Trying My Hand at ICC (Part 3)

My last game at ICC ended, not with a bang, but with a whimper... by my opponent. We played a line where "Nothing Happened", which shows up in The Database 60 times, and in which Black scores 31% .

AlonzoJerome - adroit
blitz 5 5, ICC, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ 

6...g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+

Giving back the piece to break the attack, but going into a pawn-down Queenless middle game.

8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.Nc3 d6

Black's best "chance" now is that I'll let him escape into a drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, like I allowed BEEB.

11.d3 Bd7 12.Bg5 Ng4+ 13.Ke2 h6 14.Rhf1+ Kg7 15.Bf4 g5 16.Bg3 h5 17.h3 h4 18.Be1 Ne5 19.d4 Ng6

Nothing "exciting" has happened since the last diagram: I have grabbed some space in the center and my opponent has advanced on the Kingside. I can afford to play "deliberately" as long as I don't overlook the details. A pawn is a pawn, after all.

20.Bd2 g4 21.hxg4 Bxg4+ 22.Kd3 Rhf8 23.Nd5

More exact was 23.Nb5, with the same threat to the pawn at c7, but prohibiting ...c7-c6.

23...c6 24.Ne3

A little more could have been squeezed out of the position with 24.Nf4.

24...Bd7

Time was getting short for my opponent, but I am sure that neither of us saw the line recommended by Rybka 3, which keeps a tiny edge for White: 24...Nf4+ 25.Kc3 Ne2+ 26.Kb4 a5+ 27.Kb3 Bd7 28.Rxf8 Rxf8 29.Bxa5 Re8 30.Re1 Nxd4+ 31.Kc4 c5 32.Bc3 Kg6 33.Bxd4 Rxe4 34.c3 cxd4 35.cxd4 Bc6 36.b3 b5+.

analysis diagram







25.Nf5+

More "business as usual," attacking the pawn at e6 and "suggesting" that Black exchange his Bishop for my Knight. Any kind of a win would be a long way off, as it would be after the stronger 25.Bb4.

Black resigned.

Perhaps he believed that I could continue to grind him down.

Trying My Hand at ICC (Part 2)

Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.

And in my second game at ICC, I was playing his ghost, it appeared. My luck, Charles Dickens' character had died before Alonzo Wheeler Jerome had invented his gambit.

AlonzoJerome  - MarleysGhost
blitz 2 12, ICC,2011

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

The Semi-Italian Game.

4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Kf8

 8.Qxe5 Bd6

Without ...h6 for Black and 0-0 for White, I have faced this move against LeiCar and dogofthesouth.

I have also seen 8...Qe7 9.Qf4+ Nf6 10.e5 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - AirmanLeonidas, blitz, FICS, 2010.

9.Qc3

Maybe a little stronger than 9.Qd4 as in perrypawnpusher - LethHansen, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 26).

9...Qf6 10.d4 Bf4

Looking to exchange pieces and (eventually) take us to the endgame. That was okay with me, to start.

11.Nd2 Bxd2 12.Bxd2 Qc6 13.Qf3+

Keeping the Queen on the board to keep the chances of attack.

13...Qf6 14.Qe3 d6

White's development, and Black's unsafe King (on the same file as his Queen) give adequate compensation for the sacrifice.

15.f4 Bd7 16.e5 dxe5

A reflex reaction, but it ends the game.

17.fxe5 Black resigned.

Black will have only a Knight and Rook to face White's Queen (and two "Jerome pawns").

Trying My Hand at ICC (Part 1)

After my week of searching at ICC for Jerome Gambit games (starting with "A GM Plays the Jerome Gambit??"), I was successful in discovering only one additional example (see "The Search Continues... With Some Success"), and that one was played by neither Grandmaster Larry Christiansen nor any other Grandmaster.

Finally, I did run across 3 games played by someone whose ICC handle was "AlonzoJerome".

Guess who?

Of course, I played them myself.

Well, that's at least a few games for the next Jerome Gambit explorer to discover.

AlonzoJerome  - HenryV
blitz, ICC, 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 Nf3+

I was still pretty nervous at this point, because if I've played any games at ICC, it was quite some time ago, and I was still getting used to the software and sensing the strengths of players...

At this point, though, I gave thanks to AirmanLeonidas, who played this line against me last year. I did not find the best response the first time, but I did the second, and I was ready to remember it this third time.

9.Qxf3 Bb6

Black passes on the d-pawn.

After 9...Bxd4 10.Nb5 White eventually collects the Knight on f6 and has an even game: 10...Be5 (10...Bb6 11.e5) 11.Qb3+ d5 12.f4 Bd6 13.Nxd6+ Qxd6 14.e5 Qb6+ 15.Qxb6 axb6 16.exf6

10.e5 Rf8 11.exf6 Qxf6 12.Qxf6+ Kxf6

I was happy with my pawn advantage in the Queenless middle game, but Black's two Bishops almost offset this.

13.Be3 d6 14.Ne4+ Kg6 15.c3 d5 16.Ng3 Kh7

17.Rae1 a5 18.Bd2 c6 19.Re7 Bg4 20.Rfe1 Bc5

A thoughtless move that I managed to overlook for a move. I guess I wasn't the only nervous player in this game.

21.Rxb7 Rab8

Amaurosis scacchistica. Chess blindness.

22.Rxb8 Rxb8 23.dxc5 Rxb2 24.Be3 Rxa2

Black has hopes that his passer will make up for the missing piece.

25.f3 Be6 26.Ne2 a4 27.Bd4 a3 28.Nf4 Bc8

Black should probably have safe-guarded his Kingside with 28...Bf7, i.e. if 29.Re7 Kg8, but then White would chase away the a-pawn's defender with Nf4-d3-b4 and then capture it with Re1-a1.

29.Re7 Ra1+ 30.Kf2 Ra2+ 31.Kg3 Rc2 32.Rxg7+ Kh8 33.Ng6 checkmate

The Search Continues... With Some Success

As part of my investigations looking into "A GM Plays the Jerome Gambit ??" I signed up for a free week's membership at the Internet Chess Club (ICC) and began searching the games database for Jerome Gambit games. Frankly, it was quite tedious, and often my effort seemed for naught, but I did come upon the following game. At least at the 2200 level, at least for this game, two pawns did not counterbalance an extra piece.

Rututu (2271) - AWayOut (2241)
blitz, 3 0 ICC, 2010

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

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

7.Qd5+

Well, what do you know? He plays "the nudge"!

7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 Nf6

9.0-0 d6 10.Qe3 Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.Nc3

Rybka 3 prefers a different line of play, which it says leaves White only a half-point behind (18 ply) but its recommendation is the kind of positional wood-shifting the computer gets into when it doesn't see anything specific and so tries a tweak here and a tweak there: 12.Qb3+ Kf8 13.d3 c6 14.a4 Qa5 15.Qa3 Qb6+ 16.Kh1 c5 17.a5 Qa6 18.f5 Ne5 19.Nc3 b5 20.b4 c4 21.Ne2 Bd7.

12...Kg8

Black has safeguarded his King by castling-by-hand.

13.f5 Ne5 14.Qg3

Possibly 14.d4, as in perrypawnpusher - avgur, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 23) and perrypawnpusher - CorH, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 24), was a bit better.

14...c5 15.d3 Bd7 16.Bg5 Bc6 17.Kh1 Qe7 18.Ne2 Qf7 19.Nf4 Nh5 20.Nxh5 Qxh5

Here Rybka 3 rates Black only about 2/3 pawn ahead, but it is clear that he is getting more mileage from his two pieces than White is getting from his piece and two pawns.

21.f6

Opening a line to the enemy King, but it does not achieve much here, even in blitz, as Black's deft reponse shows.

21...Re6 22.fxg7 Rg6 23.Rf8+ Rxf8 24.gxf8Q+ Kxf8

25.Qf4+

Imagining a Q + R battery on the f-file and plenty of pressure if Black's King moves to the Kingside.

25...Ke8 26.Bf6 Qg4

Offering an exchange of Queens to slow the tactics and preserve his advantage. Even stronger was 26...Ng4, keeping the Queens on the board, winning a pawn, and continuing his own pressure.

27.Qxg4 Nxg4 28.Bc3 d5

Wrapping things up.

29.Re1 dxe4 30.dxe4 Nf2+ 31.Kg1 Nh3+ 32.Kf1 Bb5+ White resigned

Kicking the 'Bot

A while back (see "Artificial Stupidity") I tried my Jerome Gambit chops against FICS'  "MiloBot". Recently I wondered: has anyone else matched Jerome-ish wits with the silicon creation? Turns out, some have.

piratebopper - MiloBot
standard game, FICS, 2010

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

One player had mixed results trying a Delayed Jerome Gambit, transposing to one of the Gambit's "modern" variations on move 5: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.Bxf7+ Kf8 (5...Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.d3 Bb6 8.Nc3 Nd4 9.Nd5 a6 10.Qh5+ Nxh5 11.Be3 Nb5 12.c4 Nd4 13.Rac1 Ne2+ White resigned, yogitim - MiloBot, blitz, FICS, 2010) 6.Bc4 Ke7 7.d3 Kf8 8.Bg5 Be7 9.Nbd2 Rb8 10.Nb3 b6 11.d4 h6 12.Be3 Ba3 13.bxa3 Ng4 14.Nxe5 Nf6 15.Qf3 Ne7 16.Ng4 Ra8 17.e5 c6 18.exf6 Ng8 19.fxg7+ Ke7 20.gxh8Q d5 21.Qh7+ Kd6 22.Qf4+ Ke6 23.Qe5 checkmate, yogitim - MiloBot, blitz, FICS, 2010.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

There are many reasons to get MiloBot out of its "book" knowledge of openings, as one player learned quickly: 5.0-0 Nb8 6.c3 c6 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Qa5 9.dxc5 Qb5 10.Ne5+ Ke7 11.Bg5+ Ke8 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qf3 Qxf1+ 14.Kxf1 Nf6 15.Qxf6 Rg8 16.Qf7 checkmate, Postobon - MiloBot, FICS, 2011.

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6

The Blackburne Defense, part of MiloBot's "book".

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Qd8

Yes!

The Blackburne Defense can be deadly against unprepared attackers; but it also can be overcome if White knows what he/she/it is doing.

Knightpusher, whose name we've seen here before in relation to the Jerome Gambit, this year tried, instead, 10.d3 Ke6 (10...Bh3! was obviously not in MiloBot's book) 11.g3 Qh5 12.Qg7 c6 13.Qh6 Bb6 14.Qxh5 Nxh5 15.Nc3 Nf6 16.Be3 Ne8 17.Bxb6 axb6 18.a3 Kf7 19.f4 Kg8 20.f5 Ng7 21.f6 Be6 22.fxg7 Kxg7 23.Rf2 g5 24.Raf1 Ra5 25.Rf6 Re5 26.d4 b5 27.dxe5 Bh3 28.Rf7+ Kh8 29.Rf8+ Kg7 30.R1f7+ Kh6 31.Rf6+ Kh5 32.Rxd6 b6 33.Rxc6 Bg4 34.Rxb6 Bc8 35.Rff6 Kg4 36.Kf2 Bd7 37.h3+ Kxh3 38.Rh6+ Kg4 39.Rxh7 Bc6 40.e6 Ba8 41.e7 Bxe4 42.Rg7 Bg6 43.Rgxg6 b4 44.Rxb4+ Kh5 45.Rg8 Kh6 46.e8Q Kh7 47.Qg6 checkmate, Knightpusher - MiloBot, FICS 2011.

10...a6

MiloBot's "book" seems to be 9 moves deep. Left on its own, it is much weaker, and now finds this lemon, just as it found 10...a5 against me in perrypawnpusher - MiloBot, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 24).

11.Qxc7+ Nd7 12.d4 Qxe4 13.dxc5

White's extra Rook wins.

Now, MiloBot falls apart.

13...Qxg2+ 14.Kxg2 dxc5 15.f4 Kg8 16.f5 Nf8 17.fxg6 Bh3+ 18.Kxh3 b6 19.g7 Nd7 20.Qxd7 h6 21.Rf8+ Rxf8 22.gxf8Q+ Kxf8 23.Bxh6+ Kg8 24.Qg7 checkmate

Thanks... I think

I was wandering about the Internet the other day, checking to see what new things, if any, had popped up concerning the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

Much to my surprise I discovered that this site was considered to be one of the "Top Computer Chess Blog", an award Presented by: Online Computer Science Degree, (whoever they are).


In recognition of this achievement, the OCSD folks offered a "badge" that could placed here.

The "badge", of course, links back to their site that touts their various online computer courses. Almost like, I don't know, advertising?

As much as I enjoyed being grouped with such sites as The Chess Drum and Alexandra Kosteniuk's and Jennifer Shahade's sites (although I have to wonder about the "Tuirgin, my soul in a lobster pot...") I decided to pass on that...

Housekeeping...

Now that the number of posts to this blog has passed 1,000 and its age races toward three years, I know that sometimes past items will be overlooked and not linked to current ones.

For example, in "Barely Legal" where I shared my Philidor Defense game that ended in a variation of Legal's Mate

I should have mentioned that in "Declining the Jerome Gambit - Légally" I presented a Damiano Defense game (by transposition) that also ended up in Légall's Mate

Oh, they're the almost the exact same position, you say? How could I have included one and overlooked the other?

It looks like my blog's "search" function could use a built-in "spell check" function to help me out... 

p.s. Another recent Légal, played since the above was written, from my short visit to ICC: AlonzoJerome - Osmin, ICC 5 5, 2011, # 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.Nc3 h6 5.0-0 Bg4 6.d3 Nd4 7.Nxe5 Bxd1 8.Bxf7+ Ke7 9.Nd5 checkmate