IM John Watson and NM Eric Schiller's new Taming Wild Chess Openings
Good, Bad, and Ugly (New In Chess, 2015) is a revised and expanded print version of their 2014 same-titled EPlus ebook; which, in turn was an updated version of their Big Book of Busts (Hypermodern Press,1995).
Alas, call the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bx5 4.Bxf7+) "good", "bad" or "ugly" - it does not appear "wild" enough or in need of "taming" as it does not appear in Taming Wild Chess Openings.
One can certainly make the case that the Jerome Gambit is "annoying," however, so it is not suprising to find it in the authors' earlier Survive and Beat Annoying Chess Openings The Open Games (Cardoza, 2003),
As the Jerome can be thought of as both "unorthodox" and a gambit, it is understandably found in Schiller's Unorthodox Chess Openings (Cardoza, 1998, 2002) and his Gambit Chess Openings (Cardoza, 2002).
Is the pawn that White gets in return for his piece in the "annoying defense" variation of the Jerome Gambit enough for equality? "Objective" modern theory would say no, but you could not tell that from the following game by Bill Wall.
Wall,B - Alaric engine
Palm Bay, FL, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6
The "annoying" or "silicon" defense. It limits White's attack, but it also limits Black's counterplay.
8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Nc3
For variety. The only game in The Database with this move was played by Bill's brother.
9...Nf6
Or 9...g6 as in Wall,S - Guest648596, PlayChess.com, 2013 (1-0,57).
10.Qe2 Ke7 11.Na4 Qd4 12.Nxc5 Qxc5 13.d3 Bg4 14.Be3 Qb4+ 15.Qd2 Qxd2+ 16.Kxd2 Rhd8
The "Theory of Infinite Resistance" suggests that if White makes no further concessions, he can hold on.
17.h3 Be6 18.Bc5+ Kd7 19.Ke3 Nh5 20.Rhf1 Nf4 21.Rf2 g5 22.Bb4 Rg8 23.Bc3 Kd6
A plan for Black to convert his advantage appears to be byond the computer's horizon. On the other hand, White has plans for his "Jerome pawn".
24.b4 a6 25.a4 Rg6 26.Bb2 Rag8 27.c4 Bd7 28.d4 exd4+ 29.Bxd4 a5 30.b5 c5 31.Bc3 Ke7 32.Bxa5 b6 33.Bc3 Rd6 34.Rd2 Rxd2 35.Kxd2 Rd8 36.Kc1 Nxg2
The exchange of pawns on opposite wings has given White an opportunity. It appears that the Manhattan Chess Club epigram, mentioned by Irving Chernev in Capablanca's Best Chess Endings - "Black passed pawns travel faster than White" - will not rule the day in this game.
37.a5 bxa5 38.Rxa5 Bxh3 39.Ra7+ Bd7 40.Be5 Rf8 41.b6 Nf4 42.Kd2 Ke6 43.Bc7 Bc6 44.b7 Bxb7 45.Rxb7 h5
Black's passers look dangerous, but Bill has things under control, especially since he has recovered his sacrificed piece.
46.Rb6+ Kd7 47.Bd6 Re8 48.Ke3 Ne6 49.Bh2 h4 50.Rb7+ Kc6 51.Rh7 Kb6 52.Bd6 Ka5 53.Kd3 Kb4 54.Rb7+ Ka4 55.Ra7+ Kb3 56.Rb7+ Ka2 57.Be5 Rd8+ 58.Kc2
The Black King's travels have resulted in nothing.
58...Ra8 59.Bc3 Nd4+ 60.Bxd4 cxd4 61.Rg7 Ra3 62.Rxg5 h3 63.Rh5 Rc3+ 64.Kd2 Re3 drawn
The second round of the Chess.com Italian Game Tournament has concluded. After racing to the top of my group, I had to wait while one player, then another, also finished their games and overtook me. I was able to take third place on a tie-break (thanks, in part, to "My Bodygurard!?"), even though my record against the fourth place finisher was only a draw and a loss; and I will advance to the next round. (Will I finally play a Jerome Gambit there??)
This seems likely to balance out what will happen in the Chess.com Giuoco Piano Tournament, where the last game is almost over (there is a mate in one), and the expected winner will vault into a tie for first place in the group with me. I have a win and a draw against him, but his tie-break points will be better than mine; and only one of us will advance to the next round.
In complicated chess positions, the cooler head is likely to prevail. In the following human vs computer Jerome Gambit game, the real head outplays the virtual one.
Wall, Bill - Asterisk engine
Palm Bay, FL, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4
Qf6
8.Rf1 Ne7
A novelty according to The Database, but not the best move.
9.Qh3+ Kd6 10.d4
Very Jerome-ish. Go pawns!
10...Nd3+ 11.cxd3 Qxd4 12.Nd2 Bb4 13.Ke2 Bxd2 14.Bxd2 Qxb2
The computer's taste for pawns leads it to poison.
15.e5+ Kd5 16.Rab1 Qxa2 17.Ra1 Qb2 18.Rfb1 Qc2 19.Rc1 Qb2 20.Ra5+ b5 21.Rxc7 Nc6 22.Rxd7+
Notice how little help Black's Rooks and Bishop provide. They will soon leap to action, too late.
22...Kc5
Alas for Asterisk, after 22...Bxd7 checkmate will follow: 23.Qxd7+ Kc5 24.Qd6+ Kb6 25.Ra6+ Kb7 26.Qd7+ Kb8
27.Rxc6 Qxd2+ 28.Kxd2 b4 29.Qc7#
23.Qe3+ Nd4+ 24.Rxd4 Bg4+ 25.Kf2 Qxd4 26.Rxb5+ Kxb5 27.Qxd4
Black has two Rooks for his Queen, but his King remains unsafe - and there is still the matter of the "Jerome pawns"!
27...Rad8 28.Qc4+ Kb6 29.Be3+ Kb7 30.Qb5+ Ka8 31.Qc6+ Kb8 32.e6 h6 33.Qb5+ Kc7 34.Qc5+ Kb7 35.Qxa7+ Kc6 36.Qc5+ Kb7 37.Qb6+ Kc8 38.Qa6+ Kc7 39.Bb6+ Black resigned
To beat a human being a chess program does not have to make a great move every time, it only has to make good move after good move after good move. By way of contrast, if it makes a lesser move followed by a lesser move followed by a lesser move - it risks defeat, as the following Jerome Gambit game shows.
Wall, Bill - AnMon Engine
Palm Bay, FL, 2015
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6
Once again the "annoying" or "silicon" defense. (A favorite among computer engines, it works well for humans, too.)
8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Kd6
Black's King goes directly to d6, instead of 9...Ke7 10.Qg3 Kd6 as in Wall, Bill - Comet B50 engine, Palm Bay, FL, 2015 (1-0, 16). The saved tempo improves Black's position.
10.Qg3 Nf6
The right idea: development is key for Black, and taking the g-pawn would be dangerous for White.
11.Nc3 a6 12.Rf1 Be6 13.Ne2 Nh5 14.Qf3 Qh4+ 15.g3 Qh3
White now offers a pawn which Black would do well to decline, but computers are known to be grabby. It is a small slip, but small slips add up...
16.d4 exd4 17.Qd3 Qxh2 18.Nxd4 Bxd4 19.Qxd4+ Kc6
Black has to be careful; there is a way to King safety through this messy position,
but one error can be fatal. This was the whole idea behind White giving up the h-pawn.
20.Qc3+ Kd7 21.Bf4 Ke8 22.O-O-O
Whew, says the human.
22...Nxf4 23.gxf4 Rg8
If White has not equalized, he is pretty close. In the meantime, he has his familiar "Jerome pawns" in play against Black's extra piece. The protected, passed pawn at h7 does not get a chance to play a part in the game.
24.f5 Bf7 25.e5 Qh6+ 26.Kb1 Qc6 27.Qh3 Bd5 28.e6
h6 29.Qh5+ Ke7 30.Rfe1 Raf8
AnMon is not familiar with this blog, or it would be feeling an eerie sense of deja vu.
31.f6+ Rxf6 32.Rxd5 Rxe6 33.Rxe6+ Kxe6
Black's King is too exposed.
34.Qf5+ Ke7 35.Qe5+ Kf7 36.Qf4+ Ke7 37.Qe4+ Kf7 38.Rf5+ Kg6 39.Qd3 Rd8 40.Rd5+ Kf7 41.Rxd8 Qh1+ 42.Qd1 Black resigned
As a followup to the human vs computer game Wall - Akok, 2015 the following game addresses a 12th move alternative for Black. At that point things have gotten critical for the defender (see the notes in "Irrational"), but it would be a shame to hide the current contest in the notes of another game: once again, disaster strikes the computer.
Wall, Bill - Amyan engine
Palm Bay, FL, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Qf6
8.Rf1 g6 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.Nc3 Kd8 11.fxe5 Qxe5
The Black King is not as safe as it would like, and the Black Queen's capture is ill-fated. White's next move shows that the defenders are over-worked.
12.d4 Qxd4
Wall - Akok, 2015 saw 12...Bxd4
13.Bg5+ Ke8
Costing material, despite the eventual Queen exchange, is 13...Ne7, i.e. 14.Bf6 d6 15.Qg3 Qe3+ 16.Qxe3 Bxe3 17.Bxh8.
14.Qf3 Qg7 15.Nd5 Bd6 16.O-O-O
Who wouldn't want to have this position with White against a computer?
16...c6
You know that Black is in trouble when the best line Stockfish recommends is 16...Be5 17.Qc3!? Things would continue dismally: 17...Bf4+ (everything else leads to checkmate) 18.Rxf4 Qxc3 19.bxc3 Ne7 20.Nxc7+ Kd8 21.Nd5 Ke8 22.Bxe7 Rb8 23.Rdf1.
17.e5 Bb8 18.e6 d6
Black, trying to keep the position closed, doesn't have time right now to take the offered Knight. Alas, undeveloped, there is also the problam of a pesky "Jerome pawn".
19.Qf7+ Qxf7 20.exf7+ Kf8 21.fxg8=Q+ Kxg8
22.Rde1 cxd5 23.Re8+ Kg7 24.Re7+ Kg8 25.Bh6 Black resigned
Next is checkmate.
Here we have another human vs computer game (see "Irrational"), one which turns, curiously, on computer "psychology" and a subtle anti-computer strategy. Again, it is the human who applies brutal tactical force to close out the game.
Wall, Bill - Comet B50 engine
Palm Bay, FL, 2015
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6
Ah, yes, back to the "annoying" or "silicon" defense.
Black will soon be challenged to decide which pawn(s) it wants to protect, and which one(s) it wants to let go. This is something White can take advantage of, if he pushes it.
8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Ke7
Ten years ago this position proved uneasy for the computer playing the Jerome Gambit, and it quickly decided to save half a point: 9...Kd6 10.Qd3+ Ke7 11.Qg3 Kd6 12.Qd3+ Ke7 13.Qg3 Kd6 14.Qd3+ drawn, Crafty 19.19 - RevvedUp, blitz 2 12, 2006.
10.Qg3 Kd6 11.Qd3+ Bd4
Again, here, in the human - computer supermatch played a decade ago, the computer, with the Jerome Gambit, decided to bail out: 11...Ke7 12.Qg3 Ke6 13.Qh3+ Kf7 14.Qh5+ Ke6 15.Qh3+ drawn, Hiarcs 8 - RevvedUp, blitz 2 12, 2006).
Upon reflection, the g7 pawn is probably more valuable than the e5 pawn, despite the Comet B50's evaluations and calculations, and ...Kd6 is not Black's strongest continuation. Here it will cost a piece.
(On the other hand, most computers opening with the Jerome Gambit as White would probably love to offer and receive a draw after four moves!)
12.c3 Qg5
Comet B50 goes for wild tactics. It is interesting to recall two historical games that showed the computer (in this case, an early version of Fritz) solidly surrendering the piece: 12...c5 13.cxd4 cxd4 14.b3 Kc7 (14...Nf6 15.Ba3+ Kc7 16.Qg3 Re8 17.Qxg7+ Kb8 18.d3 Qa5+ 19.b4 Qb6 20.O-O Re6 21.Nd2 Qd8 22.Nc4 Qg8 23.Qxg8 Nxg8 24.Rf5 Ne7 25.Rxe5 Rxe5 26.Nxe5 Ng6 27.Nf3 Nf4 28.b5 Kc7 29.Ne5 Ng6 30.Nxg6 hxg6 31.Bc5 Bd7 32.a4 Re8 33.Bxd4 a6 34.bxa6 bxa6 35.a5 Kd6 36.Bb6 Bc6 37.Ba7 Bb5 38.Rd1 Ke5 39.Kf2 Ra8 40.Bb6 Ba4 41.Ra1 Bc6 42.Ke3 Re8 43.d4+ Kd6 44.e5+ Kd7 45.g3 Rf8 46.Rd1 Ke6 47.Rd3 Rf1 48.Rc3 Rf3+ 49.Kd2 Rxc3 50.Kxc3 Kd5 51.h4 Ke4 52.Kc4 Bb5+ 53.Kc5 Kf3 54.d5 Kxg3 55.e6 Kxh4 56.d6 Kg5 57.d7 Kf5 58.d8=Q Kxe6 59.Qg8+ Kf5 60.Qd5+ Kf6 61.Kd6 Kg7 62.Qxb5 axb5 63.a6 b4 64.a7 g5 65.a8=Q g4 66.Qe4 g3 67.Qxb4 Kf7 68.Qf4+ Kg6 69.Qg4+ Kh6 70.Qg8 Kh5 71.Bd8 Kh6 72.Qg5+ Kh7 73.Bf6 g2 74.Qg7 checkmate, Fisher-Kirshner,M - Knight Stalker, Fremont, CA, 1993) 15.Qc4+ Kb8 16.Ba3 Qh4+ 17.Kd1 Qh6 18.Qd5 Bg4+ 19.Ke1 Qh4+ 20.g3 Qg5 21.Bd6+ Kc8 22.Qf7 Bd7 23.Na3 Kd8 24.Rc1 Ne7 25.Rf1 Rc8 26.Rxc8+ Nxc8 27.Nc4 Re8 28.Bb4 Qh6 29.Na5 b6 30.Nc4 Bc6 31.d3 Qc1+ 32.Kf2 Qc2+ 33.Kg1 Qxd3 34.Nd6 Qe3+ 35.Rf2 Nxd6 36.Bxd6 Bd7 37.Kg2 Qxe4+ 38.Kf1 Bh3+ 39.Rg2 Qxg2+ 40.Ke1 Qh1+ 41.Kd2 Qxh2+ 42.Ke1 Qxg3+ 43.Kd2 Qc3+ 44.Ke2 d3+ 45.Kf2 Qb2+ 46.Kg3 Qg2+ 47.Kh4 Qg4 checkmate, Fisher-Kirshner,M - Knight Stalker, Fremont, CA, 1993.
13.cxd4 Qxg2 14.dxe5+
14...Kxe5
The King would be relatively safer on e7.
15.Qd5+ Kf6
The Queen is now lost, but otherwise Black loses her and his King: 15...Kf4 16.d4+ Kf3 17.Nd2+ Kg4 18.h3+ Qxh3 19.Rxh3 Kxh3 20.Qh5+ Kg2 21.Qf3+ Kh2 22.Nf1+ Kg1 23.Be3 checkmate.
analysis diagram
16.e5+ Black resigned
