Sometimes it is a little bit too easy for me to post other people's games here, with commentary, pointing out good moves and bad moves. I tend to forget that playing the game can be much more challenging. The following wretchedness is another opportunity for others to look at my play and laugh their heads off. Turn about is fair play.
perrypawnpusher - Tensecterror
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6
This is an example of the defender relaxing a bit too soon. Certainly he should feel confident, as he is two pieces ahead. He has every reason to believe that White, having played foolishly, will continue in his bizarre ways. Yet, a bit of care in analyzing the position would have shown that the attacker can now regain significant material.
7.d4
A strange, if optimistic and almost understandable, move. Having quickly gained the advantage in three earlier games with 7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ followed by 9.Qxc5+ I had no need to "innovate" with the text move, but should have followed perrypawnpusher - Leontes, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 11); perrypawnpusher - badhorsey, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 30); and perrypawnpusher - chingching, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 36).
7...Bxd4
My pawn strike was designed to win a piece, because it threatened to win Black's Queen. This is already faulty thinking, as the note to my 7th move shows that there were two pieces to grab.
On top of this, Black could have defended here with 7...Bb4+ 8.Nc3 (8.c3 Nd3+) Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Nf7 opting to give back a piece after 10.e5+ Ke7 11.Bg5+ Nf6 12.exf6+ gxf6.
8.Qg5+ Kf7 9.Qxd8 Nc6 10.Qh4
White has a Queen for two pieces, but should not relax, either.
By the way, retreating the Queen was best, as 10.Qxc7? Be5 would have immediately been embarassing.
10...Nb4 11.Na3 Bf6 12.Qf4 d6
Black's pieces are swarming, but only a truely careless move will break White's attack which comes after 13.e5, winning a piece.
13.c3 Nd3+ 14.Ke2 Nxf4+ 15.Bxf4 Ne7
And, just like that, I was down a piece for a pawn. How embarassing!
My only other "compensation" is hard to see, but my opponent was running short of time, doing most of his thinking on the 10 second increment. I decided to keep firing off moves to keep the pressure on, as the worst that I could do at this point was lose a lost game...
16.Rhd1 Ng6 17.Be3 Ne5 18.h3 Be7 19.f4 Nc6 20.Nb5 Bd8 21.g4 a6
Tensecterror is playing carefully. There is no need to risk right now, and he can go on the offensive as soon as he's gained on his clock.
22.Na3 Re8 23.Kf3 g6 24.Re1 b5 25.Nc2 Bb7 26.Bd4 Na5 27.b3 Bh4 28.Re2 Re7 29.Ne1 Rae8 30.Ng2 Bxe4+
Neither of us is playing particularly well, but this move allows me to cut the material deficit a small bit.
31.Rxe4 Rxe4 32.Nxh4 Re2 33.Ng2 Rc2 34.Ne3 Rh2 35.Kg3 Rd2
Would I have accepted the repetition of position draw that might have come with 35...Rc2 ? Sheepishly, I admit I would have.
My opponent, instead, stumbles along; and I, along with him.
36.Kf3 Nc6 37.Rd1 Nxd4+ 38.cxd4 Rxa2 39.Rd3 a5 40.Rc3 Rc8 41.Nd5 c6 42.Ne3 b4 43.Rd3 Ra3
Black has done a remarkable job of thinking and moving quickly, and he is only a few moves away from victory. He needs only to return the exchange...
44.Nc4 Ra2 45.Nxd6+ Black resigned
The following game will be found in an updated version of The Database. Except for a few early game references, it is of no particular value to either the theory or practice of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), and is presented here mostly as self-chastisement: if I am going to play such uninspired chess, one consequence will be public embarassment. (Tomorrow' post borders on public humiliation.)
perrypawnpusher - Kdrb
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Game.
4.0-0
I wonder what happened to my plans to explore 4.Nc3...
4...Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.
6.Bxf7+
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Nc6
Stronger for Black (although he retains an edge with the text) is 8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 d6.
9.dxc5 Re8
Or 9...d6 10.cxd6 Qxd6 as in perrypawnpusher - Alquinte, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 22); or 9...Rf8 10.f4 Kg8 11.e5 Nh7 12.Be3 Qe7 as in perrypawnpusher - RonMeister, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 20)
10.Bf4 b6 11.e5
Not paying close attention, figuring that the game would play itself. Of course, 11.Re1 keeps Black's advantage from growing further.
11...Nxe5 12.cxb6 axb6
White has only one pawn for his sacrificed piece, and is behind in development. In addition, Black's King is almost safe.
It was clearly time to try a "cheapo", and, having reviewed all those short games from the recent "Return of Jerome Gambit for Dummies" series of posts, I spied one that shouldn't, but just might, work...
13.Bxe5 Rxe5 14.Qd4 Re8 15.Nd5 Nxd5
When ahead in material, exchange pieces; when behind in material, exchange pawns.
16.Qxd5+ Kf8 17.Qxa8 d6 18.Qf3+ Kg8
Up an exchange and a pawn, I tried to stop shaking and concentrate. Still, I wasn't going to be able to look myself in the face for a while.
19.Rfe1 Rf8 20.Qd5+ Kh8 21.Re2 Ba6 22.c4 Qh4 23.b3 Rb8
Planning to put his Bishop on b7 and continue a Kingside attack, but fortune has abandoned him.
24.Rae1 Bb7 25.Re8+ Rxe8 26.Rxe8+ Kh7 27.Qf5+ Black resigned
Here is another game from the ongoing "Play the Jerome Gambit Quad" at Chess.com. It is clear that White was not on his game, and has been playing better in other contests. Black's final move creates an interesting end to the encounter.
DeDrijver (1476) - ubluk (1951)
Play the Jerome Gambit Quad
Chess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.c3
One of the "modern" Jerome Gambit variations, where White avoids 5.Nxe5+.
5...Nf6 6.Ng5+
This kind of move leaves me feeling skeptical, in principle, but, as recent posts have shown, White occasionally gets "lucky" with it.
6...Kg8 7.d3 d5
Safe King, better development, break in the center.
8.h3 h6 9.a4 hxg5 10.b4 Be7 11.Bxg5 dxe4 12.dxe4 Qxd1+ 13.Kxd1 Nxe4
14.Be3 Be6 15.Kc2 Rd8 16.Nd2 Nxd2 17.Bxd2 Bf5+ 18.Kc1 Rh4 19.Kb2 Rxd2+ 20.Kb3 Rxb4+ 21.Ka3 Rbb2 checkmate
The most interesting game so far in the ongoing "Play the Jerome Gambit Quad" at Chess.com took place between the two top-rated players Bill Wall and ubluk.
ubluk (1884) - billwall (2488)
Play the Jerome Gambit Quad
Chess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4
6...Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.Qd5+ Kf8 9.Qb3 Qh4
Black wastes no time in his counter-attack.
10.Nc3 Ng4 11.g3 Qh5 12.Nd5 N8f6 13.f3 Nxh2 14.Bf4 Nxf3+
Rybka 3, running in blunder check mode with 5 minutes per move, had only two suggestions in this game. The first was here: 14...Qxf3 15.Rxh2 Qxe4+ 16.Ne3 Bg4 returning a piece for two pawns, and an advantage for Black in a complicated position.
15.Kf2 Nxe4+ 16.Kg2 Qf5
Here the silicon beast in its post mortem preferred 16...Qf7. White is now able to conjure up all sorts of trouble along the f-file.
17.Raf1 Be6 18.Bxd6+ Ke8 19.Nxc7+ Kd7 20.Nxe6 Ned2
21.Nxg7 Nh4+ 22.Kh2 Nxf1+ 23.Kg1
Black is a Rook ahead, but his uneasy King gives White drawing chances.
23...Nf3+ 24.Kf2 Nd4+ 25.Nxf5 Nxb3 26.axb3 Rac8 27.Rxf1 Rxc2+
Leading to an ending where Black's Rook plus pawn probably balances Whites' Bishop and Knight.
28.Ke3 Rxb2 29.b4 Rg8 30.Kf4 b6 31.Rd1 Ke6 32.Re1+ Kd5 33.g4 Rg6 34.Bf8 draw
A modern Jerome Gambit classic.
I admit that I have been amused by the checkmate position examined in the last two posts -- enough to search for a few more examples. I'll limit myself to the following one, which has most of its excitement in the notes. Still, it is hard not to chuckle...
DiosF - luisfveloz
lightning, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 exd4 5.Bxf7+
5...Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Kg6 7.Qf3 Ne5
8.Qf5+ Kh6
Black can prolong the life of his King a few more moves with 8...Kh5, but White still has a variety of mates, e.g. 9.Ne6+ (9.Nh3+ g5 10.Bxg5 Nf3+ 11.gxf3 Bb4+ 12.Bd2+ Qg5 13.Qxg5#) 9...g5 10.h4 Nd3+ (10...Bb4+ 11.Kf1 Nf3 12.hxg5+ Nh4 13.g4#) 11.Kf1 Nxf2 12.Qf7+ Kh6 13.hxg5#.
9.Nf7 checkmate
If yesterday's Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game seemed a bit odd, what to make of the following one, where the same player of the White pieces reprises his unusual opening schema, this time against a player only about 250 points higher than himself.
Again, hostilities cease rapidly.
MAILMANUK - callipygian
blitz, FICS, 2002
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.Ng5+ Kg6 7.h4
Black now defends, and White comes to the same abrupt end.
7...Qe7 8.h5+ Kh6 9.Nf7 checkmate
One of the fun things about an offbeat opening like the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) is that a game can move along like nothing is going on, lulling one or both players into a sense of calm – and then something unexpected happens.
MAILMANUK - IFDThor
blitz, FICS, 2002
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.Ng5+ Kg6 7.h4
Black is rated about 350 points above his opponent. He is not particularly alarmed at defending against the Jerome Gambit. He is not distressed by the slightly unusual 5.d4, or the more unusual 6.Ng5+, or the innovative 7.h4. He simply whips out a "Swiss army knife" style defensive move, and ends the game.
7...Qf6 8.h5+ Kh6 9.Nf7 checkmate
