Jerome meets the Elephant

Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Martin Moller of Denmark (see "Trading up!") has been at it again, showing his creativity and sense of adventure in another snappy game.

When facing 1.e4 I always answer with the Elephant Gambit, an opening I very seldom meet when playing White, but just the other day on ICC my opponent gave me 2. --- d5 ! But now that I study the Jerome I thought : let me give this Elephant a Jerome lesson !? Here is the game, 5 min. blitz as usual.

Moller - HipHop elephant
ICC 5 min blitz, 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5


3.Nxe5 Bd6 4.d4 dxe4 5.Bc4 Bxe5


The "book" move for White now is 6.Qh5.

6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Qh5+


7...Kf8

Sixty years ago, Black tried 7... g6 8.Qxe5 Nf6 9.Bg5 Nbd7 10.Qf4 Qe7 11.Qxc7 Qb4+ 12.Nc3 Nd5 13.a3 Qxb2 14.Nxd5 Qxa1+ 15.Ke2 Qxd4 16.Qf4+ Nf6 17.Rd1 Bg4+ 18.f3 exf3+ 19.gxf3 Rhe8+ 20.Ne3 Qxf4 21.Bxf4 Bf5 22.Kf2 Rac8 23.c4 b6 White resigns, Elbert - Diemer, Germany 1948

8.Qxe5 Nc6 9.Qc5+ Nce7 10.Bg5 Nf6 11.Nc3 b6 12.Qc4


12...h6 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Nxe4 Kg7 15.0-0-0 Nd5 16.h4 Be6 17.Qe2 h5 18.Qd3 Nf4 19.Qe3 Nxg2


Black has been playing well, and keeping the game even, but this move hangs a piece.

20.Rhg1 Bg4 21.Rxg2 f5 22.Nc3 Kf7 23.Rdg1


Simpler was 23.f3, but remember, this is a 5-minute game.

23...Re8 24.Qh6 Rh8 25.Qf4 Qf6 26.f3


26...Bh3 27.Qxc7+ Ke6 28.Rg6 Qxg6 29.Rxg6 checkmate


graphics by Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws"