Trick Fork

On the way to reaching the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, Black can always stop off and play the "fork trick", which gives him, according to common belief, an even or slightly better game.* Is this an improvement over defending against the Jerome, though, where Black technically has a won game?


In the following game, my opponent gets tricked up in the fork trick...


perrypawnpusher - Tinde

blitz, FICS, 2012


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4

Played after some thought. Was he considering 4...Bc5 ?

5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bd3 dxe4 7.Bxe4 Bd7

The main line is 7... Bd6, after which it is helpful to be familiar with analysis by Yuri Bukayev. A few days later, I faced 7...Bc5.**

8.Bxc6

Better was the straight-forward 8.O-O Bd6 9. d4, but I had ideas along the e-file.

8... Bxc6 9.O-O 

Now White has nothing after 9... Bd6, but Black comes to that conclusion a move too soon and makes a mistake. Once a defender has played his defense, he sometimes stops defending...


9...Qe7 10.Nxe5 


Now Black's best is to acknowledge that he has troubles down the e-file, but still go out and meet them: 10...Qxe5 11.Re1 Be4 12.d4 (if 12.d3, then 12...O-O-O 13. Bd2 f5 14.dxe4 Bc5 give Black a lot of active play for the pawn, for example 15.c3 fxe4 16.Qg4+ Kb8 17.Be3, even) 12... Qd5 (or 12...Qe6 13.f3 O-O-O 14.fxe4 with an edge to White) 13.c4 Qe6 14.d5 Qe5 15.f3 f5 16.fxe4 Bc5+ 17.Kh1 O-O 18.exf5 Qxf5 and White is a bit better.


Instead, he marshalls on.


10...f6 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Re1 Black resigned.

This time there is no minor piece to intercede between the White Rook and the Black Queen.


*Those who have read Yuri Bukayev's article on the "fork trick" may find that White, actually, has an edge. 


**perrypawnpusher- adrienr, blitz, FICS, 2012: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bd3 dxe4 7.Bxe4 Bc5 8.O-O O-O 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.Nxe5 Qd5 11.Nf3 Bg4 12.d3 Rfe8 13.h3 Bh5 14.Bf4 Re6 15.Bxc7 Rg6 16.Kh2 Re8 17.Bg3 f5 18.Re1 Rf8 19.c4 Qf7 20.d4 f4 21.dxc5 fxg3+ 22.fxg3 Bxf3 23.gxf3 Qxf3 24.Qxf3 Rxf3 25.Rg1 Rf2+ 26.Rg2 Rgf6 27.Kg1 Rxg2+ 28.Kxg2 Kf7 29.Rf1 Rxf1 30.Kxf1 Ke6 31.Ke2 Kf5 32.Kf3 h6 33.b4 Ke5 34.Ke3 Black resigned [I know it's a footnote game, but it was pretty well-played -- Rick]

Simply Hamaru-ed

Although Blackburne's Defense to the Jerome Gambit had an exciting introduction, those who have studied it can see plenty of play for White, too, even if it technically leads to a draw. Of course, if White mis-plays the opening, he can expire just as quickly as Blackburne's opponent did. (What a "remedy" for a "big head"!)


perrypawnpusher  - hamaru
blitz, FICS, 2012


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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 


Departing from 6...Ng6 which was seen in perrypawnpusher - hamaru, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 36)


7.Qxe5 d6 

The Blackburne Defense. I have taken the offered Rook a dozen times, going 11-1, and that one loss was when I resigned in a winning position.


8.Qxh8 Qg5 


The Black Death played 8...Qh4.


9.Qxh7+ Kf8 


White now has 9.0-0, but I was suddenly worried that White could continue with 9...Bh3, winning the exchange. Of course, that was all chess blindness, as White's Queen covers the h3 square.


10.Qxc7 

Choosing to lose horribly.


10...Qxg2 11.Qd8+ Kg7 12.Rf1 Bh3 13.Qc7+ Kh8 14.d4 Qxf1+ 15.Kd2 Qxf2+ 16.Kc3 Qxd4+ White resigned

Ouch.


I congratulated my opponent, and he commented something like "If chess were so easy." All I could reply was "That was chess?"

Smooth Sailing

I received another interesting game from Dave Black, who commented on how "Sometimes games just seem to flow. In this game i just seemed to make natural moves, looking to stay as active 
as I could and that was enough."


It is hard to argue with him: smooth sailing.


mrddblack - ammagamma


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 

The Semi-Italian Opening.


4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+


The Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.


5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 

I was amazed to see that in over 3,700 Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit games in The Database, this was the first with 8...Ke7.


The move itself is not "bad", but it might indicate a casual approach to defense, depending on what Black's plans are. As the game goes, the second player wants to castle-by-hand, and his King is not slowed by the text (in comparison with the more often played 8...Ke8).


Now Black secures his King while White mobilizes his "Jerome pawns".


9.Qxc5+ d6 10.Qe3 Nf6 11.f4 Rf8 12.Nc3 Kf7 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qd3 Nb6 

The position is about equal. I doubt that Dave used much time in reaching it, it is so "Jerome-ish".


16.Bf4 Nh5 17.Ne2 Nxf4 18.Nxf4 Bd7 19.Rae1 Kg8 

20.Ng6 Rf7 21.e5 dxe5 22.dxe5 Qg5 

Black reaches for more, but obtains less. He was counting on the threat to g2, but overlooked that White will have a move with an attention-demanding check. 


23.e6 Bc6 24.exf7+ 


The proof that ...Bc6 should have come a move earlier.


24...Kxf7 25.Qg3 Qxg3 26.hxg3 

White is up the exchange, plus two annoying "Jerome pawns."


26...Nd5 27.Ne5+ Kf6 28.Nxc6 bxc6 29.Re6+ Kg5 

Black avoids the long, uphill struggle that would come after 29...Kf7 30.Rxc6 by falling into a mating net.


30.Rg6+ Kh5 31.Kf2 Rf8 32.Rh1 checkmate

Only Seemed Fair

In a generous gesture, a member at Chess.com recently gifted me with a year's Gold membership, which is a step up from my current, somewhat limited, Free membership. I've joined a couple of small thematic tournaments focused on the Italian Opening, hoping to get in a few Jerome Gambits, and maybe encourage others to try our tactical atavism. Only seemed fair...

No Need To Get A Big Head

Although I have been able to play a number of Jerome Gambits (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) lately at FICS, I have also noticed opponents pausing before choosing their 3rd move, and then selecting ...d6 or ...Be7, clearly side-stepping my intentions. Avoiding my Jerome Gambit?? Oh, my goodness...


The following game seemed to come as a logical extension of this.


perrypawnpusher  - Greystroke
blitz, 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 Ne7

The Database has only 4 previous examples of this spirited, if misguided, counter-attack. Three of those games were played by perrypawnpusher.


9.Qxe5+ Kc6


I did some thinking here, but before I could play 10.Qc3, Black resigned


I appreciate the respect involved in my opponent's decision – Black's best response seems to be to castle-by-hand with 10...b6 11.b4 Kb7 12.bxc5 leaving the second player's position a bit of a mess, and the first player up a couple of pawns – and I promise it will not give me a big (conceited) head.

Jerome Gambit Chess Trap 10

I just ran into a video that silently presents the game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885. I know, I know, that kind of smashing play by The Black Death always leaves me speechless, too...

5-Minute Chess is Sometimes Daffy

5-minute chess means that each side has 300 seconds to win the game, or lose on time. In a 30-move game, that means about 10 seconds of thought a move. Under such conditions, the chess can become rather daffy. 

Wall,B - Guest2591977
playchess.com, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 Bd6 

Playable, although more defenders prefer the simpler 7...d6 as it allows for easier development of the light-squared Bishop. 

8.Qa5

A new move Bill introduced a while back.

8...Ne7

Or 8...Qf6 as in billwall - firewine, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 53)

9.d4 Nc6 10.Qf5+ Ke8

An indication that Black might be unfamiliar with the Jerome Gambit, as 10...Qf6 would seem to be the safest idea here.

11.d5 Nd4 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qd1

Half of White's moves have been with his Queen, yet the game is about equal.

13...Qh4

Not a good time to follow the leader.

14.Qxd4 Rf8 15.Nc3 c5 16.dxc6 dxc6 17.Be3 Bc7 18.0-0-0 Bg4 19.f3 Rd8 20.Nd5 

The tactics heat up.

20...Bb6 

Taking the Knight leads to exchanges: 20...cxd5 21.exd5 Kf7 22.Qxg4 Qxg4 23.fxg4. 

21.Qe5+ Kf7 22.Bg5 Black resigned