Sailing Off Again

Bouyed by his recent draw against the computer in the difficult "Nibs" variation of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) (see "Sailing Off of the Edge of the World") Philidor1792 played three more exploratory games with Crafty, two with the White pieces and one with the Black.


This time the results were not as encouraging.


Philidor1792 - Computer (Crafty)
2012


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Nf3+ 10.Kd1 Ne7 

Despite Philidor1792's previous escape, White (not Black) is in big trouble here.


11.e5+ Kc6 12.Qe4+ d5 13.exd6+ Nd5 14.gxh4 Bg4 15.Qa4+ 

One of the new games continued, instead, in a novel direction with 15.d4 Rae8 16.Qxe8+ Rxe8 17.h3 Bh5 18.dxc5 Ne1+ 19.Kd2 Re2+ 20.Kd1 Re3+ 21.Kd2 Nf3+ 22.Kd1 Ne5+ 23.Kd2 Nc4 checkmate, Philidor1792 - Computer (Crafty); 


Another, with the computer taking the White pieces, introduced another new line 15.f5 Nxh2+ 16.Ke1 Rae8 17.d3 Bxf5 18.Rxh2 Bxe4 19.dxe4 Rxe4+ 20.Kd1 Bxd6 21.Rh1 Rd4+ 22.Bd2 Rf8 23.c3 Rg4 24.Kc2 Rf2 25.Kb3 Rgg2 26.Rd1 Rh2 27.a4 Bf4 28.c4 Nf6 29.Bc3 Rxh4 30.Na3 Rhh2 31.Nb5 Be3 32.Rd3 Bc5 33.Nd4+ Kb6 (33...Bxd4 would have preserved Black's advantage) 34.a5+ Ka6 35.Ne6 b6 36.axb6+ Kxb6 37.Nxc5 Kxc5 38.Ra6 Rf4 39.Bb4 checkmate, Computer (Crafty) - Philidor1792. 


15...b5 16.Qa6+ Bb6 


Crafty significantly improves over its previous 16...Nb6, Philidor1792 - Computer (Crafty) (½-½, 89).


17.h3 Bh5 18.c3 Rhe8 19.Kc2 Nd4+ 20.cxd4 Nb4+ 21.Kb3 Nxa6

Black's extra piece will outplay White's extra pawns.


22.dxc7 Bf7+ 23.Kc3 Ba5+ 24.b4 Nxb4 25.Ba3 Nd3+ 26.Kc2 Nxf4 27.Nc3 b4 28.d5+ Kxc7 29.Rhf1 Bg6+ 30.Kb3 bxc3 31.Rxf4 cxd2 

32.d6+ Kd7 33.Bb4 Bxb4 34.Kxb4 Bh5 35.Rff1 Kxd6 36.Kc3 d1Q 37.Raxd1+ Bxd1 38.Rxd1+ Kc6 

A Rook is a Rook is a Rook...


39.Rc1 Rac8 40.Kd3+ Kd5 41.Rg1 g6 42.h5 gxh5 43.Rg7 a5 44.Rxh7 Rh8 45.Ra7 Ra8 46.Rb7 Ke5 47.Ke3 Kd5 48.Kd3 a4 49.Rb5+ Kc6 50.Kc4 a3 51.Rg5 Rab8 52.Rg6+ Kd7 53.Rg3 Ra8 54.Rf3 Rhb8 55.Rd3+ Ke6 56.Re3+ Kf5 57.Rf3+ Kg5 58.Rf1 Rb2 59.Ra1 Kh4 60.Rh1 Rxa2 White resigned

Moral: Be careful to which computer (and when) you give Jerome Gambit odds.