I looked at Bill Wall's 10th move in this game and just shook my head. Where does he get this stuff? A "Theoretical Novelty", Black immediately makes an error, and the game is effectively over...
Wall,B - Guest215111
playchess.com, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Bd6 9.dxe5 Bxe5 10.Nd5
Apparently an improvement on 10.f4, which I have played in a few games previously: perrypawnpusher-KnightRoyal, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 21); perrypawnpusher - drandika, blitz, FICS, 2010 (½-½, 31); and perrypawnpusher - grunf, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 15).
10...Nxd5?
The right response was 10...Bd6.
Curiously enough, Bill once faced 10...h5 11.f4 Bd4+ 12.Qxd4 c5 13.Qxc5 d6 14.Qb5 Nxe4 15.Qc4 Nf6 16.Nxf6+ Kxf6 17.Be3 d5 18.Bd4+ Kf7 19.Qd3 Re8 20.Qh7 Rg8 21.Qxh5+ Kf8 22.Bc5+ in Wall,B - Mol,E, Chess.com, 2010.
11.Qxd5+ Kf6?
Trying to hold onto the Bishop compounds Black's problems.
12.f4 Kg6 13.fxe5 Kh7
This castling-by-hand does not bring safety, as White's lead in development is too great..
14.Rf7 Qh4 15.Be3 Re8 16.e6 dxe6 17.Qe5 Rg8
18.Bd4 Qg4 19.Rxc7 b6 20.Rf1 Ba6 21.Rff7
Black now has a series of checks on White's King, but it does not change the out come of the game.
21...Qd1+ 22.Kf2 Qd2+ 23.Kf3 Be2+ 24.Kg3 Qg5+ 25.Kf2 Qxe5 26.Bxe5 Black resigned
Black and White clash in the following game, each with his own tactical ideas. At critical periods, they seem to be ignoring each other. Such things usually bring a game to an abrupt halt.
TraceAnon - DragonZardoz
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6 8.f4
This line was investigated in "Attitude" and "Where Do Ideas Come From?" Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
8...Bb4 9.0-0
This allows Black the opportunity to withdraw his Knight to c6 with advantage.
9...Bxc3 10.bxc3
Black follows his plans, and White follows his. Better for White was 10.dxe5.
10...Nxe4 11.fxe5+ Kg8 12.Qf3 d5 Black resigned
The new batch of games that I collected from FICS continues to puzzle me. Here's a game that has to be an example of the "shock and awe" that the Jerome Gambit engenders.
marcialm - Nbella
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3
A Delayed Jerome Gambit, transposing into a Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.
4...h6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.Qh5+ Ng6 8.Qxc5 Black resigned
Black has the traditional piece-for-two-pawns edge in material, but apparently the ferocity of the Jerome has been enough for him for one game..
If yesterday's game was a bit of surprise, take a look at today's.
Is there a virus going around?
coolnicksin - MiloBot
standard. FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Bxf7+ Ke7 White Resigned
(White can withdraw his Bishop and simply have a better game.)
Following up on yesterday's game I discovered the following one.
I can only assume that "something else" was going on, off-the-board.
karleinkarl - Colod
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5 4.Bxf7+ White Resigned
As if Black did not have enough problems when he plays the 3...Na5 "no name" defense, in the following game White introduces a new way to execute the second player.
Yreval - egoteamo
blitz, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5
Asking for trouble. Yreval is happy to oblige.
4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ Ke7
7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.d4 c6
Now, a dozen games in The Database have the checkmate 9.Nc4+ Nxc4 10.Bf4+ Ne5 11.Bxe5#.
Instead Yreval goes his own way.
9.Bf4 Kc7 10.Nc4+ Bd6 11.Bxd6 checkmate
Well, Okay, maybe that title is a bit over-done...
How about: Do Not Underestimate the Jerome Gambit ?
Or: Laugh At Your Own Risk.
perrypawnpusher (1798) - narvi (1957)
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
I am generally happy when my opponent plays this line, as it usually means that he is working things out over-the-board. It also gives me the opportunity to grab his annoying dark-squared Bishop, and set up play with the 2 "Jerome pawns" against his extra piece.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
10.0-0 Ng4
This move indicates more than a wish to harass the Queen. Black plans to exchange Queens, stifling any of White's ideas for a quick attack. This is one downside of the 6...Ng6 line.
11.Qg3
As we have seen before, 11.Qe2 is a surprisingly quick route to trouble for White, as in mrjoker - weiran, ICC, 2008.
11...Qh4
I have faced 11...h6 in perrypawnpusher - lorecai, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 14); 11...h5 in perrypawnpusher - Riversider, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 18); and 11...Rf8 in perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1/2-1/2, 49); and only the last move gave me trouble.
12.Qxh4 Nxh4
13.f4
This may be a tiny bit better than 13.d4. For that matter, 13.Nc3 may be just as good as the text. Of course, transpositions can occur, to.
13...Rf8
This looks like the beginning of castling-by-hand, but Black eventually opts to move his King toward the Queenside.
Bill Wall, who has played the Jerome Gambit many times, successfully, has reminded me on more than one occasion that although Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's creation has its refutations, not many of the people who defend against it actually know them. At the very least, it costs time on the clock to suss them out.
14.d3
It is probably a tossup as to whether 14.f5 or 14.Nc3 are better.
14...Ng6 15.Nc3 c6
White's plan is to advance his "Jerome pawns" and make some kind of mischief. At the same time, he has to be aware that one of Black's defensive ideas is to return the extra piece for two pawns.
Black seems unsure about taking a decisive step, and puts his moves together as necessary.
16.Bd2 Kd8 17.f5 Ne7 18.h3 Ne5 19.g4
White feints at the Kingside, but I mostly wanted to secure the pawn at f5 before advancing the e-pawn.
19...Kc7 20.Bg5 Kd8
Complications. Black wants his Rook on the f-file to restrain White's f-pawn. At the same time, he needs to protect his Knight at e7; and putting the Rook at f7 would allow White to drive the Knight at e5 to the Queenside with d4. Still, events that follow suggest that 20...Ng8 might have been more in line with what Black hoped for.
21.d4 Nf7 22.Bf4
22...a5
Black plans to put his Bishop at a6, and kick White's Knight with b7-b5-b4. This struck me as a bit odd, but my opponent was rated a good bit more than me, so what did I know?
Rybka's suggestion after the game isn't any more dynamic: 22...g6 23.Rae1 b6 24.Rf3 h5 25.f6 Ng8 26.g5 Re8 27.Rfe3 Bd7 28.Kg2 with an even position.
23.e5 dxe5 24.dxe5 b5
After the game Rybka suggested that Black could keep White's advantage small by sacrificing the exchange: 24...Nxf5 25.gxf5 Bxf5 26.e6 Bxe6 27.Rad1+ Ke7 28.Be3 Ke8 29.Bc5 b6 30.Bxf8 Kxf8.
I'm pretty sure that neither my opponent nor I were thinking along those lines!
25.e6 Nh8
White's advantage in development has to be decisive here. It is almost as if he sacrificed a piece to get to this position. Oh, wait - he did!
26.Rad1+ Ke8 27.Bc7 Ba6
Black should be thinking about returning a piece for a couple of pawns, but the risk is that White's remaining "extra" pawn is liable to be advanced and dangerous.
28.Rd6
I had looked at the stronger 28.Rd7 Nd5 29.Nxd5 cxd5 but had only considered the mundane follow-up, 30.Rxd5, whereas 30.Rxg7 would have created serious threats from the advancing e- and f-pawns.
28...Nd5 29.Nxd5 cxd5 30.Rxd5 b4 31.Rfd1 g6
Black has chased away White's Rook from f1, and has pressure on the white pawn at f5, but White's development decides the game.
32.Rd8+ Rxd8
White sets his e-pawn up to Queen after 32...Ke7 33.R1d7+ Kf6 34.g5+!? (34.e7 mops up after 34...Re8 35.Rxa8 Rxa8 36.Rd8 Kxe7 37.Rxa8 Nf7 38.Rxa6 but without the pawn Queening) 34...Kxg5 35.e7
33.Rxd8+ Ke7 34.Bd6+ After this shot, Black resigned
I was really happy to find the Bishop move, the Rook "sacrifice" is a sham: 34...Kxd8 35.e7+ and the pawn will both capture the Rook and promote to a Queen.
