The following game shows White surviving his unsound opening, moving gradually to an even position; later, taking advantage of Black's tactical slips to obtain an advantage; later, still, mis-playing his advantageous middlegame into a better endgame; and, further, almost frittering that endgame advantage away... before winning.
perrypawnpusher - strobane
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qf6 10.Nc3
Or 10.d3 as in Wall,B - G3LC, Playchess.com, 2011 (1-0, 22); or
10.0-0 as in perrypawnpusher TJPOT, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 48) and perrypawnpusher - LeiCar, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 25); or
10.d4 as in guest2199 - guest401, ICC, 2004 (1-0, 87) and mrjoker - Igor77, ICC, 2008 (1-0, 70).
10...N8e7
Also played: 10...c6 in perrypawnpusher - pitrisko, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 28); and 10...b6 in perrypawnpusher - HGBoone, blitz, FICS 2011 (1-0, 59).
This is familiar territory, so the moves are coming relatively quickly, which is useful in blitz.
11.0-0 Rf8 12.d4 Kf7
Black castles-by-hand. The game is sliding toward roughly equal.
13.f4 Kg8 14.f5 Nh8 15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Qb6
A reasonable, even scientific idea: exchange Queens to blunt any possible White attack; and consider returning a piece for the "Jerome pawns" with an even game.
17.g4 Qxe3+ 18.Bxe3 Bd7 19.Bc5 Rae8 20.f6
After the game, Rybka 3 preferred 20.e6, but at the time that looked too static for me.
20...gxf6 21.exf6 Bxg4
I am guessing that this was just a blitz oversight.
22.fxe7 Rf5 23.Rxf5 Bxf5 24.Rf1 Bg6
Okay, the advanced "Jerome pawn" has become quite powerful. Take a few moments to plan out White's winning plan.
25.Rf8+ Kg7 26.Bd4+ Kh6 27.Rxe8
IF you saw 27.Nd5, headed to c7 or f6 to harass the Black Rook and fight for the e8 square, good for you.
27...Bxe8 28.Bxh8 Kg6
A piece ahead, I was happy with my game, but I never really developed a "winning strategy" from this point, so the game soon turns into an oddly psychological wander.
29.Bd4 Kf7 30.Bxa7 Kxe7 31.Nd5+ Kd6 32.Nf6 Bg6 33.Be3 Bxc2 34.Kf2 c6 35.Kf3 Ke5 36.Ng4+ Kf5 37.Nf2 Bb1 38.a3 Ba2 39.Nd3 Bd5+ 40.Kf2 h5
Ideas for White? Now 41.Bb6 would put a nice cramp on Black's position.
41.Nc5
I had decided that the only thing that I could do with my extra piece would be to exchange it for two pawns. That would leave me in a Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, and I would have to use my knowledge, skill and experience there to make something of the drawish situation.
That would be a pretty sad outcome for what seems to be a "won" game.
Black's next move introduces another possibility: White can work to advance his a-pawn and create a passer. I overlooked that possibility totally.
41...b5 42.Kg3 Kg6 43.Kh4 Bf3 44.Nd7 Kf5 45.Nb8 Kg6 46.Na6 Kf5 47.Nb4 Kg6 48.Bd2 Kf5 49.Nxc6 Bxc6 50.Kxh5 Bg2
Here is a rather annoying thought for White: even if he were able to create a passed a-pawn with b2-b3 and a3-a4 (something that Black can prevent by either covering b3 or getting his Bishop to d1 in a timely fashion) leaving himself with two Rook-pawn passers, Black could afford to sacrifice his Bishop for the h-pawn, as this would leave White with a drawn RP + Bishop of the wrong color endgame!
51.h4 Bf3+ 52.Kh6 Ke5 53.Kg6 Be4+ 54.Kg5 Kd5 55.h5 Kc4
A very surprising slip after 30 decent moves of defense. Black's King and Bishop were doing a good job of defending against White's hopes to advance his h-pawn. Now the monarch goes too far away, to attack pawns that are easily defended.
56.h6 Kb3 57.Bc3 Bh7 58.Kf6 Be4 59.Kg7 Bd3 60.h7 Bxh7 61.Kxh7
61...Kc4 62.Kg6 Kd5 63.Kf5 Kc4 64.Ke4 Kc5 65.Bb4+ Kb6 66.Kd4 Kc6 67.b3 Kb6 68.Kd5 Black resigned
The final game in the "Play the Jerome Gambit Quad" at Chess.com has been played.
Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Bill Wall topped all competitors with 5 wins and a draw.
In all, White scored 7 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw, for a totally misleading 62.5%
bfcace (1491) - ubluk (1279)
"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.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6
This is certainly one of the more annoying defenses to the Jerome Gambit. Not scary. Not complicated. Just annoying.
Black returns a piece and draws most of the life out of the position.
8.fxe5 dxe5 9.d3 Nf6 10.Qh3+ Kf7 11.Qg3 Be6 12.Be3 Bxe3 13.Qxe3
Black has a piece for a pawn, plus better development. He can soon castle-by-hand to safeguard his King.
However, at this point White won on time, allowing bfcase to catch DeDrijver for a tie for third place, each with 2 wins and 4 losses.
The relentless ticking of the chess time clock brings a simple message: decide the game over-the-board, or it will be decided by the passage of time, regardless of what is actually happening in the game. In the following contest, White, with the Jerome Gambit, had a significant advantage – except on the clock.
ubluk (1531) - DeDrijver (1373)
Play The Jerome Gambit Quad
Chess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.c3
There are almost a thousand examples of this move in The Database, with White scoring 44%.
More significantly, De Drijver played the move twice in this tournament, so ubluk is turning it back against him.
5...d6 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 Qf6 9.0-0 h6 10.Qb3+
An unusual slip for ubluk in this tournament. Instead, 10.Nd5 Qg6 11.Nxb4 Nxb4 12.Qb3+ Be6 13.Qxb4 would win a piece.
10...Ke8 11.Nd5 Qf7 12.Qa4 Bd7
Black has taken care of the threat to his Bishop on b4 by preparing a series of exchanges that will leave him with a slightly better Queenless middle game: 13.Nxb4 Nxd4 14.Qd1 Nxf3+ 15.Qxf3 Qxf3 16.gxf3.
Unfortunately, he has overlooked the Knight fork check at c7, costing him a Rook.
However, even more unfortunately for White, his opponent claimed a win on time.
After a long break, during which one player used up many "vacation" days, very little happened at the otherwise rather exciting Chess.com "Play the Jerome Gambit Quad."
Now, there has suddenly been some "action" – two games won on time, not surprisingly.
The current standings, with one game left to conclude
billwall 5-0-1
ubluk 2-2-1
DeDrijver 2-4-0
bfcace 1-4-0
The recently completed games will soon appear here.
Planning is an important part of chess, both during the game and before the game. If my opponent does this, then I will respond with this...
Wall,B - Guest848078
15 minutes, Playchess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
A delayed Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Rf8
This looks like the result of a little planning: Black will give back a piece (after all, he has two extra) in order to castle-by-hand and bring his King to safety. It has the benefit of almost being a Theoretical Novelty, as there is only one example of it in the 26,000+ game The Database; and that is a win for Black.
Indeed, now after 8.dxc5 Kg8 (...Qe7 is even stronger), Black is clearly better.
8.dxe5
Well, not exactly according to plan, but all is not lost..
8...Ne8
Showing that there was not, in effect, a Plan B. Black needed to steel himself and play 8...d6, as after 9.exf6 Qxf6 he would be only a pawn down; and, after the interesting line suggested by Fritz, 10.Nc3 Kg8 11.Be3 Bxe3 12.fxe3 Qxf1+ 13.Qxf1 Rxf1 14.Rxf1 White's material advantage would not be so large, given his doubled, isolated pawns; facing Black's two Bishops.
9.Qd5+ Kg6 10.Qxc5 Black resigned
White's material advantage, safer King, better development and greater central control are difficult to overcome.
I don't think that I will ever play a "great" or "wonderful" game (especially as long as I play the Jerome Gambit), but I sometimes aspire to play "an okay game" of some sort or another. With the following game, I'm getting a bit closer, I think.
perrypawnpusher - Tjofs
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game.
Instead, 4...Nxe4 would have initiated the "fork trick". Now I get to play the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Qe7
Black has a 4:1 advantage in development, plus two extra pieces. The game is practically won...
8.dxc5 Qxc5 9.Be3
Sharp, and suggesting that I know what I am doing.
Previously 9.O-O was tried in perrypawnpusher - barbos, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 49).
9...Qb4
Or 9...Qd6 as in perrypawnpusher - braunstein, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 54) or 9...Qe7 as in perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 37).
My opponent was pretty sure it was time to counter-attack.
10.O-O Nxe4
Consistently "moving forward", but erronious.
11.Qd5+ Kg6 12.Qxe5 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Qg4
14.f3
Stronger was the more direct 14.Bd4 Rg8 15.Qxc7
14... Qe6
I think that time was already beginning to affect us. Simplest was 14...d6
15.Qg5+ Kf7 16.Rfe1
Likewise, getting the Bishop to d4 right away was the correct idea.
16...Qg6 17. Qf4+ Kg8 18.Qxc7 h6 19.Bd4 Kh7
Well, I've played the "right" moves, even if not in the "right" order.
Even though White's material advantage is only one, isolated, pawn (and this against the background of a possible Bishops-of-opposite-colors drawish endgame) Black's lag in development and unsafe King clearly gives the first player the advantage.
20.Re7 Rg8 21.Qe5 d6 22.Qg3
Looked like a good idea at the time. Cutting off counterplay??
22...Qxg3 23.hxg3 Bf5
24.Rxb7 a6 25.Re1 Bxc2 26.Ree7 Kg6
White's pieces are in place, and this escape only helps.
27.Rxg7+
Fair enough, although 27.g4 would lead to mate.
27...Rxg7 28.Rxg7+ Kf5 29.g4+ Kf4 30.Rf7+
Again, quicker would be: 30.Kf2 Bg6 31.Rxg6 Rh8 32.g3#
30...Kg3 31.Bf2 checkmate
A few days ago I was the recipient of enough good fortune to remind myself: no need to get a big head, if someone resigns against the Jerome Gambit...
But: here it happened again:
perrypawnpusher - ktonthat
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 9.Qxe5+ Black resigned
