'Tis A Puzzlement

The following Jerome Gambit game lasted 81 moves and was collected from the FICS games database site with the notation that the game was "drawn by ajudication".


That conclusion is a bit puzzling, as Black has a forced checkmate.

Could it be that it was White's good fortune that his opponent ran out of time, and the game was drawn because the first player did not have sufficient mating material?

Victus - Schereschevsky
blitz, FICS, 2012 

A Mention is Not an Endorsement

Here, like yesterday, we have another "First of the Year" game.*

If anyone read my "Return of Jerome Gambit for Dummies (Part 2)" and decided, for whatever reason, that I was endorsing White's 5th move, let me please disambiguate: a mention is not an endorsement; don't play 5.Ng5+.

caraneo - vargahz
blitz, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ White resigned

(*Okay, it's actually the second example of the opening of the year 2012, as far as I can determine from The Database. Even worse, gulp, is that the day before, White played 5.Ng5+ and drew. PureKnight  - agno, lightning, FICS, 2012: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ Ke8 6.Qf3 Qe7 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Nd5 Nxd5 9.exd5 Nd4 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qd1 Qxg5 12.0-0 Qh5 13.d3 d6 14.Qxh5 gxh5 15.c3 Nf5 16.b4 Bb6 17.Bg5 a6 18.Rae1 Rg8 19.Bh4 Nxh4 20.g3 Nf3+ 21.Kg2 Nxe1+ 22.Rxe1 h4 23.d4 hxg3 24.hxg3 Bg4 25.dxe5 dxe5 26.Rxe5+ Kd7 27.Re4 Rae8 28.Rf4 Ref8 29.Re4 Rxf2+ 30.Kg1 Rf3+ 31.Kh2 Bf5 32.Rf4 Rxf4 33.gxf4 Be4 34.Kh3 h5 35.d6 Kxd6 36.c4 Bf3 37.c5+ Bxc5 38.bxc5+ Kxc5 39.a4 Bg4+ 40.Kh4 Rf8 41.f5 Rxf5 42.Kg3 Rd5 43.a5 Kb5 44.Kf4 Kxa5 45.Ke4 b5 46.Kxd5 b4 47.Kc6 Ka4 48.Kxc7 b3 49.Kb6 a5 50.Ka6 Black ran out of time and White has no material to mate ½-½. Still: caveat emptor)

I'm Just Sayin'...

Most of what needs to be said about Black's defense in the following game has already been said in an earlier post, "Still Worth Knowing", but I thought I'd touch on it again, with the game being played being relatively early in this new year – the first example that I have seen for 2012, the first win for White...

lekar - grapehyacynth
blitz, FICS, 2012

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

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.c3

One of a number of responses possible, including 4.0-0, 4.Nc3 and 4.d4.

4...Na5

Possibly thinking of winning the "two Bishops," but actually asking for the "Jerome treatment." Either 4...Nf6 or 4...d6 were more prudent.

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8

After the better 6...Ke6, White has 7.Qh5, anyway, with a strong game.

7.Qh5+ Black resigned

A Break in the Action

With 75% of the games completed in the "Play the Jerome Gambit Quad" at Chess.com, action has paused momentarily as a player involved in the remaining 3 contests has taken a "vacation" break.

To date White has won 5 games, Black has won 3, and 1 game has been drawn.

If the Jerome Gambit has already accomplished all the wins or drawns that it will have by the end of the Quad, that would represent a score of 46%, about average when compared to other Jerome Gambit Thematics. One more win, though, would push the opening above 50%, which would almost make it, er, respectable.

Knock-Down Drag-Out Battle

The "Play the Jerome Gambit Quad" at Chess.com is evolving into two two-player races. Bill Wall and ubluk (whose first game was mentioned by IM Gary Lane in his recent "Opening Lanes" column at ChessCafe.com) are contesting for first and second places while DeDrijver and bfcase are battling for third and fourth places. In an earlier game, we saw the latter win, but in the following contest (another win for White) DeDrijver evens things up with his opponent.

DeDrijver (1438) - bfcace (1486)
Play The Jerome Gambit Quad
Chess.com, 2012

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

4...Kxf7 5.c3

White goes for a "modern" Jerome Gambit variation, bypassing 5.Nxe5+.

5...Nf6 6.Ng5+ Kf8 7.d3 d5 8.exd5 Qxd5 9.f3 Bg4

Black offers to return a piece to rip open White's fortress. Rybka says "take the piece" but Rybka isn't human...

10.c4 Qd4 11.Qe2 Re8 12.fxg4 e4 13.Be3 Qe5

Black eases up on the presssure, whereas after 13...exd3 14.Bxd4 Rxe2+ 15.Kd1 Bxd4  he would have had a crushing position.

14.Bxc5+ Qxc5 15.dxe4

White returns the favor: he should have recaptured with the Knight, 15.Nxe4. In such crazy positions, it can be hard to find your bearings. 

15...Nd4 16.Qd3 Qa5+

More complications. It was okay to grab a piece with 16...Qxg5 and try to hold on.

17.Nc3 Qe5 18.Nd5 Nxg4

The knight at g5 is leading a charmed life! Black could have kept the game even with 18...Qxg5. But White's play lets him regain the balance.

19.Rf1+ Kg8 20.Nf3 Nxf3+ 21.Rxf3 Nxh2

22.Rf5

An illusion: the piece is not protected.

22...Qd6

Thinking, perhaps, about consolidating his position. However, the Rook imprisoned at h8 plays no part, and it begins to look like Black is a piece down. Worse, White has a nice shot.

23.Rd1 c6 24.Nf6+ Qxf6 25.Rxf6 gxf6

26.Qg3+ Kf7 27.Qxh2 Rxe4+ 28.Kf1 Rxc4 29.Rd7+ Ke8 30.Rxb7 Rc1+ 31.Ke2 Rc2+ 32.Kd3 Black resigned

The Invincible Jerome Gambit

Every once in a while I get to play a Jerome Gambit game that reminds me why I got interested in this not-at-all-invincible chess opening. As the editor wrote in the Dubuque Chess Journal of July 1874,

It should be understood that Mr. Jerome claims in this New Opening "only a pleasant variation of the Giuoco Piano, which may win or lose according to the skill of the players, but which is capable of affording many new positions and opportunities for heavy blows unexpectedly."

perrypawnpusher  - strobaneblitz, FICS, 2012

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

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

 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ng6

An interesting defensive idea to save a piece. It has not been seen often (8 wins for Black in 21 games in The Database) and can only be chosen for surprise purposes ahead of the stronger 8...Qf6.

9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qe3 Nf6

The position is similar to that reached in the 6...Ng6 line.

12.0-0 Re8

I was amused to see that, after the game, Rybka had suggested 12...c5 for Black, and that it recommended in response that White play something out of the Sicilian Wing Gambit: 13.b4 cxb4 14.d4 Kf8 15.a3. Wow!

13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc6 15.e5

White's "Jerome pawns" are marching double time, but what error has Black made? He has three pieces (let's not count his King) developed to White's two and he should probably continue castling-by-hand now with 15...Kf8.

15...dxe5 16.dxe5 Nd5

It hardly seems fair to criticize this reasonable-looking move, but Black's longer-term fortunes might have been better served by swapping Queens and giving a piece back: 16...Qd4 17.Qxd4 Nxd4 18.exf6+ Kxf6 with an even game.

17.Qg5+

This works, but after the game Rybka much preferred 17.Qg3, as after 17...Nxe5 the move 18.Bg5+ causes problems, e.g. 18...Nf6 19.Qxe5+.

17...Kf8

At first glance this seems safer than 17...Kf7, but it is not.

18.f6 gxf6 19.exf6 Nxf6

I am pretty sure that my opponent was now expecting 20.Qxf6+? Qxf6 21.Rxf6+ Kg7 when his chances of survival would have soared.

20.Rxf6+ Qxf6 21.Qxf6+ Kg8 22.Bh6 

Here Black let his clock run out and lost on time



If A Tree Falls...

If a tree falls in the forest, and there is no one around to notice, does it make a sound? 

Is a bad move in chess a blunder, if it never is punished?



 perrypawnpusher - tuffnut
blitz, FICS, 2012

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

Before this game tuffnut had 7 wins, 6 losses, and a draw against the Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

An exciting alternative was seen in workingdead - tuffnut, FICS, 2011 5.b4 Bxb4 6.c3 Be7 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 d6 9.0-0 Bg4 10.Qb3+ Ke8  although Black prevailed in 72 moves.

On the other hand, the specious 5.Ng5+ earned a split decision against my opponent in three games: carlbecker - tuffnut, FICS, 2005 (½-½, 69); neni - tuffnut, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 7); and Lommel -tuffnut, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 15).

Like the above, I would hardly have known until my research, after our game was over, that my opponent had also dispatched 5.d4 (Handlangari - tuffnut, FICS, 2005, 0-1, 22) and 5.d3 (pettypete - tuffnut, FICS, 2004, 0-1, 21).

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+

It turned out afterward that my opponent was only 1-3 against 6.d4, but that is a move that I do not play.

6...Ng6

A number of years ago, perrypawnpusher - tuffnut, blitz, FICS 2007 saw 6...g6 (1-0, 33).

7.Qd5+

The "nudge".

Later, I chuckled to note that my opponent was 2-0 against the "pure" 7.Qxc5.

7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qe7

10.0-0 Nf6 11.Nc3

Or 11.d3 as in perrypawnpusher - Edvardinho, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 57). (Hmmmm, it looks like I have never posted this game - Rick.)

11...Be6

Not overlooking the possible pawn fork, but planning to put pressure on White's center and his Rook at f1.

Either 11...Rf8 (e.g. perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010, 0-1, 31) or 11...Kf7, looking to castle-by-hand, could be a bit stronger.

12.f4 Bc4 13.d3 Ba6 14.Bd2 b6

15.Rae1 Kd7 16.Qh3+ Kd8 17.g4

Searching for an improvement over 17.Nd5 of perrypawnpusher - ZhekaR, blitz, FICS 2011 (0-1, 36), but this is not it.

After the game Rybka preferred 17.e5 dxe5 18.fxe5 Nd7 but I don't think that I would have seen the followup 19.Ne4, leading to an edge for White.

17...Bc8 18.f5 Ne5 19.g5 Ne8 20.Qg2 Qd7 21.f6

With Black's King and pieces huddled in the middle of the board, it looks like the ideal time to open things up, but White ignores the dangers to his King and Queen along the g-file. 20.d4, with the idea of e4-e5 was a better way.

21...gxf6 22.gxf6 Qf7 23.Bg5

Instead of this move (and for the next few moves) Rybka's post-game analysis focuses on 23.Re3, so that White will have some kind of an answer to Black's ...Rg8.

23...Be6

24.b3 c6 25.Kh1 Kc7 26.d4 Ng6 27.e5 dxe5 28.dxe5 Bd5

In blitz, you can sometimes not see something that is there (like the threats along the g-file), and then see something that is not there.

I don't know if tuffnut thought that he was pinning and winning my Queen with this move, or if he decided that his extra piece would give him the advantage with Queens off of the board; but, suddenly, my "Jerome pawns" can spring to life. 

29.Nxd5+ Qxd5 30.Qxd5 cxd5 31.h4

More straight-forward was 31.f7.

31...h6 32.Bf4 Nxf4 33.Rxf4 Kc6

Better was 33...Rf8 right away, with plans to include the Rook in a blockade of the pawns.

34.e6 Nd6 35.f7 Rhf8

36.e7 Rxf7 37.Rxf7 Nxf7 38.e8Q+ Rxe8 39.Rxe8 Nd6

White's "Jerome pawns" have disappeared, by they have taken their toll: White is up the exchange. Further, his h-pawn will cost Black his Knight.

Can Black's King advance and cause problems on the Queenside?

40.Re6 h5 41.Rh6 Kc5 42.Rxh5 Ne4 43.Rh7 a5 44.h5 Kb4 45.Rb7 b5 46.h6 Ng5 47.h7 Nxh7 48.Rxh7 Kc3

49.Rc7+ Kb2 50.a4 bxa4 51.bxa4 Ka3 52.Kg2 Kxa4 53.Kf3 Kb4 54.Ke3 a4 55.c3+ Kb3 56.Kd4 a3

57.Rb7+ Kc2 58.Ra7 Kb2 59.Ra5 a2 60.Rxa2+ Kxa2 61.Kxd5 Kb3 62.c4 Black resigned

White's endgame play was rough-hewed, but good enough.