Slow Down and Pay Attention

I have been adding a number of FICS (Free Internet Chess Server) games to The Database, and I have run across too many games where White is so excited (it seems) to be playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) that he or she races into danger with both eyes closed... The results are not pretty.


Please: slow down and pay attention; the King (or Queen) you save may be your own.


White - Black
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.Qh5+ 0-1


White - Black
standard, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qg4+ Nxg4 0-1


White - Black
standard, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 4.0-0 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qf3+ Nxf3+ 0-1


White - Black
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.Qh5+ 0-1


White - Black
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Kg8 7.Qf3 Nd4 8.Qe2 Nxe2 0-1

Unfinished Discussion

The following game is part of an unfinished discussion concerning a line in the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc3 Nd4!? 4.Bxf7+!?)


dudzlomo - LDRAGO
standard, FICS, 2012


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.


4.Bxf7+ 


The Jerome treatment.


4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.c3 

More frequently see is the direct 6.Qh5+, although the text shows up 317 times in The Database, with White scoring 57%.


6...Ne6 


The wild 6...Qg5 was seen in suzana - Yaman, lightning, FICS, 2011.


7.Qh5+ g6 

Black forfeited by disconnection.


Quite possibly this was a case of the "outside world" intruding into the world of the chessboard. 


Although White has scored 60% here in the 63 games that appear in The Database, Black is hardly "objectively" worse after 8.Nxg6 Nf6 9.Qh4 hxg6 10.Qxh8 Nxe4, when he has two Knights to White's Rook and two pawns.

Chaos

The following game has its chaotic features. At the end, the positions were complicated enough that I am not at all surprised that we missed things. Toward the beginning, however, we also missed a lot, as, after the game, Rybka (in "blunder check" mode) was criticizing almost every move each of us made.

Still, the game moved me to 2-0 with the Jerome Gambit in the Italian Game tournaments, and that's nice.

perrypawnpusher (1820) - Chesssafety (1523)
Italian Game, Chess.com, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 Qe7 

The earliest examples I have of this position are from a couple of correspondence games, Daniel Jaeger - Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, 1880 (Black won both). 

8.Qf4+ Ke8 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.0-0 Bd6 

This is an interesting idea that sets up tactical chances on the Kingside – of which my opponent and I remain blissfully unaware.

11.Qe3

Carrying on as if everything is "normal", while Black actually can play 11...Ng4 now, with serious threats.

11...c6

"Normal" again, while 11...Ng4 was the way to go.

12.d4 

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Better was 12.h3 to keep the enemy Knight off of g4.

12...Bc7

All according to plan, but a better plan included 12...Ng4.

13.f4 Bb6 14.e5 Nd5 15.Nxd5 cxd5 

16.Qd3 d6 17.Bd2 g6 18.Bb4 Bd7 

This move gave me pause. My guess is that my opponent suddenly realized that after 16...d6 I could have won a pawn with 17.Qb5+ and 18.Qxd5. He suddenly takes time to cover up that glitch.

Actually, 17.Qb5+ Bd7 18.Qxd5 is well met by 18...Bc6 19.Qc4 dxe5 20.fxe5 Qxe5.

19.Bxd6

Actually, 19.Rae1 might be a little bit better here, according to the computer.

19...Qh4 

All those pawns, Bishops and Queens looking diagonally...

20.c3 Bf5 21.Qb5+ Bd7 22.Qxd5 

White has four pawns for his sacrificed piece, and they look like they can both provide protection as well as cause trouble, provided White doesn't allow himself to be checkmated first.

22...Rc8

I was expecting 22...Bc6, which I was going to answer with 23.Qe6+. 

23.Qxb7 Qg4

Positioning the Queen for defense and attack, but it is too late.

24.e6 Qxe6 25.Rae1 Black resigned

Fair Weather to Foul

Just as it looks like I will score my second Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) win in the two Italian Game tournaments that I am playing at Chess.com, (for the first win, see "A Successful Tournament Already") I have started a third Jerome game – against a player who started off the tournament rated over 400 points higher than me (which is not quite the same thing as giving "Jerome Gambit odds"). Since I beat him in our first game, his motivation is high, and I suspect the over-the-board weather is likely to change from fair to foul...

Just One More

Dave Black, in raising the issue of the Evans Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc/a5 6.Bxf7+) shows up the inadequacy of The Database in this area, as it contains only three examples: Dave's recent game, an Evans Jerome that I faced, and the following game.


Gain,K - Bharadwaj,M 
India, 2004


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.Bxf7+ 

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ke6 9.Qh3+ Kd6 10.d4 Ng6 11.Qh5 Qe8 


Counter-attacking White's e-pawn, but it comes too late.


12.Ba3+ c5 13.Qxc5+ Ke6 14.Qf5 checkmate 

Exploring the Evans Jerome Gambit

Once again, the email box brings some interesting news from our regular correspondent in the United Kingdom, David Black. This time he has plucked an idea from the early history of the Jerome Gambit, the invention (as far as I know) of Henry Charlick (of 1.d4 e5 fame), the Evans Jerome Gambit. There is much, much more to be discovered in this line ("Hoist by my own petard..." is one primitive example).

Hiya Rick,

I have a very interesting game for you here that needs a bit of an explanation.

This online program is at http://www.chess.com/play/computer.html and it's a different beast from the ill fated Boris. It's easy to set-up Jerome type positions and has a number of settings from beginner to expert. In your latest blog you mentioned the Evans gambit and that gave me an idea (which may or may not have been tried before... I don't know).

The Evans starts 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4... After 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3, the Bishop must move or be captured. The 2nd most popular retreat is 5...Bc5 in this position, so I wondered what would happen if I applied the Jerome treatment to this line. Worth mentioning that the "expert" setting takes a little while to make it's moves although I tried to play blitz-ish.


Black,D - Computer - Hard 

Chess.com, 24.05.2012

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Qh4 9.0-0 Ne7 10.Qb3+ d5 11.dxe5 Qxe4 12.Nd2 Qxe5 13.Nf3 Qd6 14.Bb2 Qb6 15.Qc2 Bf5 16.Ne5+ Ke6 17.Qe2 Be4 18.c4 Bd4 19.cxd5+ Kxe5 20.Bxd4+ Qxd4 21.Rad1 Qb4 22.f3 Nxd5 23.fxe4 Qxe4 24.Qh5+ Kd6 25.Rfe1 g6 26.Qg5 Qxe1+ 27.Rxe1 Rhe8 28.Rd1 c6 29.Qf6+ Re6 30.Qf7 Re7 31.Qf6+ Kd7 32.Qb2 b6 33.Qb3 Rf8 34.a4 Rf4 35.g3 Rfe4 36.a5 R7e5 37.axb6 axb6 38.Qa3 Re7 39.Kg2 b5 40.Qb3 Kd6 41.Qa3+ b4 42.Qa6

Now unfortunately I had to quit the game here as something came up. The computer certainly seems to have a big advantage but maybe not enough to escape a perpetual? Looks like there is a lot of mileage in this variation although I  don't know if it falls under the scope of your blog.

A Successful Tournament Already

In the first of my two Italian Game tournaments at Chess.com I have won one game and am near another win. Both of them are technical endgames.


In my second tournament, I suffered a loss when my "brilliant" Queen sacrifice did not lead to a back rank checkmate, after all... Awkward.


However, I have just completed a win with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), and that is enough for me to consider the tournament a success, already!


perrypawnpusher (1636) - Vaima01 (1773)

Italian Game - Round 1 Chess.com, 2012


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

This is a natural response, prudently returning one of the two sacrificed pieces; yet, I am always glad to see it, as it leads to interesting clashes between the "Jerome pawns" and Black's extra piece, and the chess engines usually show a gradual slip into an even game after about a dozen moves.


7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qe7 

10.Nc3


Or 10.d4, as in mrjoker - lilred, ICC, 2009 (1-0, 50); or 10.0-0 as in mrjoker - blind25, ICC, 2009 (0-1, 66) and perrypawnpusher - Edvardinho, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 57).


10...Nf6 11.0-0 Be6


A bit more active was 11...Rf8, as in perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 31) and perrypawnpusher - chingching, blitz, FICS, 2011 (½-½, 36).

An alternate development of Black's Bishop was seen after 11...b6 in perrypawnpusher - Navarrra, blitz, FICS, 2011, (1-0, 24).

12.f4 Bf7 

Black's move is sensible. There have been a variety of alternatives:


The frisky 12...Bc4 was seen in  perrypawnpusher - ZhekaR, blitz, FICS 2011 (0-1, 36) and perrypawnpusher - tuffnut, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 62); 


The retreat 12...Bd7 appeared in perrypawnpusher - Unimat, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 25); 


The bold 12...Kd7 was tried in perrypawnpusher - Solaar, blitz, FICS, 2011 (33); and

The counter-attacking 12...Ng4 erupted in Wall,B - Hirami,Z, Chess.com, 2011 (1-0, 20). 


13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc6 15.Qd3 Kd7 16.e5 Ne8 

Black opts for the scientific solution of returning a piece for two pawns, with the goal of leveling out the position and the game.


After the game, however, Rybka suggested the way to do that would have been by 16...Nxe5 17.dxe5 Qxe5. It turns out that there is a glitch or two in giving back the Bishop.


17.e6+ Bxe6 18.fxe6+ Kd8


The second pawn is not easily taken, as after 18...Kxe6 there is 19.Qf5 checkmate; and after 18...Qxe6 White has 19.d5.


White is now better, but it took me a while to figure out how to proceed.


19.d5 Ne5 20.Qf5 h6 21.Bf4 Rf8 22.Qh3 Rf6 

This helps, although in the end I decided to settle for the win of another pawn, with a strong position.


23.Ne4 Rf8 24.Bxe5 dxe5 25.Qg3 Nf6 26.Qxe5 

26...Nxe4 27.Qxe4 Qc5+ 28.Kh1 Ke7 29.Rf7+ 

My favorite move of the game. It's success is based on finding a "quieter" move later on.


29...Rxf7


After the alternative, 29...Ke8, I had planned 30.Raf1 and Black does not have long to live.


30.exf7+ Kxf7


I was happy to see that after 30...Kf8 I would have the nice move 31.Re1 


31.Qe6+ Kf8 32.Rf1+ Qf2 Black resigned