Mephisto Polgar

The Mephisto Polgar chess computer (1980s-90s) had a program written by Ed Schroeder. It was one of the strongest 8-bit chess programs available at the time. It played at about a 2200 USCF rating.

However, as we saw in the previous post, it had trouble with the human’s Krejcik Gambit. Like many early chess computers, it tended to grab material, despite the risk (which it may not have seen), and it would occasionally “develop” its King into danger.

It’s “intuition” in taking the e-pawn was correct, as evidenced by the evaluation of the line in the 1982 Batsford Chess Openings (“winning advantage” for Black) and the 1985 Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (“decisive advantage” for Black).

Still, players interested in trying their luck, or in finding a speed surprise, or in simply enjoying the chaos, might check out the YouTube video “Attacking Chess Gambit - 10 (Krejcik Gambit)” by GJ_Chess.

By the way, I have found 43 blitz and bullet games played online by Boterhoofd (rated 2000+, mostly 2200+) scoring 66%. Impressive.

Josef Krejcik

Chessfriend and blog contributor Yury V. Bukayev recently asked

Could you remember, please, if it is not so difficult, does any chess engine with the following "style" of play exist? Thus, this "style" is to get a maximum possible material without care of its own King. Have you ever met such chess program (without the word "bot" in its name, preferably)? 

While I was searching, Yury added

Thank you! These hours I have found such one (I have checked first two games in this database, the first of them is Jeromeish!):  https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=177398 ! Probably, it is not bad to play JG against such style. The next question for me is: where is it available for free playing? 

The game mentioned at ChessGames.com is 

R Arnold vs Mephisto Polgar (computer), offhand game, 1990

Alekhine Defense: Krejcik Variation. Krejcik Gambit

1.e4 Nf6 2.Bc4 Nxe4 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qh5+ Kf6 5.Qf3+ Ke5 6.d4+ Kxd4 7.Ne2+ Ke5 8.Bf4+ Ke6 9.Nd4+ Kd5 10.Nc3+ Kxd4 11.Qxe4+ Kc5 12.Be3+ Kd6 13.O-O-O#

The Krejcik mentioned is Josef Krejcik (1885 - 1957), an Austrian chess master known for his chess writing, including three books.

The sacrificial attack can be drawn from one of Krejcik's games

Krejcik - Gottleib, Germany, 1922 

1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe4 e5 6.Qf3+ Kg8 7.Qb3+ Be6 8.Qxe6# 

See also "I Want My Jerome Gambit!", "Another Krejcik" and "Jerome Gambit Inspired Play (Parts 2 and 6)"

Yury suggested that the Mephisto Polgar computer would fit his criteria, and we will look at that tomorrow.

Merry Christmas

 

Merry Christmas!

May all your sacrifices be accepted, and all of your plans fulfilled.

Best wishes,

Rick

How to Get an Advantage or to Win with JG (4.Bxf7+) against Maestri: the Collection of Practice (Part 1)

 

How to Get an Advantage or to Win with 

                       JG (4.Bxf7+) against Maestri: 

                     the Collection of Practice (Part 1)

                                                                 (by Yury V. Bukayev)

Dear readers, these my new posts about White's advantage and wins in such chess games are dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's publications with 4.Bxf7+ in Giuoco Piano. Now the world chess history knows a lot of cases, where White got an advantage or won here against grandmasters and other extremely strong defenders!

We should start from the game 

Amateur - GM Aman Hambleton ( dontcallmelab - ChessBrah, 3 min blitz, Chess.com, 2021, the video "Aman DECLINES the Jerome gambit": https://youtu.be/QR-1VQcPlGY?si=Diu1BqZ1DS0EvARz ),

where after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Black has played 4...Kf8 intentionally - to give "a handicap" to his opponent. After 5.Bb3 White got a large advantage. Then after not careful mutual play 5...Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.d3 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.O-O Nd4 10.g4 Nxg4 11.Nxd4 Bxd4 White could get an extra piece with the trivial possibility 12.hxg4!. It's not the most interesting case for us, but the first of Black's sacrifices is, in my opinion, slightly similar to the following famous one.

Mr. Milner - Joseph Henry Blackburne, England, 1884:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 . White accepted this Rook sacrifice 8.Qxh8 and got a serious advantage by this way. Thus, Black could choose a much more solid known plan instead, without a sacrifice of his Rook: 6...Kf8 7.Qxe5 d6. 

Further, we'll remind the first of two games between the following grandmasters:

Top GM Hikaru Nakamura - GM Dmitrij Kollars (3 min blitz, Chess.com, 2020),

where after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6 10.fxe5+ White got an enormous advantage on time, because Black played too slowly. As a result, later Black started to make mistakes, including the key blunder, and lost the game by checkmate. I think, after the possible 10.Qh5 Black could lose more rapidly, because it requires more analysis to find a good answer here.

Further, we'll remind the game 

NM Koosha Jaferian - Top GM Hikaru Nakamura ( Mrkooshaj - GMHikaruOnTwitch, 3 min blitz, Chess.com, 2021), 

where after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qxe5+ Kxe5 11.b4 Bd4 12.c3 Bb6 13.d4+ Kxe4 14.O-O Nf6 15.Bg5 d6 16.Nd2+ Black has made a key blunder 16...Kd3, so White got the won position as a result of 17.Rf3+ and won this game extremely rapidly.

(to be continued)

Jerome Gambit: Numbers, We Got Numbers (Part 2)

 

Reflecting on the numbers drawn from The Database - see the previous post - I wanted to give the evaluation of the main lines, courtesy of Stockfish 16.1 (30 ply).

The line Jerome Gambit players have been most successful against, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6, is rated by the computer as being about 2 1/3 of a pawn better for Black.

The line Jerome Gambit players have played most frequently, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+Ke6, is rated by the computer as being about 3 pawns better for Black.

The line Jerome Gambit players have played nearly as often, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 , is also rated by the computer as about 3 pawns better for Black.

The line Jerome Gambit players have played the least, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8, is rated by the computer as being  2 3/4 pawns better for Black.

It all amounts to the first player being comfortable with giving up significant material (remember, 3 pawns = 1 piece), meaning finding the right time control and the right opponent to unleash the Jerome Gambit.

Jerome Gambit: Numbers, We Got Numbers (Part 1)

I regularly refer in my blog posts to "The Database", which is my collection of Jerome Gambit and related games. It has grown over the years, due to my searching out the games, and also due to receiving many games from Readers.

A peek at The Database today shows:

The regular line of Jerome Gambit play, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+     38,295 games         White scores 52%

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+      7,763 games          White scores 57%

The Abrahams Jerome Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+                               18,980 games           White scores 51%

A quick breakdown of the four main lines of play is interesting

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8                  3,453 games           White scores 47%

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+Ke6                    4,814 games            White scores 55%

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6                3,053 games            White scores 70%

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4             4,249 games              White scores 55%

Jerome Gambit: Explosive

Combining the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) with the Evans Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4) can produce an explosive attack, as the following game (which was MateSharkVlad's challenge after his miniature lost game on Chess.com - as White- against Yury V. Bukayev: 1.e4 c5 2.Ne2 Nc6 3.f4 d5 4.exd5 Nb4 5.c4 Nd3 checkmate) shows.

Yury_V_Bukayev - MateSharkVlad

30 rapid, Chess.com, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.O-O Nf6 6.b4 

Reminiscent of the Evans Jerome Gambit.

6...Bxb4 7.c3 Bc5 

Somewhat cooperative. Instead, 7...Be7 comes to mind.

8.d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 

Yury now demonstrates the power of the pawn center.

10.e5 Ng8 

Black figures that retreat is enough. Instead, he should have returned his extra piece with 10...d5 11.exf6 Qxf6, still with an edge.  

11.d5 Nb8 

Probbly 11...Ne7 was better, but Black was committed to a plan.

12.Ng5+ 

12...Ke8 13.Re1 Ne7 

Again, the Knight tries to safeguard the King.

14.d6 Ng6 15.Qh5 

15...Bd4 

Hoping to snare a free Rook, but the action is all on the other side of the board.

16.Nxh7 Kf7 

Instead, 16...Bxf2+ would slow - but not stop - the attack. Black is angling for 17.Kxf2 Qh4+ 18.Qxh4 Nxh4, but he would still be worse. Of course, White could reply to 16...Bxf2+ with 17.Kh1, ending that adventure.

17.Qf5+ 

17...Kg8 18.Nf6+ gxf6

There also was little future in 18...Kf8 19.Ng4+Kg8 20.Qxg6.

 19.Qxg6+ Black resigned

Black sees that checkmate is coming, and turns over his King.

For those who enjoy unfortunate endings, Stockfish 16.1 gives the longest that Black can hold out, while giving up most of his pieces and still being mated: 19...Kf8 20.exf6 Bxf6 21.dxc7 Qe7 22.Ba3 d6 23.Bxd6 Nd7 24.Nc3 Rh7 25.Rxe7 Bxe7 26.Re1 Rg7 27.Bxe7+ Kg8 28.Qe6+ Kh8 29.Re4 Nf8 30.Qh6+ Kg8 31.Bf6 Rxg2+ 32.Kxg2 Bh3+ 33.Kxh3 Ne6 34.Rxe6 Kf7 35.Re7+ Kg8 36.Qh8# 

Quite a nice game by Yury!