Smile

Justmegeo - djoaltay, standard, FICS, 2011

After 64 moves of a Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, White, to move, can finally smile.

A WhyDunnit

Sometimes a mystery story is referred to as a "whodunnit", as the tale is about the discovery of who "done" the crime at hand.

More recently, the word "howdunnit" has been used for those telling where the reader knows, often from the beginning, who has committed the crime – but has to figure out "how" the authorities are going to solve the mystery or catch the criminal.

I don't know if the word has been coined yet, but the position below, from the game MyGameUMove - BanditMan, blitz, FICS, 2011 (a Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit), seems to be an example of a "whydunnit".

The game has just seen 21.c4+ Kd4, and at that point Black, rated about 650 points higher than his opponent, disconnected, forfeiting the game.

Why?

Black has two pieces for White's three extra pawns, which seems like an advantage. His King is remarkably safe, despite all appearances. Perhaps time was an issue. Perhaps he received an important phone call. 

Oooops!

Despite my best efforts, the 2012 version of The Database will be delayed at least a week. I have yet to add all of the games from the current ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic tournament. I would like to also add all of the relevant games played at the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS) through the end of the year.

The Database is a free PGN collection of (soon to be) over 26,000 Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+), and Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3/4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) games; as well as games following the so-far-unnamed order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+.

A good number of the games in The Database are either Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+) or Semi-Italian Four Knight Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0/4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Nc3 / 5.0-0 Bc5 6.Bxf7+).

Happy New Year

The moves are all there, waiting to be made...

(Why not a Jerome Gambit?)

A Shared Concern

I have shared my concerns over the novel Paul Morphy: Confederate Spy with Edward Winter, prompting a posting at his Chess History website.

Pilfer another person's pieces or pawns. Leave their words alone.  

Another Asterisk

A general warning can be made as this year comes to a close, and another year prepares to open itself up to us: Those who do not remember (and prepare for) the "Jerome Gambit (or similar) experience" are quite likely doomed to repeat it...


bartab - VeniceOdyssey
standard, FICS, 2011

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

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Na5

I probably said all I needed to say about this move in "Asterisk" earlier this year, but some things bear repeating. (Especially since that earlier post contained a game with the same variation as today's game, and Black, who lost in that earlier game, is the same player who loses today.)

It seems fair to describe this move as being "Like walking around with a Kick Me! sign pinned to the seat of your pants..." as I did in "A Hot Rocket to Oblivion". The game provides "Too much 'shock and awe' or something..." as I said in "Bully".

It is interesting to note that bartab played (and lost) a similar, earlier game (0-1, 36) against the same opponent which saw 3...Na5 4.Bxf7+, but which did not include the further-weakening ...h6. In the current game, bartab demonstrates the difference a move makes.

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8

If, instead, 6...Ke6, then 7.Qh5 is a good response. 

7.Qh5+ Ke7

Interposing the g-pawn does not help much: 7...g6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Nc3 c6, etc.

8.Ng6+ Kd6

There is no relief in going "home": 8...Ke8 9.Nxh8+ g6 10.Qxg6+ Ke7 11.Qf7+ Kd6 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Qe5 checkmate 

9.Nxh8

The Reader might be thinking "Okay, you win your way, I'll win my way..." An alternative to the text move was 9.Qd5 checkmate. 

9...Nc4 10.Nf7+ Black resigned

To add insult, Black will lose his Queen.

Hurry! (You first...)

The standard advice when your opponent is low on time is to take your time and play good moves. Good moves will cause your opponent more problems, and cause him to take even more time, or force him into making bad moves.

The temptation is great, however, to blitz an opponent who is short on time. I think that this is what happened in the following game, when Black should have spent a bit more time on his own moves instead of trying to hurry me and mine.

perrypawnpusher - HGBoone
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

I had forgotten at the time of this game, but HGBoone and I had played twice previously, both games being Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambits: perrypawnpusher - HGBoone, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 27) and perrypawnpusher - HGBoone, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 46)

4.Bxf7+

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qf6

10.Nc3

I played 10.0-0 previously, in  perrypawnpusher - TJPOT, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 48) and perrypawnpusher - LeiCar, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 25). 10.d4 was an option of about equal strength.

10...b6

Instead, the more prudent 10...c6 was my opponent's choice in perrypawnpusher - pitrisko, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 28).

11.Nd5 Qd8 12.0-0

White could grab a pawn, instead, and have a roughly equal game after 12.Qc3, e.g. 12...Kd7 13.Qxg7+ N8e7 14.d4 Bb7 15.Nf6+ Kc8.

The text move is okay, but it shows the shallowness of my planning.

12...Bb7 13.f4 N8e7 14.f5 Ne5

15.d4

This is the standard Knight-kick, but 15.f6 was probably better.

15...Ng4 16.Qe2 h5

Black has aggressive intentions, or else he would have played 16...Nf6.

17.Nf4 a5 18.Ne6 Qd7 19.Nxg7+ Kd8 20.Nxh5

Knocking the prop out from under the advanced enemy Knight.

My time was getting short, and I noticed that a few times my opponent replied almost instantly. His next move was too quick.

20...Nf6

Bad. I had expected the straight forward 20...Rxh5 21.Qxg4.

21.Nxf6 Qc8 22.Qg4 Ba6

At long last my opponent gets to play a move that he had planned for when my Queen and Rook were on the same diagonal.

23.Re1

Stronger was 23.Qg7, now or on the next move.

23...Rf8 24.e5 Nxf5 25.Bg5 Ne7 26.Qxc8+

I think this surprised my opponent, the idea that I would swap Queens in the middle of an attack; but I figured that the Bishop pin was enough to win. I did not want to waste too much time figuring out better alternatives that also won.

26...Rxc8

The rest of the game is just the playing out of White's advantage.

27.Nd5 Re8 28.exd6 cxd6 29.Bxe7+ Rxe7 30.Nxe7 Rxc2

31.Nf5 Bb7 32.Ne3 Rxb2 33.Reb1 Re2 34.Re1 Rd2 35.d5 Rd3

Black is down a Rook. Winning the d-pawn will only un-complicate the game further for White by removing the minor pieces.

36.Rab1 Kc7 37.Kf2 Rd2+ 38.Re2 Rd4 39.Rc2+ Kb8 40.Rxb6 Rf4+ 41.Kg3 Re4 42.Kf3 Rb4 43.Rb2 Rxb6 44.Rxb6 Ka7 45.Rxd6

45...a4 46.Ke4 a3 47.Ke5 Ka8 48.Rd8+ Ka7 49.d6 Bc6 50.d7 Kb7 51.Kd6 Bb5 52.Rh8 Bxd7 53.Kxd7

53...Kb6 54.Rh5 Kb7 55.Nc4 Kb8 56.Rb5+ Ka7 57.Kc7 Ka6 58.Nxa3 Ka7 59.Ra5 checkmate