It has been a while since I have been utterly destroyed by a player rated about 500 points below me, who is also runing away with Round 1, Group 1 of the tournament.
I lasted 22 moves in my other game against him, with the same result.
Powerful chess.
perrypawnpusher - BoysRule6969
Not Only The Italians Play the Italian, Chess.com, 2025
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4
Now, with 5.Nxe4 d5 we would have an even game, the earliest example that I have found being Van Foreest, Dirk - Van Foreest, Arnold E, Utrecht, 1886 (1/2 - 1/2, 31).
Instead, my choice here is to sacrifice the Bishop, as in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) - both lines are objectively bad for White, although the computer sees the Noa as a pawn less worse than the Jerome.
5.Bxf7+
The Noa Gambit, otherwise known as the Monck Gambit, otherwise known as the Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
As Yury V. Bukayev pointed out
In fact, it isn't a gambit, it is an exchange: 5...Kxf7 6.Nxe4. If White doesn't play 6.Nxe4!, then we have a gambit, it starts from such 6th gambit move.
I suspect that Noa got the blame for the line of play ("a hobby of Dr. Noa") due, among other things, to the game Noa, Josef - Makovetz, Gyula, Dresden, 1892 (0-1, 27), while Monck was connected to Monck, William H Stanley - Patterson,T, corr, 1905 (1-0, 16).
As I noted in "Jerome Gambit: Success Is Just Around the Corner... (Part 1)"
My perspective is that
at the club level, the Noa Gambit - "objectively" assessed as losing for White - can cause difficulties for Black if he is not prepared.
Also see "Jerome Gambit: Chaos in a Two Knights (Part 1)"
This is enough of an issue that it has been discussed a number of times on this blog. For ideas, you could try "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense" Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. Follow that up with "Further Explorations" (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5).
That is certainly enough coverage of the line that I should have done a better job in the current game.
My record with the opening (including this game) is 3 - 2 - 2.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe4 d5 7.Ng3 e4
Alternately, 7...Bc5 8.O-O Qf6 as in perrypawnpusher - Anthony bot, Chess.com 2024 (1-0, 43), which is not as forcing as the text move.
8.Ng1
This position, oddly, brings to mind a reversed Alekhine's Defense, Brooklyn variation.
8...h5
Relentless.
Instead, 8...g6 9.N1e2 Bg4 10.d4 exd3 11.Qxd3 was seen in perrypawnpusher - RemoveKubab1, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 30); and 8...Qf6 9.d3 exd3 10.Qxd3 was seen in perrypawnpusher - vityas81, Play The Italian Game III, 2023 (0-1, 22).
9.d4 exd3 10.Qxd3 Nb4 11.Qd2 h4 12.N3e2 Bf5
Not much of an attack I have going here.
13.Nd4 Qf6 14.Ngf3
Stockfish 16.1 was not encouraging after the game, suggesting here 14.Nxf5 Qxf5 15.Kd1 anyway.
14...Re8+ 15.Kd1 Bg4
16.h3 Bh5 17.c3 Re4 Continuing to make it difficult to unravel my position.
18.Re1 Bc5 19.Qg5
Hoping that exchanging Queens will help.19...Bxd4 20.Qxf6+ gxf6 White resigned
The end would look something like this: 21.cxd4 Bxf3+ 22.gxf3 Rxe1+ 23.Kxe1 Nc2+.I may have to retire the Noa for a while...
