I won my third round game - an Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit - in the "Italian game Classic" tournament at Chess.com, when my opponent and I seemed to have the same "hallucination" about a tense, tactical position. Up until then, I had been awkwardly struggling to lurch my way back to equality - only to be smacked around by a violent return of my sacrificed material.
Given the distracted level of my play, I consider myself quite lucky.
perrypawnpusher - Sp1derR1c0
Italian Game Classic, Chess.com, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5
Whew! My game against Winawer99 in the same round continued 4...Nxe4, and I decided to avoid my past suffering with the Noa Gambit / Monck Gambit / Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit - 5.Bxf7+ - and played, instead, 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bd3 dxe4 7.Bxe4 Bd6 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.d4, a line that I also have struggled with. It showed: on my way to a possibly drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, I overlooked a checkmate in 2 moves (0-1, 21).
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
What difference does the addition of Knights at c3 and f6 make, when compared to the regular Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)?
Komodo 10 shows it to improve Black's position by about 3/4 of a pawn.
The Database has 2,731 games with the Four Knights version, with Black scoring 61%. This compares to 15,157 games with the Jerome, proper, with Black scoring 54%.
I have to admit, in my own games, Black scores 25% in my Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit games (62) versus scoring 17% in my regular Jerome Gambit games (336).
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Re8
I like this move. Instead of worrying which piece to save, Black develops another one, on a crucial file. Let White figure it out!
8.dxc5
In preparing this post, I was amused to discover that Komodo 10's second choice, here, was not a capture, but 8.0-0, fully relying on the fact that not all of the pieces will be able to escape, e.g. 8...Bd6 9.f4!? Nc6 10.e5, etc.
That line, in turn, raised a question for me: Has anyone ever tried moving the f-pawn right away, i.e. 8.f4 ? It turns out that The Database has two examples - Svirfneblin - cosmoo, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 24) and Mvskoke - Panico, blitz, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 36). It is an example of going too far, however, as Black has 8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 Nc6 and he is doing better than in the normal lines.
By the way, The Database has 6 games with 8.0-0 (Black scores 56%) - and in 3 of them, Svirfneblin had the White pieces. I will have to look at more of his games...
8...Kg8
Finishing castling-by-hand. I have noted
This is an improvement over 8...Nc6 of perrypawnpusher - hudders, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 13) and 8...Nc4 of the tragic perrypawnpusher - TrentonTheSecond, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 9),
9.O-O d6 10.cxd6 cxd6
This is probably an improvement over 10...Qxd6, which I faced a couple of times perrypawnpusher - hklett, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 31) and perrypawnpusher - strandskatan, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 38). I was prepared, sort of
After the game Houdini recommended the dull 11.Qxd6 cxd6 12.Rd1 with pressure against Black's d-pawn, although Black is still better.
11.Be3
An odd move; the Bishop usually goes to g5. I was planning to play f2-f4, but, for some reason I was worried about ...Qb6+ at some point, so I protected the a7-g1 diagonal. Of course, White's b-pawn is not vulnerable to that enemy double attack, until the Bishop moves. I suspect Caffeine Deficiency Disorder.
11...Be6 12.f3
This is the move that White sometimes plays when he gives up on his plan to attack, and decides to hunker down and challenge Black to do something with his material advantage. Suddenly - comparatively, as the time control was 3 days per move - that became my plan.
The word "collywobbles" comes to mind.
[to be continued]
The following game has some interesting tactics - those played and those missed. It might well have been decided by those imagined.
zzbaobao - givemeabreak
5 12 blitz, FICS, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4....Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qc3
The Queen most often goes to e3, but White wants it to aim toward the enemy Kingside - the original intention of his 6th move.
8...Nf6 9.d3 Re8 10.O-O Be6 11.Bg5 Qd7
Unpinning the Knight, but also removing one of its defenders.
Jerome Gambiteers will also notice that the Queen move blocks in Black's light-squared Bishop, making it vulnerable to the thematic f2-f4-f5. As the game goes, it appears that this may not have been an oversight by the second player.
12.f4 Bg4 13.h3 Bxh3
Tactics. Now, after 14.gxh3 Qxh3, Black would have an edge.
14.f5 Bxg2 15.fxg6+
The alternative, 15.Kxg2, was of about equal worth.
15...Kxg6
Keeping his pawns intact? Komodo 10 prefers the fireworks. 15...Kg8 16.Rf4 Nh5 17.Rh4 h6 18.Be3 Bh3 19.Nd2 Bg4 20.Qb3+ Be6 21.Qc3 Nf6 22.Bxh6 gxh6 23.Qxf6 Rf8 24.Qd4 Qe7 25.Rh2 Qg7 and things are unclear, perhaps even.
Now, White sacs decisively.
16.Rxf6+ Kxg5 17.Rf5+
17...Qxf5
Either a miscalculation, or a sense of panic. Still, 17...Kg6 18.Qd2 h6 19.Qxg2 would be good for White, as well.
18.exf5 Bc6 19.Qxg7+ Kxf5 20.Qxh7+ Ke6
With a Queen for a Rook, White is better, even undeveloped with a naked King.
21.Nc3 Rg8+ 22.Kf2 Rg2+ 23.Ke3 Rag8 24.Re1 R8g7 25.Kd4+ Kd7 26.Qf5+ Kd8 27.Qf8+ Kd7 28.Qe8 checkmate
One way to win a chess game quickly is to play quickly. Of course, that is also a way to lose quickly. Of course, in 1-minute chess, everything happens quickly.
In the following game, Black is doing well until he gets carried away with his attack
angelcamina - kursad33x
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020
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
It feels like there are a gazillion games with this position in The Database, but there are actually only 203. Still, White scores 71%, so that's worth mentioning, too. (angelcamina got here in under 5 seconds.)
10.O-O Kf7 11.f4 Qe7 12.Nc3 Re8 13.d3 Ng4
When in doubt, hassle the enemy Queen.
14.Qg3 d5
Sometimes the computer can be boring: it recommends, instead, 14...Nf6. The pawn at d5 is at risk.
15.e5 Kg8 16.Nxd5 Qc5+ 17.Ne3 Nxe3 18.Bxe3 Qxc2
The position is about even, but Black's forces carelessly rush ahead. This can be dangerous in bullet chess.
19.f5 Nxe5 20.Bd4 Nxd3 21.Qxg7 checkmate
It has been fun following the games of many Jerome Gambit players, including, recently, DANNYALBERTO at the online site FICS. In the following game, he forgets the best line that he had once discovered - but manages to pull off a win in under a dozen moves, anyhow, proving, once again, that "Jerome Gambit + blitz chess = exciting play".
DANNYALBERTO - boggus
3 0 blitz, FICS, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
The Database has 69 with DANNYALBERTO playing White in the position; he scores 64%.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Qg5
Black plays the thematic move in the Blackburne Shilling Gambit! Best, however, even with the increased risk to his King, was to take the Knight, 6...Kxe5.
7.cxd4
A bit too casual was 7.O-O, which was followed by an uneven game: 7...Qxe5 8.cxd4 Qxd4 9.d3 Bb4 10.Qb3+ Ke7 11.Be3 Qd6 12.d4 Ba5 13.e5 Qb6 14.Bg5+ Ke8 15.Qc4 h6 16.Bh4 Ne7 17.a3 Qc6 18.Qd3 Qd5 19.b4 Bb6 20.Rd1 d6 21.Nc3 Qf7 22.exd6 cxd6 White lost on time, DANNYALBERTO - Steftcho, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2016.
7...Qxg2
Black's Queen threatens mayhem on the Kingside!
The game is soon to be over - but not as Black plans.
8.Rf1
Forgetting this from last year: 8.Qb3+ Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Nc4+ Kc6 11.Qd5 checkmate, DANNYALBERTO - boggus, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2019.
He had also played the very reasonable 8.Qf3, which brought victory after 8...Qxf3 9.Nxf3 Nf6 10.Nc3 c6 11.d3 d5 12.Ng5+ Ke7 13.b3 h6 14.Nf3 Bg4 15.Ne5 Bh5 16.Rg1 g5 17.Ba3+ Ke8 18.Bxf8 Rxf8 19.exd5 cxd5 20.Kd2 Ke7 21.Rae1 Kd6 22.Nb5+ Ke7 23.Ng6+ Kf7 24.Nxf8 Rxf8 25.Nd6+ Kg6 26.Nxb7 Rb8 27.Nc5 a5 28.Re6 Kf5 29.Rxf6+ Kxf6 30.Nd7+ Kf5 31.Nxb8 Kf4 32.Rg3 Bg6 33.Nc6 h5 34.Ne7 Bh7 35.Nxd5+ Kf5 36.Ne7+ Kf4 37.Nc6 h4 38.Rg1 g4 39.Nxa5 Bf5 40.Nc4 Kf3 41.Ne3 Bd7 42.Nxg4 Bxg4 43.a4 Bc8 44.Rg7 Kxf2 45.d5 h3 46.d6 Be6 47.b4 Bd5 48.a5 Bg2 49.d7 Kg1 50.d8=Q Kxh2 51.Qd6+ Kh1 52.Qg3 h2 53.Qxg2, checkmate, DANNYALBERTO - fluters, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2019.
He also experimented with (got away with) the dangerous 8.Qh5: 8...Qxh1+ 9.Ke2 Qxe4+ 10.Kd1 Nf6 (10...Qxd4 11.Nf3 Qf6 12.Nc3 d5 13.Qxd5+ Ke7 14.d3 c6 15.Qb3 Qxf3+ 16.Kc2 Qxf2+ 17.Bd2 Nf6 18.Re1+ Kd6 19.Qf7 Qf5 20.Ne2 Be6 21.Bf4+ Kc5 22.Qxb7 Bd6 23.Be3+ Kd5 24.Qb3+ Ke5 25.Bd4 checkmate, DANNYALBERTO - boggus, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2016) 11.Qf7+ Kd6 12.Nc4+ Kc6 13.Ne5+ Kb6 14.Qb3+ Ka6 15.Qa4+ Kb6 16.Nc4 checkmate, DANNYALBERTO - fluters, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2019.
8...Qxe4+ 9.Qe2 Qxe2+ 10.Kxe2
Material is even, and White has an advantage in development, but his pawn structure is a mess. Komodo 10 gives Black about a pawn advantage, provided he addresses his need for development.
Instead, Black sees the opportunity to go pawn hunting with his now relatively safe King - but he has overlooked something.
10...Kd5 11.Nf7 Black resigned
I have added to The Database some more Jerome Gambit (and Jerome-ish) games played online at FICS from the first quarter of 2020. Making my way through some of them, I came upon a small mystery.
Here is the game. By the way, drumme is well-versed in the Jerome Gambit, having 589 games in The Database, scoring 55%.
drumme - talyprossoneri
4 0 blitz, FICS, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nx6 hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.d3 Black resigned
Black's resignation is puzzling. He has two extra pieces for four pawns - perhaps a practical challenge in a 4-minute game (for the record, in the 45 games in The Database with this position, Black won only 16, and drew 2) - an advantage that Komodo 10 assesses at about a pawn and a half.
Maybe the outside world intruded to call him away.
If the reason was chessic, I can make a guess. Suppose talyprossoneri was intending on playing the pawn capture and fork 9...Nxc2+, followed by 10.Kd1 Nxa1 - when he suddenly realized that his opponent would then have 11.Bg5+, as in paddjaa - vlas, blitz, FICS, 2011, which would lead to checkmate after 11...Nf6 12.Qxf6+ Ke8 13.Qg6+. Ouch.
analysis diagram
However, Black did not have to go after the poisoned Rook, as he had at least two other reasonable moves to consider.
The first was 9...Ne6, although, after 10.Bg5+ Nxg5 11.Qxg5+ Black still has to solve the problem of the f6 square and the d8-h4 diagonal. A 1-minute game, jollygeoff - brouchek 1 0 lightning, FICS, 2016, finished things off from that position with 11...Kf7? 12.Qxd8 and Black resigned a few moves later. The proper response was 11...Nf6, as after 12.e5 Kf7 13.exf6 Qxf6
analysis diagram
Black's two Bishops (one, the extra piece) are probably better than White's three extra pawns.
The second choice for Black is the somewhat stronger (according to Komodo 10) 9...Nf6, as long as the defender meets 10.e5 with 10...Ke6!? (Instead, 10...Ne8? was seen in KingAsh - NightEagle, 1 0 lightning, FICS, 2015 [1-0, 40, time forfeit], when the game should have continued with 11.Bg5+, again leading to checkmate). Best, then, for White would be 11.exf6 Qxf6, as opposed to 11.0-0, from GOH - gruzanin, blitz, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 42, time forfeit).
Analysis position
In club play, of course, in both cases, White might have some practical chances with his three passed, connected passed pawns against the enemy Bishop. Especially, as we have seen in some of the example games, time appeared to be on the attacker's side.
There are many refutations to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and its relatives, but that does not mean that every defense will be successful.
In the following game, White is headed for the Jerome, when his opponent takes a sideline - and, then, another. It is time to administer the "Jerome cure" to Black, although the patient did not survive.
hastrman - KingRuffus
FICS, 2020
1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.Nc3 Na5
Black's position can tolerate either his 3rd or his 4th move, but the combination of the two spells disaster, as White quickly points out.
5.Bxf7+
The Database has 88 games with this move. White scores a healthy 86%.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Kf6
Black's best move was 6...Ke6, but his King would still be in great danger after 7.Qh5. White's Knights would have many brutal forks after the second one joined in at d5, definitely a position worth exploring.
White now has a forced checkmate, and his opponent ends the game quickly.
7.Qh5 Qe7 8.Qf5 checkmate
Sometimes the pace of White's attack in the Jerome Gambit can be a bit of smash and bang. In the following game, Black adopts a defense that eliminates that possibility, but the steady drip, drip of the game spells loss for the defender, anyhow.
Wall, Bill - SCMJ
FICS, 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+
If you play the Jerome Gambit long enough, you will face this nameless defense. Sometimes, it appears as if Black is saying, "If it is good for you to sacrifice a Bishop at f7, then it must be good for me to sacrifice a Bishop at f2!" Other times, it appears to be almost a psychological counter-gambit - instead of accepting 2 sacrificed pieces, Black prefers to gambit a pawn, himself, to quickly reach a quiet Queenless middlegame that is probably not White's intention when he played 4.Bxf7+.
8.Kxf2 Qf6+
Wall - Guest2115687, PlayChess.com, 2014 (1-0, 21) , and Wall - Guest592370, PlayChess.com, 2017 (1-0, 30 ) saw 8...Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6+, etc. Bill varied once, after 8...Qh4+, with 9.Kf1, in Wall - Guest1443273, Chess.com, 2012 (1-0, 36), which still continued 9.Qf6+, etc.
9.Qxf6+ Nxf6
White can play on, with little risk, and a small advantage.
10.Nc3
10.Kf3 was tried in Wall - Guest4380606, PlayChess.com, 2015: 10....d6 11.Nc3 Bg4+ 12.Kg3 Rhe8 13.Rf1 Kg7 14.Rxf6 Kxf6 15.Kxg4 Black resigned
10...d6 11.d3 a6 12.Bg5 Kg7
It is Black who is lulled by the quiet of the position. Safer was 12...Be6.
13.Bxf6+ Kxf6 14.Nd5+ Kg7 15.Nxc7 Rb8
16.c3 Rf8+ 17.Ke3 b5 18.h4 Rf7
This drops another pawn, and the game becomes a technical affair.
19.Ne8+ Kg8 20.Nxd6 Rf6 21.e5 Re6 22.d4 Bb7 23.Nxb7 Rxb7 24.Ke4 Black resigned
White's well-placed King, and his "Jerome pawns" will eventually bring home the full point.
