According to past World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz, when a player has an advantage, he must attack, or the advantage will fizzle away.
To put this another way, for less-skilled players like myself: When you have the advantage, finish off your opponent quickly, before you blow the game yourself.
Like in the following debacle...
perrypawnpusher - DrHilarius
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Re8
9.0-0
An alternative was 9.Bg5 followed by 10.0-0-0, as in Wall,B - PLMW, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 24).
9...Nc6 10.Qc4+ Kf8 11.Bg5 Ne5
This move struck me as a bit odd, and certainly provocative, but Rybka 3 did not censure it. My best response was probably 12.Qd4.
12.Qe2 Nf7 13.f4 h6 14.Bh4 g5
Breaking the pin, but loosening the Kingside too much.
15.fxg5 Nh7
He sees that to continue as planned (15...hxg5 16.Bxg5 Nxg5) would be dangerous (after 17.Qh5 Nf7 18.Qg6 Re6 19.Nd5), but his alternate choice should prove disastrous.
16.g6
This move is "okay", but deadly would have been 16.Qh5.
16...Qxh4 17.Rxf7+ Kg8 18.Rxh7
Since White is a couple of pawns up, with an aggressive position, it seems unkind to nag, again, that there was a far stronger move, 18.Qc4.
The problem is that for every "knockout punch" that I miss, my opponent stays on his feet a bit longer, and there is always the chance that he can get lucky.
18...d5 19.Qf3 Rf8 20.Rf7
Stop me if you've heard this one before... The snappy 20.Rh8+ led to mate.
20...Bg4 21.Qf4 Qg5 22.Qxg5
Competent, but 22.Nxd5 mates.
22...hxg5 23.Rxf8+ Rxf8 24.exd5 Bf5 25.Re1 Bxc2 26.Re7 Bd3
All that fire power, wasted. Still, White has a winning endgame with a strongly placed Rook and a couple of extra pawns.
27.Rxc7 Rf1 checkmate
Ooops...
I am sure that my opponent saw my oversight as hilarious!
(Note to self: tactics, tactics, tactics!)
I like playing over the Jerome Gambit games of Bill Wall, mrjoker and axykk. They look like patient predators, sitting, waiting, waiting, waiting... and then pouncing on their prey.
The following game of mine is a little like that. Except for the "pouncing" part.
perrypawnpusher - pitrisko
blitz, FICS, 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.Qe3 Nf6
I have had this position in over 30 games, scoring over 80%. I don't have it quite mastered, but I can get to it quickly (and that counts in blitz).
10.0-0 Ng4 11.Qg3
Surprisingly bad is 11.Qe2 which unravels quickly: 11...Qh4 12.h3 Nf4 13.Qf3 Ne5 14.Qc3 Ne2+ 'Nuff said.
11...Qh4
Forcing the exchange of Queens. For 11...h6 see perrypawnpusher - lorecai, blitz, FICS, 2011, (1-0, 14) and for 11...h5 see perrypawnpusher - Riversider, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 18)
12.Qxh4 Nxh4
I don't play the Jerome Gambit with a Queenless middlegame in mind, but it can't be helped. I decided a while back that in this position it didn't pay to spend any time (on the clock) worrying, I needed to make the swap and then move on.
13.f4 Nf6 14.Nc3 Ng6 15.f5 Ne5
This gives away more tempos to the "Jerome pawns", and White is now close to having full compensation for his sacrificed piece.
16.d4 Nc6 17.e5
It was easier to decide on this move here than it was in my game against mtibuk.
17...dxe5 18.dxe5
18...Ng4
Black does not want to give the piece back with 18...Nxe5 19.Re1, etc., when White would have an edge; but perhaps he should have.
19.e6
This move is okay, but after the game Rybka 3 preferred 19.Nb5 Kf8 20.e6 b6 21.Nxc7 Rb8 22.Bf4 with the idea 22...Bb7 23.Bd6+ Ne7 when White will be able to win the exchange with 24.Nd6, adding to his three-pawns-for-a-piece material balance and Black's blocked King Rook.
This is certainly a position I need to return to and study some more.
19...Rf8
Instead, Black had a chance to prepare a better defense by playing 19...Ne7, so that if 20.Nb5, then 20...Nd5.
20.h3
Missing 20.Nb(or d)5 entirely. It could also be played on my next move, with advantage.
20...Nf6
21.Bf4
I was happy with my game so far. I had kept everything in balance,
keeping a roughly even game, just like the "big boys", and all I needed was a slip by my opponent to take advantage of.
21...Nb4 22.Bxc7 Nxc2 23.Rac1
Sensible.
Rybka 3's suggestion shows chess being played at a higher level than either my opponent or I were capable of in this game: 23.Rad1 (attacking the back rank) Bxe6 (forced, but useful) 24.fxe6 Ne3 (has White blundered??) 25.e7 Rg8 26.Rd8+ Kxe7 27.Rxa8 Rxa8 (White's "Jerome pawns" have disappeared, but that is all that he has to regret) 28.Re1 Kd7 29.Rxe3 Kxc7 30.Re7+ Kc6 31.Rxg7. White has won a pawn, but the endgame looks tricky.
Strong chess players can get blood from a stone.
23...Ne3 24.Rf3 Ned5 25.Nxd5 Nxd5 26.Bd6 Ne7
Finally Black slips, and it is time to pounce!
27.Rfc3
No, this not it. It is a paw swipe, not a pounce.
With the pressure from 27.Rc7 Black is forced to liquidate with 27...Nxf5 28.Bxf8 Bxe6 29.Bxg7 Rd8 30.g4 Nxg7 31.Rxg7 Rd7 32.Rxd7 Kxd7 and White is up the exchange and a pawn.
That is not a lot, but it is enough to win the endgame.
Black now wisely gives back his extra piece for the two "Jerome pawns" and the game slides into a draw...
I pursued things for a while, waiting for another chance to "pounce" but it was not to be.
27...Rxf5 28.Bxe7 Kxe7 29.Rxc8 Rxc8 30.Rxc8 Kxe6 31.Rc7 Rf7 32.Rxf7 Kxf7 33.Kf2 Ke6 34.Ke3 Kd5 35.Kd3 h5 36.h4 Ke5 37.Ke3 Kf5 38.Kf3 g5 39.hxg5 Kxg5 40.Kg3 Kf5 41.Kh4 Kg6 42.g4 hxg4 43.Kxg4 Kf6 44.Kf4 Ke6 45.Ke4 Kd6 46.Kd4 Kc6 47.Kc4 b6 48.a4 a6 49.b3 b5+ bxa4 51.bxa4 Kb6 52.a5+ Kc6 53.Kc4 Kd6 54.Kd4 Game drawn by mutual agreement
Play over the following game and try not to scream at me.
Even "The Worst Chess Opening Ever" should receive more respect than it gets here.
perrypawnpusher - mtibuk
blitz, FICS, San Jose, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 a6
It is hard to tell if mtibuk is being extra cautious here, simply going his own way in the opening, or intentionally avoiding the Jerome Gambit. Since The Database doesn't contain any of his games (before this one) my guess is the last suggestion is not the proper explanation.
5.Nc3
I'm hanging in there and trying to transpose to the Jerome. Otherwise, 5.d4 would have been enough for a slight advantage.
5...Bc5 6.Bxf7+
Okay!
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ng6
Here we have a typical Jerome Gambit position, to which Black has added ...a6 and ...h6 and White has added Nc3 and 0-0. Certainly, this should be an improvement for the first player. Indeed, the computer suggests that the additions are worth about a half a pawn, but Black is still better.
That means there is still work to do.
Previously, angelosgoulianos played the stronger 8...Ke6 against me, in perrypawnpusher - angelosgoulianos, blitz, FICS, 2007, (1-0, 40), where I prevailed after a struggle.
9.Qd5+ Kf6
It is hard to see what Black gains with this move, instead of the standard 9...Kf8 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qe3 Nf6 (slight edge to the second player).
It is also hard to see that what he loses is another pawn: 10.Qf5+ Ke7 11.Nd5+ Ke8 12.Qxg6+ Kf8 13.Qf5+ Nf6 14.Nxf6 d6 15.Nd7+!? Ke7 16.Qg6 Kxd7 17.Qxg7+ Kc6. I didn't see that, Rybka 3 did, after the game.
10.Qxc5 d6 11.Qe3 Ne5
With the safer King, the better development, and the possibility of launching the "Jerome pawns", White has to have compensation for his sacrifice.
12.d4 Nc4
Black continues to play (and get away with) in a fancy free manner. More sedate was 12...Nc6.
13.Qf4+
In playing over this game afterward, the question came up: should I have been able to see that 13.e5+ was the proper move to play? I had looked as far as 13...dxe5 14.dxe5 Nxe5, saw that it lost a pawn, and checked out something else.
The trick was to see that 15.Rd1! would have given White's Knight a platform (d5) from which to check the Black King – moving it either away from the Black Knight, which can subsequently be captured by the White Queen; or to where it is pinned to the Black Knight by the White Queen and can be won with f2-f4.
Of course, Black should not exchange center pawns, but answer 13.e5+ with 13...Kf7. White then would have 14.Qf3+ with the makings of an attack on the Black King, although no immediate forced win of a piece.
If I am going to continue to attack with the Jerome Gambit, I have to be able to better recognize "a good attacking position" and move myself down that path.
13...Kg6 14.Qg3+ Kh7 15.f4 Nf6
White is still doing fine here, and his "Jerome pawns" still counter-balance Black's extra Knight; it is just that an opportunity has been missed.
16.e5 dxe5 17.fxe5
This is a careless, double error because I was looking in the wrong direction: it misses the much better 17.Qd3+ with the subsequent win of the Black Knight at c4; and it captures with the wrong pawn; at least after 17.dxe5 Black does not win material with 17...Qd4+.
17...Qxd4+ 18.Kh1 Qxe5
Much to my relief, my opponent returns the favor. After 18...Nxe5 Black is simply a piece up.
19.Qd3+ Kg8 20.Qxc4+ Be6 21.Qd3 Ng4
Material is even, and perhaps White can make something of Black's Rook blocked in at h8. Of course, he will have to take care of that mate threat at h2.
22.Bf4 Qh5 23.Rae1 Re8 24.Bxc7 b5 25.a3
This is an interesting slip. I read Black's move as a threat to my Knight on c3, and protected against it. Perhaps that is what Black intended.
If that is the case, we both missed the fact that Black can now play 25...Bc4, winning the exchange.
25...g5 26.Qf3
Attacking, which is the right idea.
26...Rh7
Mobilizing the locked-in Rook, but this should not be enough to hold the game.
27.Rxe6
Winning a piece after 27...Rxc7 28.Rxe8+ Qxe8 29.Qxg4. Black's response is inadequate, and again it was time for me to find the killer line of play.
27...Rc8 28.Be5
This move is "okay" but 28.Qd5 was devastating. It should not have been hard to find.
28...Rf7 29.Rf6
White had a simple win with the simplifying 29.Qxf7+ Qxf7 30.Rxf7 Kxf7 31.Rxa6 Nxe5 32.Rxh6. Given my propensity to run for simple endings, this is a sad oversight.
29...Rxf6 30.Bxf6
Believing that I was winning a piece ("Have I overlooked anything??"), I had no thoughts about forcing a draw with, for example, 30.Qd5+ Rf7 31.Ne4 Nxe5 32.Nf6+ Kh8 33.Qxe5 Qg6 34.Nh5+ Kg8 35.Nf6+ Kh8 36.Nh5+ etc.
30...Qxh2 checkmate
That's embarassing!
In my writing at Chessville (alas, the site is still without new content) I have reviewed a number of books in the Secrets of Opening Surprises series (#4, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12), edited by Jeroen Bosch. They are surprisingly addictive, sometimes startling, and always creative. As the series describes itself,
No time to study main lines? Shock your opponent with an SOS!... Secrets of Opening Surprises brings you a wide variety of unusual opening ideas. They may seem outrageous at first sight, but have proven to be perfectly playable.
After the introductory "S.O.S. Files", chronicling how earlier suggestions have worked out in over-the-board combat, Volume #13 contains:
- Sicilian Najdorf: the Czebe Attack (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Qe2!?) GM Arthur Kogan
- The North Sea Defence (1.e4 g6 2.d4 Nf6) IM Jeroen Bosch
- The Williams Anti-Grünfeld Variation (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.h4) GM Simon Williams
- The Scotch Game: Carlsen Leads the Way (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Qe2) GM Konstantin Landa
- The Budapest Gambit Delayed (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 e5) IM Jeroen Bosch
- French Defence: Obtaining Two Bishops (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nge2 dxe4 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Nxc3) GM Alexander Finkel
- Grabbing a Pawn in the Réti/Catalan (1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.d4 e6 5.0-0 Bd7 6.c4) GM Glenn Flear
- Sicilian: Karma Chameleon (1.e4 c5 2.Ne2 d6 3.c3) GM Dimitri Reinderman
- The Centre Game in Viking Spirit (1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qa4) IM Jeroen Bosch
- Slav: The Easy Way (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nbd2) GM Efstratios Grivas
- Spanish: Kortchnoi's Idea in the Central Attack (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d4 Nxd4) GM Adrian Mikhalchishin
- Panic in the London (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bf4 Nh5) GM Dimitri Reinderman
- Pirc Defence - Taking off the Gloves (1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.e5 Nfd7 7.h4) GM Alexander Finkel
- New Recipe in Old Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.e4 Be7 6.Be2 0-0 7.g4) IM Jeroen Bosch
- Sicilian Mission: To Boldly Go... (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bf4 d6 7.Bg3) GM John van der Wiel
- Surprising Sacrifice in the Giuoco Piano (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Bxd2+ 8.Qxd2!) GM Ian Rogers
Another fine collection of off-the-beaten path openings!
Admittedly, there is a lot of "psychology" behind playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), starting with the notion that it is worth playing in the first place.
Often Black tries to counter with his own "psychology", but that is almost always a double-edged sword.
MrJoker - Macuta
blit, 2 12, Internet Chess Club, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kf8
The Jerome Gambit Declined.
There are times when the philosophy "If you want me to take the sacrifice, I won't take the sacrifice" might work, but here White is offering his opponent a won game, and Black is refusing.
5.Bxg8 Rxg8
6.Nxe5 Bxf2+
Here we go, again. White is expecting 6...Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 d6, so Black "disappoints" him again.
7.Kxf2 Nxe5
Black has certainly taken the steam out of the Jerome Gambit, although it has left him in a relatively straight-forward position, a pawn down.
As he soon learns to his dismay, it is not yet time to relax.
8.Rf1
mrjoker has also played 8.d4, as in MrJoker - ThePawnSnatcher, blitz, 2 12 Internet Chess Club, 2011: 8...Qf6+ 9.Ke1 Qh4+ 10.Kd2 Ng4 11.Qf3+ Ke8 12.Rf1 Nf6 13.Nc3 c6 14.Kd3 d6 15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Bg4 17.Qf4 Rd8+ 18.Ke3 Nd5+ 19.Nxd5 Rxd5 20.Qf7+ Kd8 21.Qxg8+ Kc7 22.Qxg7+ Kb6 23.Bd2 Be6 24.Rad1 Qd4+ 25.Kf3 Qh4 26.Be3+ Ka6 27.g3 Qxh2 28.c4 Qh5+ 29.g4 Qh3+ 30.Kf2 Qh2+ 31.Ke1 Qh4+ 32.Bf2 Rxd1+ 33.Kxd1 Qh3 Black resigned
8...Ke7 9.d4 Ng6 10.Bg5+ Black resigned
Today marks the third "birthday" of this blog, where I have posted daily since the beginning.
Readers have stopped in from around the world, from over 100 different countries according to Google Analytics. So far, no one from North Korea has checked in, but they have from Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Libya, Lituania, Luxembourg, Macedonia [FYROM], Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam.
Many players have shared their games and analyses, and I want to express a special "thank you" to them.
The Database, containing Jerome Gambit games and those with related openings, has grown to over 27,500 games.
Looking forward: When I first started posting on this blog, I did not have any of my own examples of the Jerome Gambit to share, as it seemed too risky an opening for me to play. I finally started offering the Gambit, tentatively, and then played it more and more, as I found out that, whatever its "objective" worth, I scored over 80% in my games.
My most recent 10 games (three losses, two draws, five lucky wins) have convinced me that in our current relationship, curiously enough, the Jerome Gambit and I have traded places.
In each game, the opening (in cooperation with my opponent, of course) has offered me many opportunities for exciting, dynamic, winning play – even as I have been slowly increasing the level of strength of my opponents – and the failures have been my own, usually tactical ineptitude.
Far from the Jerome Gambit letting me down in our games, I have let it down. My goal for this coming year is to play up to its expectations, by sharpening my play to match the adventures of 4.Bxf7+.
Thanks to the efforts of chessfriend Julio Alberto González, who has been following this blog, selected posts from jeromegambit.blogspot.com are now available in Spanish at his website, http://www.notichess.com.ar/.
Fantástico!
Y gracias, mi amigo
