Deus Ex Machina

According to Wikipedia, deus ex machina  is "a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event."

Readers may well wonder about the conclusion of the following game.



Wall,B - felineMMXI
FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4

Although 6.d4 seems to be seeing a resurgence in the current ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, Black's Queen sally truly puts the line to the test.

7.0-0 Qxe4 8.dxc5 Nf6

In truth, White does not have a lot to work with here, but he sets about the task of trying to "make something out of nothing" anyhow.

9.Nc3 Qc6 10.Qd4 Ng6 11.f3 Re8 12.Be3 b6

White has caught up in development and linked his Rooks. His advanced c-pawn has slowed the development of Black's light-squared Bishop – so Black now takes steps against it.

13.b4 bxc5 14.bxc5 Nf8 15.a4 Ne6 16.Qc4 d6

17.Rfd1 dxc5 18.Bg5

It is hard to see any compensation for White's sacrificed piece.

White's situation seems bleak.

How will he survive??

At this point, however, Black forfeited by disconnection

Ng5+

Still fascinated with the move Ng5+ for White in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) after yesterday's examples of play in the ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, I bumped into the following recently played game at FICS.



Darthnik - cstevep
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Nc3 Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.h3 Be7 8.Nf3 Kf7 9.Ng5+ Ke8 10.Nf3 Kf7 11.Ng5+ Ke8 Draw

(Ah, yes Geoff Chandler was on to it earlier; perhaps the Jerome Gambit is a forced draw after all...)

Sunday Tournament Update

Like a field of long-distance runners who start together at the same time and place, and then, after the starter's gun, stretch out along the route as they each find their pace, the 15 competitors in the current double-round-robin ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament have made their moves quickly or more deliberately, each according to a personal tempo.

One player has completed half his games. Another, on holiday, has yet to make a half-dozen moves in any of his. (Black has rebounded: having won only 2 of 8 games, for 25%, by last Sunday, Black has now scored 29 out of 43 games, for 67%.)

Questions of tempo and pacing come up in a ChessWorld tournament, one of the benefits of which is, according to the site, a

Relaxed Pace. Games played on ChessWorld are an up-to-date version of traditional 'correspondence style' chess. We believe that our easy-to-use style encourages accurate and instructive play whilst, at the same time, providing you with an opportunity to exchange friendly messages and ideas with your Opponents.

What this means in a tournament like the Jerome Gambit Thematic, which has a 5-day-per-move time limit, is that games can last for months. This is great for developing play that expands the understanding of the opening; but it can be tough, emotionally, for those who like the cut-and-slash of the Jerome.

So, some players will move much faster, sometimes even finding their opponent online when they can play the equivalent of a few moves of blitz chess...

How else to explain the following examples?

Black has the typical piece-for-pawn advantage in a quiet "modern" Jerome Gambit line, until White decides to disrupt his plans to castle-by-hand: 9.Qb3+ Be6 10.Ng5+ Black resigned, as he will have to give back the piece, and then an exchange.

Here we have another "modern" variation, and White's full pawn center is part of his compensation for the sacrificed piece – as is Black's unsafe King. With moves similar to the previous example, White grabs the point: 8.Qb3+ Kf8 9.Ng5 Nxd4 10.Qf7 checkmate.

To complete the trio, we have the following

If you have been paying attention, the ending should not be a surprise: 6.Ng5+ Kg8 7.Qb3+ Black resigned. This outcome is doubly unfortunate for Black, as he overlooked the fact that 7...d5! would have prevented the checkmate at f7 and maintained the second player's advantage.

Finally, a bonus item:

This *yawn* ordinary position can be found over 75 times in The Database. What makes it relevant to our discussion is Black's next move (a TN), and White's reply: 8...Bh3 9.gxh3 and White resigned.

Un-Improvement

I seem to be pushing the boundaries of my own personal "Worst. Jerome. Gambit. Game. Ever." I thought that I had hit the wall a while back (see "SNAFU"), but the following game shows that there is lots of room for un-improvement.


perrypawnpusher - MrScrumps
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0

This is the part in the Blackburne Defense where Black slams the door on the White Queen with 9...Nf6!

9...Bg4

Actually, MrScrumps had a different idea.

10.Qc3

Extracting the Queen.

An alternative, equally as good, was 10.d4 as in MrJoker-submariner/Internet Chess Club 2011 (1-0, 24).

10...Be2

This move, attacking the rook that protects the f-pawn from the double attack by the enemy Rook and Queen, unnerved me.

It should not have: 11.d4 was an adequate response, as was the move that I played; both preserve White's advantage.

11.g3 Qh3

Now 12.Re1 would force one Bishop to retreat, 12...Ba6, when 13.d4 would force the other one to, as well.

But I didn't see the move.

The square f1 is doubly-attacked, and I could not see that moving the Rook would leave the square protected.

Instead: White resigned.

Only then did I remember the fresh-brewed pot of coffee in the room next door...

Now, that's sad.

(As it turns out, this was my second game – and my second loss – against MrScrumps. The earlier game was almost as weird, but even shorter. See "From Tragedy to Farce".)

They Walk!

After posting the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit game for "Is Still Not" I wondered what the current state of the main line in that variation (6.c3 vs 6.Qh5 as in the game) was. I came across the following fantastic game. The center "Jerome Pawns" advance in a mass, like a zombie horde... 



brandonn - Sali
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6

6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Ke6

Stepping back from the center is the safe way to play (see "More Updating"). Capturing the White d-pawn is not worth it.

8.d5+ Kf7

An alternative was seen in an earlier game: 8...Ke7 9.d4 Ke8? 10.0-0!? (10.Qh5+!?+-) 10...Qf6 11.f4 Bb4 12.Nc3 Ne7 13.Qd3 Bxc3 14.bxc3 b6 15.c4 Bb7 16.h3 h6 17.g4 Qh4 18.Kh2 Rf8 19.f5 d6 20.Bf4 Ng8 21.e5 Rd8 22.Rae1 Kd7 23.c5 (23.f6!?+-) 23...dxc5 24.e6+ Kc8 25.dxc5 Rxd5 26.Qb5 c6 Black was better, White forfeited on time, iliapana - Sali, FICS, 2005.

9.d4

In a couple of games earlier this year, Black faced 9.e5: drpeker - Sali, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 37) and drpeker - Sali, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 38).

9...Qf6 10.e5 Qg6

11.0-0 Ne7 12.Nc3 a6 13.f4 Nf5 14.Qb3

Also seen on the same day, in a game between the same opponents, was 14.Re1 Bb4 15.Qb3 Bxc3 16.bxc3 Qb6 17.Qc2 g6 18.Kh1 Re8 19.Bb2 Kg8 20.Rad1 Qa5 21.c4 b5 22.c5 c6 23.d6 Qd8 24.Qb3+ Kh8 25.d5 Ng7 26.e6 dxe6 27.dxe6 Bb7 28.e7 Qd7 29.Qf7 Rg8 30.e8Q Raxe8 31.Bxg7+ Rxg7 32.Rxe8+ Qxe8 33.Qxe8+ Rg8 34.Qe5+ Rg7 35.d7 Black resigned, brandonn - Sali, FICS, 2011.

14...Ke8 15.Qc4 b5 16.Qxc7 Nxd4 17.Be3 Nc2 18.f5 Qg4

19.Rf4 Qg5 20.Bd2

Moving the Bishop out of the range of the enemy Knight, but more aggressive in this tactical mess was 20.Ne4.

20...Nxa1

This is really not the time to go grabbing material, at least without shoring up the King's defenses.

Houdini suggests that the Black Queen return home with 20...Qd8, after which White has a delightful draw by repeating the position (which Black avoids only to his disadvantage): 21.Nxb5 Nxa1 22.Qxd8+ Kxd8 23.Ba5+ Ke7 24.Nd6 Bb7 25.Be1 Kd8 26.Ba5+ Ke7 27.Be1, etc. 

21.d6

Even stronger was 21.f6.

21...Qd8 22.Qc5 Rb8 23.Nd5 Bb7 24.Nc7+ Kf7

25.e6+ Kg8 26.f6 dxe6 27.f7 checkmate

Wow!

MultiTasking

It is quite possible that some Readers are superior MultiTaskers, capable of doing several things at once, each of them capably. My suggestion is, however, if you are playing a game of chess against Bill Wall, it would be a good idea to give it your complete attention, even if he is playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against you. Otherwise, you could wind up having to explain a few things...

Wall,B - Tanha
blitz 10 0 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 c6  

I was astonished to find only one game in The Database with this position, perrypawnpusher - Gary_Seven, JG3 Thematic Chess.World, 2008 (1-0, 35).

9.0-0 Nf6 10.e5 Ne4

KnightShade to place in the third race at Pimlico...

Black starts horsing around. It does not lose the game, but it does forfeit whatever advantage he had.

11.Qe3 Ng5 12.f4 Nf7 13.f5 Nh4

Okay, this will give White the advantage.

14.g3 Nxf5 15.Rxf5 Qb6 16.d4 g6 17.Rf6 Kd8?

What? A new fender is going to cost how much??

18.Rxf7 Kc7 19.e6 Qb4 20.Qe5+ Kb6 21.Bd2 Qxb2??

Our Anniversary is today??

22.Qa5 checkmate

On the other hand, maybe Tanha was paying attention, maybe he was just having a bad day...

One Reason

One reason to have access to The Database* can be seen in the Opening Report drawn from another, completely different, 4,399,153-game database:

http://studimonetari.org/edg/latex/jerome.pdf




(*- with only 24,650 games)