The following bullet game (one minute, no increment) was sent to me by Angel Camiña. Please be sure to read the notes.
Anonymous - Anonymous
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
This is referred to as the "Semi-Italian Opening" in Euwe & Meiden's Chess Master vs Chess Amateur (1963). It is a cautious attempt to keep a White piece off of g5, at the risk of wasting some time and possibly weakening the Kingside, if Black should castle there.
4.Nc3 Nd4
Wow, Black goes from "shy" to "outgoing" in one move. He plays the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, with the addition of Nc3 and ...h6. This may well be effective psychology in a bullet game (surprise your opponent, make him take precious time to figure out a novel position), but it is very risky play, nonetheless: In 20 previous games in The Database, Black scored only 20%
Stockfish 10 rates the first player's position as 3 pawns better at this point.
5.Bxf7+
One good surprise deserves another. White gives the "Jerome treatment", creating a sort of "Semi-Italian Blackmar Shilling Jerome Gambit" hybrid.
Why do such a thing? First, White is familiar with Jerome Gambit and Jerome-like themes and tactics (and his opponent may not be). Second, the "proper" response to Black's 4th move, at least as laid out by Stockfish 10, is stylized along BSG lines, and may well not be to the first player's taste. The computer recommends 5.Nxe5 Qg5 (thematic BSG) 6.Bxf7+ Kd8 7.Ng4 Nf6 8.Ne3 Bc5 9.O-O Rf8 10.f4 Qh4 11.b4 Bb6 12.Bg6 d6 13.e5 Bg4 14.Qe1 Qxe1 15.Rxe1 dxe5 16.fxe5 Bh5 17. exf6 Bxg6 18.fxg7 Rg8 19.Na4 Rxg7 20.Bb2 Rd7 where White is up two pawns.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8
Home again - and walking into a checkmate.
The computer humorously recommends 6...Ke6 7.f4 Qh4+ 8.g3 Qh3 9.Nd5 Qg2 10.Qg4+ Kd6 11.Qg6+ Nf6 12.Nc4+ Kc6 13.Ne5+
heading toward a draw by repetition.
White is now rewarded for his bold play.
7.Qh5+ Ke7 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Nc4+ Kc6 10.Qd5 checkmate
The following bullet game is delightfully misleading. Black appears to be taking advantage of the open h-file, putting together a checkmating attack along it. Then, White goes and checkmates him.
Yes, the Jerome Gambit and bullet chess are like that.
angelcamina - frn000
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
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 Nf6
So far, so routine.
10.O-O Kf7 11.f4 Ng4
Always the temptation to harass the Queen.
12.Qg3 h5
Even moreso.
13.h3 Be6
A daring offer of a piece, but he has an extra one. Or, is he offering two pieces? That can be risky, even in bullet.
14.f5 Bd7 15.fxg6+ Kxg6 16.hxg4 hxg4
17.Nc3 Qe7 18.d4 Rh7 19.e5 Rah8
And now there is a forced checkmate - but White delivers it.
20.Qd3+ Kh5 21.g3 g5 22.Kg2 Rf8 23.Rh1 checkmate
Wonderful!
In the Jerome Gambit, White sacrifices a couple of pieces. Most of Black's defenses are based upon returning a piece. Sometimes Black just develops a piece, saying, in effect "You choose the piece that you want back, I'm too busy with my other pieces."
The following game follows that defensive scenario, although Black's choice at move 7 gives back 2 pieces - leaving White up a couple of pawns. There are some interesting tactics following, but the defender's overwhelming advantage at move 4 has become a significant advantage for the attacker, three moves later.
Bullet chess - and the Jerome Gambit - is like that.
angelcamina - alphastar
1-0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Nf6
At first glance - if only a glance - this move looks fine. In bullet chess you don't always get more than a glance. Still, this is not an effective defense, and The Database points out that in 62 games, White scores 72% against it.
8.Qxe5+ Kf7 9.Qxc5 d6 10.Qe3
A bullet chess game is truly an event that took less time than it takes to tell...
The next time angelcamina plays this line, though, he might try 10.Qb5 here, instead, as against the move in the game, Black can grab back a pawn with 10...Nxe4, since the lined-up White Queen and King on the e-file do not allow the first player to recapture.
It is no big deal that White did not see that tactic, playing at that speed - Jerome Gambit regulars such as blackburne, MrJoker, and Petasluk, among others, playing much more slowly, missed it, too; and none of the defenders found 10...Nxe4!?, any way. (Hmm... This should be added to my series of "Jerome Gambit Secrets".)
10...Qe7 11.d3 Re8 12.O-O Ng4
When in doubt, or at a loss for an idea, harass the enemy Queen.
13.Qg3 Qd7 14.h3 Nf6 15.e5
Standard Jerome Gambit attacking motif. Black gets to snap off a pawn (more solid, but less incisive, was 15.b3 followed by 16.Bb2), but that takes thinking time to figure out, and time is precious.
15...dxe5 16.fxe5 Qd4+ 17.Kh1 Rxe5
My preference is to capture with the Queen, but perhaps Black wanted to keep the piece on the board and not allow it to be exchanged.
18.Nc3 Be6 19.Bf4 Rf5 20.Bxc7 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Rc8
22. Be5 Qe3
An oversight that ends the game. Time pressure?
23.Qxe3 Black resigned
Even without the slip, Black was in a bad way, faceing a 2-pawn deficit and very uncomfortable pressure on his Knight (and the King behind it).
alpha
One of my biggest concerns about bullet chess (1 minute, no increment) is that I simply can't think that fast. I am afraid that my attention will wander, too, and suddenly my game will look like the faltering car, above.
In the following Jerome Gambit game, White is the recipient of a handful of Huh? moves by his opponent, and all that is left to do, then, is safely drive home the full point.
As I cheer on angelcamina, I am also sympathetic toward billylaw, as my fate could have been his.
angelcamina - billylaw
1 0 bullet lichess.org, 2019
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 Nf6
So far, so normal.
10.O-O Bg4 11.h3 Be6 12. f4 Qd7 13. f5 Bc4 14. d3 Nd5
Before the "Jerome pawns" fall upon Black.
15.exd5+ Kd8 16.dxc4 Re8 17.Qg5+ Kc8 18.fxg6 hxg6
After.
19.Nc3 b6 20.Bd2 Kb7 21.Rae1 Re5 22.Rxe5 dxe5 23.Qxe5 Rh8 24.Bf4 Rh5
25.Qxc7+
Beginning a few quick moves to return some material and take the danger (for White) out of the picture.
25...Qxc7 26.Bxc7 Kxc7 27.Rf7+ Kd6 28.Rf3 Kc5 29.b3 Kd4
The King wants to be active and make up for the missing piece.
30.Ne2+ Ke4 31.c3 Rxh3
Likely time-frantic.
32.Rxh3 Ke5 33.Re3+ Kd6 34.Re6+ Kc5 35.Nf4 g5 36.Nd3 checkmate
Nice.
The latest Jerome Gambit game from Angel Camiña is a complex, violent affair - the kind of thing you
might expect if both players arrived at the board fully prepared for battle.
angelcamina - davidbrooklyn2
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8
The Jerome Defense to the Jerome Gambit, a practical response that seeks to keep Black's King out of danger, while it returns one of the two sacrificed pieces. One downside is that the King may have to move to let the Rook out, something that often turns into castling-by-hand.
7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qc3 Qh4
Black is not intimidated, he is ready for a fight.
9.O-O Nf6 10.d4 Bb6 11.e5
Attack!, the watchword of both the Jerome and bullet chess.
It is interesting, and somewhat amusing, to see the computer's recommendation, where Black eventually returns the second piece, and things wind down to an endgame where the defender is up a pawn (plus a Bishop for a Knight): 11.f3 Kf7 12.a4 a5 13.Be3 Be6 14.Nd2 Rhc8 15.f4 Kg8 16.f5 Bd7 17.Qd3 Qh5 18.h3 Kh8 19.Rf3 g6 20.g4 Nxg4 21.hxg4 Qxg4+ 22.Kf2 gxf5 23.d5 Bxe3+ 24.Qxe3 Rg8 25.Qc3+ Rg7 26.Rg3 Qxg3+ 27.Qxg3 Rxg3 28.Kxg3 fxe4 29.Nxe4.
11...dxe5 12.dxe5 Ng4 13.h3
13...Nxf2
Brutal, but Black has overlooked the fact that there is one response that turns the game around. He should have tried the other capture, 13...Bxf2+, and, after 14.Kh1 Be6 15.Nd2 Kg8 16.Nf3 Qg3 17.hxg4 h5!? the attack continues, for example 18.g5 Rf8 19.Rxf2 Qxf2 20.Be3 Qg3 21.Rf1 h4.
14.Be3
Does the trick.
14...Bxe3 15.Qxe3 Bxh3
This move would be unplayable at any normal time control, but at bullet, it is a stroke of psychological genius - or grim dispair.
16.Rxf2+ Ke7 17.Qxh3 Qd4
Black does not wish to exchange Queens - but, soon, he goes in for mass exchanges, perhaps influenced by the clock..
18.Nc3 Raf8 19.Raf1 Rxf2 20.Rxf2 Rf8 21.Qg3 Rxf2 22.Qxf2 Qxe5 23.Qe2 Qxe2 24.Nxe2 Kf6 25.Kf2 Black resigned
Whew! Likely Black was behind on the clock, and figured that resistance was, therefore, futile.
Bullet chess: know your openings, watch out for tactics, punish your opponent's errors.
Quickly.
angelcamina - sugerlove
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
The Jerome Gambit, not the "quiet game".
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Ng6
Black realizes he has to give back a piece, and "volunteers" the Bishop. The computers suggest that White take the offer, although the (limited) practical results of The Database back the next move in the game: 8.Qxc5 scored 3 - 2; 8.f5 scored 2 - 0.
In bullet chess, there has to be extra value in distressing the enemy King.
8.f5+ Ke7 9.fxg6 Nf6
It is tempting to follow C.J.S. Purdy's advice to find a move that "smites", but it is always best to check your own situation, first.
10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qe3 Kf8 12.gxh7 Rxh7 13.O-O Kg8
Both sides have castled (one, by hand), and White has a 2 pawn edge.
14.d4 Bg4 15.Nc3 Qd7 16.Bd2 Re8
Taking time to build their positions.
17.Qg3 Nh5 18.Qf2 Nf6 19.Rae1
White declines the offer to pursue a draw with 19.Qg3 Nh5, etc. He is almost immediately rewarded.
19...Qc6 20.e5 Nd5 21.Qf7+ Black resigns
After 21...Kh8 the Queen sac finishes: 22.Qf8+ Rxf8 23.Rxf8 checkmate.
If Alonzo Wheeler Jerome played bullet chess - one minute a game, no increment - his gambits would probably look something like the following game from Angel Camiña...
angelcamina - zorosyria00
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Nc6
9.Qc4+ d5 10.exd5 Nxd5
A slip - perhaps Black was counting on his next move to regain the piece. If so, at the speed he was playing, he didn't see that White could slip out of trouble.
11.Nxd5 Be6 12.Qf4+ Ke8
13.Nxc7+
Kd7 14.Nxa8 Qxa8
White is up the exchange and a couple of pawns, but he wants more.
15.Be3 Rf8 16.O-O-O+ Ke7 17.Bc5+ Ke8 18.Qxf8 checkmate
