1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ...and related lines
(risky/nonrisky lines, tactics & psychology for fast, exciting play)
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Bully
Still, the opening is worth a look, as it has its interesting features
perrypawnpusher - Butin
blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
4.0-0 Na5
Provocative!
I had never seen this move before, and was only able, later, to find two game examples – neither of which contained my next move.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke7
Although Rybka 3 and Fritz 8 will immediately recommend the Bishop sacrifice, finding the "safest" place for the Black King, and the best followup for White, now is not easy. Rybka 3 suggests that White can win the Rook, ramaining the exchange and two pawns up, with the exact 6...Ke6 7.Ng6 Rh7 8.Qg4+ Kf7 9.Ne5+ Ke7 10.Qg6 Qe8 11.Qxh7 Nf6 12.Qg6.
7.Qh5
Certainly the Jerome-ish play, but simpler and better was 7.Ng6+ followed by 8.Nxh8.
7...Kd6
Ouch. Game over.
With 7...Qe8 now Black can fight back, although after 8.Ng6+ Kd8 9.Qf3 Qxg6 10.Qxf8+ Qe8 11.Qxg7 Ne7 White has 3 pawns for his missing piece.
My opponent put up a fight for almost 30 more moves, but it seems unfair to do more than list them. (Play through the game on Chess Publisher, if you wish.)
8.Nf7+ Ke7 9.Nxd8 Kxd8 10.Qxa5 b6 11.Qc3 Nf6 12.d3 d6 13.f4 Ng4 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Bc5+ 16.d4 Be7 17.Qc6 Rb8 18.Qg6 Rg8 19.Nc3 Ba6 20.Rf7 c5 21.Qxg4 cxd422.Qxd4+ Ke8 23.Rxe7+ Kxe7 24.Qd6+ Ke8 25.Qxb8+ Kf7 26.Qxa7+ Kg6 27.Qxa6 Kh7 28.Qd3+ Kh8 29.Qh3 Re8 30.Bxh6 gxh6 31.Qxh6+ Kg8 32.Qg6+ Kf8 33.e6 Ke7 34.Qf7+ Kd8 35.Qd7 checkmated
Friday, June 26, 2009
A First Time Decline
Perhaps out of surprise, perhaps out of a wish not to go along with White's plans, Black declines the opportunity to go two-pieces-up-for-two-pawns. White winds up a pawn ahead, playing against a displaced King – a considerable luxury.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament: Hurry!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The hurrieder I go...
4.Bxf7+
Signalling the central-pawns-vs-piece game.
10.0-0 Bd7 11.f4 Qe7 12.d3 Kf7 A standard formation. Black is near to castling-by-hand, White has the d3-e4-f4 pawn formation. Black is better, but he will need a plan.
Things have progressed according to my plan of keeping the pawns rolling, although I should have prepared my next move with 22.Rad1.
I didn't think that anything bad would happen to me if I got the Queens off of the board. I was not getting any cooperation, however.
37.Qe3 h6 38.Be7
Monday, June 22, 2009
Searching, Searching, Searching
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Cave Man Chess
I'm sure that if anyone ever develops an "ACO" opening tome – Atavistic Chess Openings – the Jerome will fit in there nicely.
perrypawnpusher - Comunista
blitz 10 0, FICS, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5
The set-up.
4.Bxf7+
The sac.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
The defense.
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6
Time for each of us to get down to business. There are 15 games with this position in my database (not including this one), including 7 by Louis Morin and 4 by me. White scores 82%. I guess we'll have to check out the Critical Line in this defense, as well.
10.d3 Kf7 11.0-0 Re8 12.f4
Interesting: this position (not including this game) shows up 3 times in my database, and White has two losses – with me going 0-1. Comunista is finding his way through the "tree of variations" quite nicely.
12...Nd5
A novelty – and a cute one, at that – but more to the point would be putting a pawn on d5. Black plans to move the action to the Queenside, while I want to stay focused on his King on the Kingside.
13.Qg3 Nb4 14.Na3
Sensible, but more straight-forward would have been 14.f5, as in 14...Ne5 (14...Nh8 is probably safer) 15.Bg5 Qd7 16.d4 Nec6 17.Qb3+ Kf8 18.f6 when things would begin to move White's way.
14...a6 15.Bd2
Again, 15.f5 followed by 16.Bg5 was more incisive.
15...Nc6 16.Bc3
This gets the Bishop on an attacking diagonal, but overlooks what Black has been preparing.
16...b5
17.Bxg7
Played quickly, for maximum impact, but a bluff. Just like I had overlooked 16...b5, I had overlooked a resource for Black at move 18. Yipes!
17...Kxg7 18.f5 Nd4
This move maintains Black's advantage, but 18...Qh4 would have put an end to his worries.
19.Qf2 c5
20.fxg6 Rf8 21.Qd2 hxg6 22.c3 Ne6 23.Nc2 Qh4
See?
24.Rxf8 Nxf8 25.Rf1 Ne6 26.g3 Qg4
Egads... Black still has the advantage, but it is more of the traditional Jerome gambit piece-vs-two-pawns variety. I knew that if I could get my Queen and Knight re-positioned, the tide would turn in my favor.
27.Qf2 Kh6
Tide's turned!
It's hard to see at first that this innocent move upsets Black's position enough to shift the initative to White.
28.Ne3 Bb7
A terrible oversight that ends an exciting game. After 28...Qg5 White could have continued nibbling at the Black Queen with 29.h4 Qe7 30.Nd5 when the difference in development woulc be all on the first player's side.
29.Nxg4+ Black resigned
Many thanks to Comunista for the challenge!
graphic by Jeff Bucchino, Wizard of Draws