Blog's Best Friend

In preparing games for presentation on this blog I use ChessBase to extract games from The Database; and Rybka 3, Houdini 1.2 and Fritz 10 (occasionally Fritz 8) to provide insight and guidance into what was happening in the play. 

Most of the time the computers are faithful friends. Sometimes they seem to mislead.

perrypawnpusher - bnxr
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

The Jerome Gambit.

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 N8e7

I've faced this position a half-dozen times without surrendering a half-point.

Black wants his King's Knight developed in a way that does not impede his King's Rook, which in turn will come into place as he castles-by-hand.

From White's point of view the development at e7 puts less pressure on the "Jerome pawns" in the center, but creates an additional possibility when considering returning a piece for two pawns when one of the White foot soldiers advances to f5.

10.f4 Rf8 11.0-0 Kf7

To castle-by-hand, as noted above. My response: " 'Jerome pawns', advance!"

By the way, a "position search" here in The Database is confounding,  making it of less use, a similar situation to the one I mentioned in Monday's "Checking Back" post. In this line of play, I like the intermediate "nudge" 7.Qd5+, instead of the immediate capture of the Bishop with 7.Qxc5, so my game has reached this position along with four games by Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Petasluk and an earlier game, erik - jimi, blitz, FICS, 2001; but here it is White's move, while in their games it is Black's.

12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc4 14.Qd3 d5

15.Nc3 h6

Black wants to keep White's Bishop off of g5, but a better move was to pull back his advanced Knight to d6.

16.g4

Supporting the advanced f-pawn, but this is too stereotyped.

As Rybka 3 instructed me after the game, White could already grab a pawn with 16.Nxd5; and after 16...b5 he could move in on Black's King with 17.Nxe7 Qxe7 18.f6 (a clearance sacrifice) 18...gxf6 19.e5 f5 20.Qf3 (a nice move, as the loose Rook at a8 gives the Queen the tempo she needs to continue on to the Kingside) 20...Bd7 21.Qh5+ Kg8 22.Bxh6 Qh7 23.Qg5+ Kf7 24.Bxf8 Rxf8 when White would have a Rook and three pawns for two pieces, and the advantage.

That's a nice line of play, something some readers may have seen. One reason that I turn the post mortem over to the silicon brains is so that I can see what I should have seen.

Certainly I should have seen the gain of the pawn at d5, but I'm still working on having the feel for the kind of sacrifice that 18.f6 would be. The Queen transfer via f3 was nice, but I'm not ready to say that I would have played 17.Nxe7 because I saw the coming win of the exchange with 24.Bxf8.

16...Kg8 17.e5

Instead, 17.Nxd5 was still the right move for White, as he can answer 17...Nxd5 with 18.Qxc4 threatening a discovered check.. After 17...Nd6 18.Nf4, according to Rybka 3 White's advanced "Jerome pawns" balance out the missing piece.

17...b6

Black's plan is to post the Bishop on the a6-f1 diagonal where the White Queen and Rook are currently residing.

Looking at the diagram, I get the feeling that White needs a dose of developed pieces, but Rybka and Fritz give the first player the edge.

18.b3 Ba6 19.Qg3

Slow. White probably could have gone all-out with 19.f6 or played it safe with 19.Rf2.

19...Na5 20.Ba3

Two can play at this game, was my thought, but certainly  20.Rf2 was more to the point.

20...Bxf1 21.Rxf1 Rf7

Black is now up a Rook for two pawns. Frankly, I was amazed that I wasn't having an anxiety attack. It is true that I didn't mind giving up the exchange on f1; after all, look at Black's parked Queen Rook and his offside Queen's Knight. Also, the "Jerome pawns" look scary, but are they a Rook's worth of "scary"?

Rybka and Fritz seem to think they are, and they rate the position about equal. It is easy to follow their suggested line of  play, 22.e6 Rf8 23.Bxe7 Qxe7 24.Nxd5, gaining a pawn, but the question remains: Where does White's counter come from? Especially since what is recommended as best for Black is now the exchange of Queens, 24...Qd6 25.Qxd6 cxd6. 

analysis diagram








Can anyone spot the hidden Rook?

Back to the game...

I decided that I needed to attack Black's King before he got his forces together. As we have seen, this is not the recommended direction. 

22.f6 Nec6 23.Qe3 gxf6 24.Qxh6

24...fxe5

Occasionally it is important for me to remind myself that if a position is complicated for me, it is usually complicated for my opponent, too.

Here, according to Rybka, my opponent overlooks his chance to transition into a better endgame where he has a piece for two pawns... 24...Rh7 25.Qd2 fxe5 26.dxe5 Qh4 27.Qg2 Rg7 28.Nxd5 Rxg4 29.Nf6+ Qxf6 30.Qxg4+ Qg7 31.Qxg7+ Kxg7 32.e6 Re8 33.Rf7+ Kg6 34.Rxc7 Rxe6

analysis diagram








Instead, Black's move is an error.

25.Rxf7 Kxf7

26.Qh5+

How annoying it was to see after the game that if I had played 26.Qh7+  I had a win: 26...Kf6 27.dxe5+ Nxe5 28.Be7+ Qxe7 29.Nxd5+. Wow.


26...Kg8

It seems a bit of hard luck that my opponent let me off of the hook here, when 26...Kg7 would give him a better game; or so the computers say.

Now I saw the draw and went for it. After all... I was a Rook down.

27.Qg6+ Kh8 28.Qh6+ Kg8 29.Qg6+ Kh8 30.Qh6+ Kg8 31.Qg6+ Kh8 32.Qh6+ Game drawn by repetition

More Updating

Following "Checking Back", it is time to use a recent Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit game to look at one of its more exciting variations.

 

pigsfeet - jantonacci
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxd4

Black's King has gone far afield to grab extra material. Why did he do that? Some chess players see the board as an all-you-can-eat buffet, and chow down on everything. Others might compare development, White vs Black, and as the first player has no pieces developed compared to the second player's one (the King) what appears to be the problem?

Safer was heading for home with 7...Ke6 as in richiehill - RVLY, FICS, 2009 (1-0,24).

8.d3

This is the recommended move, although White has also played 8.b3 (8.b4 is a variant) in jonyfin - jantonacci, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 16).

For 8.Nc3, see perrypawnpusher - PunisherABD, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0,14) and billwall - apollyon2010, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0,12).

DragonTail scored quickly with 8.Qc2 Qg5 9.Qc3+ Kxe4 10.0-0 Bd6 11.d3+ Kf5 12.Bxg5 Kxg5 13.Qxg7+ Black resigned, DragonTail - tcharge, FICS, 2009.

8.Qa4+ is an interesting idea which will be covered in a later post. 

8...Bb4+

Retreats such as 8...Ke5 in perrypawnpusher - PunisherABD, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 27) and 8...Nf6 9.Be3+ Ke5 from perrypawnpusher - RVLY, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 26) have been seen.

Best for Black seems to be 8...Kc5 with only a slight disadvantage.

9.Nc3

Playable also is 9.Kf1!? or 9.Ke2!? although the text is natural and even allows Black further gluttony, if he wishes.

9...d5

"Luft!" says the Queen.

Also played has been 9...Bxc3+ 10.bxc3+ when taking the c-pawn is fatal after 10...Kxc3 11.Qb3+ (The Database does not have any examples, but Edisce - nkm, FICS, 2005 came close with 11.0-0 Qf6 12.Be3 Kb4 13.Rb1+ Ka5 14.Qb3 c5 15.Qa3 checkmate).

perrypawnpusher-AdamRou, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 28) saw 9...Bxc3+ 10.bxc3+ Ke5 11.Qh5+ Ke6. 

10.Be3+

Again, a very reasonable move, although White may try to weave a mating net by putting his Queen on b3 and his Bishop on f4. Black might give up his Bishop to buy White off.

10...Ke5 11.Qh5+

The Queen must commit herself, as the enemy monarch is making his escape.

11...Kf6

Rybka 3 recommends 11...Kd6, when, if Black can survive the scary, pawnful middlegame, he can then take a few swipes at White and enter an endgame, down a pawn and the exchange: 12.Qxd5+ Ke7 13.Qg5+ Nf6 14.Qxg7+ Ke6 15.f4 Rg8 16.f5+ Kd6 17.Qf7 Bxc3+ 18.bxc3 b6 19.Bd4 Kc6 20.Qc4+ Kb7 21.Bxf6 Qxf6 22.Qxg8 Qxc3+ 23.Ke2 Qc2+ 24.Ke3 Qc5+ 25.Kf3 Bxf5 26.Qc4 Qxc4 27.dxc4 Be6.

analysis diagram





In the game, Black gives up his Queen, and then his King.

12.Bg5+ Ke6 13.Bxd8 d4 14.Qd5 checkmate

Tap-Dancing on Ice

My latest Jerome Gambit was a slippery affair, a lot like tap-dancing on ice, for both me and my opponent. We each had our share of falls on the way to an interesting endgame. Finally, we reached the following position.



perrypawnpusher -BEEB
blitz, FICS, 2011

Despite White's outside, connected passed pawns, the best he can hope for is a complicated Queen-plus-pawns-versus-Queen-plus-pawns-ending which is most likely a draw at blitz speed, because soon (after ...Qxa2) Black will have his own connected passed pawns to run down the board. There will be too many chances to check the opposing King almost endlessly. The ticking clock will dictate safety.

35. Qf5+

This move does no harm, but as long as Black's King retreats to b6 it doesn't do much good, either.

Here is how the game could have continued, instead: 35.h4 Qxa2 36.Kh2 a5 (the race is on!) 37.h5 Qb2 38.Qg5+ (necessary to allow the White Queen to catch up with the h-pawn, otherwise, if 38.h6 then Black can rein in the runner: 38...Qe5+ 39.Qg3 Qh5+ 40.Qh3 Qe5+ 41.g3 a4 42.h7 Qh8 43.e5 a3 44.Qd7+ Kb6 45.exd6 a2 46.Qxc7+ Ka6 47.Qc4+ Kb6 48.Qxa2 Qxh7+ 49.Kg2 Qxd3 and a win, if there is one, is still a long way off) 38...Kc6 39.Qxa5 b5 40.d4 Kb7 (40...Qxd4 41.Qa6+ Kd7 42.Qxb5+ Ke7 43.Qg5+ and the White Queen is back on escort duty, although it is still complex) 41.h6 Qe2 42.Qc3 Qh5+ 43.Qh3 Qxh3+ 44.gxh3 b4 45.e5 (45.h7 b3 46.h8=Q b2 47.Qh7 b1=Q starting over again) 45...b3 46.e6 b2 47.e7 b1=Q 48.e8=Q and maybe there is a win, maybe there isn't...

35...Qe5

Oh, no.

A time-slip.

In the transition from middle game to endgame I had been checking Black's King, and perhaps my opponent figured that I would continue to do so, harmlessly, e.g. 36.Qd7+ Kb6.

But there is something better, and it can be seen, it doesn't have to be calculated.

36.Qxe5+ dxe5 37.h4 Kc6

Unfortunately, the King cannot enter the "square of the pawn". (Draw a diagonal from the pawn to the 8th rank. Black, to move, must be able to get inside that square in order to catch the pawn. He is one tempo short.)

38.h5 Kd6 39.h6 Ke7 40.h7

Black resigned

Checking Back

When I reported on the game AreWeThereYet - metheny, blitz, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 28) in "Watch that last step...", taking a look at the nameless opening line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5  (which immediately got a Jerome Gambit-style twist, 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+) I neglected to mention that the two played again four days later, with the outcome quickly reversed: AreWeThereYet - metheny, blitz, FICS, 2009:  5...Ke8 6.Qh5+ Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.d4 Qe7 9.Qd5 checkmate.

Time to check back and see how the opening is faring.

soulman  - Tadziu
standard, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Na5

4.Bxf7+

This move is not necessary; White can play the stronger (but much less fun) 4.Nxe5 instead.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ Ke7
 

 
If you do a position search in The Database (using ChessBase1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nh5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 6.Qh5 and 5...Ke8 6.Qh5+ Ke7 continuations – note that in the first case it is Black to move, in the second case, White.

7.Qf7+

Do a position search now, though, and the data return is clear, at least from one perspective: 55 games, White scores 71%.

7...Kd6 8.Qd5+

This is a good move, and in the majority of games White played it.

Only eleven games (1/5) had the best move for White, 8.d4. As only three games had Black playing the strongest reply to that move, 8...Qf6 (and Black won two of them), it is best to go over the reason that White should remember 8.d4.

After 8.d4 White threatens the devastating 9.Bf4, and Black's "best" is 9...Qf6, which falls to the inventive (and as yet unplayed) two-piece sacrifice, 10.Nc4+ Nxc4 11.Bf4+ Qxf4 12.Qxf4+ winning Black's Queen. (White can even interpolate 12.e5+ and wind up winning another piece.)

If Black defends against 8.d4 with 8...Nh6, instead, he immediately regrets that his Knight cannot go to f6 after 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Bg5+, winning the Queen. No better is 8...Ne7, as after 9.Qh5 White threatens Ne5-f7+, winning the Black Queen and Black wishes the Knight were on h6...

8...Ke7 9.d4

Clearly soulman has everything under control.

9...Nc6
 
Saving the wayward Knight that got this whole adventure started.
 
10.Bg5+

But losing the King after 10...Nf6 11.Qf7+ Kd6 12.Nc4 checkmate.

Black resigned

Peaceful, Not Frenetic

I have been trying for peaceful, not frenetic, Jerome Gambit games, slowly and steadily progressing toward victory. The following game is a good model for me. White gathers "small advantages" and calmly moves toward victory. But then...

Petasluk - krausepeter
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

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

7.f4 g6

Black mixes up defensive systems -- or something. The Database shows 9 wins for White against 0 losses prior to this game. 7...Qf6 or 6...d6 would have been fine for Black.

8.Qxe5+

Here Black resigned in Petasluk - Meshu, FICS. 2011, played about a week earlier.

Superpippo has played, and gotten away with 8.f5+ in Superpippo-vacaboja, FICS, 2002 (1-0, 37) and 8.Qh3+ in Superpippo-ustad, FICS, 2002 (1-0, 34), but those moves are not to be recommended.

8...Kf7 9.Qd5+

There are nudges and then there are nudges... Actually, 9.Qxh8 was a little better, as in Ghandybh-duboak, Chess.com, 2009 (1-0, 16).


9.Qxc5 was also playable, as in grobnic - vallabhan, GameKnot.com, 2004 (1-0, 24).

9...Ke8 10.Qxc5 d6 11.Qd4 Nf6 12.0-0 Qe7

White is a comfortable two pawns up. There is no need for an immediate "bashi-bazouk attack", as calm development will do.

13.Nc3 Rf8 14.d3 c5 15.Qe3 Ng4

If anyone, Black could heed the advice not to attack prematurely.

16.Qf3 h5 17.h3 Ne5 18.Qg3 h4 19.Qe3 Nc6 20.Bd2 Be6 21.Rae1 Kd7

Both sides have developed, and Black's King has found some shelter, but the story remains the same: a comfortable advantage for White.

22.a3 Rg8 23.e5 d5

Black keeps the position closed, but now White has a protected passed pawn. For now the e-pawn is blockaded, but it remains another advantage to be realized in the future.

24.Qf2

Setting his eyes on the Black pawn at h4.

Instead, Rybka 3 recommended for White the involved pawn sacrifice on the Queenside, 24.Nb5 b6 25.c4 hoping to open attacking lines against Black's King.

It's not hard to side with Petasluk's choice. Besides, he is rated higher than his opponent, and might want to let him come up with the "brilliant" ideas.

24...Raf8 25.Nd1

Perhaps White was thinking of following this up with c2-c3 and d3-d4, erecting a center wall?

In any event, danger for him is brewing on the Kingside, and White needs to strike first, as Rybka 3 points out: 25.b4 g5 26.bxc5 gxf4 27.Rb1 Kc8 28.Nb5 Bxh3 29.Nd6+ Kb8 30.Rxb7+ Qxb7 31.Nxb7 Rxg2+ 32.Qxg2 Bxg2 33.Rb1 Bh3 34.Nd6+ Ka8 35.Nb5 a6 36.Nc7+ Ka7 37.Kh2 Bg4 38.Nxd5 Nxe5 39.Bxf4 Nf3+ 40.Kg2 Whew! That's a lot to figure out in a blitz game.

25...g5

This is what Black has been aiming for. Now White has to counter-punch and mix it up; there is no more "peaceful".

26.c4 gxf4 27.Bxf4 Bxh3 28.e6+ Kd8

29.Ne3 Bxg2 30.Nxd5

In the smoke of the battle, White goes astray. Clearly time was short for him, and attacking the enemy Queen is in general a good strategy, but here there was a discovered check to deal with. 

Rybka 3's suggestion lets the air out of the position, almost like each army consuming the other, with a draw as the result: 30.Nxg2 h3 31.Qe3 hxg2 32.Rf2 Qh7 33.Rxg2 Rxg2+ 34.Kxg2 dxc4 35.dxc4 Ke8 36.Bg3 Qc2+ 37.Qe2 Qxe2+ 38.Rxe2 Rg8 39.Kh3 Nd4 40.Re4 Rg6 41.e7 Nf3 42.Bf4 Ng5+ 43.Bxg5 Rxg5.

Both White's steady peaceful build-up and Black's savagery in counter-attacking would thus have been "rewarded".30...Bxd5+ 31.Kh2 Rg2+ 32.Qxg2 Bxg2 33.Kxg2 Rg8+ 34.Kh3 Nd4 35.Be3 Ke8

Here White forfeited on time.

LPDO Revisited

In "My House! My House! My Kingdom for a House!" I mentioned Grandmaster John Nunn's acronym, LPDO, as a reminder that "Loose Pieces Drop Off". In the following game, Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member HauntedKnight takes that notion into account when planning his play, and it helps him grab a "loose" Knight. Black's resignation, only a pawn down, might be a bit early, but it is easily understood.

HauntedKnight - OneNoTrump
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+

Computers tend to like this move, for their own computer-ish reasons. For examples, see "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (1)" for RevvedUp's 2008 tag-team match against Hiarcs 8, Shredder 8, Yace Paderborn, Crafty 19.19 and Fritz 8, where this move showed up, played by Crafty. It also appears in Jeroen's earlier 2003 Jerome Gambit computer tournament in the game Deep Sjeng 1.5 - Hiarcs 9.

If the computers are given enough time they often find the recommended 6...Qh4!? as well.

Has OneNoTrump examined the Jerome Gambit with a computer, or is this a knee-jerk reaction (my Bishop is attacked, move it and attack White)?

7.c3 Bxc3+

A clue: this looks like a human decision. The 75 games that have this move in The Database all have a person playing Black.

Computers realize, of course, that Black must return a piece, and suggest something like 7...Ng6/c6 8.cxb4 to mess up White's pawns a bit; or they let White choose which piece he wants by playing 7...Qh4. 

8.bxc3

Bolstering White's center, but 8.Nxc3 was probably a bit better: development and all that.

8...Nc4 9.Qh5+ g6

Reflex. 

Better was 9...Kf8 and Black keeps his edge, even against 10.Qc5+ Nd6 11.e5, because he has 11...b6 12.Qb4 Qe7 when after 13.0-0 the Knight escapes with 13...Nf7. 

10.Qd5+ Black resigned

The loose piece at c4 will drop.

My House! My House! My Kingdom for a House!

Passing the following game along to me with the note "Another Jerome Gambit swindle," Bill Wall explained the crux of the game in one sentence, and the psychology of the contest in another: My opponent tried to castle by hand, but dropped a rook. Opponents seem to panic when their king is in the center.

Wall,B - Yunfan
chess.com, 2011

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

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qb5+

This is something new: in almost 24,000 games in The Database, this position does not show up at all!

The closest thing to it seems to be a 2006 FICS game, PierreKurdy - NLockwood (0-1, 58), which began: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qd5+ Ke8 9.d3 Nf6 10.Qb5+ c6 11.Qb3. Of course, if you do a search on that position at move 11, you find that Bill Wall - Seven11, Chess.com, 2008 got there, too.

Giving "Jerome Gambit odds" requires alert, strong play. Familiarity with basic stratagems (Bill has studied The Database) is very useful.

So is the proper use of psychology. Here White asks (just like he does when his Queen checks from d5 in analogous situations) Black: is it worth the b-pawn to block the check with the Bishop? The answer is: probably not, but arriving at that conclusion takes time, as, Black reasons, surely, there must be some way to punish that impertinent Queen...

9...c6 10.Qb3

Posing the questions, Where will Black's Bishop go?, Where will Black's King go? and How will he get there?

10...Nf6 11.d3 Qa5+

12.Nc3 Rb8

You would almost expect Black to try something like 12...Qh5, but he is still worried about the White Queen at b3 and its attack on the pawn at b7.

The Rook move should give White some ideas based on GM John Nunn's warning: "LPDO, Loose Pieces Drop Off."

13.Bd2 Qb6

Another "solution" to the b7 pawn problem. That's three by my count: 9...c6, 12...Rb8 and now 13...Qb6.

It's all very reasonable, and the computer still gives Black the edge, but it is an indication that Black is uncomfortable with his position (instead of cheering himself: More than a dozen moves and I'm still better!)

14.Qa3 Ke7 15.f4 Re8

Having shored up Pb7, Black now goes about castling-by-hand to safeguard his King. That will make him feel a whole lot better. Multi-tasking will take its toll, though.

16.0-0-0 Kf8 17.Qxd6+ Kg8 18.Qxb8 Black resigned

Black can win the exchange with 18...Bg4, but that would leave him still three pawns down.