Jerome Gambit: A Decade Ago... (Part 2)

 

[continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - CorH

3 12 blitz, FICS, 2014

How to respond to the Knight?

15.Qe2 

The text is good, although a bit better is the tempo-grab 15.Qg3 h5 16.d5 also with advantage. 

15...Kd8 16.h3 Nh6 17.d5 Nd4 18.Qe4 Nhf5 

19.Kh2 

Avoiding the tempting 19.g4 with the idea of finally distressing the enemy Knights. Black's counter would be 19...Qh4, and after 20.Qg2 Qg3 21.Rf2  Qxg2+ 22.Rxg2 Nh4 23.Rg3 dxe5 24.fxe5 Nhf3+ 25.Kg2 Nxe5 and the Knights would still rule.

The computer prefers the more positional 19.Rd1, meeting 19...Qh4 with 20.e6 when 20...Qf6 would allow the pawn advance, i.e. 21.g4 Nh4 22.Rf1 Ndf5 (nowhere else to go) 23.gxf5 Qxf5 24. Kh2 when things are settling down, in White's favor.

So much to consider!

19...Qh4 20.Qd3 Re8 

21.g4 

White's Kingside is too fragile after this move.

Better was 21.Ne4 when 21...c6 22.dxc6 d5 (or simply 22...Nxc6) 23.cxb7 Bxb7 24.Nc5 Bc6 25.a4 (keeping the Bishop off of b5) g6 26.g4 Nh6 27.Qxd4 Nxg4+ 28.Kg2 Nh6 29.Bd2 shows that the fireworks can be handled, with White still better.

21...dxe5 

Stockfish 16 begins to evaluate all lines here as "0.00" which means it has found a draw. One example is 21...b6 22.gxf5 Bxf5 23.Qxd4 Qxh3+ 24.Kg1 Qg3+ 25.Kh1 Qh4+ 26.Kg1 Qg3+ etc. with a draw by repetition. 

Likewise 21...h5 22.gxf5 Bxf5 23.Qxd4 Qxh3+ 24.Kg1 Qg3+ etc.; or  21...Nh6 22.e6 Nxg4+ 23.Kg2 Nxe6 24.dxe6 Bxe6 25.hxg4 Bc4 26.Qxc4 Qxg4+, etc..

Opening the center when your King is still in the middle of your back rank looks dangerous, but this was a 3-minute blitz game, and almost anything is possible.

22.gxf5 

Yielding to temptation, believing that In blitz, when in doubt, grab material. Instead, additional development for White was in order: 22.Ne4 Qe7 23.Bd2 exf4 24.Rxf4 Qe5 25.Raf1 h6 26.gxf5 Bxf5 27.Bc3 Bxe4 28.Qxd4 Qxd4 29.Bxd4 Bxd5 30.Bxg7 Kd7 31.Bxh6 Re2+ 32.R1f2 Rxf2+ 33.Rxf2 Bxa2 and the endgame will likely be drawn, despite White's h-pawn.

22...Bxf5 23.Qg3 Qxg3+ 24.Kxg3 

24...exf4+ 

Instead, 24...e4 would have led to Black's advantage, but the position was complicated for him, too, and the clock was ticking just as fast, as well.

25.Bxf4 

This looks natural, but tactics argue in favor of 25.Rxf4, i.e. 25...Nxc2 26.Rxf5 Nxa1 27.Bg5+ Kd7 28.Rf7+ Kd6 29.Nb5+ Kc5 30.Nxc7 h6 31.Bc1 b5 32.Nxa8 Rxa8 33.Rxg7 Kxd5 34.Bxh6 and this time White's h-pawn does look strong.

25...Bxc2 26.Rae1 

With my Bishop aimed at the c-pawn, I should have tried 26.Rac1.  

26...Nf5+ 27.Kg4 g6 28.Rxe8+ Kxe8 

29.Bxc7 

29.Nb5 Rc8 30.Re1+ Kd7 31.Nxa7 was enough to keep things even. 

The text overlooks the coming fork, winning a Rook, but my opponent did not overlook.

29...Ne3+ 30.Kf3 Nxf1 

For all practical purposes, the game was over here. I should have been a good sport and resigned. Instead, I played on and rooted for the clock.

31.Kf2 Nd2 32.Ke2 Nc4 33.b3 Nb6 34.Kd2 Bf5 35.h4 Rc8 36.d6 Kd7 37.Nb5 a6 38.Na7

38...Rxc7 

A practical decision, eliminating White's one last "hope", his passer. With an extra Bishop and a pawn, his win is straightforward.

39.dxc7 Kxc7 40.a4 Kb8 41.a5 Nd5 White resigned

I can't blame the Jerome Gambit for this loss. It gave me plenty of complicated positions with chance. My opponent outplayed me. Hats off to him, belatedly.

Jerome Gambit: A Decade Ago... (Part 1)

Wandering through The Database I found yet another Jerome Gambit game that I had played, but not posted on this blog. 

It looks a lot like the game perrypawnpusher - GuestJDZB 2 12 blitz, FICS, 2024 (varying on move 10) that I posted a few days ago, but actually was played 10 years earlier than that game.

It was a complicated back-and-forth battle the included more back than forth. The tactics played and missed were interesting. Black's Knights took a starring role, throughout.

perrypawnpusher - CorH

3 12 blitz, FICS, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

I just checked: I have scored 80% against this move, and 80% against 6...g6. My score against 6...Ke6 is slightly better, at 83%; and a little worse against 6...Kf8, 74%. (As they say, Your Mileage May Vary.)

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 Qe7 

Challenging the enemy Queen and putting pressure on the e-pawn.

9.Qe3 Nf6 10.Nc3 d6 

More restrained than GuestJDZB's 10...Ng4.

10...Kf7 was seen in perrypawnpusher - frencheng, blitz, FICS, 2010  (1/2-1/2, 34)}) 

Stockfish 16's recommendation is 10...d5. 

11.O-O Ne5 

It looks like my opponent was trying to provoke a pawn advance, which, in this case, would not be a bad thing for me.

Instead, 11...b6 was seen in 4 of my games: perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, 10 5 blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 22); perrypawnpusher - Navarrra, 6 12 blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 24); perrypawnpusher - alvarzr, 2 12 blitz, FICS, 2013 (0-1, 59); and perrypawnpusher - MarkHundleby1, Chess.com, 2013 (1-0, 27). 

There was also 11...Rf8 in perrypawnpusher - chingching, 5 11 blitz, FICS, 2011  (1/2-1/2, 36).

Again, the computer likes 11...d5, with the advantage still with Black.

12.d4 Nc6 

A wandering Knight got into trouble after 12...Nc4 13.Qd3 Na5 (better 13...Nb6) in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, 4 12 blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 50). 

13.f4 

It is funny, Stockfish 16 suggests the Queen-and-Knight dance continue with 13.d5 Nb4 14.Qd4 c5 (not 14...Nxc2 because of 15.Qa4+) 15.Qd1 and White would have an edge.

The problem with the text move is that Black can still respond with 13...d5, giving him a small advantage.

13...Kd7 

Black's King feels the heat, being on the e-file (which may soon open) behind his Queen and decides to vacate. His Majesty blocks his Bishop, however.

Stockfish 16 has a suggestion for a line of play that looks very human-like, with swarming Knights: 13...d5 14.e5 Ng4 15.Qd3 Nb4 16.Qe2 Bf5 17.h3 and here it endorses the offer of a piece with 17...h5!? that should be declined, at least at first. Instead, it proposes the free-wheeling mess 18.Bd2 Nxc2 19.Nxd5 Qd7 20.hxg4 hxg4 21.Qc4 c6 22.Ne3 Nxa1 23.Rxa1 Rd8 24.Rd1 Be6 25.Qd3 Qxd4 26.Qg6+ Bf7 27.Qxg4 Qxb2 28.Ba5 b6 29.Be1 after which it suggests that Black is about a pawn better.

I am tempted to repeat Bobby Fischer's comment, "long analysis, wrong analysis" but I suspect that the computer would have its own criticism of my efforts, along the lines of  "lazy analysis, crazy analysis".

14.e5 

This breakthrough by the "Jerome pawns" (the pawns White has as compensation for his sacrificed piece) is thematic, and advantageous for the first player.

14...Ng4 

How to respond?

A strong line of play shows that, despite my complaints, sometimes Stockfish does play like it "understands" the Jerome Gambit: 14...b6 15.Bd2 (15.exf6 is possible, but 15...Qxe3 16.Bxe3 gxf6 leads to a static position, albeit one where White is a pawn up) 15...Ba6 16.Qh3+ The King hunt is on! 16...Qe6 17.Qxe6+ Kxe6 18.d5+ Nxd5 19.f5+ Kxe5 20.Rae1+ Kd4 21.Re4+ Kc5 22.Na4+ Kb5 23.c4+ Kxa4 24.cxd5+ Kb5 25.Rc1 Bc8 26.dxc6 a5 27.a4+ Ka6 28.Rf1 Rf8 29.g4 h5 30.h3 when Black's Bishop is locked in, and, hence, his Rook.

Of course, Black does not have to play 14...b6. Instead, 14...Re8 15.d5 Nb4 16.Qd4 a5 17.exf6 Qxf6 would create another position where White is a pawn ahead, and Black's King is still unsafe and blocking his development.

It goes without saying that none of these lines of play, or the insights that go with them, ever occured to me during the game. I show them to illustrate the richness of the Jerome Gambit.

[to be continued]

The Bukayev-Grischuk Variation in Two Games – without and with the Winning Blow Bxf7+!

 

The Bukayev-Grischuk Variation in Two Games –

without and with the Winning Blow Bxf7+!    

(by Yury V. Bukayev)

 

Last year my article with the start of my old tournament game against the future World Blitz Chess Champion Alexander I. Grischuk was published on ‘Bruno’s Chess Problem of the Day’ website with my analyses of it.

I should repeat the following from that my article. This notable tournament chess game Bukayev, Yury V. – Grischuk, Alexander (Aleksandr) I. was played at the Moscow Junior Championship, in 1993 (the address is Moscow, Marshal Vasilevsky street, 9), 30 years ago, with a standard time control. It was the 2^nd tour, and it was a Swiss-system tournament, we both had 1 tournament point after the 1^st tour. Alexander Grischuk was 10 years old that time, I was 11. He was a real chess star in the world among young chess players: he was the U10 World Vice-Champion (1992). He was almost a CM in chess, I had the 2^nd category only, the first chess tournament in my life was started in the end of 1991 only... Nobody prepared me to the game against Alexander, unfortunately. I have lost this game in 42 moves by resignation after 2 hours (approximately) of fighting.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nf3 e4 6.Nd4 d5 7.e3 Nc6 8.Nc3 dxc4

I’ll not repeat my commentaries of these moves. Here is a continuation of this game.

 9.Bxc4!

This my strong move leads to much more complicated play than its very good alternative – 9.Nxc6!, which was analysed on ‘Bruno’s Chess Problem of the Day’. Nobody in the world has played 9.Bxc4! earlier, and further play has been strong, so it can be named as ‘Bukayev-Grischuk Variation’ or ‘Bukayev-Grischuk System’ of Anti-Benoni (A31), analogously to ‘Hamppe-Meitner Variation’ from the ‘Immortal Draw’ game between these two masters. I hope to publish my more large analysis of this my game since 9.Bxc4 on ‘Bruno’s Chess Problem of the Day’ soon.

 9…Ne5 10.Be2

It is a very good move, although 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.0-0! is the best way, where White has some advantage in the complicated play.

 10…Bc5 11.0-0 0-0 12.h3?!

When Top GM Ian Nepomniachtchi has played h2-h3? against World Champion Top GM Magnus Carlsen during the World Chess Championship Match in 2021 and when Top GM Ding Liren has played h2-h3? against Top GM Ian Nepomniachtchi during the World Chess Championship Match in 2023, many commentators have started to search explanations of these grandmaster ideas. Here commentators can explain my choice more easily, but it isn’t so important. The best move could be 12.Qc2! here, and White could fight for the advantage. Probably, the glory of my opponent affected me negatively, my thoughts were not brave, my notes of moves became not very good too…

 12…Qe7!

 Bravo, Alexander! Black gets the advantage, although White has serious defensive resources yet.

 13.a3 Rd8 14.b4 Bd6 15.f3?! Nc6?! 16.Qc2?

This pressure doesn’t work here, the move 16.f4 is necessary. Now Black gets an extra pawn.

 16…Qe5! 17.f4 Nxd4 18.exd4 Qxd4+ 19.Kh1

My mood became very bad after my loss of the pawn, and I tried absently to make an impossible move instead of 19.Kh1, so Alexander was forced here to attract my attention that his 18^th move is a check…

 19…Re8?

Probably, it is a psychology: probably, Alexander was sure that his position is very easy to win and that his opponent can’t fight already… Here after my thinking I wanted to make the move 20.Nb5!?, but it was too difficult for me to calculate 20…Qxa1! 21.Nxd6! enough well. When my fingers were above my Knight on c3 to make it, my mind cried: “No! There are some more easy alternatives!” And my fingers ran back abruptly and touched the crown of my Queen on c2 by accident. Very unfortunately, I was silent that moment… The best move was 20.Bb2! with enough compensation for a pawn, and I think, I could choose it. And my initial idea 20.Nb5 Qxa1 21.Nxd6 was also enough good (and very good for a practical game!), in fact.

But I had to make a Queen’s move as a result of my accidental touch… All possible Queen’s moves were very weak or enough weak, and my mood became very bad again.

 20.Qd2? Qxd2

Alexander got an easily won position, and I’ll not comment the following rest of the game, although it contains opponents’ mistakes too.

21.Bxd2 Bd7 22.Be3 Rac8 23.Rac1 a6 24.Rfd1 Bb8 25.a4 Be6 26.b5 Bc4 27.Bxc4 Rxc4 28.Rd2 Rec8 29.Rdc2 Nh5 30.bxa6 bxa6 31.Bd2 Bxf4 32.Bxf4 Nxf4 33.Rb1 Ne6 34.Rcc1 Rxc3 35.Rxc3 Rxc3 36.Rb8+ Nf8 37.Kg1 e3 38.Kf1 Ra3 39.Re8 f6 40.Ke2 Kf7 41.Rxe3 Rxa4 42.Kd2

White resigned.

 

And in 30 years I have played a thematic blitz game against my father Vyacheslav where the Bukayev-Grischuk Variation has become a result of our agreement. Here it is.

 

Bukayev Yury – Bukayev Vyacheslav 

blitz 5+0

Moscow, 2023

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nf3 e4 6.Nd4 d5 7.e3 Nc6 8.Nc3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Ne5 10.Bb5+ Ned7 11.Nf5 a6 12.Ba4 b5 13.Bb3 Nc5??

It is a ‘natural’ blunder. And White wins immediately.

 14.Bxf7+!

Black resigned. After 14…Kxf7 15.Qxd8 he has no opportunities to save the game.

 

 

 

Contact the author:  istinayubukayev@yandex.ru

 

 

Jerome Gambit: The Game Is Afoot, Again! (Part 2)

                                              

Although I remained skeptical that Paul Morphy ever played the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) - see the previous post - this blog has been around for over 15 years, and I think someone might have mentioned it by now - I decided to do a litte digging.

 My first visit was to the website THE FULL MORPHY, which, among other things

contains all of Morphy's surviving 415 games - 253 regular games, 156 odds games, and 6 game positions 

There were no Jerome Gambit games.

I then looked for Morphy games with Black's King on its home square and White's Bishop on f7, checking, unsupported by White's Queen on b3.

Discarding King's Gambit and Evans Gambit games, I found Morphy defending against The Sarratt or Vitzthum Attack (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+) in two games: Meek - Morphy, Mobile, 1855 (0-1, 21) and Kennicott - Morphy, New York, 1857 (0-1, 24).

Pushing on, I visited Chessgames.com and checked out the Morphy page. It had 457 games. There was no Jerome Gambit game, however.

I even checked with chess history-wise and Morphy-knowledgeable Sarah Beth Cohen, who was not aware of any Morphy Jerome Gambits, either.

I was beginning to suspect that the report of Morphy playing the Jerome Gambit was simply an oversight. Perhaps the author mis-remembered the Jerome for the Evans - Morphy played or defended against the Evans Gambit in 50 games.

End of excitement.

Jerome Gambit: The Game Is Afoot, Again! (Part 1)

Lately, I have been thinking, as I did in the post "Jerome Gambit: Worse vs Best (Part 1)"

As a serious fan of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) I like to think about what would happen if the best chess players ever faced the opening - or, even more improbably, if the "best" ever played the "worst". 

What Jerome Gambit fan wouldn't want to track down stories suggesting that Alekhine once played the Jerome; or that Steinitz, and later, Lasker, actually faced the Jerome.

Those might be some fascinating games.  

I tried, without success, to discover them. See "Jerome Gambit: Excitable" for links to relevant posts. The claims of an Alekhine or a Steinitz Jerome Gambit game appear completely unsubstantiated; the Lasker game did happen, but I have not been able to find the moves of the game.

Of course, Blackburne once destroyed the Jerome Gambit. You can see that game many places, including on this blog, for example, in"Nobody Expects the Jerome Gambit!"

If you count transpositions - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qe2 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ being equal to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Qe2 Nf6 I guess you could settle for Adolf Albin. See "Adolf Albin Plays the Jerome Gambit (Part 1) and (Part 2)".

So, imagine how excited I got when my Google Alert - set to let me know when it ran across "Jerome Gambit" on the internet - pointed me to "Traps and Gambits" ("For 1000-1600 players that enjoy aggressive openings, sacrifices, and traps"), specifically "Giuoco Piano Game: Jerome Gambit" and I read the title "The Jerome Gambit: A Daring Dive into Chess Romanticism".

What really struck me was the following

This opening has been used in a number of famous games, including some by the legendary Paul Morphy, whose attacking prowess was unparalleled in his time.

Paul Morphy played the Jerome Gambit??

And with that, I could not help myself, I was off searching again on a fool's errand...

Jerome Gambit: Unsafe (for me) At Any Speed (Part 3)

 

[continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - GuestJDZB

2 12 blitz, FICS, 2024

I had one eye on the board and one eye on the clock.

26...Rc7 27.Rxb5 Rxc2 28.Rxb6 Rxa2 29.Rxb7

 Sadly, White's Queenside passer looks interesting, but will not amount to anything.

29...Ra1+ 30. Kg2 Ra2+ 31. Kh3 Ne7 32. b4 Rb2 

Rooks belong behind passed pawns.

33.b5 g6 34.f5 gxf5 35.exf5 Nxf5 36.Rxh7 Rxb5 

I jettisoned my b-pawn to reach safe harbor.

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome was probably turning in his grave at my meekness, but there really was not anything left.

37.Rh5 Nd6 38.Rxb5 

After the game Stockfish 16 proposed a line, through move 49, that improved my position from the current 0 pawn advantage to 2/100th of a pawn advantage.

38...Nxb5 

Neither of us was critical on time, and Black's King is properly placed to intercept my pawns.

39.Kg4 Kf7 40.Kf5 Nd6+ 41.Kg5 Kg7 42.h4 Ne4+ 43.Kf4 Nf6 44.g4 Kg6 45.h5+ 

Here my opponent offered a draw, which I accepted.

I guess he didn't want to finish with 45...Nxh5 46.gxh5+ Kxh5 with naked Kings.

It was an exciting game, and I salute my opponent.

The next one will be played with a slower time control.

Jerome Gambit: Unsafe (for me) At Any Speed (Part 2)

 

[continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - GuestJDZB

2 12 blitz, FICS, 2024

13...dxe4 14.dxe4

Instead, Stockfish 16 prefers exchanging Queens with 14.h3 N4e5 15.Qxe4 Nc6 16.Nd5 Qxe4 17.dxe4 Rf7, although it sees Black as better. I don't really understand its "reasoning", and we are entering a part of the game where, afterwards, I found much of the computer's suggestions impenetrable.

14...Be6 

Developing quickly, but leaving himself open to a possible pawn fork if I were to play f2-f4-f5. 

15.Be3 

I will give you Stockfish 16's preference, without comment: 15.h3 N4e5 16.Qh5 Kf7 17.Bg5 Qb4 18.f4 Qxb2 19.fxe5+ Kg8 20.Bd2 Qxc2 21.Qg5 Qd3 22.Rxf8+ Rxf8 23.Rd1 c6 24.Be1 Qc4 25.Kh2 Qc5 26.Rd6 Bc8 27.Qg3 Nxe5 28.Rd1 Ng6 29.a4 Be6 30.Rd2 Qe5 Black is about 3/4 pawn better. 

15...Qd6 

To quote the comic Rodney Dangerfield, I tell ya, I don't get no respect.

My King is safely castled, his is in the middle of the board - but which one is being attacked? Mine.

Respect? I respect my opponent's play.

16.g3 Nxe3 17.Qxe3 a6 

Keeping my Knight off of the b5 square.

Can I keep him from castling? 

18.Rad1 Qb6 19.Qxb6 

I was not happy to see my Queen go, but it messed up his pawns.

19...cxb6 20.f4 Bc4 21.Rf2 Rd8 22.Rfd2 Rxd2 23.Rxd2

Can the "Jerome pawns" help me hold on? (Where, oh where, did my attack go?)

23...Rf7

Preparing to swing the Rook over to the d-file and exchange. The move gave me a breather, as I could work against his Bishop.

24.b3 Bb5 25.Nxb5 axb5 26.Rd5 

Black's Queenside pawns are a vulnerable nightmare.

Hope danced in my head, in the form of the phrase No losing chances - if I could get there.

[to be continued]