Is There No Escape?

The following game is a beautiful example of the coordination of pieces and pawns that occurs in a deadly attack. Black's game slowly slips away, until he has nothing left but to face checkmate.


Philidor 1792 - guest1132
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 

4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ 

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ng6 9.Qd5+ Ke8

Instead, Charlick - Holloway, Australia, 1877 (1-0, 76),the earliest example of the Evans Jerome Gambit in The Database, continued 9...Kf8.

10.Qxc5 Nf6 11.0-0 Kf7 12.f4 Re8 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 d6

15.Qb5 Nc6 16.Nd2 Kf8 17.Qd3 Kg8 18.Bb2 Qe7

Black has castled-by-hand, while White has readied his "Jerome pawns".

19.c4 Bd7 20.Bc3 Qf7 21.Rae1 Rad8 22.e5 dxe5 23.dxe5 Bc8

24.Qg3 Nh5 25.Qh4 g6 26.e6 Qe7 27.Qg4 Qc5+ 28.Kh1

28...Ne7 

Black might have done better by sacrificing the exchange to get rid of White's dangerous Knight, with 28...Rxd2.

Now White's attack crashes through.

29.Ne4 Qb6 30.fxg6 hxg6 31.Nf6+ Nxf6 32.Rxf6 Bxe6 33.Rxg6+ Kf7 34.Rf6 checkmate

And Yet Again!

In the following game Philidor 1792's discovers he must contend with the Evans Gambit, the Jerome Gambit, and the ever-ticking clock, in an aggressive 3-minute game.

Philidor 1792 - guest206
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4

4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.Bxf7+ 

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ng6 9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxa5 b6

Black varies from the equally good 10...Qe7 of Philidor 1792 - guest23, blitz 3 0, www.bereg.ru, 2013 (1/2-1/2, 63).

11.Qa3+ d6 12.d3 Nf6 13.0-0 Bb7

14.f4 Kf7 15.Qb3+ Ke7 16.e5 Nd5 17.d4 dxe5 18.fxe5 

18....Re8 

Likely a time-slip.

19.Bg5+ Black resigned

Black will have to give up  a piece with 19...Nf6, and, after 20.exf6+ Kd7 21.fxg7 the advanced enemy pawn will also be a headache.

And Again!

Here we have another wild attack, and in a 3-minute game it can be a race as to what will finish off the Black King - enemy pieces or the clock.

Philidor 1792 - guest221
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 

4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.Bxf7+ 

The Evans Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ke6 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.d4 

10...Qe8 11.dxe5+ Kc6 12.e6 Kb6 

Protecting the bishop and varying from 12...Qxe6 of Philidor 1792 - guest2001, 3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013, (1-0, 26).

13.Na3 d5 14.Rb1+ Ka6 15.exd5 

It looks like Black lost on time. He had 15...Qg6 as a defensive move, although after 16.Qf3 b6 (to castle-by-hand) 17.0-0 White would be better.

The Evans Jerome Gambit Strikes Again!

An abiding concern for Black, besides dealing with the attack that comes with the Evans Gambit and the Jerome Gambit, is not using up too much time figuring out how he is going to respond. Sometimes a successful defense over-the-board is undone by a shortage on the clock.

Philidor 1792 - guest2001
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4

The Evans Gambit.

4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.Bxf7+ 

The Evans Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ke6 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10.d4 

Philidor1792 tried 10.Ba3+ in 4 games against guest1321 in 2013, winning in 14, 16, 17 and 18 moves. 

10...Qe8 11.dxe5+ Kc6 12.e6 Qxe6 13.Qxa5 Qxe4+ 14.Be3 b6 15.Qg5 Qg6 

16.Nd2 Qxg5 17.Bxg5 h6 18.Be3 Ne7 19.0-0-0 Ba6

20.Nf3 d5 21.Rhe1 Rhe8 22.Ne5+ Kb7 23.f4 c5 24.g4 Rad8 25.Bf2 Nc6 26.Nf7

At this point, in a relatively balanced game, White won on time.

It Is Easier To Attack Than To Defend

Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Philidor 1792 has sent another batch of Jerome and Jerome-ish games played at the 3-minute time limit, showing that an attacking spirit is a very dangerous thing!

Philidor 1792 - guest2187
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.d4

This is a rare line (there are only 6 other game examples in the 30,000+ game The Database) whose idea is clear - more open lines at the cost of an additional pawn.

7...Bxd4 8.Qf5+ Kd6 9.Bg5 Nf6 10.Na3 Rf8 11.Nb5+

Another aggressive idea is 11.0-0-0. White is not going to win this game in a long, drawn-out ending - he is looking for checkmate.

11...Kc6

This is what he was waiting for. Instead, 11...Kc5 12.Nxd4 d6 and Black still has the advantage. 

12.Nxd4+ Kc5 13.Qxe5+ Kc4

The only way to prevent mate was 13...d5, but Black would still be lost. 

14.b3+ Kc3 15.Nc6+ Kxc2 16.Rc1+ Kd3 17.Qd4 checkmate

[January 2014 was the fourth-highest most-viewed month in this blog's existence, behind only December 2013, November 2013 and May 2011. Many thanks to Readers everywhere - Rick]

Disappointment Against the Jerome Gambit: The Fish Escapes

I think my opponent was disappointed with his last move. I don't blame him. He had been playing a good game, and had every reason to hope for success. I don't know which is worse, losing to the Jerome Gambit (and the fish who plays it) or failing to punish someone (the fish) who plays the Jerome gambit.

perrypawnpusher - tjaksi
blitz, FICS, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

More enterprising than in our first game, when my opponent played 6...Ng6,  perrypawnpusher - tjaksi, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0,16)

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Ng6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qxc5+ d6

11.Qe3 

Curiously, after 11 moves we have reached a position in which White has an extra move (f2-f4) in comparison to the 6...Ng6 line: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke7 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3. (We didn't reach this position in our earlier game, as Black's King had gone to f6 on move 7.) See "Chances".

11...Nf6 12.0-0 

White could also play 12.d4 as in perrypawnpusher - thinan, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0,31), but the text might be a little bit better.

After the game Houdini suggested 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc6 14.0-0 Re8 15.e5 Kf8 16.e6, and although White's "Jerome pawns" have advanced, Black still would have the advantage. 

12...Re8 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Neg4 

The Knight probably should retire with 14...Nc6, as 15.e5 can be met by 15...Kf8. But who can resist the opportunity to harass the Queen?

15.Qg5 

Looking to create mischief on the Kingside, but better was 15.Qd3 as in perrypawnpusher - spydersweb, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 24). 

15...Kf7 16.Nc3 c6 

This does not look, at first glance, like a complicated position, but, after the game, I asked Houdini what White should do, setting the search level to 20 ply. It started out boldly with predictions for advantage for White after 17.h3 Nh6 18.Rf3 but 18...Qb6!? seemed to change things and the recommended 19.Rg3 (or the secondary 19.Kh2) didn't come up with much after 19...Rg8 20.Bf4 Qxd4+ 21.Kh2 d5. I wonder if White should try 17.h3 Nh6 18.Qf4!? with the idea of 19.g4 and an advance on the Kingside.

17.Qh4 

My plan was to make room for 18.Bg5, putting pressure on the Knight at f6, and, indirectly, the Knight at g4. The problem with this, as alluded to in the previous note, is that Black can now reply 17...Qb3!? and begin to demolish White's center, e.g. 18.Rd1 c5 19.Nd5 Nxd5 20.exd5 Nf6 and if 21.Bg5 then Black's Rook infiltrates with 21...Re4.

17...Nxe4 

An unfortunate oversight in a promising position, hanging a piece.

18.Qxg4 

Here, Black forfeited by disconnection. I can understand his frustration; still, after 18...d5 he would be down only a pawn, and his King is properly placed to defend against it.

Trading Down Against the Jerome Gambit

If someone makes an exchange and comes out ahead, that is considered "trading up". Do the opposite, and that is considered "trading down". Why would someone want to do the latter against the Jerome Gambit?

Wall,B - Guest2115687
PlayChess.com, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+

As I've written elsewhere,

Just about everyone who plays the Jerome Gambit faces this "bail out" variation at one point or another. Black manages to exchange Queens at the cost of returning a piece, and with the prospect of playing on, a pawn down. White can no longer play "his" attack; but he also no longer has an "objectively" lost game.

8.Kxf2 Qh4+

Last year Bill's brother, Steve, faced the more direct 8...Qf6+ 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 in Wall,S - Guest658246, PlayChess.com 2013 (1-0, 34).

9.g3

A couple of years ago Wall,B - Guest1443273, PlayChess.com 2012 (1-0, 36) continued 9.Kf1 Qf6+ 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6 etc.

9...Qf6+ 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6 

11.Nc3 Re8 

Instead, Bill suggests 11...d5.

12.d3

Threatening 13.Nb5 and Nc7 

12...d6 13.Bg5 Ng4+

He would do better to concentrate on development with 13...Be6.

14.Kg2 h6

Or 14...c6 15.Rhf1+.

15.Raf1+ Kg7 16.Bd2 Bd7 17.Nd5

Threatening 18.Nxc7, forking the Rooks. 

17...Rac8 18.Bc3+ Kg8 

Now White offers one final trade, which turns out to be deadly.

19.h3 c6 20.hxg4 cxd5 21.Rxh6 

Threatening 22.Rh8 mate. Black resigned.