Often the best way to learn an opening is to play over the games of an experienced practitioner
True, that, but sometimes a game becomes very complicated, and the best "explanation" of what is happening is the series of moves that the winner plays. There is a way out of the maze, but sometimes it is not easy for the reader to discover it without help. Wall, Bill - Guest423598 PlayChess.com, 2017 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8
Here we have another Sorensen variation where Black is satisfied with accepting one sacrificed piece. It remains an important defense -see "Critical Line: 5...Kf8 (1, 2 and 3)". 6.O-O Nxe5 This time Bill tempos with 6.0-0, and his opponent changes his mind and grabs the second piece. Alternately Bill has faced: 6...Qf6 7.Nxc6 (White goes back to the main idea) Qxc6 (7...dxc6 8.Nc3 Bd6 9.d4 h6 10.e5 Bxe5 11.dxe5 Qxe5 12.Re1 Qg5 13.Bxg5 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016) 8.d4 Bb6 9.Nc3 d6 10.Bg5 Qe8 11.f4 Qg6 12.h4 Qe8 13.f5 Ba5 14.f6 gxf6 15.Qf3 Qf7 16.Nd5 h5 17.Bxf6 Nxf6 18.Nxf6 Be6 19.Qg3 Ke7 20.Nd5+ Bxd5 21.Rxf7+ Bxf7 22.Qg5+ Kd7 23.Qxa5 b6 24.Qb5+ c6 25.Qf5+ Be6 26.Qf6 Rh7 27.d5 cxd5 28.exd5 Bg4 29.Re1 Rg8 30.Re3 Rc8 31.a4 Rc7 32.a5 bxa5 33.Re6 Rc5 34.Rxd6+ Kc7 35.Rc6+ Rxc6 36.Qxc6+ Kd8 37.d6 a4 38.Qa8+ Bc8 39.c4 Rb7 40.c5 Rg7 41.Qf3 Rg6 42.Qf7 Re6 43.c6 Ba6 44.Qd7 checkmate, Wall,B - Computer-level 6, Chess.com, 2017 and 6...d6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.d4 (8.Nc3 Nf6 9.d4 Bb4 10.Qf3 Bg4 11.Qf4 Kg8 12.e5 Bxc3 13.exf6 Qd7 14.bxc3 Bf5 15.Qg3 Bxc2 16.Bh6 g6 17.Rfe1 Qf5 18.Re7 Qxf6 19.Rae1 Bf5 20.Rxc7 Rb8 21.h3 Rc8 22.Qe3 Rf8 23.Qe7 Qf7 24.Qxf7+ Rxf7 25.Re8+ Rf8 26.Rxf8 checkmate, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016) 8...Bb6 9.Nc3 Ba6 10.Re1 Qf6 11.e5 Qh4 12.Re4 Qe7 13.Qf3+ Qf7 14.Rf4 Qxf4 15.Bxf4 d5 16.Bh6+ Ke7 17.Bxg7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest399227, PlayChess.com, 2016. 7.d4 Bb6
It is sometimes useful to search for understanding in a line by looking at and comparing transpositions. For example, suppose instead of playing 5...Kf8, Guest423598 had tried 5...Nxe5 and after 6.d4 had played 6...Bb6, with White following up with 7.O-O as in the current game - well, there are actually 3 games by jfhumphrey (he has 278 games in The Database) with that line, and it is significant that two continue with 7...Ng6 and one continues with 7...Nc6; in none of the cases did Black feel the need to play ...Kf8, which would transpose to the current game. Does that leave Black in our current game a tempo behind the jfhumphrey games, or is his King safer on f8 versus f7? Of course, experience and analysis suggest that the more critical misstep for Black was withdrawing the Bishop, rather than giving it up in exchange for White's d-pawn, i.e. 7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Qf6 9. Qe3 Ne7 10. Nc3 d6 11. f4 N5c6 12. Nb5 Ng6 13. Nxc7 Rb8 14. Nb5 a6 15. e5 Qe6 16. f5 Qxe5 17. fxg6+ Kg8 18. Nxd6 hxg6 19.Qxe5 Nxe5 20.Bf4 Rh5 21.Rae1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest1442, chesstempo.com, 2017. Black would also have done better giving up the Knight, e.g. 7...Bd6 8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.f4 Bd4+ 10.Qxd4 Qf6 11.e5 Qb6 12.Qxb6 axb6 13.Nc3 Ne7 14.Nb5 c6 15.Nd6 g6 16.f5 gxf5 17.Bh6+ Kg8 18.Nxf5 Nxf5 19.Rxf5 d5 20.Rf8 checkmate, billwall - DeDrijver, Chess.com, 2012. 8.dxe5 Qe8 9.Qf3+ Qf7 10.Qa3+ Ne7 11.Nc3 c6
Black's Bishop plans to retreat and protect the pinned Knight. 12.Bg5 Applying pressure. Oddly, Stockfish 8 suggests 12.Be3 Bc7 13.f4 Qc4 14.Rad1 b5 15.Rd4 Qf7 16.Rd2 Qc4 17.Rd4 etc. with a draw by repetition. I can't see either human player being satisfied with that. 12...Bd8 13.f4 h6 14.Bh4 Ke8
Defending in Steinitz-like fashion, Black now anticipates trouble along the f-file, and moves his King off of it. Stockfish 8 suggests that the King belongs at h7, instead, in a rather turgid, if balanced, position. Jerome Gambit players should decide: how should White continue? 15.f5 g5 Not fearing 16.fxg6 ep Qxg6 with an open line against the White King, although the attack would develop slowly. 16.Bg3 b5
Black wants to work around the central "Jerome pawns" by advancing on the wings. It is an interesting idea, but also a dangerous one, as his King is stuck in the center and vulnerable to a pawn break through. I have to say that Black's psychology would have me raving with impatience with the White pieces - but Bill Wall is a cool character, and he decides to occupy a "hole" in his opponent's position. 17.Qd6 Bb7 And, just like that, Black's position blows up. Upon reflection, 16...b5 was a mistake. Should he have gone all in with 16...h5, and pushed the Kingside attack? Should he have avoided the g-pawn push on move 15 and noodled around with something like 15...Bc7, instead? Was 14...Kg8, headed toward h7, the way to go after all? The best that Stockfish 8 can come up for him now is 17...Qf8 18.e6 Nxf5 19.exd7+ Bxd7 20.Qg6+ Qf7 21.exf5 Qxg6 22.fxg6 with a very exposed King. 18.e6 dxe6 19.fxe6 Black resigned
Black will have to give up his Queen to avoid checkmate.
Often the best way to learn an opening is to play over the games of an experienced practitioner - that is what this blog is all about - and pay attention to what is going on - especially when play varies from past experience and analysis. The following Jerome Gambit game is a good example of what to look at. Wall, Bill - Guest129367 PlayChess.com, 2017 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8
Checking Bill's Jerome Gambit nomenclature, I am reminded that this is the Sorensen Variation, where Black declines the second sacrifice and moves his King closer to safety. Lieutenant S. A. Sorensen wrote an early analysis of the Jerome Gambit in his "Chess for Beginners" column in theMay 1877 issue of Nordisk Skaktidende. It was widely translated and republished. He was anticipated in his discussion by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, who first looked at the line in 1874. The earliest game example that I have in The Database isJerome - Brownson, Iowa, USA, 1875(1/2-1/2, 29). For history of the line, see "Critical Line: 5...Kf8 (1, 2 and 3)". 6.Nc3 I was a bit surprised to find that, according to The Database, this move is a novelty, although the game will transpose to an earlier Bill Wall game in a few moves. White simply develops a piece, and waits to see what Black can make of the position. Similar would be 6.0-0, which Bill is 7-0 with. He also suggests 6.d4!?, which brought him a win the one time he tried it. Seen more often, and recommended by both Jerome and Sorensen, is 6.Nxc6. 6...Qf6
The Black Queen sometimes goes to f6 to help defend; here it is also attacking. Of course Black had the option of capturing the Knight with 6...Nxe5, and after 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 the game would have transposed into more mainstream play. There is a practical argument for 6...Nxe5 as well: Bill is "only" 8-2 against it. Stockfish 8 (30 ply) shows a tiny preference for 6...Nxe5, but also suggests the wild 6...Qg5!?, which it recommends that White meet with 7.Qf3+, looking to exchange Queens. Not surprisingly, The Database has no examples of 6...Qg5. 7.Nd3 White can no longer exchange off his Knight because of 7.Nxc6?? Qxf2 checkmate. 7...Bb6 8.O-O d6
The game has transposed to Wall, Bill - Tim93612, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, ), which began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 6.Nd3 Bb6 7.0-0 Qf6 8.Nc3, but then continued with 8...Nge7 (1-0, 36). With a piece for two pawns, Black can be said to have a small advantage, especially in light of White's blocked development. Black has to be aware, however, that his King and Queen are on the same file, which could prove risky if White can exchange off pawns to expose his Rook at f1. 9.Kh1 White wastes no time unpinning his f-pawn, so he can advance it. 9...Ne5 Black would love to exchange Knights at d3 and bury White's Bishop. Bill recommends, instead, 9...Qf7. 10.Nd5
The attack on Black's Queen gives White time to exchange off Black's troublesome Bishop and double a couple of pawns - if nothing better comes up. Why didn't White play the Knight jump the previous move, instead of "wasting time" with 9.Kh1 ? Probably because Black could have answered the move with 9...Qd4, and the Queen would have recaptured, keeping his pawns intact. 10...Qf7 Bill suggests, instead, 10...Qe6 11.N3f4 Qf7. Why is this different from moving the Queen to f7 immediately? 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.f4
Suddenly the "Jerome pawns" take on a menacing potential. Stockfish 8 suggests that Black continue with reasonable defense, 12...Ke8 13.fxe5 Qg6 14.d4 Ne7 15.Nxe7 Kxe7 16.Qd3 and with 3 pawns for the piece - despite facing the two Bishops - White appears to have somewhat better chances. 12...Nf6 Black's first real slip. Development is good, and shielding the Queen and King is noble - but the enemy Rook on the f-file is still a danger. 13.fxe5 c6 14.exf6 g6 15.Ne7
Not only is White up 3 pawns, his advanced Knight and pawn are full of trouble - especially with Black's pawn on g6. (Perhaps Black's Queen should have gone there, instead, with 14...Qg6, but after 15.Nxb6 axb6 White could have continued with 16.b3, intending 17.Bb2 with further pressure on Black's kingside.) 15...Be6 16.d4 Rd8
Overlooking White's main threat, which could have been met with 16...h5. At that point White would not have an immediate shot, but could continue to build his attack with 17.b3 and 18.Ba3, or work for a breakthrough with 17.d5. 17.Bh6+ Ke8 Now there is already the win of the exchange after 18.Bg7, but White wants to go after the enemy King. 18.d5 cxd5
It is difficult to find a safe retreat for Black's light squared Bishop, so Black decides to return it for a couple of pawns. This leaves him down a Rook (and a couple of pawns) 19.exd5 Bxd5 20.Nxd5 Rxd5
21.Re1+ Please excuse Bill for overlooking the checkmate in 20 moves that starts with 21.Qg4 (silly computer) - the text is strong enough (and would checkmate almost as fast, if Black didn't resign sooner). 21...Kd7 22.Qg4+ Kc7 23.Re7+ Black resigned
Here is another interesting and educational Jerome Gambit game from Vlasta Fejfar. The game might as well be titled "What shall we worry about today?" as the little things seem to build up for Black, and he suddenly turns over the game. vlastous - Makaviel , Sandro Internet, 2017 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ The "nudge". I am not sure that it is necessary, or leads to anything more than the direct capture 7.Qxc5 does, but, in my experience it can get Black to take some time worrying "What is he doing?" 7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 N8e7
So - what is going on here? White has sacrificed a piece for two pawns, and has already moved his Queen three times. He needs development while taking advantage of Her Majesty's options. Black is ahead in material and development, but his King is stuck in the middle of the board, at least for now. He needs to design a route to safety, when he can then use his advantages. 9.O-Ob6 This is a reasonable move, opening up the a8-h1 diagonal for his Bishop - or, as in the game, the a6-f1 diagonal. Also possible are 9...d6 and 9...Rf8. There are game examples in The Database. 10.Qc3
A small improvement over the retreat 10.Qe3, which I have used in a couple of wins: perrypawnpusher - Lark, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 59) and perrypawnpusher - jdvatty, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0. 28). From c3 the Queen threatens Black's g-pawn, which is probably enough to cause the defender some anxiety, although in the long run it is probably risky for White to play Qxg7 as long as Black is able to play ...Rg8, with dangerous pressure on the file against White's King. 10...Ba6 Black chooses a different development, attacking White's Rook at f1. Is he worried about the partially open f-file his King will have to cross in order to castle-by-hand? Possibly. 11.d3 Kf7
Guarding the attacked g-pawn and seeking safety. 12.f4 Rf8 Black's move is all part of his plan, but he would have been more prudent to play 12...d6, as will immediately be seen. 13.f5 Awkward. Where is Black's Knight to go? It turns out that White's Queen was also attacking the e5 square. 13...Nh4
Uncomfortable. Unsafe. Instead, Black could try 13...Nh8, but 14.f6!? would be a troubling answer, winning the Knight on e7. Stockfish 8 suggests the pragmatic return of the piece with 13...Kg8 14.fxg6 Rxf1+ 15.Kxf1 Nxg6 which Black probably saw, but which he hoped to avoid. 14.Bg5 c5 I don't understand this move. Perhaps it is played to prevent a possible d3-d4 by White? Possibly better was getting a pawn for the piece with 14...Nxg2. 15.Bxh4 Kg8
Well, it looks like Black's King has finally found sactuary. Not so! says White. 16.f6 This breakthrough works, even with White not fully developed. 16...gxf6 17.Bxf6 Rf7
18.Nd2
Qf8 19.Rf3 Nc6
Black's two developed minor pieces on the Queenside are out of the action and largely irrelevant. White now has a brutal attack on the g-file. 20.Rg3+ Rg7 21.Rxg7+ Black resigned
Black will have to give up his Queen (and eventually his Rook, too) in order to avoid checkmate.
I have been sharing some recently uncovered games by Ukranian player Vladymyr Yurev, online at InstantChess.com. It is clear that he and his opponents are playing for fun, as evidenced by the nasty, brutish and short wins by White. Here is a game where Vladymyr took it seriously on the chin. I suspect he chuckled and set the pieces up again. Vladymyr Yurev - GN ITA 15 0, InstantChess, 2017 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian opening, generally played as a safety first line. Not so, if White wants to get all Jerome-ish. 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4 Qf6 7.Nf5 d6
Uh, oh.. Things don't seem to be going smoothly for White. 8.Qd5+ Be6 9.Nxd6+ The start of an irrational streak, the kind of thing that you see when your opponent's clock is almost expired, and you are willing to try anything to get him to use up those last precious seconds thinking... 9...Bxd6 10.Qxe6+ Qxe6 11.e5
Okay, so White is going to blow everything up and start all over, next game. 11...Qxe5+ 12.Kd2 Qd4+ 13.Ke2 Re8+ 14.Kf3 Ne5+ Or 14...Qe4#. 15.Kg3 Nd3+ Or 15...Qg4#. 16.Kh3 Nxf2 checkmate
Oh, well, as the song goes, "Two out of three ain't bad."
As mentioned in the previous post, recently I was exploring the internet and ran across a number of fun games by Vladymyr Yurev, of Ukraine, at InstantChess.com. Some were Jerome Gambits, some were Jerome-ish. Clearly some of his opponents did not know what to make of his openings, and succumbed quickly. Here is another example. Vladymyr Yurev - Elsid 15 0, Instant Chess, 2017 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening. Safety first. 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 Nf6 6.dxe5 Nxe4 7.Qd5+ Ke8 Black resigned
Black will drop his Knight on e4, remaining a pawn down, but it is clear that his resignation had to do with not knowing what hit him.
I was exploring the internet the other day, and ran across a number of fun games by Vladymyr Yurev, of Ukraine, at InstantChess.com. Some games were Jerome Gambits, some were Jerome-ish. Clearly some of his opponents did not know what to make of his openings, and succumbed quickly. Here is one example. Vladymyr Yurev - MELVYN20 Instant Chess, 2017 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening. Black pursues safety by keeping the enemy Knight off of g5. 4.Bxf7+ Not everyone waits for ...Bc5 before sacrificing. 4...Kxf7 5.d4 Ke8 6.d5 Nb8 7.Nxe5 d6 8.Qh5+ Ke7 9.Qf7 checkmate
It can be fun to play over the games of experienced Jerome Gambit players and watch their struggles, successes and failures. The games of Petasluk show up in The Database starting in 2004 - he has been around the Jerome universe for quite some time. The following game shows how a deadly center break-through and attack on the King can proceed when Black discontinues his defenses prematurely. Petasluk - valli 5 0 blitz, FICS, 2017 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8
A solid defense that avoids the risks of 6...Kf6. If Black wishes to develop his Rook at h8, however, the King will need to move again. 7.Qxe5
d6 8.Qg3 Nf6 9.d3 Kf7
Black has reinforced his center and decides to expand on the Queenside, perhaps as a diversion. He is overlooking White's growing menace. 16.Rae1 a6
This encourages White to break in the center. 17.e5 dxe5 18.fxe5 Qd4+ 19.Kh1 Be6
Black will have to give back his extra piece, and his King is in trouble. 20.Re4 Qd7 21.Bxf6 Kg8 22.Ne2 Rf8
Black is defending, but is handicapped by his undeveloped Rook at h8. 23.d4 Bd8 24.Ref4 Rf7 He could have tried 24...Rh7, but 25.Bxg7 would have led to a series of exchanges that would have left White simply a handful of pawns ahead, e.g. 25...Rxf4 26.Bxh6+ Qg7 27.Qxg7+ Rxg7 28.Nxf4. 25.Bxd8 Rxf4 26.Nxf4 Qxd8 27.Nxe6
The smoke has cleared. Whie is a piece and a couple of pawns ahead, with a deadly attack. 27...Qe7
28.Rf8+ Kh7 29.Qd3+ g6 30.Rxh8+ Kxh8 31.Qxg6 a5 32.Qxh6+ Kg8 33.Qg6+ Kh8 Black resigned
