1 was probably better than 17.dxc7) but dynamic play will give him plenty of chances.

18.Re1 Kd8 19.Bg5 Qh5 20.Bxf6+ gxf6 21.h3

White can see danger ahead, with the two Black Bishops and the White Queen pointed at his Kingside. He may have chosen the text instead of 21.g3 because he could visualize the Black Queen moving (perhaps to g6) and then the Black h-pawn advancing h7-h5-h4, opening up the h-file for the Black Rook...

Nonetheless, Rybka recommends 21.g3 to keep the game in balance.

21...Rg8 22.Re3

Instead, Rybka suggests that both players head toward the endgame, White because it is safer than the middle game and Black because the two Bishops continue to give him the advantage: 22.Kf1 Bf5 23.Qc4 Qg5 24.Qd5+ Kc8 25.Qf3 Qf4 26.Nd2 Qxf3 27.Nxf3 Kd7 28.Rad1 Rae8 29.Rxe8 Rxe8 30.Re1 Bd3+ 31.Kg1 Rxe1+ 32.Nxe1 Be4.

analysis diagram








By simple count, White has 3 pawns for his sacrificed piece, but both Rybka 3 and Fritz 10 value Black's position as being over a pawn ahead. Would niddrieboy have been safer to have chosen this line? Probably.

22...Bf5 23.Qe2

White might have been asking himself How did I ever get into this miserable position?

23...Qg6

As often happens in Jerome Gambit games, Black chooses a good move – and overlooks a great move.

With 23...Rxg2+ he could have smashed White's King's fortress and at the very least created a nasty cramp on White's position with 23.Kf1 Qxe2+ 24.Kxe2 Rg1. If White fell for the Rook with 23.Kxg2 he would face 23...Bxh3 and then he could give up his Queen with 24.Rxh3 Qxe2; be checkmated with 24.Kh1 Be4 25.f4 (ouch!) Rxe2+ 26.Kg1 Qg6+ 27.Rg3 Qxg3+ 28.Kf1 Qg2#; or simply suffer until death with 24.Kg1 Qg5+ 25.Rg3 Bxg3 26.fxg3 Qxg3+, etc.

24.Qf3

White opens his eyes cautiously... I'm still alive! If only I had a magic trick to keep me in the game...

24...Bxb1

Winning a piece and going two pieces up. It's not like Black overlooked 23...Rxg2+ for nothing...

25.Qd5+

When everything is going wrong in the Jerome Gambit, White can turn over his King and think about another game – or he can hang on, giving ground slowly, waiting for any kind of a chance to recover.

Like, for example, 25.Qxb7, instead of the text. After that move White has a draw through repetition by checking Black's King. Of course, the second player can escape this by giving back material (a Bishop with 25...Be4 or a Rook with 25...Qxg2+) but that gives White at least equality, and probably an edge.

25...Kc8 26.Re7

We fight! White's pieces cry. Against a computer, this would be folly, but against a human, even "objectively" won games have to be played out.

26...Bf5

A more effective way out of White's pressure was 26...Rd8 27.Qc4 Rd7 28.Qe6 first, then 28...Bf5.

27.Qf3

It might have been time for the gutsy 27.g4, although Black can give his extra piece back with 27...Bxg4 28.hxg4 Qxg4+ and it will be a battle to see who can checkmate who first.

Now White is in for a bit of suffering.

27...Bd7 28.d5 Bd6 29.Re4 b6 30.Rae1 Be5 31.R1e2 Kb7

Sanctuary!

32.c4 Raf8 33.R2e3 Bd6 34.Rb3 Bxh3 35.Re7+

No doubt this move was seen as a pesky fly that just needed to be swatted away. Clearly Black is about to crush White's Kingside like an eggshell...

35...Bxe7 36.d6+ Kc8

Shooo, fly!

It is true that with 36...Kb8 37.dxe7 Black would have to return a Bishop – but, after all, he had received a Rook for it, so that was no problem. Things can be tied up with 37...Qxg2+ 38.Qxg2 Rxg2+ 39.Kf1 Rg7+ 40.Rxh3 Rxe7 and Black sails off into the sunset with an extra Rook.

Does it make a difference that he played 36...Kc8, instead?

It turns out the answer is YES!


Surprisingly enough, White now has a forced checkmate.

37.Qa8+ Kd7 38.Qb7+

At first glance, it would hardly seem to matter if White checked from b7, or captured a pawn, checking from a7.

It turns out, though, that Black's King can now find a hole in the mating net, one that would have remained closed if White could have played Qxb6+ on his next move. That capture and check would only be reasonable if the pawn on b6 were not supported by the pawn at a7...

After 38.Qxa7+ Kxd6 39.Qxb6+ Kd7 40.Qc5+ Black's King will not escape to the Kingside, and as soon as White's Rook joins the check-fest it will be checkmate.

Alternately, after 38.Qxa7+ Ke6 White's Queen and Rook are deadly on the other side of the board: 39.Qxe7+ Kf5 40.Rf3+ Kg4 41.Qe6+ (more tap-dancing on the light squares) f5 42.Rg3+ and Black's King is doomed.

So, 35.Re7+ was part of a great swindle befitting the Jerome Gambit – but it didn't quite come off. As Maxwell Smart used to say, Missed by that much...

38...Kxd6 39.Rxh3 Qxg2+

White wound up getting the other of the two Bishops for his Rook, but Black now liquidates the situation, showing that even after giving back a Rook, he still holds the advantage.

What is it about the Jerome Gambit that makes its opponents act that way?

40.Qxg2 Rxg2+ 41.Kxg2 Kc5 42.Rxh7 Re8

43.b3

Again, niddrieboy decides to hang on.

This might seem odd to those who glance at the position and think "Up a piece in an edgame? Won for Black." However, the Jerome Gambit player asks himself "Suppose the pawns all come off the board – how hard would it be for Black to win the R + B vs R endgame? How much time does he have on the clock, anyway?"

In this regard, this Rybka-inspired line is interesting: 43.Kf3 Kxc4 44.Rh4+ Kd5 45.Re4 f5 46.Re3 Kd6 47.Kf4 Kd7 48.b3 Bd6+ 49.Kxf5 Rf8+ 50.Ke4 Rxf2 51.a4 Rf4+ 52.Kd5 Rf5+ 53.Kc4 Kc6 54.Re4 a6 55.Re3 Rf4+ 56.Kc3 Bc5 57.Rh3 Bd4+ 58.Kc4 b5+ 59.axb5 axb5+ 60.Kd3 Kc5

analysis diagram





Only a pair of pawns to go... How much time does Black have on the clock??

43...Kb4 44.Rh3 Ka3 45.Kf1 Kxa2

This is beginning to look not-so-good.

46.f4 Rd8 47.Ke2 a5 48.Re3 Bc5 49.Rf3 f5 50.Ke1 Rd4 51.Ke2 Ka3 52.Re3 Rd8 53.Rf3 Kb4 54.Rh3 Re8+ 55.Kd2 Re4 56.Rf3

56...a4 57.Kc2 a3 58.Kb1 Re2 59.Rh3 Bd4 60.Rd3 a2+ White resigned

"White had his chances" – a pretty good footnote to someone playing a "refuted" opening.
 

One Thousand Days

Today this blog reaches one thousand consecutive days of posting. We've covered a lot of ground since the first day, June 10, 2008.

From the first published analysis of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's opening, to the latest games available, we've been there.

From the pipe dreams of having an article on 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ published in the well-respected magazine Kaissiber, to the far reaches of Jerome's Double Gambit seen as a Martian invasion, it has been fun to exercise imagination to its fullest extent.

Tournaments have been chronicled, history corrected, mysteries uncovered, and loose ends tracked down.

There have been a few interviews, not nearly enough.

The opening has faced skepticism and worse, as well it should, given its many refutations.

On the other hand, IM Lane (who I sometimes erroniously granted the GM title to in my references) has mentioned the Jerome Gambit in his columns at ChessCafe.com and more recently in his book The Greatest Ever Chess Tricks and Traps.

The Database of games (available to all readers) has grown from 950 to almost 23,500.

According to Google Analytics, the number of countries that readers have visited from passed 100 quite some time ago. Almost 1/4 of readers have stopped here 100 times or more. One-sixth of readers have stopped here over 200 times.

What is ahead for this blog for the next 1,000 days?

More of your games, I hope. I share mine because I am familiar with them, but I post readers' when I get them. Your games are often better.

I hope to post more historical research, more tournaments, more analysis... and maybe even finally get down to writing a book on the Jerome Gambit. Now that would be a challenge!

Awkward...

I was pleased with this game until I played it over afterward. Then I felt like someone who had given a nice speech which kept the audience's attention, only to discover after it was over that I had been up in front of everyone with a giant stain on my shirt or pants...

perrypawnpusher - Fendertele
blitz, FICS, 2011

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 Re8

This line was seen not-so-long-ago in my game against Frele.

9.dxc5 Kg8

9...d6 while it was still easy to play, was seen in perrypawnpusher - louarn, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 49).

Instead, 9...b6 also attacking the White c5 pawn right away, was seen in perrypawnpusher - catri, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2-1/2, 42).


Rybka has a third suggestion, 9...Qe7.

10.f4 Nc6

10...Nc4 was punished in Wall - Santiago, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 28) with 11.e5 Nh7 12.Qd5+ Kh8 13.Qxc4.

Rybka suggests the discrete 10...Nf7.

11.e5 Nh7

12.Ne4

I admit that I played 12.Qd5+ in perrypawnpusher - Frele, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 26) with the hope that Black would blunder with 12...Re6, but I had to find another way to win when he answered with the sensible 12...Kh8.

12...Nxe5

Nifty thinking: he returns the piece for two pawns and a roughly even game.

13.fxe5 Rxe5 14.Qd4 Qe8

Material is even, but White's c5 pawn continues to exert pressure on Black's game.

15.Ng3 Re1

Leading to trouble. Black should have challenged White's annoying pawn with 15...b6.

16.Bf4

After the game Rybka pointed out what I had missed, that 16.Bxh6 (linking White's Rooks like the text, but also grabbing a pawn and attacking Black's King) was much stronger. Then 16...Re5 would be answered by the simple 17.Bf4; while 16...Qe5 would see the Queen sac 17.Qc4+ Qe6 18.Raxe1; and 16...gxh6 would be crushed by the same 17.Raxe1.

16...Rxa1 17.Rxa1 c6

Saving the c-pawn, but emphasizing the cramp in his Queenside. Black would have done better to simply give up a pawn with 17...d6 18.cxd6 cxd6 to free his development.

18.Nf5 Qg6

A slip. However, I was so enamored with the positional strength of my next move that I totally missed a much stronger tactical move. 

19.Nd6

Owwww...

Everyone together: 19.Ne7+ would win the Queen!!

How awkward.

19...Ng5

Maybe my opponent saw what was coming, but he should have routed the Knight along a safer path: 19...Nf8 20.Re1 Ne6.

20.Bxg5 Qxg5 21.Re1

Black will lose a piece.

21...Kh7 22.Qe4+ Qg6 23.Qxg6+ Kxg6 24.Re8 a5 25.Rxc8

25...Ra7 26.Rc7 a4 27.Rxb7 Ra5 28.Rxd7 Rxc5 29.Ne4 Rxc2 30.Rd2 Rc1+ 31.Kf2 Rc4 32.Kf3 Kf5

Another slip, but this was my day to miss Knight forks. Sigh...

33.g4+ Kg6 34.h4 h5 35.g5 Kf5 36.Nd6+

Saw it this time. Consequently, Black resigned.

One Thousand Posts

This post marks a milestone, the 1,000th one to this blog.

It marks only 998 consecutive days of posting, however, as on two days in that span I posted twice. (For fun, figure out which two.)

The milestone of 1,000 consecutive days of posting will come the day after tomorrow.

In the meantime, what would make this blog better? Drop me an email or make a Comment below and let me know.

What I'd like:
a) to receive more games from readers, annotated if possible
b) to see analysis of readers' favorite variations
c) to receive a large data dump of Jerome Gambit / Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit / Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit / Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit games from a site other than FICS, which I already have access to. The Database, now numbering over 23,3000 games (perhaps as many as 20k are FICS games), could easily increase by 25% - 50% - 75% if someone at ICC, Chess.com, RedHotPawn.com, ChessWorld.net or other sites could mine their databases and share the results. Pretty please?  

Sometimes "Simple" is Better

When a player's position becomes difficult, he might seek complications, hoping that his opponent will lose his way, and then the game. In the following fight, however, the alternative strategy of not getting "too fancy" would have brought better results for my opponent.

perrypawnpusher - Eferio
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6

8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qe3 Ne5

An "in your face" kind of move. In this or similar positions I have faced it twice against Kotimatka (see "Diagnosis: Misplaced Knight" and "Echoes"), twice against mikelars (see "Rumors of My Death" and "Kick Me"), and once against Irhall (see "One Little Pawn").

11.d4 Nc4

Of course 11...Nc4 is not the only way to attack White's Queen. There is 11...Ng4 as in perrypawnpusher - Kotimatka, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 21)

12.Qd3 Be6

Black weaves a complicated defense for his Knight, avoiding the "simple" 12...Nb6.

13.d5 Ne5

Back again.

14.Qg3 Bd7 15.f4 Bb5

More complications. It was time to give material back and keep the loss to a pawn: 15...Ng4 16.h3 N4f6 17.e5 Kf8 18.exf6 Qxf6.

16.fxe5

Instead, 16.Re1 was good enough for advantage, as in 16...Nf7 17.e5, but I was perfectly happy to fall into Black's combination.

16...Bxf1 17.Qxg7 Qh4

If it were not for the White "Jerome pawn" at e5, Black could have defended with 17....Qf6, etc. Now he has to scare up some kind of counter-play, with the accent upon "scare".

18.Qxh8 Kf8 19.Kxf1 Qxe4

"Best" for Black was probably 19...Qxh2 but it held no promise for long-term survival. 

20.Bxh6+ Kf7 21.Qg7+ Ke8 22.Qxg8+ Kd7 23.Qf7+ Kc8 24.Qe8 checkmate